"Best Friend Sam" by Zapf Creation

The most special doll that I found on my trip to Edinburgh was Best Friend Sam, a Zapf play doll sold at Smyths for £22.99 (just under $40).  Sam is 63cm (24.8") tall and scaled like a toddler.  This doll is special to me because his size is uncommon, he's not sold in the United States, and his face has very Zapf-like features--calling to mind the gorgeous older German-made Zapf artist dolls.  What I like best about this sandy-haired rascal, though, is that he reminds me of my own wonderful boys when they were younger.  I can't think of a better doll to share with you on Mothers' Day.  Here's little Sam:

Best Friend Sam (£22.99) by Zapf Creation.

I Love VIP Pets "Gwen" by IMC Toys

One of the toy lines I found on my trip to Scotland is called I Love VIP Pets...which I will just call VIP Pets for short.  VIP Pets are 5 inch tall vinyl dog figures with oversized heads and colorful rooted hair.  They are made by the Spanish-owned IMC Toys company, which also seems to hold licenses for several popular toy themes including Disney Princesses and Monster High.

These dog figures appealed to me not just because I had never seen them before, but also because I like the idea of fashion toys for animal lovers.  I am quite fond of Pinkie Cooper, the fashion doll with a dog's head, and am saddened that she doesn't seem to be selling very well--at least in my part of the world.

There are eight different VIP Pet characters to choose from (all Chihuahuas), each with a different vinyl and hair color combination, and each with her own pre-assigned personality trait.  The dogs cost £9.99 at Smyths and can be imported to the United States for around $25 through Amazon.  Alex (the orange-haired photographer) and Juliet (the red-haired romance novelist) are my two favorite characters, but neither was in stock at Smyths during my visit.  I decided to purchase the rock star, Gwen, with her white and pink hair:

VIP Pet, "Gwen," by IMC Toys (£9.99).

The Toy Box Tourist

In addition to visiting as many gorgeous castles and palaces as we could manage on our trip to Scotland, I had my own "doll tourist" agenda to follow.

When I lived in Edinburgh, the only doll source I was aware of was the toy section at the Jenners department store.  My favorite things to browse at this store were the beautiful Sasha dolls and the numerous Playmobil sets.  I also remember the realistic Beswick porcelain horses in the home department that I would admire while my parents were looking at dinnerware.

Before we left Edinburgh, I wanted to return to Jenners (now owned by House of Fraser) to see how the toy selection had changed over the years.  I also wanted to visit Smyths, because my online searches suggested that this store is similar to Toys R Us--one of my favorite Maine haunts.  In addition, I took Nealie's advice and stopped in at the Edinburgh Museum of Childhood to admire their collection of antique dolls and dollhouses.

I'll share some of what I found at all of these places with you, starting with one of my favorite little Scottish faces:

Flirty-eyed hard plastic Pedigree walking doll, c. 1950s
(Edinburgh Museum of Childhood).

Effie in Edinburgh

Many of you guessed correctly that we are vacationing in the United Kingdom, and three of you guessed it exactly.  Very well done Filip, Anna and jSarie!  We are, indeed, in Edinburgh, Scotland--a city where I lived for a while when I was a child.  I have been waiting a long time to show this special place to my family.

My new Makie doll, Effie, is a perfect companion for this journey--not just because she's charming and versatile, but because she was made in the UK, and so this gets her back a little closer to her birthplace of London, England.

The first thing we did when we arrived in Edinburgh was to climb the hill (mountain!) in the middle of the city.  It's called Arthur's Seat--perhaps named after the legendary King Arthur, and it offers spectacular, panoramic views of the city.

New Makie doll, Effie, on Arthur's Seat, Edinburgh.