Gender and Dolls (was Re: Lego vs. Legos: Americanism? Regionalism?)

[Laurence Horn]

At 2:37 PM -0700 7/31/07, Jonathan Lighter wrote:
>When I was about four I owned a rubbery simulacrum of Rootie
>Kazootie, a celebrity marionette on local TV. He dressed like a
>baseball player. I also had one of the more celebrated Howdy Doody.
>
>   I did not call them "dolls" or "simulacra."  They were just
>"Howdy" and "Rootie."  Girls played with dolls. Boys played with
>copies of celebrity marionettes.
>
>   And no, I don't have them anymore.

Too bad.  I don't recall anything at all about Rootie K, except that
he came on immediately after Howdy D (at 5:30 and 5:00 if memory
serves, which it may not after 55 or so years) and that since
everyone else loved Howdy, I decided I was more of a Rootie kid.

LH

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