"I Want to Own a Mannequin"

Mention of Mannequins

I doubt many bucket lists, mention mannequins. But, the list in my old Barbie Diary mentions the word. It is 4th on my list.

​I Want to...

1- Take a ride in a hot air balloon

2- Ride an elephant

3- Live with an Amish family

4- Own a mannequin

And the list goes on.
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​Tiny Mannequins

As a young kid, I liked dressing dolls. When you think about it, Barbies are just like miniature mannequins. I kind of liked the idea of having a child-sized mannequin. It would be like having a giant doll. I could dress the it, in my own clothes and even talk to it.  Even better than my imaginary friend, Merrilee Carolee! 

Later 
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By the time I was a teen, I thought the idea of having a mannequin was funny. I read that a women's clothing store was going out of business and I called to see if they were selling any of their mannequins. What crazy fun, to have a mannequin for posing and pranking!

I called up and the owner seemed annoyed. She demanded to know why I was interested. I guess my voice sounded youthful and maybe I stammered some kind of answer. I hung up moments later, feeling embarrassed. She clearly thought I was some kind of a pervert.
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Getting Closer
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​In college, I got a little closer to achieving my goal of mannequin ownership. My grandmother decided to clear out closets. Suddenly, I was happily adopting an exotic, antique bust, that had always been stored away.

I had been frightened of it as a child, but at 18, I was delighted to give it a home. I put it on a pedestal and borrowed a uniform, that my brother had purchased from an army surplus store. We had fun posing him in front of the window. 

​​All My Characters
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Over the years I've inherited some unusual friends.  

My Chinese Warrior and Sicilian Knight like to dress up for holidays. 
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A Mannequin Arm
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​A while back, I found an antique store in Brady, TX with numerous oddball mannequins. 

Here I am with the owner, who is about the only person in the world who might enjoy the idea of mannequin posing, more than me. The mannequins were a little out of my budget,  but she sold me this lovely arm for about 15 dollars.

Then What?
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​I brought the arm home and had about 5 minutes of fun.

But what the heck was I really supposed to do with this pale arm?

Holidays
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​This past year, I've let the arm help me with some holiday decorating.

  Mardi Gras and Halloween are pretty silly holidays, so I was able to get away with some kooky arm decoration.

Christmas and July 4th?
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The arm seemed a little sassy for Christmas and a tad unpatriotic for the 4th of July.

Valentine's Day and Easter?
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​I'm thinking about handing over this arm to a new owner.  It's spring now and time to stop storing so much junk.  

I think I'll give myself a half check on the Bucket List and retire the arm!

Oh Wait!
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​I totally forgot about the Styrofoam wig stand in my closet! My friend Margit helped me paint the 3-dollar head, to create this lovely face! 

I've decided to give myself 3/4 of a check, towards the mannequin goal!  

​Okay, I'm done with mannequins.
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