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From the first moment I saw Sasha dolls playing together in the window of "dollsandreams" I was impressed by how much they resembled real children. The ingenuity of their design sets them apart from all other dolls because it allows Sashas to pose in natural ways.
Added to that is the uniqueness of their faces which produces the effect that no two are alike.
When I photograph Sasha dolls I try to pose them to look as natural and childlike as possible. I also try to give each one a distinct personality. In the photograph above it is easy to see that while these two girls are certainly related they are quite different in personality.
The doll on the left has a more determined stance and a casual look about her with tossed tresses and one sock up and one sock down.
The doll on the right is clearly more reserved and a bit shy. Her nervous, turned-in toes indicate a hesitation that is accented by her hands behind back stance. Her expression is wistful. Her hair is brushed back neatly, and her socks are even.
These are all subtle details that give character to the photo and an air of reality to the dolls.
My Sasha kids are thankful for the healthy bounty from their garden. Who says kids don't like vegetables.
The trip down memory lane can be a delightful one if you don't get lost or wander off into the woods. Time often tricks us and leads us off in wrong directions. Looking at this photograph of my first Gregor and his lovely sister I try to remember the exact moment I decided to adopt him. I had been looking at the Sasha dolls playing in the windows of "dollsandreams" for weeks, but I cannot recall why I finally went in to buy this doll. He looked exactly like my son and I thought Adam might find him as delightful as I did. After all he could stand on his head. Perhaps it might be more interesting to remember why I bought another and another until there were dozens of them all over my studio.
Yes, memory lane can be a delightful place if you don't get lost or wander off into the woods.
In our family, everyone reads SASHA WORLD.
This charming 16-page magazine, published in England, is printed in full color and filled with delightful photos, charming articles, and wonderful patterns. The current issue has a 2009 Sasha calendar on the back cover.
For complete details contact - Anne-Marie Willis at lightwood23@hotmail.com for postage costs and subscription details. There are back issues available.
Every Sasha family should be reading SASHA WORLD.
One of my favorite things about the many years I spent at "dollsandreams" was Saturday afternoon when all the new hand-made fashions were introduced. Yvonne had a group of knitters and home sewers who usually brought their creations either Friday night or early Saturday morning. By mid afternoon all the local kids and collectors filled the shop and the rush to find new outfits was on.
I used to make up a simple "apron" dress like the one above that is just one piece of fabric. I often made them in felt and the kids would decorate them with little bows, felt flowers, and buttons.
A few years ago I started doing them as reversible dresses and hats. It was a popular little dress among the kids because of being easy to make and easy to dress a Sasha in.
While it was Yvonne who first introduced me to Sasha dolls there was another woman who provided me with the much needed information I required when I started collecting my second Sasha family almost 30 years later.
I have never met Dorisanne but her book has been my constant companion since the year 2000.
Sasha Dolls Through the Years is beautifully photographed in full color and expertly researched. It is the perfect guide for the beginning collector as well as for a collector returning after many years away. All of the doll's details and variations are described in clear text and illustrated with full-color photographs.
Here was another good enabler taking me by the hand and explaining everything I wanted, and needed, to know.
The paperback edition is $32.95 and the hardcover edition is $39.95. If you are serious about Sasha I suggest the hardcover edition because it will endure many, many hours of reading and researching.
Both are available from Dorisanne directly. And she will autograph your copy if you ask her.
Contact Dorisanne Osborn at crosnest@linkny.com
In typical schizophrenic English language style, the word enable is a good thing. The Dictionary defines it as "to provide with the means or opportunity -- training that enables people to earn a living."
However, in current social terms, and the Dictionary, an enabler is a bad thing and defined as "one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior."But what about the good enabler? My life has been filled with them -- especially my life with Sasha.
My first enabler was Yvonne, the owner of "dollsandreams." Her winning smile, charming accent, and obvious love for Sasha dolls encouraged me to adopt my first Gregor. And, as my mentor and enabler, she delighted me with stories about their creator and the wonderful people in England who manufactured them.
Her first-hand knowledge and obvious devotion only intensified my fascination with these artfully crafted dolls who could stand on their heads.
It was Yvonne who took me by the hand and guided me down the yellow brick road that I would later call Sasha Street.
Back in the early 1970s, when I first started adopting Sasha dolls, I was not a collector in any sense of the word. My Grandmother had hundreds and hundreds of dolls and Teddy Bears and she was definitely a collector.
At best, I was an acquirer who dropped by "dollsandreams" every week and usually brought home a few Sashas -- until there were over 100 of them playing in their specially designed cabinets.
That, however, led to collecting that now resembles amassing and a passionate desire to learn more and more about these charming creations.
When we moved to California, most of my first Sashas went to live with other families. I planned to take a small Sasha family with us but they were lost in the move.
When I got my first computer, and discovered the Internet and eBay, I started to search for Sashas. Once again I began to acquire (not collect) one Sasha after another. But none of them looked exactly like my first family.
So, I began to study the differences. Armed with Dorisanne's book, and the detailed descriptions on various websites, I learned about the differences between my first Sasha family and my later one.
After starting this blog a month ago, I decided to go in search of a third Sasha family that would be made up of my first family's sisters, brothers and cousins.
Thanks to three wonderful "enablers" I think I have found three cousins of the girls in the photo above. The first one will arrive early next week and the other two will come across the pond from England.
I will share their adventures, and my quest, with you in the days ahead.
A couple of days ago I wrote about designing for Sasha and mentioned the line of doll dresses that I created for Feltman Brothers and which they produced. One of the dresses fit Sasha perfectly and was made in white, pink, yellow, and blue. All of the Feltman dresses were hand-made at that time. Here is Sasha wearing the blue version.
I always admired Sasha for her understanding of children and how they play. I also admired the fact that her baby dolls were -- what the prudes call "anatomically correct." Several doll companies have tried to produce realistic baby dolls and all have been severely criticized by the more conservative population. I have often wondered if their point of view was the result of playing too much "doctor" as a child or not playing it often enough.
In 1950, I joined hundreds of students in a giant hall to hear Margaret Mead discuss her work as a researcher and anthropologist. She was a powerful speaker and passionate about her work.
At one point she explained how she had to add "sex parts" to the dolls so that the natives would not think white people were -- "incomplete" as she put it.
Sadly, the beautiful Sasha babies were forced by circumstances to become "incomplete" just as every other doll who dared to be "real" had done.
But, on the bright side, children still play "doctor."
I admit that I don't know too much about the GOTZ Sasha dolls that were introduced after Trendon ceased production.
A few years ago I started paying more attention to them and eventually adopted ALBERTO and MARIA who I have already written about on this blog.
At first glance I thought that Gotz, like Trendon, was using the same head mold for all their dolls. But, Maria and Alberto just did not look alike. I asked a few friends about it, but never really got a definitive answer.
So I photographed them nose-to-nose and discovered there are very subtle differences that possibly account for their distinctly different personalities.
Or it might just be my imagination.
I have already written about my first Alberto. I was not aware of the later GOTZ production of Sasha dolls until I began searching for Sasha dolls on eBay in 2000. I was completely captivated by Alberto and immediately adopted him. Unfortunately, my daughter also fell for his charms and she spirited him away to live with her in Paris.
