"Nothing is really lost to us as long as we remember it." -- L. M. Montgomery, The Story Girl
One of my earliest memories is when I was about five years old. My uncle, who would have been about 15 at the time, was babysitting me, my younger brother, and my baby sister one night. I owned the most precious doll which I had received the previous Christmas. This doll could walk when you held her hands, ride a trike, and ride a horse. She was magical! Her name was Tippee Toes. She wore and adorable pink and yellow knitted top that had pink pants to match. I could hold her hands and walk her around all over the house. I loved to place her on her bike or horse, turn her on, and watch her ride around, hopping up and down on her toes.
Well, on that infamous night, my brother somehow got his hands on Tippee Toes and completely changed her doll-future. He decided to demonstrate that her head could be turned completely around. It couldn't! My poor uncle, while listening to screams and cries from me, tried his best to reattach Tippee Toes's head, but it was hopeless. She was ruined. No matter how much I loved her, I could not bring myself to play with a headless doll. I was crushed. I asked for a new Tippee Toes each Christmas after that for a few years, but she never reappeared under the tree. Years later, thanks to the Internet, I have seen her on vintage sites and could purchase her if I chose to. It would never be the same though. Tippee Toes will always remain the doll of my memories.
