Say Goodbye, Chatty Cathy!

Long before the Cabbage Patch dolls, we baby boomer girls had Chatty Cathy! Santa Claus brought me one for Christmas in 1960. (My parents ordered her from the Montgomery Ward Catalog months before.) I remember seeing her blond hair, blue eyes, and freckles across her nose and thinking, she looks like me! Later that day, I would hear my grandmother say, "She's not a pretty doll." Well, thanks, Grandma! Years later, I learned that Mattel designed Chatty Cathy to look like an ordinary little girl, not an adult. Best of all, you could pull her string, and she would talk!

Showing off Chatty Cathy

A few days after Christmas that year, I accompanied my mother on a shopping trip toting my prized doll. The clerk would walk up to my mother, asking how she could help, and I would pull my doll's string so she could talk. Most people chuckled and said, "You got one of those new talking dolls! Didn't you?"

One of Cathy's phrases was, "Please brush my hair." And boy, did I! I would brush her hair with the same energy level my mother brushed mine. The difference was that Cathy had not been out in the Oklahoma wind, so I caused some of her hair to fall out.

Other things Cathy would say: Please carry me. Where are we going? Let's change my dress. She was more fun than Tiny Tears because all Tiny did was wet on herself.

Chatty Cathy 50 years later

I think it was around 2009 when I got the idea to take my Chatty Cathy doll to school. My third-grade students were writing short stories about their favorite Christmas gifts, so I had the brilliant idea to show my favorite gift from almost fifty years before.  I knew the boys wouldn't be interested, but I thought the girls would. WRONG! Each class that came in that day said, "What's with the creepy-looking doll?" They saw a strange-looking doll with missing hair whose face had discolored, not the new doll from 1960. I also heard, "It looks like the doll from that scary movie, Chucky." So Chatty Cathy made no more return trips to school.

Mattel should make another version of the Chatty Cathy doll for those of us old enough for Medicare and coping with blood cancer. She would have dark circles under her eyes instead of freckles. Maybe she could say things like: What time is my doctor's appointment? I need a nap. Where are my glasses? Please don't rush me.

Letting go to a childhood memory

A few years ago, I read Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Marie suggests that when you declutter, you start with books and clothes. Then, you save your keepsakes for last. Goodbye, Chatty Cathy!

In 2020, I wrote an article for Blood-Cancer.com called Getting My House in Order with MDS. I told about how I sold my Barbie dolls. I was somewhat embarrassed that I had kept these dolls, but apparently, I am not the only one. So many of my friends said, "I still have mine, they are up in the attic." We, American girls, are sentimental about the dolls we loved.

One of my strategies for coping with blood cancer is to pace myself. I am no longer teaching, so I can rest when I need to. But, I guess it's the teacher in me who still sets goals to accomplish projects.

Keeping house is hard with fatigue

Marie Kondo would be proud of me. I have downsized a lot. My goal is to keep my house organized because it's easier to clean. The injections that I currently take help raise my hemoglobin, but one of the side effects is exhaustion. It's hard to keep house when you're tired.

When I sold Chatty Cathy on eBay, I felt like I was putting her up for adoption. Maybe someone will buy her to repair and resell, I thought. That's better than putting her in the trash. I wrapped her carefully and mailed her off to Michigan. I never received any feedback from the buyer. From the tracking by the post office, I could tell she made the trip. If she had arrived damaged, I am sure I would have heard. Time to say goodbye, Chatty Cathy! You are gone but remain a cherished childhood memory.