Ann’s Tiny Tears

October 28, 2016

The personal playtime accounts from childhoods gone by are part of what makes our permanent exhibit Toys from the Attic: Stories of American Childhood so special. While each and every plaything in the collection must have some sort of story to tell, they often get lost in the shuffle of adulthood. You can probably imagine how many times we hear visitors say they wished they’d held onto that one special toy!

Local historian and longtime T/m volunteer docent Ann Smiley luckily held onto one of her most cherished toys, a small Tiny Tears doll. In the exhibit, Ann recounts playing with Tiny Tears in the early 1950s. Since she didn’t ever babysit or have children as an adult, she fondly thinks of her playtime with the doll as her sole motherhood experience. We’ll take a look at Tiny Tear’s unique features next time.