Saturday, March 30, 2024

My collection started with a Korea souvenir

The back of her hair and her dress
are just as elaborate as the front.

My doll wears the hanbok,
a gown worn at festivals in Korea.
We went to the World's Fair in Knoxville, TN, during summer 1982.  I don't remember much of it, except that I bought a souvenir charm the shape of a flame and a souvenir glass, both of which I still own.
I also still own a souvenir doll from the Korea exhibit.  She was the first doll I bought as an adult collector, a year or two before I started buying Barbies.
My doll is 9 inches tall and is made of papier-mache or a heavy fabric.  She is posed on a wooden stand.  There is nothing written on the stand.  I don't know if there are any markings on her, as her clothes are sewn and glued onto her.
Every souvenir doll from Korea wears a shawl or a shirt with the same multicolored stripes and a gown called a hanbok.  I wrote about her in a previous column, which you can read here:  https://skippercollector.blogspot.com/2014/07/my-korea-souvenir-doll_12.html