Twenty years ago, in 2002, Mattel released an Anne of Green Gables Barbie doll. Mattel’s eight-inch-tall Anne Shirley doll was part of their “When I Read, I Dream” Timeless Treasures Collection.
"When I Read, I Dream™ collector dolls celebrate the friends we make between the pages of best-loved books. Meet Anne Shirley, the lively and talkative little girl from Green Gables of Prince Edward Island.
The spirited Anne is always full of surprises, not only for her adoptive parents, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, but also for delighted readers of the L.M. Montgomery classic.
She is re-created here in a Victorian-style peach-and-green print dress, boater hat and, of course, her 'life-long sorrow'—her signature red hair. Standing at the Green Gables gate, she looks ready for adventure, perhaps a drift downriver in a leaky boat or a trembling walk through the 'Haunted Wood'!"
Mattel's Technical Product Details webpage for the doll (Product# 50726) describes it as follows:
"When I Read I Dream™ collector dolls celebrate the friends we make between the pages of best-loved books. Anne is re-created here in a Victorian-style outfit in soft shades of peach and celadon green. Her dress has a peach sailor-like collar accented with a celadon bow and a crisply pleated peach linen skirt. Atop her head is a boater hat trimmed with a green ribbon. Off-white tights and white shoes add finishing touches. Anne is beautifully detailed, right down to her green eyes and, of course, her “life-long sorrow”—her signature red hair."
The Barbie Collectibles Website provides the following description of the Anne Shirley doll:
"From the beloved children's story Anne of Green Gables comes this darling 8" doll. Anne wears a delightful peach and green sailor-style dress accented with a green bow, and a pleated peach linen skirt. Her ensemble also includes off-white tights and matching shoes, and a straw-like boater hat accented with a green ribbon. Her darling red hair and sparkling green eyes make this doll perfectly precious!"
According to Planet of the Dolls, the doll’s body was based on that of Barbie’s little sister Stacie from the 1990s.
Mattel's Anne of Green Gables Barbie doll is no longer available in retail stores, but you can still find it on ebay and other resale websites.
Have you ever wanted an Anne of Green Gables doll? Do you know how to crochet or wish to learn? Well, here's your opportunity to make your very own Anne Shirley doll!
Check out Literary Yarns: Crochet Projects Inspired by Classic Books by Cindy Wang. This book teaches the basics of crochet and provides tutorials on how to create cute and beloved characters from literature. You just need some yarn, a crochet hook, and a little patience. Along with providing a pattern to make an Anne Shirley doll, the book contains 21 other crochet projects to make amigurumi—sweet stuffed yarn creations. The literary characters include the monster from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, the master detective Sherlock Holmes from the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle, Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Dorothy and friends from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, the White Rabbit from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and many more.
I love to crochet, so Literary Yarns is now on my wishlist. I think an Anne Shirley doll would be a perfect companion for my L.M. Montgomery collection on my bookshelf.
Cindy Wang also has a fun website where she shares her wonderful creations called The Geeky Hooker (Not THAT kind of hooker. The kind armed with a crochet hook). Her latest project, little Grogu from The Mandalorian, is so stinking cute. From time to time, she drops off her little critters in various places for strangers to discover and adopt. It would be so special to discover a surprise like that. Check out her website and follow her on Twitter @GeekyHooker for more of her adventures!
"Anne blew a couple of airy kisses from her fingertips past the cherry blossoms and then, with her chin in her hands, drifted luxuriously out on a sea of daydreams."
-L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables
In 1908, after Anne of Green Gables was published, the novel was reviewed by The New York Times Book Review. The book was harshly reviewed by an anonymous reviewer who said the character Anne Shirley, “greatly marred a story that had in it quaint and charming possibilities.”
Personally, one of the first words I think of in describing Anne Shirley is "charming." It's a bit sad that the reviewer missed out on Anne's charms, don't you think?
In 1924, bylines were required for the The New York Times Book Review, and reviewers had less freedom to be callous because they were no longer anonymous. Read more about the unsympathetic reviews written anonymously for The New York Times Book Review prior to 1924 in "When the Book Review Went Really Harsh" by Tina Jordan published in The New York Times on August 27, 2021.
I came across this fun collaboration between Nippon Animation's Anne of Green Gables with Ullala Pajamas. Ullala Pajamas makes old-fashioned, girlish chemises, night dresses, and pajama sets, and they designed a special set of clothes inspired by Anne of Green Gables.
I love all the product shots. Don't you?
They also remind me of the outfits from Dickinson, the Apple TV+ streaming series on Emily Dickinson starring Hailee Steinfeld. I love the fashion from the Dickinson time period too.
You can shop for outfits from the Anne of Green Gables x Ullala Pajamas collaboration below:
How lovely is this set of silhouette prints of Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley? They're by Sealhouette and available on Etsy. Along with the version shown above with Anne and Gilbert's names, there are versions available with quotes by the two characters. Check out the artist's store for more beautiful silhouette prints from literature, TV, and film.
