Short story about girl who saved up to buy a doll? Help me?!

davidrohan · Post by **davidrohan** » 16 Aug 2006, 11:45

Hi. My friend told me she remembers reading a short story by Enid Blyton,
which was in a book of about 10 short stories. It was about a girl
who saw a doll in a shop window, but she didn't have enough
money to buy it. So she saved up all her money, penny by penny, for a long
time, until she had enough, and I think she eventually bought the doll.
Please - can anyone tell me what the short story was called, and maybe even which book it was in? I'd be so grateful for any feedback!

Thank you,
David Rohan

Julian · Post by **Julian** » 16 Aug 2006, 18:03

Hi Rohan,

I am sorry, but I don't remember the name of the story too, although I can fairly remember that I read it one time

I can recommend you to search the booklisting. Or type anything related to "doll" in the search-box.

davidrohan · Post by **davidrohan** » 16 Aug 2006, 18:15

I found two in the Short stories section of the Book List:

1955 - About The Doll that fell out of the Pram
and
1965 - The Little Black Doll

Can anyone please tell me if one of these stories involve
a girl saving for a long time in order to buy a doll that she
saw in a shop window??

Thanks,
David

Julian · Post by **Julian** » 16 Aug 2006, 19:02

Rohan, I found these short-stories in the book-listing:

In the Doll's House
from The Teacher's Treasury (Vols. 1-3) (The Home Library Book Company 1926)
The Queen's Doll's House
from The Teacher's Treasury (Vols. 1-3) (The Home Library Book Company 1926)
My Dolly
from My First Reading Book (No.160) (Birn Brothers 1933)
The Doll That Ran Away to Sea
from News Chronicle Boys' and Girls' Story Book No. 5 (News Chronicle 1937)
The Six Fairy Dolls
from News Chronicle Boys' and Girls' Story Book No. 5 (News Chronicle 1937)
Amelia Jane and the Cowboy Doll
from Naughty Amelia Jane! (George Newnes 1939)
The Girl with the Broken Doll
from The Adventures of Mr. Pink-Whistle (George Newnes 1939)
Betsy-May and the Sailor Doll
from Tales of Betsy-May (Methuen 1940)
The Strange Doll
from Enid Blyton's Merry Story Book (Hodder & Stoughton 1943)
The Doll with Straight Hair
from Enid Blyton's Merry Story Book (Hodder & Stoughton 1943)
Inside the Dolls' House
from Seven o'Clock Tales (Methuen 1943)
The Very Proud Doll
from Rainy Day Stories (Evans Brothers 1944)
The Bad Little Doll
from A Book of Naughty Children (Methuen 1944)
The Dancing Doll
from Daily Mail Annual for Boys and Girls (1944) (Daily Mail 1944)
The Little Black Doll
from Enid Blyton's Jolly Story Book (Hodder & Stoughton 1944)
The Enchanted Doll
from Eight o'Clock Tales (Methuen 1944)
The Sailor Doll Goes to Sea
from Enid Blyton Readers 4 (Macmillan 1944)
The Sailor Doll Goes to Sea
from The Conjuring Wizard and Other Stories (Macmillan 1945)
The Real Live Fairy Doll
from Enid Blyton's Sunny Story Book (Hodder & Stoughton 1945)
The Naughty Sailor Doll
from Enid Blyton's Sunny Story Book (Hodder & Stoughton 1945)
Adventures of the Sailor Doll
from Round the Clock Stories (National Magazine Co. 1945)
Amelia Jane and the Snow-Doll
from Amelia Jane Again! (George Newnes 1946)
The Bad-Tempered Doll
from Enid Blyton's Gay Story Book (Hodder & Stoughton 1946)
Mary Jane, the Little Doll
from Chimney Corner Stories (National Magazine Co. 1946)
The Doll in the Cushion
from The Second Holiday Book (Sampson Low 1947)
The Beautiful Baby Doll
from Just Time for a Story (Macmillan 1948)
The Disobedient Doll
from Just Time for a Story (Macmillan 1948)
The New Doll
from Enid Blyton's Daffodil Story Book (John Gifford 1949)
The Little Black Doll
from A Story Party at Green Hedges (Hodder & Stoughton 1949)
The Squeaky Doll
from Enid Blyton's Daffodil Story Book (John Gifford 1949)
The Doll that Fell Out of the Pram
from The Fourth Holiday Book (Sampson Low 1949)
The Doll's Christmas Stocking
from Tiny Tales (Littlebury 1949)
Grandma's Doll
from Tales About Toys (Little Book No. 1) (Brockhampton Press 1950)
Sheila's Dolls' House
from Tales About Toys (Little Book No. 1) (Brockhampton Press 1950)
The Doll Who Was Too Proud
from Enid Blyton's Poppy Story Book (John Gifford 1950)
The Doll on the Christmas Tree
from The Yellow Story Book (Methuen 1950)
Betty's Fairy Doll
from The Astonishing Ladder and Other Stories (Macmillan 1950)
The Doll With Shut Eyes
from The Magic Knitting Needles and Other Stories (Macmillan 1950)
The Talking Doll
from The Magic Knitting Needles and Other Stories (Macmillan 1950)
The Sailor-Doll's Chance
from Tricky the Goblin and Other Stories (Macmillan 1950)
Betty's Fairy Doll
from Enid Blyton Readers 8 (Macmillan 1950)
The Sailor-Doll's Chance
from Enid Blyton Readers 10 (Macmillan 1950)
The Doll With Shut Eyes
from Enid Blyton Readers 11 (Macmillan 1950)
The Talking Doll
from Enid Blyton Readers 12 (Macmillan 1950)
The Grand King-Doll
from The Enid Blyton Pennant Readers 21 (Macmillan 1950)
Little Dolly Dawdle
from The Enid Blyton Pennant Readers 26 (Macmillan 1950)
Look at My Doll
from The Big Bedtime Book (Purnell 1951)
Noddy and the Sailor Doll
from The Big Bedtime Book (Purnell 1951)
Cheeky Little Black Doll
from The Big Noddy Book (No. 1) (Sampson Low 1951)
Doll's House Party
from Enid Blyton's Buttercup Story Book (John Gifford 1951)
The Talking Doll
from The Sixth Holiday Book (Sampson Low 1951)
The Six Fairy Dolls
from The Enid Blyton Storytime Book (Purnell 1952)
Noddy and the Little Dolls
from The Big Noddy Book (No. 2) (Sampson Low 1952)
The Empty Doll's House
from Enid Blyton's Fourth Bedside Book (Arthur Barker 1952)
Mary Jane, the Little Doll
from My Enid Blyton Story Book (Juvenile Productions 1953)
Amelia Jane and the Sailor Doll
from Enid Blyton's Magazine Annual Number 1 (Evans Brothers 1954)
The Doll Who Was Too Proud
from Enid Blyton's New Storytime Book (Purnell 1954)
The Doll That Wanted a Mother
from Enid Blyton's Friendly Story Book (Brockhampton Press 1954)
The Strange Sailor Doll
from The Ninth Holiday Book (Sampson Low 1954)
The Doll That Ran Away to Sea
from The Castle Without a Door and Other Stories (H.A. & W.L. Pitkin 1954)
The Doll that fell out of the Pram
from About The Doll that fell out of the Pram (Sampson Low 1955)
Dolly and Sue
from Enid Blyton's New Big Bedtime Book (Purnell 1955)
Sailor Doll's Party
from The New Big Noddy Book (No. 5) (Sampson Low 1955)
The Tiresome Sailor Doll
from The Tenth Holiday Book (Sampson Low 1955)
The Hidden Doll
from Enid Blyton's Eighth Bedside Book (Arthur Barker 1956)
The Wonderful Doll
from The Eleventh Holiday Book (Sampson Low 1956)
When Ellen Cleaned the Dolls' House
from Enid Blyton's Annual (Daily Express 1957)
Umbrellas For the Dolls
from Enid Blyton's Eleventh Bedside Book (Arthur Barker 1959)
The Lost Doll's Pram
from Enid Blyton's Bedtime Annual (1965) (World Distributors 1964)
The Squeaky Doll
from Enid Blyton's Storytime Book (Dean 1964)
The New Doll
from Enid Blyton's Storytime Book (Dean 1964)
When Ellen Cleaned the Dolls' House
from Enid Blyton's Happy Hours Story Book (Dean 1964)
The Empty Doll's House
from Enid Blyton's Seventh Tell-a-Story Book (World Distributors 1964)
The Hidden Doll
from Enid Blyton's Eighth Tell-a-Story Book (World Distributors 1964)
The Doll That Ran Away to Sea
from Enid Blyton's Bedtime Annual (1966) (World Distributors 1965)
Dolly and Sue
from Enid Blyton's Treasure Box (Sampson Low 1965)
The Six Fairy Dolls
from Enid Blyton's Twelfth Tell-a-Story Book (World Distributors 1965)
The Red Indian Doll
from Enid Blyton's Bedside Book - Number Five (World Distributors 1966)
The Vowel Dolls
from Enid Blyton's Stories for You (Dean 1966)
The Disobedient Doll
from Enid Blyton's Thirteenth Tell-a-Story Book (World Distributors 1966)
The Wonderful Doll
from Enid Blyton's Holiday Toy Stories (Sampson Low 1967)
The Lost Doll's Pram
from Enid Blyton's Bedside Book - Number Seven (World Distributors 1967)
The Doll That Ran Away to Sea
from Enid Blyton's Bedside Book - Number Nine (World Distributors 1968)
The Red Indian Doll
from Enid Blyton's Playtime Story Book - Number Nine (World Distributors 1969)
The Talking Doll
from Enid Blyton's Bedtime Stories (Purnell 1970)
The Wonderful Doll
from Enid Blyton's Fairy Stories (Purnell 1970)
The Lost Doll's Pram
from Enid Blyton's Playtime Story Book - Number Sixteen (World Distributors 1970)
The Naughty Sailor Doll
from Enid Blyton's Toyland Tales (Purnell 1971)
The Doll That Fell Out of the Pram
from Enid Blyton's Toyland Tales (Purnell 1971)
The Strange Sailor Doll
from Enid Blyton's Toyland Tales (Purnell 1971)
The Doll in the Cushion
from Enid Blyton's Toyland Tales (Purnell 1971)
The Red Indian Doll
from Enid Blyton's Playtime Story Book - Number Seventeen (World Distributors 1971)
The Squeaky Doll
from Enid Blyton's Bedtime Annual 1977 (World Distributors 1976)
Amelia Jane and the Sailor Doll
from Enid Blyton's Bedtime Annual 1978 (World Distributors 1977)

davidrohan · Post by **davidrohan** » 16 Aug 2006, 19:16

wow - does anyone know which one of all those
is about the girl who saves up to buy a doll?

maybe "The New Doll"? What's that about?

Thanks,
David

HeatherS · Post by **HeatherS** » 16 Aug 2006, 23:30

I do remember a Mr Pink Whistle story about a girl who saves up to buy a very special doll, and when she does finally get it, it is knocked out of the pram and its face smashes. Mr Pink Whistle comes along and buys a new doll, and replaces the one with a smashed face.

Blyton did tend to recycle the premise of her short stories quite readily, and you'll find that many of them include children saving up for a special toy - one of Blyton's pet attributes of "good children". Girls save up for dolls, boys for trains, and books are for either sex. So without any further information, it will be fairly difficult to narrow it down to one single short story.

davidrohan · Post by **davidrohan** » 17 Aug 2006, 10:31

I've asked my friend for more information about the story.
(She doesn't know I'm looking for it for her so I have to be careful)...

In the meantime, it sounds like "About the Doll that fell out of the pram"
might possibly be it??

Julian · Post by **Julian** » 17 Aug 2006, 11:16

Rohan, I think that the story's name is The Wonderful Doll from The Eleventh Holiday Book (Sampson Low 1956).

davidrohan · Post by **davidrohan** » 17 Aug 2006, 11:52

Here is what my friend says she remembers about the story:

----------

A little girl sees a doll in a toy shop that she really wants, she saves
up for what seemed to me like ages and eventually buys the doll. There's
lots of emphasis on how difficult it was for her to save up (so that we
feel really sorry for her later on when it breaks!). I can't remember
how it breaks but a magical man either fixes it or buys a new one and
replaces it or something like that. It was in a book of short stories
and the cover of the book had a picture of a man in a hat looking over
his shoulder...

-----------

Can anyone tell me if this is "About the Doll that fell out of the pram" or "The Wonderful Doll"??

Thank you so much in advance!!!

David

davidrohan · Post by **davidrohan** » 17 Aug 2006, 12:00

My friend thinks the story might be called "The girl with the doll".

I see a story called "The Girl with the Broken Doll". Anyone know what that's about?

Thank you,
David

tix · Post by **tix** » 17 Aug 2006, 12:31

"The Doll that fell out of the Pram" deals with Joanna's doll "Angela" who does fall out but manages to get back when a pixie rubs a walking spell on her feet.

davidrohan · Post by **davidrohan** » 17 Aug 2006, 14:15

I think I've found it!

It's "The Girl with the Broken Doll"
from The Adventures of Mr. Pink-Whistle (George Newnes 1939)

I'm going to go buy it for her now!

Thank you all for your speedy help!!

David

HeatherS · Post by **HeatherS** » 18 Aug 2006, 02:39

Not a problem at all, and I'm glad (as well as very surprised) that it's the one story I remembered!