Snip Snip

[image error]Are you old enough to remember playing with paper dolls?    I loved them.  Had a box where they all lived (I had a chest that served as a pretend houseboat for my Barbies, too, but that's another story).   I had fashion ones, historical ones, even fantasy ones like Cinderella.  And my favorite was Betsy McCall. 

Betsy lived her life on the pages of McCall's Magazine.   She first appeared in April of 1951 (eight years before I was even on the scene)  and was published monthly through the 1970's and sporadically in the 80's and 90's.   My Betsy came from the mid to late sixties.  Getting the magazine in the mail was absolute bliss.  

Betsy and her clothes were always accompanied by a story—Betsy McCall goes to camp, or Betsy at the Easter Egg Rolling, or Betsy gets a baby sister.[image error]   And the fashions and haircuts of the appropriate years serve as memory jogs for the outfits I actually wore.   There's a yellow dress with matching coat that looks a lot like one I had one Easter.   And puffy skirts with petticoats from when I was about five—always my favorite.   And there was even the pixie cut hair, that I loathed but had to live with because Maria had her hair cut like that in the Sound of Music.  HELLO—she was a nun! 

I suspect that these days paper dolls are passé.   With technology being what it is, I can't imagine a kid taking the time to cut or punch paper dolls out and carefully fold the tabs to 'dress' them in all their various outfits.   But back in the day, I [image error]loved them, and the adventure they offered.  Not to mention cool clothes and fun stories.   And as I said—for me—Betsy was the best! 

So what about you?  Do you remember Betsy?  Did you play with paper dolls?  What were your favorites?