Finding Ravi

Daddy Steve:  I have a confession to make.  I give names to dolls.  I'm not talking about just my own boys; I name dolls that I bid on but ultimately fail to win.  I also name dolls that I like, but know that I don't really need.

For quite a while now Susanna Lewis had a wonderful blonde boy for adoption on her site that I named Vince.  I would regularly check to see if Vince was still around (happily, he was adopted).  And then I name those dolls that I have yet to meet; the ones that exist only in my imagination.  This was the case for Ravi.

Meet Ravi

Here's how it all started.  You're no doubt acquainted with Sasha Sari, one of the last dolls Trendon ever made.  I always felt that she was an inspired idea.  To me, the art and culture of India are very beautiful.  I thought it was a real shame that she never had a Gregor counterpart; a raven-haired little boy dressed in a traditional kurta.  I began to think that if I could find one of the early Gregors with very dark, almost black hair; he could be that boy.  

Thus, I began my search for Ravi.  Once Daddy Steve gets an idea in his head, it can be very hard to dislodge it.  Finding Ravi got to be a kind of mild obsession.  'Ravi' became more than a name; it was an adjective, a standard of measurement that applied to every doll I saw.  Some were not 'Ravi' at all, while others were only a little bit 'Ravi.'  Some were very 'Ravi,' but not quite enough.

Arrival day and unveiling

Eventually, I found the one, the real 100% Ravi.  He's from 1968, and, like Miguel, he has the nearly black hair found on some of the early dolls. His hair is thick and perfectly styled, and best of all it's non-falling.  He appears to have never been  played with, only displayed.  He has beautifully painted eyes and a very serene expression that I think suggest wisdom beyond his years.

Getting to know each other.  He has quite the personality.

Like almost all of my early boys, his wrist tag is long gone.  However, he did come with a little surprise up his sleeve (or, in this case, stuffed down his pants).  It was his original wax seal 'Made In England' tag.  Only the early imported dolls wore this tag.  Originally the Frido wrist tags were blank on the reverse, so it was necessary to provide an additional statement of origin.

Proudly made in England!

I should add that Ravi's explanation of the tag (or 'medal,' as he calls it) is a bit fanciful.  He says that while he's not completely certain (because dolls don't have the most reliable of memories), he swears it was presented to him by Her Majesty the Queen for services rendered to the Crown.  When I ask what exactly those services were, he says only that he's not at liberty to say.  Who am I to argue?

"Oooooooh!"

The boys are all suitably impressed with Ravi's medal.