The Toy Collectors: 'My daughter loved her dolls, so they remind me of her'
Carol Hany Flanagan Collection Home Cindy Carraroe At Of With Marzouk In Dolls Her Photo:
Carol Flanagan, 60, and her dolls have travelled the length and breadth of Galway, as the amateur photographer likes to shoot her collection against different backdrops.
With a collection that includes everything from vintage Cindy to high-end integrity toys, Carol’s dolls have been a constant presence by her side.
On days when her disability made it impossible to venture outdoors, she says they “brought the world inside”.
Her collection at her home in Connemara also has bitter-sweet memories for the amateur photographer, as she often played dolls with her daughter, Josephine. Josephine had her own doll collection before she sadly passed away in 2010 at the age of 16.
Carol is comforted by the fact Josephine got huge pleasure from her dolls, and after she died Carol gifted a doll from her collection to everyone who was special to the teenager. These included some of Josephine's friends at the school she attended for children with special needs, in addition to family members.
“I held on to the special ones,” Carol told the . “We loved playing with the dolls together. Having those moments with her is something I’ll always treasure. She loved dolls, toys and cartoons on TV. That was her world.”
Carol is now the owner of 70 dolls, a modest figure when compared to her earlier collection, which she estimates was in the hundreds. In recent years, financial limitations have forced the mum to part with some of her collection.
“My disability has stopped me from earning money so I have sold on different things to fund certain expenses. If I need a boost to my income to fund something important then I’ll sell on some of the dolls.
"This was the case when my son got married last year. The wedding was in Scotland so selling a few of the dolls funded our trip which was great. The most that one doll sold for was €200. "
Carol enjoys photographing dolls in different locations around Galway. However, the enthusiast says there is still an unfortunate stigma linked to her hobby.
“People can be a bit strange. I've experienced that in the past. I like taking doll photography and will take photographs while I’m out and about. There’s been some eye rolling. I’ve suffered abuse in the past. People will just walk over and make quite abusive comments.
"I was shocked that someone could wish this on a person at a time when so many people were dying. I was shook when it first happened but now I realise that this was his problem and not mine. It’s just sad how some people choose to convey their emotions.”
But on the whole, the reaction from other people has been largely positive. "Some people will look and then carry on their way. Others will come over and actually engage and talk. I’ve had that a few times.
"There was a lovely dad who came over to me and said 'Oh my Goodness, you’re taking me back to my childhood'. He asked if he could take pictures of his children with my collection. I said 'of course'. We had great fun that day.”
Carol's Freda has been supportive of her pastime from the beginning.
“We’ve been together for 19 years. I landed on my feet with Freda. She is 100% supportive and on board for the collecting. When we first met she was collecting little matchbox cars. She understood the joy of collecting which was great.
"We have mini me dolls that represent us that we’ll bring along to be photographed for an anniversary or something. It’s all just a bit of fun.”
Freda has been a valuable supportive through Carol’s more difficult days.
“On the whole, I can get out and about with my stick, but if I'm having a really bad day, I might need my wheelchair. It just depends on how I am and what's going on at the time really but I try to get out as much as I can, even if it's just for a drive in the car.
"Freda is brilliant. She's my carer as well. She'll take me for drives so that I can get out and take a few pictures with my dolls because she knows how important they are to me. It's wonderful to have so much support from her and to know that she encourages my collections.”
Her son John, 32, is also supportive. "He gave me a gift of a miniature studio that I can photograph the dolls in on days when I can’t make it outside. It’s brilliant to have the lighting. I can create any scene that I like in this mini studio.”
Carol recalls how her parents were unable to afford the cost of the dolls she yearned for as a child.
“It was a different world back in the 60s and 70s. People didn’t have the same money back then as they do now. We certainly didn’t have any Smyths.
"I got my first Cindy at the age of nine as a prize in a drawing competition. She was a ballerina and she is still with me to this day. This doll has been a big part of my life.”
Known for their high-end quality, Integrity dolls feature prominently in her collection.
“People often mistake these for Barbies but at a closer glance you’ll see that the quality is very different. They have better face paint and movement. They have this real model look about them which is attractive for people.
"People photograph them like they would humans.”
Carol, who is a member of an online group called Doll Collectors Ireland, enjoys collecting for the connection it gives her with the outside world.
“The group is a lifeline for me because I’m chatting to people from all over the world and we all share ideas. We meet up when we can. There are doll collectors in Ireland but many of them are quiet.
"It would be lovely to hear from a few more collectors. I’ve made amazing friends from across the globe through collecting. It truly is a wonderful world.”