So as a boy, who like most boys, grew up with a lot of toys. Army men, transformers, and plenty of ironically dubbed “action figures”. All that wonderful hard plastic, virtual immobile guys. Imagination was in no short supply, so the great battles that took places still had their grandeur, despite the stiffness of the participants. It’s a recurring theme among lots of those toys. The more “realistic” they’re supposed to look (I’m looking at you with those quotations, Barbie and Ken), the less mobile they seem.

Then there’s Raggedy Ann and Andy, laying limp until you do something to change that. But when you play with them, you have complete control of them. You’re bringing them to life, in every sense of the word. Go back and watch Toy Story again, and compare Buzz and Woody. Buzz’s appeal comes from all the lights and sounds and fancy things he brings to the table, but Woody’s significance comes from him being so real to Andy.

This post is spinning away from me a little bit. I like the idea of patchwork dolls. I find them a very apt human metaphor. Made up of all sorts random experiences, constant sufferers of wear and tear, and capable of just about as much as our imaginations will allow.