A LITTLE HISTORY!

(An essay just to remind me)

Yasmin's Sashas were kept in the attic, together with their clothes,  lovingly placed in an airy cot, wrapped in cotton sheeting. From time to time I would go and have a look at them: a beautiful blonde Gingham girl and a fair haired Nightshirt baby boy bought for her in 1974/5 as a Christmas present. I knew that one day I would have to give the dolls back to their rightful owner, but before I did that, I wanted to find out more about Sasha dolls. I wanted to know whether you could still buy them and whether you could still get clothes for them. On the off chance that there was information out there, I googled 'Sasha dolls'.

Well, I was soon immersed in a world of Sasha! Sasha (and friends) going for a walk in the mountains; Sasha (and friends) helping with the garden; Sasha playing with her toys; Sasha modelling her latest outfit etc. etc. Oh yes. THE CLOTHES! Sasha boutiques. Sasha shoe shops. Sasha accessories. Ebay!!! The clothes on offer took my breath away. These were dolls' clothes? They were just amazingly beautiful and perfectly crafted miniature children's clothes. And expensive! I could not believe the shoes! Lace ups, T-bar Sandals, Ugg Boots - you name it, your Sasha will look stylish in shoes which match her outfit. People all over the Western World seem to be besotted with these dolls and prepared to spend serious money on them. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??? Well, I am ashamed to say, I have become one of them! But I needed an ally in my folly. Hanna, my Granddaughter seemed the obvious candidate.

A nice doll came up on Ebay and I asked Peter, my son, what he thought about a Sasha doll for Hanna as a Christmas present. 'How much?' he asked. 'Well, the bidding stands at... but it may go higher.' 'Are you mad, mother? That much for a doll?' Needless to say I did not bid for this particular doll and she went for a very reasonable price, as it turned out.

When another one caught my eye I asked Hanna directly. Unfortunately, she had overheard the shock reaction her father had to the price of the last doll, and Hanna being Hanna decided that this was too expensive a present. Undeterred I then asked Mina. her mother. I wanted the unvarnished truth and her real opinion. There was a lot of debate, but in the end she had to agree that Hanna had been very much taken with Yasmin's Sasha when she came to visit and would probably love one. So I went online and bid for a beautiful dark haired Sasha doll on Ebay... and won! The price I had to pay was twice as high as the last one I had been interested in. MORAL: DON'T DISCUSS THE PRICE OF FISH WITH YOUR SON!

The doll was going to be a surprise Christmas present for Hanna. Under the pretext of looking for clothes for Yasmin's Sasha, I asked her opinion on various outfits available on Ebay. This way, I got a trousseau together for her doll. I filled up a trio of little suitcases, plus a Christmas bag I made for her with the clothes and put the lot under the Christmas tree. Sasha was dressed in a stylish red coat, beret and boots made by Alexissofie and was placed next to the little suitcases.

On Christmas Eve Hanna was charged with getting all the presents from under the tree and giving them out.  She couldn't figure out, why the 3 little suitcases had a label which said 'To Sasha'. She looked very perplexed. So I told her, that these belonged to the Sasha doll under the tree and asked her to have a look at her. That's when she noticed a card Sasha was holding which said: 'I belong to Hanna.' Hanna burst into tears with absolute joy. Although she had seen the doll under the tree, she didn't think it was for her. We were all of us surprised at her reaction. We didn't realize that she would be so delighted to receive a Sasha. She is not really a 'doll' person. But, Sasha has woven a magic spell even over our little scientist. I  bought her a second one shortly after Christmas. This time a lovely blonde. Her two dolls are named Lily and Emma respectively and have a permanent place in Hanna's heart. And what is more, her little sister, Tabatha, LOVES THEM TOO! As to Yasmin, whose Sasha  started it all, well, her 4 year old daughter Iona found her first Sasha doll this year under the Christmas Tree! A Red dress brunette. Apparently, every evening, she is put into her pyjamas and taken to bed. I can see a dynasty of Sasha lovers emerging before my very eyes...