COLLECTION #129: Shirley Temple

I wish I really were a Shirley Temple collector... I just love Shirley Temple, and all things about her.... dolls, books, movies, songs. She was an adorable child, and I understand that she was really a good kid- not a spoiled little brat as we might expect. Although she was in show business from the time she was 2 or 3, she was always a real sweetheart. She grew up to be a wonderful person too!

When my mother-in-law Betty was a little child, Shirley Temple was all the rage.  There were tons of little girls whose mothers put their hair in curls, enrolled them in dance classes, and some even took them to Hollywood hoping 'their little darlings' would be discovered. Betty's parents, who lived not far from Hollywood, thought their little girl looked an awful lot like Shirley Temple. They put her hair in curls, and took her to a Pasadena photo studio to have her adorable face photographed. The photo was entered in a Shirley Temple look-alike contest, and lo and behold! Little Betty won the contest!  The prize was Betty's very own 22" Shirley Temple doll, dressed in a cute plaid dress from the movie "Bright Eyes".  They proudly posed Betty with her prize, and I have these photos today.

A few years before she passed away, Betty presented me with this beautiful doll. Her eyes have that crackle in them that many of the old glass eyes got with age, and the ribbon and pin are missing from her dress. But she looks marvelous, don't you think? Betty obviously took loving care of the doll, and her hair, although dusty and matted, still has every curl in place. Her dress still looks crisp and clean, and she still has her slip, panties, shoes and socks.

I created a layout about Betty and the doll back when I first started digital scrapbooking. I still love the layout, because it evokes a feel for that time in the 1930s, when Shirley Temple was the princess of the silver screen!

I have a few other items- a cobalt blue pitcher (not sure if it's authentic or a reproduction), some sheet music, a book, and a modern reproduction of some vintage paper dolls (not shown).

Perhaps some day I'll be an authentic Shirley Temple collector! For now, I'm happy to share the few things I do have!