Good for you, Lilo! Of course, you knew it was your little Schlumpel, bigger, maybe better, and just waiting for you to come and find her. What a sweet story; I'm glad you shared it with us.

Love your doll story. My best friend was a stuffed foxterrier. He was retired when I was about 6 and he had no fur left and could not stand anymore because the stuffing had come out.

Oh, the memories! Some people have a teddy bear, some people have security blanket, I -like you- had a doll. Raggety Ann to be specific. I loved, loved, LOVED, Raggety! I don't remember ever being without her. Mom said she bought Raggety Ann for me when I was about three years old. This was in the mid-sixties. We had a camper and traveled extensively throughout the US and Canada when I was growing up, and Raggety came with us. She was better traveled than 95% of my classmates.

A few years ago, my sister, brother, and I (I am the youngest) were helping Mom clean out her basement. There, in a sealed plastic bag was Raggety Ann! Several areas of her feet and hands were worn so smooth and frayed that stuffing was poking out. My brother asked me why her mouth was stained. I told him that when Mom would give us fugde-cycles, I would take a bite and then give a bite to Raggety! The reminiscing we did that day about when we were kids had us laughing and crying (Dad passed 10 years earlier). I don't know what meant more to me at that moment -- seeing Raggety again and the flood of memories that came with her, or knowing that Mom saved her all these years. Moms, they are the greatest -- be it when you are five or forty-five!

I was leaving this as the top, but now that people are commenting Oh Lilo! ((throw my arms around your neck with glee)) such delight to have found her again. Luck Sclumpel to have had you as her friend twice in life.

I had dolls, but a baby sister and cats (my greatgrandmother made us Raggedy Ann dolls and I did play with her, but I also loved to take off her dress and put it on the cat. He didn't care) were more fun to dress up. I was more of a tomboy, riding bikes, climbing trees (and fireplaces and fences), snitching raspberries off the cane in the front yard. Or barbies. Sis and I loved barbies. Put them in our skate (did skate with them a lot though) to use as cars. I would pull them around by the string. Then, the bookcase was a highrise apartment complex. There was a bracket that stuck out a bit and I would tie a string around it, then the dolls belly and she would ride the "elevator" up to the top. Or I painted their lips with fingernail polish to look like shiny lipstick, take their heads off and put a ring over their necks to put on the "necklace" and then put the head back on. As you know, I grew up very military. {{gwi:142607}} was my barbie's husband. Not that sillly ol' {{gwi:142608}} (put some meat on yer bones boy! grow into a man, then we'll talk!). Still today, I'd rather have a beefy guy than the rather slender Ken kinda guy.

A little off subject but the mention of the Ken doll reminded me.

On some site or other, there was a post with a lot of comments about men shaving all their body hair..legs,everything... A lot of the females thought it made a man more desirable to be hairless.

And me? all I could think of was Ken doll, could I ever want a grown up Ken?

Now back to Lilo's post. I had a beat up old stuffed bunny once. I dragged it every where. Just before Easter one year, it disappeared. And sure enough, there was a new bunny in my Easter Basket. It wasn't limp, didn't feel right, it was stiff, and I wouldn't have a thing to do with it. Why don't grownups understand the importance of these dear little things..

Here ya go, Lilo!
{{gwi:142610}}

Aw Aggie, you had a Velveteen Rabbit and your parents didn't know. I hope he got his legs that moved.

Hey Linda, thank you for putting up the picture of Schlumpel and that nekkid baby, traditional baby-picture in the ancient past, many times they were laying on their tummy.

Cute doll and kid.

Bringing this back up, somewhere among the follow-ups my baby-picture has appeared (thank you, LindaC) may want to check it out LOL