Althouse: Doll in a glass case.

October 7, 2007

Doll in a glass case.

(At FAO Schwarz.)

10 comments:

stephenb said...: Our host in a glass case?; 10/7/07, 11:26 AM
Mr. B. said...: My God, Anne, what have you done to yourself?; 10/7/07, 11:48 AM
rcocean said...: Is this similar to the "Ostrich in cage" post?; 10/7/07, 11:55 AM
Maxine Weiss said...: I thought that they went out of business. The toy market is very competitive. Do they still have the wrapping paper with the little blocks of toy soldiers?

Loved FAO Schwarz !

Sincerely, Maxine; 10/7/07, 2:26 PM
Ralph L said...: Isn't it sexist to blame Barbie for all the female anorexics and bulimics? Doesn't that make them really mush-brained? It's not like young men are wasting time and testicles and risking their health to look like pumped-up comic book heroes. Uh, wait a minute.; 10/7/07, 2:35 PM
Mark Daniels said...: Like MW, I thought that FAO Schwarz was out of business. I know that a large FAOS in Orlando, where I visited recently, has been abandoned for several years now. I remember the one I visited in Manhattan years ago fondly.

Here's what Wikipedia says: "At its height, the chain had a total of 40 stores throughout the United States. In 2001, The Right Start Company bought 22 of the 40 stores, and the other 18 unsold stores were immediately closed. In December 2002, Right Start, the then parent of FAO Schwarz, filed for bankruptcy. They would emerge from bankruptcy in April 2003 only to re-enter it in December 2003, forcing all stores to close.

"In February 2004, hedge fund D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P., acquired the New York City and Las Vegas stores and FAO Schwarz's catalog and internet businesses. The New York and Las Vegas stores reopened on Thanksgiving Day 2004."

It seems that FAO Schwarz in its current incarnation is a bit like Duncan YoYos. Duncan went bankrupt years ago. Then, someone bought the rights to the brand name. You can buy Duncan YoYos again. (I guess that the brand name YoYo'ed.)

Mark Daniels; 10/7/07, 10:52 PM
Trooper York said...: Well, lots of little pieces make up the little girl
Such a tiny thing in this great big world
Well, now I've got to find out what's crackin' up
My little buttercup
I got to take her to the doll hospital

Well I bought her a dollhouse and a Corvette too
She's got everything's Barbie's got, I'm tellin' you
But every time I make a move just to touch her hair
She says, "Little boys should play with teddy bears"
I'm gonna take her to the doll hospital

Uh-huh, oh yeah
Baby you'll be all right
I'm gonna take you
To the doll hospital tonight
Uh-huh, oh yeah
Baby you look a fright
I'm gonna take you to the doll hospital

Well, all in love is fair
But it's the wear and tear
And words left unspoken
That leave hearts broken
But I never tore your legs off
Or threw you on the floor
Now I know baby cries a lot
But please don't cry no more

When we played doctor I must have made a mess
But I fixed her little wagon up good, I guess
She said Ken never made her heart beat so
But he lacked that certain somethin' as we all know
Now I burst her little bubble, her mind's about to go
I gotta get her to the doll hospital
(John Hiatt); 10/8/07, 12:34 AM
Matt Brown said...: I think she's a metaphor for our current crop of pretty young things like Britney and Lindsay: beautiful to look at, but alarms go off if you try to get too close.; 10/8/07, 6:15 AM
former law student said...: Speaking of dolls, I saw a trailer for this movie yesterday. http://www.larsandtherealgirl-themovie.com/; 10/8/07, 11:47 AM
Ann Althouse said...: former law student: check out "River's Edge."; 10/8/07, 12:41 PM