Laura's Corn Cob Doll:Yikes!

V with her corn cob doll.

In Little House in the Big Woods, Mary has a rag doll, but until her fifth birthday, Laura has only a corn cob doll.  I did a little browsing around the web, and apparently a corn cob doll was as primitive as it sounds, a dried corn cob with a face drawn on. (I did find pictures of some that were a little "fancier," having a little calico dress, but Laura states that hers was just wrapped in a hankie.)


I made this one for V. (Made is probably an overstatement in this case.)

Corn cob doll.

We discussed what it would have been like to trade in all the toys in the playroom for one of these. The kids were, understandably, sort of appalled. On the other hand, we discussed all the things the girls would have had that we don't, like farm animals to play with, lots of open space outside to explore, and frankly, a lot more chores to keep them busy.

It's humbling to think of all the things we take for granted. My kids can't imagine a life without toys, radios, and televisions. I've "roughed it" before, living in a house without a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and central heat and a/c. It was brutal, but I can't fathom what it must have been like, (and still is like in some parts of the world,) to live without running water, a refrigerator, and access to random things like Tylenol and toilet paper.