QQ: A Storage Question About Kirsten's Trunk

A Quick Question for Poppets & Posies today. Can Kirsten's Trunk hold both the trundle bed and a sleeping doll? This is the promise given in the catalogs of this treasure from the past, but how does it play out in practice?

Ingabritta has volunteered to be our Houdini to test out the insides of Kirsten's Trunk for storage capacity. She has jumped into the new Playful Polar Bear Pajamas for this experiment.

The trunk pictured is Pleasant Company and the trundle bed is the earlier version as well but possible not as old as the trunk. The red-and-white striped tufted mattress itself is tagged Pleasant Company, but I am unable to verify the age/era of the bed other than the curved top is the older style.

Ingabritta (#56) absolutely fits on top of the trundle bed and mattress with no problem.

The issue seems to be that the poppet's head rises a good inch above the top of the trundle bed's headboard. Already it seems that the lid will not close properly once placed.

Oops! The lid now rests on Ingabritta's head and not the trunk and trundle as designed. The lid rocks back and forth and one can see a considerable gap where it is not closing completely. (Don't worry, I put Ingabritta face down against the tufted mattress so the wooden lid would not scratch the vinyl of her face or nose.)

For contrast, above is the trunk with trundle bed inside--there is no gap. A close up of the same view follows below.

If one *removes* the red-and-white tufted mattress the trundle bed is deep enough to store a Pleasant Company/American Girl doll. However two issues arise from this arrangement. First, the poor doll must rest on the bottom of the wooden bed--this will not harm the doll, but it takes all the magic and fun out of storing and resting a doll in the trundle bed and mattress portion of the trunk. Second, the tufted mattress if removed from the trundle bed now needs to be stored in the limited space below the bed, reducing the available bottom storage area by a full third. 

Another potential issue is if one chooses to store the mattress below the trundle bed is that the mattress must be folded as the 3-compartment arrangement of the bottom area of the trunk does not allow for it to be be stored flat. This may not be an issue for some collectors, but for those looking to preserve Kirsten's items with great care, folding the mattress and storing it in the bottom of the trunk might not be the best option.

So in response to today's QQ (Quick Question), Ingabritta says that technically yes, a poppet can be stored inside of Kirsten's Trunk in the trundle bed, but not in an optimal way. Between the discomfort of the poppet having to lay on mattress-less bed and the loss of storage below to accommodate the dislocated mattress (and all the folding and squishing of the mattress!) the trunk is only moderately useful for doll storage.

Edited to add: I have recently seen other pictures of a doll fitting into the top space *with* the mattress in place. It seems in my case if the mattress was a bit less fluffy that a doll would still just barely squeeze in under the lid, so I am uncertain at this variation as well as why even with a flattened mattress the fit would still be so tight.

Voila! Ingabritta has escaped the trunk safe and sound and plans to sleep on the trundle bed *and* mattress only when they are displayed separately from the trunk and to use the trunk itself for other kinds of storage.

Kirsten Larson: Welcome Home!

***Poppets & Posies 100th Post!***

I have wanted a Kirsten doll since 1996 when I was introduced to my first Pleasant Company catalog. As a Danish/Norwegian girl myself who grew up in Minnesota, I absolutely loved her Swedish/Scandinavian inspired design touches and her midwestern pioneer storyline. And I loved her quirky looped braids even more. Even though I purchased many of Kirsten's outfits throughout the years, I never ordered the doll. Then her archival was announced in 2009 and I decided to let her go quietly.

Until today!

Kirsten is a charmer even still secured in her box. I do not know her exact production year, but this NIB Kirsten was probably originally bought after her archival announcement in 2009 and kept to be sold at a much later date. 

Her apron is crisp and pristine and those braids will never be quite that perfect ever again. Sigh!

This is not news to Kirsten Larson fans, but the boots with her meet outfit are rudimentary at best.

One last loving look! Once she is out of the box she really joins my poppet family!

Kirsten!

So why now some may ask. I had hoped for Kirsten to reappear out of the archives as part of the BeForever line, but with Maryellen arriving the end of August 2015 and the announcement of a new (not previously archived) 2016 BeForever doll, the best I believe I can reasonably hope for is a return of Kirsten in the fall of 2017. Or never.

Never is too long! Actually, another big reason for this leap is that I've collected the majority of Kirsten Larson's collection and while I have had other dolls stand in to wear some of her outfits, I wanted to finally unite the collection with the doll who inspired it.

A closeup of her perfect braid and ribbon for posterity--and reference for when I inevitably mess up her hair.

I am pleased with the short hairs on the back of her wig. Plenty of coverage and an even feathered pattern.

Her pantalettes are edges with eyelet. But take a gander at those galoompus boots!

Shall we revel in these galoompus meet boots for a moment before they are removed from her feet and never worn again? Vinyl, shapeless, an awkward seam up the center of the foot, no finished upper edges, a lazy hole punched for the laces, and a flimsy moccasin-like sole. Added to this list of frustration is that these "boots" do nothing to help stabilize her while standing. I will quickly be putting Kirsten's black lace-up boots on her feet.

As reviews go, the Kirsten Larson doll is an A+++. I don't care about the meet boots, they are easy and relatively inexpensive to replace with her black lace-up boots.

Finally, here at Poppets & Posies all our poppets are given their own name. A happy and enthusiastic welcome to Kristianna!

Waiting for Grace: Meet Sari

Happy Saint Lucia's Day (December 13th). My poppet Ingabritia is holding Sari, the doll from Kirsten Larson's collection. 

In Kirsten's Surprise, Kirsten is finally reunited with her beloved rag doll Sari on Saint Lucia's Day. Sari had been packed in a giant trunk for the family's trip overseas from Sweden to their new home in America, but the trunk was not immediately brought to their temporary home at Uncle Olav's farm.

The Sari doll body is made entirely of cloth and soft batting and is very light and squishy. Her face is made with a few simple stitches of colored thread and her hair with braided yellow yarn.

While the dress hems are sewn, Sari's shawl and bottom edge of her apron are left unhemmed and the loose edges made to look like fringe. Her shawl appears to have been glued into place (I do not want to pry it up to look underneath for any stitches). For these reasons this rag doll is best as a prop or display rather than heavy play.

While Sari's cloth body is a light off-white color, her feet are made in a contrasting red fabric, giving her the appearance of wearing red stocking or red boots depending on your imagination. This feature alone delights me to no end for its simplicity as well as for its range of open interpretation in play.

The Sari doll is an easy to overlook accessory from Kirsten's world, especially considering the original price in the Pleasant Company catalogs was $16 for this tiny cloth doll. However, that price looked like a bargain after questing for a Sari doll in pristine condition this summer. Since the face is hinted at with so few stitches of the embroidery needle I was particularly interested in finding a Sari with a symmetrical face and eyes. 

I love this little piece of Kirsten's world because of how the story of Sari captures the love of a girl and her doll. It was never a matter of how expensive or fancy the doll was--Kirsten played with real dedication even with her substitute straw doll--but about the story telling and bond created through playing together.

Waiting for Grace: A Saint Lucia Surprise

December 13th is Saint Lucia's Day and what better way to prepare for the Scandinavian festival of lights than having my youngest poppet, Ingabritta, dress up in the Saint Lucia Gown and accessories?

The Saint Lucia Gown, Wreath and Tray are from Kirsten Larson's collection and are truly great fun. Ingabritta, a MyAG 56, is often found playing in my special armoire full of Kirsten outfits and accessories. 

This is our first Christmastime with the Saint Lucia Gown and accessories as I bought them this summer on the secondary market. While I always adored Kirsten Larson (introduced by Pleasant Company in 1986 and retired by American Girl in 2010), other than a few of her outfits, I had never purchased a Kirsten doll or actively collected from her line while she was in production. Recently I decided to collect her items and have found most of them, though I have not bought a Kirsten doll and may wait for a BeForever Kirsten (though no word on if this will ever happen!). 

Very newly acquired in this quest is Kirsten's Scenes and Settings, so I was able to put Ingabritta into a photoshoot with a real backdrop! I especially love how the snow filled window panes and the cross stitch tapestry set the mood for a wintery evening.

The gown itself is made of a lightweight linen with a scalloped trim at the neck, sleeves and bottom hem. The red-and-white stripped stockings go up to her knees, even a bit past the knees if you pull up a bit on the stockings--I am uncertain why they are a bit oversized.

The red sash is permanently attached to the back of the gown. This is useful because it means the sash can not get lost and it also helps keep the sash in place once tied in front. The red sash is made of similar woven cotton as many of Kirsten's hair ribbons, just thicker and wider. The waist of the linen gown itself is elasticized.

The wreath is one of the more fun accessories from Kirsten's collection. The leaves of the wreath are made of fabric and the clusters of red berries are made of plastic.

The wreath comes with six white candles. This wreath is the older Pleasant Company style wreath and the candles are painted wood rather than plastic as found in later wreaths. The entire wreath is gently wrapped by a red ribbon and topped with four red bows.

The Saint Lucia Tray features a checkered cloth, a sprig of greenery, a heart shaped candle holder and candle, and best of all, two Saint Lucia buns.

Ingabritta was so pleased to get dressed up in a traditional Saint Lucia's outfit and pose with all of its accessories in a photoshoot. Both Ingabritta and I adore the clothing and accessories from Kirsten Larson's line and we look forward to posting more photoshoot looks from the past!

It almost goes without saying, but this entire set earns an A for being totally adorable and awesome. A wonderful distraction from all the holiday waiting, wishing, and wondering!