It’s Friday, time to post responses to the Big Tent Poetry prompt. The prompt was to write about icons, those larger-than-life personalities. As soon as I saw the examples of Barbie and Chatty Cathy though, I knew I just had to write about…
Tammy’s Lament
You don’t know me, very few do.
I was Barbie’s country cousin,
the one she didn’t talk about much,
the perennial girl next store.
She wore glittery evening gowns,
I wore sensible clothes.
Even my hair was drab.
No Ken waiting in the wings for me.
I spent Friday nights watching
my little sister Pepper.
Could life get any duller?
Barbie was the glamour girl. And me?
Simply “the doll you love to dress”.
Read more Big Tent Poetry poetic responses here.
Now that’s bloomin’ Brilliant!
Somehow, the doll theme struck a chord with me.
Tammy? Who know? Good thing I read this, you learn something every day etc. Good stuff though, who can’t identify with her?
Maybe Tammy was the east coast version of Barbie. I haven’t thought about her in ages…
P.S. Very grateful to have discovered the prompt site from your link, thanks!
That’s cool– it’s a great site. Prompts every Monday, and then starting Friday, you get to post and read what others post as well.
I remember PJ, too – I think she was Barbie’s “cute” sister. That witch just had to outshine everyone, didn’t she?
PJ- I don’t think I remember her. Barbie and her kin were strictly verboten in my household when I was growing up.
Now I remember Tammy, didn’t she end up running off with Ken just before Barbie’s wedding?
If so, that would serve Barbie right!
We didn’t have Barbie or her relatives when growing up. I’ve often wondered it I’d have been a more conventional individual if I’d had. You make me realize that I might very well be the lucky one, lol.
Elizabeth
Hmm, interesting theory. Someone should do a study of the effect of playing with fashion dolls as a young girl.
I remember poor Tammy, cute little pigtails and s sprinkle of freckles. But of course she wouldn’t be popular, she looked almost REAL!
Good job with this…
Ideal Toy Corp. carted out Tammy and kin in the early 1960′s as their response to Mattel’s Barbie. Sadly, Tammy was only around for 3-1/2 years, while Barbie is 51 and apparently still going strong. I guess Tammy was just too wholesome…
If I were Tammy, I would tell everyone that the Debbie Reynolds song was written for me. Let Barbie put that in her pipe and smoke it!
Barbie’s comeuppance– I love it.
Preferring Tammy-types to Barbie-types, I was quite at home with this poem. “the perennial girl next store.” a gem of a line.
Thanks– I too prefer the “girl next door” types.
I didn’t like Barbie.
I might have liked Tammy, if I’d met her. Good poem!
How I wish I had saved my Tammy dolls– they’d be collector items now!