World Doll Day: Durban gran shares about her love for dolls
Wendy Saunders has a great passion for porcelain dolls. She received her first doll as a Christmas present when she was five years old and now owns about 400.
WORLD Doll Day will be celebrated on Saturday, June 10. The day is all about the small plastic, cloth or porcelain versions of human beings. The day is celebrated to deliver a message of love and happiness.
Dolls have been a part of human civilisation for thousands of years, with archaeological evidence indicating that dolls are the oldest known toy. The earliest dolls were made of clay, stone, wood, bone, ivory, leather, wax and other available materials.
Durban resident Wendy Saunders is chuffed about this day as she has been collecting dolls for years.
Also read: Westville gran bags 5 gold medals at swim champs
Saunders says she received her first doll when she was five years old. She recalls playing with her doll for hours upon hours for many years.
“I have fond memories of my first doll – it was a Wettum – my mother bought it for me as a Christmas present when we were on holiday in Margate.
“She was so special to me that I would cut up my socks to make dresses for her,” she says with a smile.
Saunders owned her second doll at the age of 11.
“It was also a Christmas present. My mother knew I loved my doll but was not pleased that I would cut up my socks to make dresses.”
The 88-year-old says it was when she went overseas in 1961 that her interest for dolls grew.
“They had the most beautiful dolls, so I bought them because I was working and had my own money,” she says, beaming.
Saunders’ bedroom is filled with lots of dolls which look like miniature people. She even has a collection of antique and vintage dolls.
“I once had a room filled with dolls, but now, the others are packed away as we moved from the main house and we have a smaller space.”
She says that her husband believes that she has 400 dolls. “Over the years, I lost count, and I have teddy bears, too, which was an interest I developed after collecting dolls.
“At one stage, dolls were so popular that we would flock to a market to buy them. I bought some for a R1 000,” says Saunders.
She adds that her dolls are a special part of her life as she has spent almost all her life with them around her.
For more from Berea Mail, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok.
