Sindy on Social Media – Instagram: Jollydollyshop/Cathy Howard

Questions and Answers

1) Q: How did you first discover Sindy? A: When I was given my first Sindy. I had never seen one before.

2) Q: How old were you when you got your first Sindy? A: I think I was six. I got her for Christmas, and I thought she was wonderful.

3) Q: What model was your first Sindy? A: I think she was a 1977 Active Ballerina Sindy. She had blonde hair and a lilac tutu. She had the rotating hands, and I played with her so much her wrist joints eroded, and her hands were stuck on with sellotape.

4) Q: What kind of Sindy/Sindy item did you dream about as a kid? A: I saw a redheaded Sindy at a friend’s house and had never seen one that wasn’t blonde before. I think that’s why I reroot so many tragic scalped Sindys as redheads now!

5) Q: What kind of Sindy/Sindy item do you dream about now? A: I would love to know what happened to the Sindy Babysitter set. I have seen the advert, but I don’t think it ever got made.

(As far as TLSM’s investigations show, it only made it to the prototype stage…)

 6) Q: What led you into your Sindy career you have today? A: I was making clothes for my own daughters’ dolls, because I wanted them to have the kind of outfits I remembered my Sindy having when I was a child. My friend Vanessa Hale encouraged me to make them to sell. I don’t think I would have had the confidence to do it otherwise. I had no idea that there were adult doll collectors out there!

7) Q: Can you mention three people you think helped you there? A: Vanessa Hale (of @runaroundretro) who got me started. Mr Jollydollyshop, who encouraged me to make a go of it and is very understanding about the dolly chaos in my (our?!) home office, and Sue @sewist53 who I met later, so helps keep me there, because she’s always there with a joke, advice or a virtual cup of tea.

8) Q: Do you have a special goal for your Sindy work? A: Not really. I’m just having a ball designing and making and writing my little stories to post online. I love seeing other people enjoying dressing their dolls in my outfits and creating their own Dollyverse. The Sindy community is a varied and marvellous thing! I’m just hoping to be able to keep doing it for as long as it makes me happy, and as long as other people like what I’m doing.

9) Q: Can you mention three people you think of as doll influencers? A: Marion Foale and Sally Tuffin, who designed the first Sindy outfits, are a huge influence. The quality of vintage Sindy clothes is outstanding. As a child I loved that Sindy was wearing “real” clothes from the world around me.
I think Bonita Turner and her Mam’selle Magazine have been an important influence on today’s Sindy collectors.
It’s great to see so many different dolls, designers, collectors and enthusiasts in a modern magazine, with interesting articles and a real sense of celebrating Sindy in many ways.

10) Q: What do you love/like/appreciate about Sindy? A: I think that now, (and when I was a child) I appreciate the possibilities of Sindy. She’s not just a baby doll or a pretty face, she could do anything she wanted to.

TLSM is proud to have the two versions of the outfits from the collaboration between Jollydollyshop (Cathy) and Mam’selle (Bonita). Below you see the place they stand in TLSM:

And of course TLSM is proud to be able to show visitors the amazing Goth Sindy made by Cathy!

The Goth Sindy’s place in TLSM:

THANK YOU Cathy for your amazing work and for taking the time to answer all the questions!

November 2022