Saturday, March 22, 2014

Because I just can't get enough of the Mego Cher doll...

There is no way to write this post without giving away my age. I usually lie about my age, but perhaps it is time for that to end.

Back in the 1970s, when I was a wee little girl, I loved the Sonny and Cher Show. I watched it every chance I got, sang along to my favorite Cher songs, and wished I could be Chastity Bono because she had such cool parents. When I was four or five years old, my Grandma took me to the department store where she worked and showed me an actual Mego Cher doll. She asked if I wanted one, and of course I said yes. Later that evening, Grandma gave me my very own Cher, and I was in love. I will never forget the plastic smell as I opened the package, and Cher's wonderful long hair. Of course, that hair was a tangled mess in a matter of days, but I still loved that beautiful doll. A year or so later, while on a bus trip to Atlantic City, I showed my beloved Cher to my grandma. Cher was, of course, a mess. Grandma decided that we needed to do something to help that poor doll and took me to the nearest toy department. There, she bought me the newly-released Growing Hair Cher. This was really something, because my new Cher had hair that I could shorten or lengthen! My young brain was blown. Needless to say, my Grandma totally rocked!

Years later, as a childless adult with a love for toys, I found myself collecting Barbie dolls. I still had my original Mattel and Mego dolls, naked and with terribly matted hair, packed away in boxes. One day I found myself driving to a doll and toy collector's store in Reading, PA. I was already an avid Barbie collector, and I started my trek hoping to find some cool vintage dolls. While browsing the display cases, a Mego Cher doll in its original box caught my eye. The box was badly damaged, but the Cher inside was pristine. I brought her home that day, and a new obsession was born.

In 1999, I launched a resource website for Mego Cher collectors. I collected photos, scans, and any piece of information I could find and posted it online for my collector friends to enjoy. It was a blast! Within a few years, I became a Mom and put away my toys. My cherished Mego collection lived in plastic storage crates for nine years.

Until today. Inspired by sites like the Mego Museum and Plaid Stallions, I decided to launch this blog, re-photograph my personal collection, and create an updated, useful source of information for my fellow collectors. And let me tell you, I had the most fun unpacking and playing with my collection!

Stay tuned! This is going to be FUN!

---Kristi