Nothing to forgive......It's not your fault my dad was an azzhat.
I'm Jealous Of The Big Threads Here!
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Thank you, you're a peach!
That's where I'm from!
That's where I'm from!
I have a question: On the Island of Misfit Toys, there was a boat that sank, a Charlie in the Box, a train with square wheels, a water pistol that shot jelly -- What was wrong with the doll? Did she have The Herpes? A gift that keeps on giving? Did she have Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Ingrown toenail? Chronic depression? What was wrong with her?
r from sweetpea2222000
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Dolly the Misfit?
Apparently many have wondered this same question. Here is a sampling of a very insightful look at why the "normal" doll was needed in the special.
People have long wondered about Dolly, to the extent that producer Arthur Rankin himself offered an explanation. I quote Rick Goldschmidt at the intelligently informative Rudolph: Behind the Scenes website:
This brings us back to the MISFIT GIRL doll questions.....Uggh! The later versions of the script did not attribute any specific problems with the doll. I believe that Romeo Muller never really gave the character much thought, since her screen time in the original broadcast was mere seconds. She was granted more screen time in the 1965-1997 Broadcasts and ultimately led many a fan to wonder what was wrong with her? Since Arthur Rankin says it was psychological, I still stand behind that.
Goldschmidt's subtext is clear enough: there's nothing wrong with Dolly. Rankin invented an invisible "pathology" for her on the fly to explain her presence and satisfy fans. But Goldschmidt offers a piece of evidence that I bet explains her appearance:
Apparently, her problem was more psychological than physical. I have recently obtained THE original 10-28-63 draft of the script by Romeo Muller and the MISFIT GIRL DOLL does not appear in this first draft.
Of course she wasn't there, because the point was to have obviously misfit toys for the reasons stated above. But then the lyrics of their musical number intruded:
The Most Wonderful Day of the Year
A packful of toys means a sackful of joys
For millions of girls and for millions of boys
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year!
A jack in the box waits for children to shout,
"Wake up, don't you know that it's time to come out!"
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year!
Toys galore
Scattered on the floor
There's no room for more
And it's all because of Santa Claus!
A scooter for Jimmy, a dolly for Sue
The kind that will even say "How do you do?"
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year.
Three toys are specifically mentioned--two of them, the jack in the box and the scooter, are prominent among the clearly misfit toys and could credibly voice some of the sentiments expressed in the song; but a Dolly seems called for, even necessary, and in the event sang the line "The kind that will even say 'How do you do?"'
That's it, then: Muller, the lyricist, wrote a song that incorporated the stereotypical girl's toy, a doll. At some point, perhaps late in the day, someone noticed that the lyrics called for a Dolly character missing in the original concept--and rather than rewrite the lyrics to make things hang together better (and really, the lyrics are splendid as they are), another easy solution was found: Dolly was hastily included, perhaps without time to give her a misfit characteristic.
But arguably Dolly--whenever introduced into the script--would not have had one. The two toys most recognizably human, Dolly and the Cowboy, are both without bodily flaw (the Cowboy is a misfit, recall, only because he rides an ostrich). It makes sense: here is a show aimed at children, and among those children were bound to be ones with physical deformities. Very likely someone saw that it would veer into insensitive territory to have Dolly or Cowboy without an arm, walking about on a tiny peg-leg, vel sim.
Sources: The Island of Misfit Toys - Everything2.com
1 people found this helpful
Dolly the Misfit?
Apparently many have wondered this same question. Here is a sampling of a very insightful look at why the "normal" doll was needed in the special.
People have long wondered about Dolly, to the extent that producer Arthur Rankin himself offered an explanation. I quote Rick Goldschmidt at the intelligently informative Rudolph: Behind the Scenes website:
This brings us back to the MISFIT GIRL doll questions.....Uggh! The later versions of the script did not attribute any specific problems with the doll. I believe that Romeo Muller never really gave the character much thought, since her screen time in the original broadcast was mere seconds. She was granted more screen time in the 1965-1997 Broadcasts and ultimately led many a fan to wonder what was wrong with her? Since Arthur Rankin says it was psychological, I still stand behind that.
Goldschmidt's subtext is clear enough: there's nothing wrong with Dolly. Rankin invented an invisible "pathology" for her on the fly to explain her presence and satisfy fans. But Goldschmidt offers a piece of evidence that I bet explains her appearance:
Apparently, her problem was more psychological than physical. I have recently obtained THE original 10-28-63 draft of the script by Romeo Muller and the MISFIT GIRL DOLL does not appear in this first draft.
Of course she wasn't there, because the point was to have obviously misfit toys for the reasons stated above. But then the lyrics of their musical number intruded:
The Most Wonderful Day of the Year
A packful of toys means a sackful of joys
For millions of girls and for millions of boys
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year!
A jack in the box waits for children to shout,
"Wake up, don't you know that it's time to come out!"
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year!
Toys galore
Scattered on the floor
There's no room for more
And it's all because of Santa Claus!
A scooter for Jimmy, a dolly for Sue
The kind that will even say "How do you do?"
When Christmas Day is here
The most wonderful day of the year.
Three toys are specifically mentioned--two of them, the jack in the box and the scooter, are prominent among the clearly misfit toys and could credibly voice some of the sentiments expressed in the song; but a Dolly seems called for, even necessary, and in the event sang the line "The kind that will even say 'How do you do?"'
That's it, then: Muller, the lyricist, wrote a song that incorporated the stereotypical girl's toy, a doll. At some point, perhaps late in the day, someone noticed that the lyrics called for a Dolly character missing in the original concept--and rather than rewrite the lyrics to make things hang together better (and really, the lyrics are splendid as they are), another easy solution was found: Dolly was hastily included, perhaps without time to give her a misfit characteristic.
But arguably Dolly--whenever introduced into the script--would not have had one. The two toys most recognizably human, Dolly and the Cowboy, are both without bodily flaw (the Cowboy is a misfit, recall, only because he rides an ostrich). It makes sense: here is a show aimed at children, and among those children were bound to be ones with physical deformities. Very likely someone saw that it would veer into insensitive territory to have Dolly or Cowboy without an arm, walking about on a tiny peg-leg, vel sim.
Sources: The Island of Misfit Toys - Everything2.com
Here I was believing DJ's guess-The Herp!!
Here I was believing DJ's guess-The Herp!!
I like DJ's answer better!
WOW! I didn't realize there was a whole subculture wondering the same thing!
I am sorry to hear of her troubles. I did not know.
That smile hides The Herpes.I am sorry to hear of her troubles. I did not know.
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