for my daily run, along with some things I need for dinner (Taco Loco bake, mmm), and there’s a woman in the Monster High aisle.
Her eyes get wide when she sees me, and she puts back the Scaris Rochelle she was holding. She picks up a thrashed Threaderella and I tsk tsk at the box. I’m thinking of getting it though, due to their growing scarcity around these parts.
“Is your… daughter into these too?” She asks. I tell her yes, and mention that the one she’s holding might be worth grabbing and asking for a discount. She’s still looking around kind of confused.
We start talking and I casually mention that if I get Threaderalla its for me, as my kid wanted the other ones (Snow Bite and Dead Riding Hood). She breaks into a grin when she hears I have a collection hiding in my closet and starts talking rapidly about how when she first saw them she thought they were the ‘devils toys’ (the way she still feels about Bratz), but they have grown on her, and they have more depth and are a lot more charming than Barbies and a lot of other dolls. She knows perfectly well she’s holding “Frankie” now and mentions, giggling, that her daughter has been quizzing her on the characters, and has ever since the kid asked who Clawdeens boyfriend was and the mom answered, “I dunno, Clawdeen?”, much to her childs chagrin.
Ugh, they’re siblings, she laughed.
She grew more and more enthusiastic when I mentioned things she wasn’t aware of, having recently started collecting, like the fashion packs that revolved around their interests, and how Clawdeen is an aspiring entrepreneur and doesn’t have or seem to need a boyfriend (Clawdeen is her kids fave).
I warned her of the ebay shenanigans (she said that ONCE they bought something off ebay, only to find they paid 3x what it was worth!), and when she heard my tales of scalpers past, she made a gagging face.
I told her where I’ve seen Picture Day Cleo (Her daughter “just needs Cleo”) and a Howleen two-pack, and what days they have new merch at the nearest stores, and she thanked me profusely and went on her way.
Godspeed new collector. May the shelves of your retailer always be full. May all your dolls have straight eyes. May your budget expand to carry the weight of this obsession…
And may you never feel you have to feign ignorance in the doll aisle again.
u_u