Barbie's Best Friend: 52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy and History

Week 7:  Toys:  What was your favorite childhood toy?  Is it still being made in some form today?

Me, Linda, Barbie and Midge

I wrote about my all-time favorite toy, Larry the Lion, during the Advent series.  So, thinking of a second favorite toy took some time.  I finally settled on Barbie's friend, Midge.  I remember getting Midge for Christmas one year.  My sister had Barbie and I had Midge.  My Midge had red hair that flipped up, blue eyes and freckles.  Her legs didn't bend so I am guessing she was one of the very first Midge's.

I remember playing with Midge for many hours.  My sister, had a Barbie house.  It was a cardboard fold out house.  It was rectangular and you opened the top and then the walls folded out.  I think it had yellow walls, a closet, a bookcase and cardboard furniture.  I got a Barbie house for Christmas one year and when I opened it, there was some sort of a farm toy in it.  When we returned it we couldn't get the Barbie house. 

I had a Barbie carrying case.  This came in handy when I would go to friend's houses.  We usually played Barbie's.  I remember playing Barbie's in 6th grade.  I think children today give up Barbie dolls at a much younger age, now.

I still have my original Midge doll.  She hasn't aged very well.  I think a little brother might have gotten his hands on her.  Her two little fingers are broken off and her chest is dented.  I cut her bangs! (I don't know what I was thinking when I did that!)

The picture shows Midge as she is today.  The outfit was my all-time favorite Barbie outfit.  It is/was a beautiful blue satin gown with silver sparkly bodice.  The full-length white satin lined cape was trimmed in white fur, so glamorous!

I did a quick toy search and didn't find a current Midge doll.  It looks like she was available around 2000-2003.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History by Amy Coffin, of the We Tree blog, is a series of weekly blogging prompts (one for each week of 2011) that invite genealogists and others to record memories and insights about their own lives for future descendants. You do not have to be a blogger to participate. If you do not have a genealogy blog, write down your memories on your computer, or simply record them on paper and keep them with your files.

Thank you, Amy for the great ideas. Thank you, Tom, at geneabloggers for hosting this series of blogging prompts.