Bells are Ringing at the Flaggs

The doorbell keeps ringing at the Flagg house. First Bob's mother arrives. Bob kisses her hello while Betty pays the airport limousine.

"Bob," says Mrs Flagg Sr. " We were so worried when you were gone. Felicia said you had amnesia. How could that happen?"

"Hi Granny," says Patsy. "This is my dog Bucky. Isn't he great?"


"I don't know how I got amnesia, Mother. I can't remember anything about it." says Bob




Ding Dong. The doorbell rings again.




It is Betty's parents, Dorothy and Dabney Drapeau.

"Mom, Dad, how lovely to see you both." says Betty as she welcomes them to her home. "We didn't know you were coming. You should have called."

"Grandma! Grandpa!" yells Patsy, jumping onto the couch to hug her Grandfather. "This is Bucky. he's my dog."

"My dear," says Mrs. Drapeau to Betty in a low voice. "Is everything okay? Did you figure out where Bob went?"

Before Betty can answer the doorbell rings again.

It is Bob's sister Felicia with her husband Philip Falon and their twins Freddie and Fern.

Patsy is excited to see her cousins. Betty and Bob invite everyone to sit down in the living room.

As everyone settles in for a nice visit an Betty mentally runs through the what food is in the house and what to prepare for all the unexpected dinner guests the door bell rings again.

It is Bob's cousin Debbie. Everyone loves Debbie and greets her enthusiastically.

I wonder what Patsy is plotting with her cousins. Those kids can cook up some great schemes.

"Don't worry,"  says Patsy. "I haven't actually done it, but it looks pretty easy. Just follow me."

There goes the doorbell again and in comes Betty's sister Bridget with her husband Bill Banner and her three kids, Bradley, Bunny and Prentice.

Bob is standing by the fireplace with Philip, Felicia's husband. "So, Bob," Philip says quietly. "Where did you really go and what did you do."


"I honestly can't remember anything from the time I went missing until I saw Felicia on the street that day." says Bob just as the doorbell rings again.

Betty can't imagine who it would be since the whole family has already arrived, so she is surprised to see the Mountie and the delivery man again.

This time they seem to be delivering a bride.

"Hello again ma'am", says the Mountie. "This young lady has reported a missing person and my policeman's intuition tells me that the missing person in question is the same missing person as your missing person.

"What on earth do you mean?" asks Betty. "Bob is not missing anymore. What would this have to do with him?'

"Just the facts ma'am. This lady is looking for a man who matches the description of your husband."

The bride starts to explain. "I met a wonderful man. He had no one in the world and I thought he was very romantic and mysterious. We decided to get married because he wanted so much to be part of a family. He felt that he was missing that in his life."


"Yesterday was our wedding day and I waited at the chapel for hours, but he never showed up. I filed a missing person report and the policeman brought me here."

"BOB!" yells Betty. "Could you come out here please?"

When Bob comes out Betty takes them over to the side. She doesn't want the family to over hear until this is straightened out.

My dearest," the bride says to Bob. "How could you leave me at the alter like that!?

"Bob! You were going to marry another woman?! Explain yourself." says Betty


"I don't remember anything." says Bob

Both women start talking at once, but Bob gets the feeling he is being watched.

"Oh my," says Felicia.

"So, I was right." says Mrs. Drapeau.

"Now dear," says Mr. Drapeau

"Lucky dog," says Bill to Philip. "Two beautiful women fighting over him.

"What was that, Bill?" asks Bridget.

"Nothing dear." Bill mumbles.

"My Bob would ever do anything wrong," says Mrs. Flagg Sr. " All of you be quiet now."

"Yes, everyone, be quiet. I can't hear what they are saying." says cousin Debbie.



Well, it seems that Bob has some explaining to do. Where was he while he was gone? What other things did he do? How did he get amnesia in the first place? Where did he meet the young bride?

Will we ever find out?


And with all the adults so interested in Bob and Betty's business has anyone thought to check on the children? I wonder what they are up to.

Flaggs of a different scale

I won this Flagg Family on eBay last night

They won't be attending the family reunion because they are dolls of a different scale. They are 1:1 not 3/4 scale.

I fell in love with their faces and clothes. They look much less cartoonish than their 3/4 cousins. Don't get me wrong. I love the smaller dolls too. Their caricature-like look is very appealing. 

So I am waiting impatiently to receive my new family and thinking about what house they will live in - maybe the Stockbroker Tudor. It's about time I started fixing that one up. I have had for it over a year and I have done nothing to it. I was to afraid to start back then, but now I have lots of dollhouse experience, so I will have to take a second look.

Being a child of the 50s and 60s, these dolls really spoke to me.(Make sure you click on the picture to see the whole family.)

Look at how stylish Mom is in her circle skirt, white shrug and bandanna. Her pixie cut suits her perfectly.

Dad is handsome in his business attire, All ready to go to work and support his family.



Little brother isn't the least bit self  conscious in his green overall shorts, white shirt and white ankle socks. He is very secure with his place in the world.

I love Sis's gingham dress and white collar. Mom must have put in some good ironing time on that, but it was worth it. Sis looks like a dream child. I am sure she is a perfect little lady.

Baby brother has only his diaper, but he looks very happy anyway. This is the same baby doll they used in the 3/4 sets.

A little research has told me that these larger scale, more realistic dolls are from a later period than the Flaggs I have shown you so far. The 1-inch scale dolls are shown in ads from 1961 and 1965 and the 3/4" dolls are from the late 40s to the mid-60s. (from Dollhouse And Furniture Advertising, 1880s-1980s by Dian Zillner, Suzanne Silverthorn)

Flagg also produced 7-inch dolls in various costumes, i.e. dancers, different countries,  etc. I haven't acquired any of those yet as I thought they were too big for the dollhouse, but time will tell whether any of them end up at my house.


Anonymous left me another comment about his/her new dolls.

They are the Bennetts. The little girl is Amelia, her twin brother is Nick, The mom is Sarah, the dad is David. The baby will be Ellie.

It sounds like they are going to a very good home ad will have some wonderful adventures.

I pulled the pictures off eBay to share as Anonymous doesn't have a blog, but I think, as a kindred spirit, Anonmous shoud start blogging and share with us.

We would love to hear about the adventures of the Bennett family.


All it takes is a digital camera, and access to the internet.

Hugs,
Susan

News travels fast ...

All the Flaggs have their phones glued to their ears today. (Literally, I couldn't get their arms to bend to the proper position.)

 

Betty Flagg phones her parents with the good news.

"Mom! Bob is home! He's okay - just a little tired."



"Oh my dear, how wonderful!" says Mrs. Drapeau. "Where has he been all this time.

Betty explains, "Bob had amnesia and his sister Felicia found him in California. When he saw her his memory came back and he came home as fast as he could. Patsy and I are so happy."

"I am so glad dear." says Mrs Drapeau. But she feels something is not right.

As soon as she gets off the phone she tells her husband. "Dabney, we must go to Betty's immediately. Bob's come back and he says he had amnesia."

"Dorothy," says Mr. Drapeau, "Why don't you let the kids have some time alone. Bob's been gone a while. They could probably use some privacy. Call Betty back and tell her we will take Patsy for a few days."




"No, Dabney. We must go to Betty right away. People don't get amnesia in this day and age. Something fishy is going on. Hurry up and pack."

Next Betty calls her sister Bridget and tells her the story.

Bridget tells Betty how wonderful it is, but she is suspicious too.

She can hardly wait to get off the phone so she can pack up her three kids and hubby Bill Banner and go to her sister.

Meanwhile Felicia, Bob's sister is calling her mother.

"Mom!" she says. "Bob's home. You can't imagine how surprised I was to run into him the last time I was in San Francisco. He disappeared because he had amnesia."

"Bob's home!!" says Mrs. Flagg Sr. "My dear, I will be on the first plane to Bob and Betty's house."

 "Okay Mom. We'll see you there. Philip and the twins and I are driving up there in the morning."

"Did you hear that Freddie?" Fern says to her brother. "We are going to see cousin Patsy. I wonder what trouble she'll get us into this time. I can't wait."

"Okay dear, I'll see you all then. I'm going to call your cousin Debbie and let her know." Mrs. Flagg Sr. hangs up then redials the phone.

"Hello," says Debbie.

"Hello dear, this is your Aunt Flavia. How are things there in your Dream House?"

"Everything is fine here Aunt Flavia. How are you?"

"I have good news, dear. Bob is home. The family is going to Bob and Betty's to visit him. Why don't you join us there?"

"I would love to Aunt Flavia. I'll take the train up tomorrow."




I wonder if anyone remembered to let Bob and Betty know that company was coming. It looks like the Flagg house is going to be pretty crowded. Stay tuned.

P.S. On my travels with Daphne I picked up a bag containing 11 Flagg dolls at one of the antique markets. All were dirty, some were damaged, and all but two were missing their clothes. I have had some fun cleaning, restoring and finding or making clothes for the family. I still need to get some paint for rubbed hair and shoes, but all are dressed now and ready for a family reunion.

Hugs,
Susan

Antique Dollhouse

 

This is another  recent Craigslist find. It was advertised as a Quebec Folk Art Dollhouse from the 1890s. The lady selling it said she bought it from an antique dealer back in the 1980s and paid $1000. for it.

She said they had kept it in their daughter's room as a decor piece. The daughter didn't play with it, she said. And now the daughter was grown up and on her own,  the lady had downsized and wanted to part with the house. She was happy a collector was buying it, and it would be well taken care of.


After the lovely trip Daphne and I took to Washington I told myself that I couldn't buy anymore dollhouses. My disposable income had been disposed of even before the Washington trip, and my 1:1 house is rather crowded.

But ... I kept looking at the pictures on Craigslist, and I just had to see the house in person. Of course once I saw it I had to have it.



Maybe some of you can help me date it. I don't think it is from before 1900 as the style of the interior looks more 1900-1930. There is real glass in the windows, but the cross hatches on the windows are some kind of rough tape. They almost feel like sandpaper - maybe florist's tape.


The light fixtures should help to date it. I have seen this type of  lighting in the books and I think they are from the early decades of the 1900s.



The wires are sticking out of the back of the house from under the ceiling of the upper floor. I have no idea whether I will be able to restore the wiring - or if I will even try.



I love the curved archways between the rooms, and the paint colours. I think they are original. They really suit the house. One of the features that sold me on this house was the half walls and pillars between the living room and dining room (or perhaps it is the den).



The staircase is very elegant with a wider rounded stair at the bottom. The banister is missing as is the railing in the upper hall. The former owner never had it.The hardwood floors are lovely.

I haven't cleaned it yet, but I am looking forward to doing so and finding just the right furniture for it.

If anyone  can help me fill in the age or history of the house please comment. I would love to know more.

Hugs,
Susan

Triang in Toronto

 

Craigslist Toronto has the most amazing capacity to offer me the things I would like to have.  Friday, just before I left work, I surfed in to the list and found this dollhouse. I knew it was a Triang so I emailed the seller and it was mine by 9 p.m. The front is a bit rough and the roof is missing, but it is in very good condition otherwise.

I believe this is a Triang 50 from about 1950. At that time the roof was made of cardboard. Does anyone out there know where I can find a reproduction roof, or what website might offer instructions on how to make one? Also what are your thoughts on re-painting the front as opposed to leaving it as original as possible?

It came with all the furniture pictured here. I think at least three pieces are original to the house.

The Marx Grandfather clock and secretary aren't in the best of condition, but they are still cute. I believe this furniture was sold in England in the mid-sixties. Of course it could have been acquired after the house came to Canada. We will never know. The soft plastic baby bed is about the right age, if not the right scale. It has some melt marks on the bed posts.

The living room has some very nice pieces. The fireplace is Marx. The TV is a Bush, made in England by Triang (Thanks Rebecca!), The sideboard is made of bakelite and says "Bex Molding" inside it. It was part of a Toy Town furniture set made in England by the British Xylonite Co. Ltd. It may be original to the house, but could also br from 10 years earlier. (Information from Dian Zillner's International Dollhouses and Accessories 1880s to 1980s)

I haven't been able to identify the chairs. They are hard plastic with felt glued on the seats & back. They look more mid-sixties in quality.

UPDATE: Thanks to Diepuppenstubensammlerin and Annina I know the chairs are East German by Fairline. I found a picture of them on this blog: My Mini-Playground. Here the author has replaced the red felt with thin foam core in an olive green. It improves the chairs immensely.



The other bedroom has a Dol-toi wardrobe and vanity, I think, or maybe Barton and a smaller scale bookcase that says BlueBox on the back. The books are cardboard.

I was thrilled with the tin stove and counter in the kitchen. They are from "My dolly's kitchen series", made by Brimtoy in Great Britain in the early 50s,  and the exact right age for the house. Too bad there aren't more pieces of the set. Dian Zillner's book (International Dollhouses and Accessories 1880s to 1980s) shows a sink, fridge and washer.

The soft plastic green cooker and table at the back of the kitchen are Kleeware, I think. They are more 1960s. Perhaps the dollhouse had two generations of play - early 50's and mid to late 60's.

The seller was a young man in his late twenties. He had the house in the back of his truck when I met him at a Starbucks (his suggestion). He said his mother had it in her basement and told him to 'get rid of it'. He said it had belonged to his mother's mother's 'something' (possibly his mother's aunt, I guessed), and it was from the 1930's. His mother had brought it over from England.

I didn't contradict him. I just wanted to buy it, and I believed that it was probably his mother's and his mother's aunt before that. It may be true, but when I was cleaning 50 years of dirt off it I came across a number 7 written in grease pencil. Those of you who are familiar with Value Village and some of the other thrift stores will know that they write their prices on items with grease pencil. (very annoying, but that's another story).

So whether it was his mother's or a thrift shop find doesn't change the fact that it is a 1950 Tirang with some original furniture  and I am thrilled to have it.

Wow! I finally have a Tirang!

Hugs
Susan

Meanwhile, back at the Flagg's ....

When we last saw the Flagg's Patsy and Bucky were very busy. They didn't mean to be naughty. They were just curious and having fun, but Mrs. Flagg was not pleased and now they are having a time out on the stairs. Patsy is glad she has Bucky for a friend. A time out is not so bad when he is with her. She wishes she could have another orange.



















When the door bell rings Mrs. Flagg in in the living room cleaning up bread crumbs and orange peels. The carpet was such a sticky gooey mess that she had to send it out for cleaning and put a new one down. She likes the new one better though. It is very elegant, and all hand made.















"Mom, there's a guy at the door in a cool outfit," Patsy calls. "Maybe he's another delivery man." Bucky growls excitedly. He isn't afraid of this uniform.



















Mrs. Flagg is curious and worried to see a Mountie at her door. "Hello Officer," she says. "What can we do for you?"

"Well, Ma'am, I am here to investigate your missing person report. I believe you reported one Bob Flagg missing. Can you tell me when was the last time you saw him alive."

"What do you mean 'alive'? You can't possibly think Bob is not alive, can you? My sweet, dear, considerate husband. The best friend a woman could ask for and a wonderful father for Patsy. He just disappeared one day, and now you think he is dead!?!"

"Calm, down ma'am. I didn't say he was dead or that you had done away with him. Just the facts please. When did you last see him"?




















Before her mother can answer Patsy yells. "Mom, the delivery man is here again!" He is bringing us a person!"

What?!" says Mrs. Flagg. Then, "BOB!!! Bob, is it really you?"













"Betty!" shouts Mr. Flagg.

"Bob!!" cries Mrs. Flagg

They run to each other and embrace.

















































"Bob, I was so worried! I thought you were dead." says Mrs. Flagg. "Where have you been?"

"It's a long story," says Bob. "But I'm home now. I missed you."

"Hi Daddy," says Patsy. "

















"Patsy, my girl!" How are you?"

"I got a dog. His name is Bucky, and we ate the bread, and oranges and Mommy got mad." says Patsy as she hugs her daddy.





















"You mean the bread and oranges the my sister, Felicia, and I sent from California?" asks Mr. Flagg. "With the note saying I was coming home?"

"We didn't get the note." says Mrs. Flagg. "The delivery man lost it. I had no idea you were coming home."

"Well, ma'am," says the Mountie, "It looks like I have solved another case. If everything is fine here I will be on my way. Hey, delivery guy, can I get a ride with you?"

"Sure, hop on," says the delivery man, realizing there will be no tip, even though Bob was one of the heaviest deliveries he has done in years and it was mostly uphill on the bicycle.

















The Flags wave goodbye and call their thanks. Mrs. Flagg feels like she is in a dream. Mr. Flagg is happy to be off the bicycle seat. It wasn't very comfortable, and the delivery man grumbled and complained the whole time. Patsy wonders what her father brought her and if he has any more oranges. Bucky wonders who this new guy is and if he will have to guard Mrs. Flagg and Patsy from him. Bucky is a very good dog.

"Let's go in the house and open that lovely bottle of California wine to celebrate," says Mrs. Flagg. "Bob, I can't believe you are home."





















When the family is settled on the couch with the bottle of Rosé and a glass if milk for Patsy Mr. Flagg starts to tell his story. It is a long, long story, but it has a happy ending.
















Will we hear of Mr. Flagg's adventures in a future blog? We will have to wait and see.

Hugs,
Susan