It's a Jolly Holiday With Mary; No Wonder That It's Mary That We Love!

Last week, my friend Libbie and I set off around her neighborhood in search of treasure at her block sale. The day was overcast, and there seemed to be only a small smattering of houses participating, so we weren't sure how much luck we would have. Imagine our surprise, then, when one of the first houses we visited had several Mattel dolls for sale, each in its original packaging and selling for five dollars. I'm not a big Barbie fan, but I spotted one that appealed to me; Barbie looked much more youthful than usual, wearing a pale pink dress with a white overskirt featuring illustrations from one of my favorite childhood books. Then Libbie turned my attention to Mary Poppins, and I gave a squeal of delight, for that sweet-as-sugar but no-nonsense nanny has always been one of my very favorite characters. Even better, this was not merely Barbie dressed as Mary; one look at the face made it clear that Julie Andrews was the model for this particular doll. I knew I had to snag it.

This Disney Collector Doll is the Jolly Holiday Edition, which suggested to me that there was another edition, perhaps Mary in her black suit and hat with her handbag. This doll came out in 1999; I see that Mattel released one in more conservative attire in 1993, though it included a Jolly Holiday outfit and the face looked more like Barbie than Andrews. My mom tells me she had a Mary doll when she was growing up, and it was Mary as she appeared at the beginning of the film, but unfortunately, that was one of those childhood toys that fell out of her possession before I came along. Certainly Mattel is not the only company to have used this movie as inspiration, but this Jolly Holiday Edition Mary may just be the nicest option out there for fans of the classic Disney musical.

I debated before deciding to take Mary out of her packaging. After all, it's very attractive, with a backdrop of the ornate carousel she rides in the chalk drawing, with views of the lush, tree-laden park on either side. The backdrop is removable from the box, and it can fold out to be a bit larger if you remove the tape on the back. Mary is tethered down with many strings and plastic twist-ties, so getting her completely loose from her packaging took me quite a while, but as long as you're careful, you'll still have a decent-looking backdrop when you're done. The box itself is also very nice. Most of the front portion is transparent, with red curtains on the top and bottom. This design continues on the sides and the back, which features two pictures of Mary and Bert as well as a description of the doll and its context in the movie. I have no plans to sell Mary, but I intend to keep the box and leave the certificate of authenticity inside.

On the front of the box is a note that says "For the adult collector over 14 years." In other words, this doll is more of a display piece than a toy. Mary comes with a doll stand, the base of which reads, in fancy curlicued letters, "Jolly Holiday Mary Poppins". Articulation is limited, but her legs, arms and head are moveable in a variety of directions. Mary's dress is the pinnacle of frothy summery beauty. Her dress is white with a white gauze overlay garnished with red bows. Connecting the top and bottom portion of the dress is a red section with white stripes. Mary also wears lacy half-gloves, and though the main fabric in her upper dress is sleeveless, her arms and neck are covered in the gauzy material.

On her head is a plastic hat that is transparent with white trim and three pink cloth roses on the brim. This is attached with a sort of red collar with white stripes and a large gauzy bow. Under her dress is a frilly pink petticoat that matches her pink shoes, over which she wears high white socks. Her dress closes with Velcro at the back. Her brown hair is pulled into a neat bun, her lash-enhanced eyes are a sparkling blue, and her mouth forms a contented grin, with red lipstick and dazzling white teeth in stark contrast. Finally, attached to her left hand is her pink and white parasol, which is closed and which has her parrot on the end. As in the movie, the parrot can open and close its mouth. Mary rests comfortably on the doll stand, though I have a difficult time getting her to stand up entirely straight. She has a tendency to lean forward, but she doesn't seem in any danger of toppling.

If Mattel had wanted to go all out, this doll could have included a couple of other props; I would've especially enjoyed the penguins that serve as her waiters in one of the movie's funniest scenes. Also, a later edition of this doll evidently has a musical stand; I assume it winds up at the bottom, and probably plays Jolly Holiday. That would be a really neat feature. Of course, if you choose not to take your doll out of the case, it won't be of much use. The other thing that I discovered is that Mattel released a Bert doll that looks equally charming. I love Bert just as much as Mary, and it would be really neat to have both of them, especially since I happen to know that my parents once performed a series of musical numbers from the film dressed as Mary and Bert in their Jolly Holiday attire. I doubt I'll be lucky enough to stumble upon Bert at another yard sale, but I might have to keep my eye on eBay for a killer deal. Meanwhile, I'm happy to display the one I have and cheerfully declare that it's a jolly holiday with Mary!