K.L. Kranes

As a child, I apparently had a bit of a doll problem. If a doll existed, I wanted it. I had that doll where you cut her hair and then could pull it out so it grew again. I had Cabbage Patch dolls. And I was seriously envious of my friend Natasha’s collection, which put my measly two to shame. I had tall dolls, small dolls, dolls with rainbow hair, dolls that smelled like strawberries.

Once a few years ago, I was at my parents house and we opened up this large wicker chest only to find it stuffed to the brim with dolls that had been squirreled away in there for probably a decade. Not only did I have many dolls, apparently I collected and kept them all. It was a little creepy.

As an adult, I got over my doll collecting obsession because you can’t be an adult who buys and collects dolls, right? Therefore, instead, I transferred that obsessive nature to collecting other things, books obviously. (And, shhh, shoes too.)

So, this weekend it was sunny and beautiful and still near 70 and I needed to get out of the house. So, I popped over to support Nordstrom by buying a new pair of sneakers I desperately needed (and managed NOT to buy the super cute and completely impractical boots I really wanted – progress!) Then, I looked to my right to see, Barnes and Noble. Yes, there is a store that sells massive amounts of shoes right next to a bookstore in my town. I think it’s like a little slice of heaven.

Since I was out already, I figured it couldn’t hurt to check out B&N. (Like with shoes stores, it’s nearly impossible for me to pass a bookstore without going inside.) Mind you, I have several piles of books to read, all towering so high they are about to fall over and I keep downloading books on my kindle. I really, really don’t need any more books. But, I also probably never needed more dolls either.

Now here is where my past obsession and my current obsessions all collide. I’ve seen POP! figurines before. I have one already. I bought it to Travel with The Travelers just because I thought it would be fun. Plus, I love that the company makes these movie characters from movies based on books and comics into dolls. I am all about promoting anything literary, no matter how it comes about. With that first purchase I felt a little tinge, a little poke telling me to buy more and more. But, I managed to control myself. I only bought one and never bought more on any other visits to B&N.

This weekend, as I walked through the store had zero intention of buying a doll. Then I saw this:

It was like the store was taunting me. Shelves and shelves of POP! figurines. They had Wonder Woman, Bella, Edward, Peta. There was an entire section devoted just to Harry Potter! I thought to myself, OK, self, just buy one. I’m reading Harry Potter and it would be cute to include one of these guys in a bookstagram.

So cute right?

And then I saw them…Just sitting there – Cher and Dionne from Clueless. (Little note: The movie Clueless is actually a modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma. Even the names in the movie reference characters in the book.) I had to have it! My past doll obsession came hurtling back. The poke turned into a pulsing jab and rationalization kicked it.

Here’s how I rationalized this: First, they were on sale. Since the movie Clueless was based on a book, they were literary and appropriate for all my bookish needs. Plus the Cher doll kind of reminded me of Dagny from my book (The Travelers.) She just needed a little red striped scarf. And, of course, I couldn’t take home Cher without Dionne. They are besties. That would just be tragic.

I felt sufficiently convinced by myself that this was the right thing to do. So I grabbed Cher and Dionne and squished them together with Harry in my arms. Of course, I couldn’t leave without buying a book, so I did that too. In the end this was my full bookish haul.

And, don’t Cher and Dionne just look so perfect with The Travelers? I think it was definitely meant to be.

Apparently, I was wrong, you can be an adult and buy dolls.