By Carmel Boo
To children, she is known as “Auntie”, but 63-year-old Elizabeth Chrisostom is a “mother” to thousands of dolls from different countries, a hobby that continued for 56 years.
Over these years, she has kept her dolls safely and in good condition. “My first doll is very precious to me, as she sparked my interest in dolls,” she said. “I place her in a transparent casing to protect her from any physical damage.”
“I bathe my antique, rubber and vinyl dolls by washing their body parts and hair with soap and water because they will develop mold if not cleaned properly,” she continued.
She also changes her dolls' clothes once a month. “I change my celebrity dolls clothes and accessories to take pictures of them and upload them on social media,” she shared. “All of my celebrity dolls have their own collection of clothes as the package normally comes with their own clothes and accessories.”
“I sort out my dolls by their country of origin,” she said. “Every time when my friends come over, they are curious about the doll and their traditional costume in different countries. They might say, ‘Can I see an Indian doll?’ and I would show it to them along with the beautiful costumes..”
When Chrisostom was asked which of her dolls she loves the most, she answered, “Hmmmmm, I love them all equally. From those who (emphasizing 'who' rather than 'which') are 50 cents to those who are worth thousands of ringgits.” Like all mothers, she would not be able to tell which child she loves more than the other.
She is passionate about doll collection. Even when she was diagnosed as asthmatic and under her doctor’s advice to stop collecting dolls, she refused to stop.
“Collecting dolls brings me joy and they are my happiness,” she replied enthusiastically.
“Collect what you want to collect,” she ended our interview, with a smile.
Elizabeth Chrisostom Click photograph to read article by veteran journalist, Balan Moses (The Malay Mail).
(Carmel Boo is 10 years old).
Comments