Rag Dolls... #363

An interesting shop front in Newtown, at the John Street junction ... a delightful facade, the retro colours; the artwork and the nature of the goods.

About Tinkerdoodle: "How we got started!"

When my daughters were little, their experience of Ragdolls was one of disappointment. Often the clothes wouldn’t come off, and they couldn’t change the outfit because no others were offered. And the hair was made of fragile yarn that broke off when they handled it too much.

My daughters loved their Ragdolls. But they wanted to interact and play with their special friends a lot more, because you play lots with a best friend don’t you? My daughters asked me “Mum, could you make us a Ragdoll please? One we can play with lots, and take with us when we go out?”

So I did. It helped that I was an experienced sewer and can draft patterns! We had fun deciding what the Ragdoll should have. Underclothes were stitched on as togs – so the girls wouldn’t worry when she had to “swim” in the washing machine. We made her hair from fabric at first, then added elastic into it so they had more fun ‘handling’ it themselves (to them it seemed ‘magical’ that it stretched). We made sure all the clothes were changeable, using Velcro or elastic, so they could do it themselves - mostly! We made a backpack to carry her around on so they never had to leave her behind. Then they told me about all the ways they wanted to play with her. Could she be a fairy? A nurse? A teacher? And could she have fancy clothes?

Suddenly I realised something I hadn’t noticed before. My daughters were using a Ragdoll to fulfil a natural fascination for trying on different characters. Notice how by simply holding a fairy doll, a child is transformed into a fairy, living in a fairy world? They aren’t “just playing”. Children are exploring ideas about themselves and their abilities through a Ragdoll – and their imaginations! Why? Because it helps them discover who they are, and what they want to be! I remember thinking to myself “Wow. All that is now available to them, because I made a Ragdoll that fits the variety of ways they want to play”.

I want your child to have the same fantastic experiences with a Ragdoll that my daughters did. Tinkerdoodle Ragdolls support and enhance a child’s pre-school development in many fun ways that they really enjoy! And best of all, they are safe for them to love.
Please invest in a Tinkerdoodle Ragdoll for a child you love today.