Rita Doll

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas.

Christmas 1952

Here is the father who went without lunch and saved his lunch money to buy the Rita Doll in my last post. He did many other things for me throughout his life. He built me a doll house, a model train layout, and ran to every store in the area with me to find red wax lips that were popular at that time. He was always there for me, gave me advice, tutored me in history, walked me down the aisle, and was a wonderful grandfather too. I know he liked my husband because he told some friends of ours that he hoped when their girls grew up they would find someone like my husband. I loved my dad, and I have no doubt he loved me. So many times I wish I could talk to him and get his advice now. But that will have to wait until another time. I still have the manger scene under the tree. You can’t see the dress I am wearing very well, but it was made by Aunt Fran, my grandmother’s sister.

Everyday until Christmas, I am going to try to post a picture from a past family Christmas.

Christmas 1951

In 1951 Santa brought me a Rita Doll. You can see by the picture that she was half my size and she walked. Oh, how I wanted that doll, and when I was older my mother told me that my father went without lunch and saved his lunch money to buy me that doll. It meant even more to me after hearing that story. Once her arm came off and we took her to a doll hospital to be fixed. This picture was taken in my bedroom and that little dresser was painted pink and blue. Every year we would go the A&P food store and buy one of those little trees for my bedroom. There were lights on it and you can kind of see the cord going up the wall and around the door to be plugged in. I like the paper chain on it, and I remember there were some glow-in-the-dark stars and icicles on it.

Below is information about the Rita Doll from dollreference.com

The Paris Doll Company ad for the Rita doll states: Rita’s a must – See her during Toy Fair at the Hotel McAlpin Rooms 1046-48, doll is unmarked. Hard plastic head with glued on saran wig, hard plastic jointed body, sleep eyes, real upper eyelashes, painted lower lashes, open mouth with teeth. Came as a black or white doll. May have been dressed in several different outfits one of which was a Majorette, as well as shown in the ad wearing a cotton plaid dress with white sheer pinafore trimmed with red satin ribbon, white socks and mary jane shoes. Doll is unmarked, 24 or 28″ tall.

Family Tales from Gail

My pastime is past time

Christmas 1952: Dad and me

Christmas 1951: Rita Doll

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