I’m incredibly sentimental about my childhood toys. I have lots of beloved stuffed animals (as well as my Cabbage Patch Dolls) to pass on to Coraline when she’s a little older. There’s a dollhouse I had that I loved more than anything but my parents got rid of it a long time ago; thankfully, I’ve already found it and all its accessories and dolls on eBay so I can buy everything and give it to Coraline someday. I can only hope she’ll love it as much as I did. And then there’s the Fisher-Price Little People Castle I (and later, my sisters) played with when I was little, a toy so popular at the time it came out that my mom had to go to New Jersey to buy it. I don’t remember the specifics of playing with it, but I do remember how much I loved it. God, I loved that castle. So it was with giddy delight I picked it up from my parents’ house recently, where it had been gathering dust in the garage for several years now. Only a few of the accessories are still around, but, again, I have eBay to help me replace them someday (it came with the yellow chairs/table). Rich and I introduced Coraline to the castle a couple nights ago, and I can’t express how happy it made me that she loved it instantly. She loved it so much, in fact, that she actually screamed and started crying when I went to put it back in the storage room — and she hadn’t even played with any of the accessories yet, just the castle (the whole playset is actually meant for slightly older kids). I look forward to acquiring the missing accessories over the next several months and completing the set once more. And then Coraline and I can have fun playing with it together.
Castle!
All that remains: two beds, two thrones, the king, the carriage, and the horse's royal saddle.
Coraline's favorite part? Making the flagpole go boi-oi-oi-oing over and over.
