Mrs. Beasley

I LOVE Mrs. Beasley. Who remembers her?

When I was a little girl, I loved the show Family Affair and the little girl Buffy had a doll she called Mrs. Beasley. (which Buffy claimed talked to her, often making very funny comments)

Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of money and it was a big deal to be able to go to the city to a department store. Once while shopping - I spotted waaaay up on the top shelf - a Mrs. Beasley doll. I could hardly contain my excitement and I asked my dad if he could reach her down for me. I couldn’t believe my eyes; a Real Mrs. Beasley! I said, “ohhhh, Can we buy her?” My mom replied, “No… I’m afraid we can’t, she’s too much money.” Then I heard my mother quietly exclaim to my father, ‘It’s $30!”

“I know. I'll ask Santa!!”. My parents just looked at each other.

Closer to Christmas my mom would ask me, “What do you want from Santa?”

“Mrs. Beasley”

Well, what else do you want?

“Nothing. Just Mrs. Beasley.”

“Well, you must want something else.”

“Nope. Just Mrs. Beasley.”

"Come on, there must be something else."

"Nope. Just Mrs. Beasley."

In hindsight, I remember my mom getting others to ask me what I wanted. I only ever replied, “Mrs. Beasley”. No matter how many times anyone asked, that was the ONLY answer they got.

I woke up Christmas morning and Mrs. Beasley was sitting in a little wooden rocking chair. She was waiting just for me. I couldn’t wait to pull her string to listen to her many sayings:

Do you want to play?,

Gracious me, you’re getting to be such a big girl!,

If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?,

I do think you’re the nicest friend I ever had!,

Would you like to try on my glasses?

You may if you wish, It would be such fun to play jump rope, don’t you think?,

If you were a little smaller, I could rock you to sleep,

Do you want to hear a secret? I know one!,

Speak a little louder dear, so Mrs. Beasley can hear you,

You may call me Mrs. Beasley, would you like to play?,

Long ago, I was a little girl, just like you!

Last year I was shopping one day at a fabric store and saw blue material with white polka dots. I knew EXACTLY what my Halloween costume would be. It was a hit.

This year, I entered the Mrs. Beasley costume in the fair. I took a photo of Mrs. Beasley's face and enlarged it to fit on a cardboard cut out and hung everything together on a hanger to display. Much to my dismay though, when they displayed Mrs. Beasley they didn't actually hang her up, they just sort of flopped her in the corner as if they were propping her up like a doll. However, all you really got to see was a clump of blue material with white polka dots with a face sticking out the top and two huge yellow feet. Poor Mrs. Beasley got ripped off of her coming out debut. Oh well.... The costume still won 2^nd place.

I can’t imagine, nor do I even want to think about what my Christmas would have been like if Mrs. Beasley wasn’t under the tree that morning. $30 was a lot of money in 1967 for my parents to come up with, but they somehow managed, and I am forever grateful. I still have my Mrs. Beasley. She lost her glasses and she can’t talk anymore.

My kids think she is one of the scariest things they have ever seen, but I can’t even imagine ever parting with her.