I’ll keep this post as brief as possible, I do occasionally waffle I’m afraid.
Some years ago now, one of Marie’s friends, a rather ham-handed child called Kimberley pulled my left arm off during one of my weddings to a doll with multi-coloured hair.
Marie had wandered into the kitchen and was not aware that I’d just had my arm wrenched off. In a panic Kimberley hid me in some storage boxes in the back of the cupboard under the stairs where I remained for 6 months.
It was incredibly lonely in there, on several occasions I tried to escape but with one arm missing it was impossible.
Until Marie’s father Derek, found me and tried to mend my arm with some super glue which did just the trick…. in rendering my arm completely immobile and stuck down at my side… I still detest that man to this day for his so called ‘help’
Upon presenting me to Marie with a “look what I’ve found” I hoped that all would go back to whatever normal was and I could continue my life as one of the dolls husbands. To be honest id been so lonely stuck in the storage box that anything would be preferable as long as I had some company.
But Marie had other plans, she couldn’t have cared less that I’d been missing in action for 6 months and was even less impressed at the fact that her father had ‘fixed’ me, so as her father left the room Marie inspected my rigid arm, tutted and quickly tossed me to one side and I was therefore rendered useless. I was occasionally played with as an ‘extra’ as they’re called on TV, usually a guest at one of the many dolls weddings. In that time I began to speak to other ‘extras’ such as the group of baby dolls that Marie no longer bothered with and they were pretty much resigned to the fact that they were no longer the chosen ones and that ‘their time in the sun’ was long gone.
I became very sad and withdrawn about this, primarily due to the fact that when I was hidden in the cupboard Id built up the day I was found in my head to be something along the lines of the day Anastasia became a princess and found her place again (yes I know, I hung around with the dolls far too much.)
So when Marie’s mother was cleaning one day and muttered
“God she has so many toys in here and hardly any of them are bothered with”
I was thrilled! Finally some recognition for the little guy! I was expecting her mother to frog march Marie into her room and tell her that she must start treating all her toys equally and that many were being neglected and bullied by the current popular toy.
Nothing on earth prepared me for what happened. The following day Marie’s harridan of a mother came marching into the bedroom armed with bags and boxes. Immediately everyone began to run for cover and whispering
“She’s got a bag, hide!”
The animal family shut up shop in their little houses and tree, the baby dolls hid under the covers of their pram, some of the more loved toys sat trying to give an air of nonchalance, convinced that they were safe. I watched from behind the pony stables wondering what in the world was happening and why everyone suddenly had began to freak out.
Then it became clear, the toy box lid was flung open and mass amounts of bears, plushies and dolls were being chucked into bags as though they were nothing, the baby dolls including the pram were carried downstairs and into the car, as well as some of the worse for wear fashion dolls . Just when I thought I was safe, Marie’s mother had a double check, and unfortunately I was unable to move in time and was subsequently bagged up with 2 of the little ponies that had had their hair cut and styled a-la Kimberley.
I don’t remember much about the journey other than mass panic and the question -Where is she taking us? was at the forefront of everyones mind.
It turned out that we were going to many different places firstly the dolls and their pram were re-homed with a small girl who looked thrilled to see them, so at least that ended well (as far as i am aware), some of the bears that still had their eyes, ears and feet attached were donated to a children’s hospital, unfortunately some of the more broken and well worn plushies weren’t as lucky 
At 3.35pm myself, the 3 dolls, and the little ponies were dropped off at the Salvation army, completely unknowing that that was to be our new home.. I was in virgin territory and had no idea what to expect.
