Dawn Patrol

When I was wee, Dawn was a big little thing. My sisters and I had three of these 6 inch fashion folls. I believe that my older sister has Dawn, I had her red headed friend Glori and my younger sibling had the brunette Angie. They came dressed in lurex outfits. There may have been fringe. I mention these details not as an old lady prattling on about the past but rather to point out how indelible the memory of the Dawn doll was on my tender psyche.

I believe that I believed that if I tried very hard, I could manifest my face into looking like Dawn. I kept my Glori long after I’d given up my other dolls. At some point I gave her a bad haircut and learned how to re-root hair to make up for it. Sometimes I dream that Glori is still somewhere in my house and I will wake up and look for her.

Well look no more! After years of hunting through the doll section of Value Village I finally found another Glory!

Dawn dolls were made by a company called Topper, introduced in 1970, and were immensely popular for about four years until Topper started to face financial instability. Because there were so many made I’m surprised I haven’t found one in the thrifts or at a yard sale before (I am always looking). I mean, they are abundant on eBay, but you know I like the thrill of the hunt!

I cleaned her up and made her a new ensemble out of gold and pink lame as a nod to Dawn’s original mod aesthetic.