davidd's A Doll A Day 2018

[davidd]

I used to have a few of those wire insulators, but the ones I had were ceramic, and were from the abandoned telegraph stations in Central Australia.

Perhaps those insulators supported the very wires over which news of bushranger Ned Kelly's capture was transmitted! Similarly, the old poles and insulators from where I now live may have been subject to sabotage by notorious bandit Butch Cassidy and his gang! Exciting history to think about, contained in a bit of cast-off rubbish.

---

26 August – Deep Sea Diver

I think this ineensive deep sea diver toy dates to the late 1960s or early 1970s. He stands about ten inches tall and is made of thin, hollow moulded plastic. He has lead weights in his feet and vent holes molded into his body that allow him to sink into the dangerous depths. He is missing the flexible corrugated plastic hose that once connected to his air tanks.

The image in the background is a detail from a promotional poster for the Ocean Crawler Dive Watch Company. The box art for Ocean Crawler watches is very dramatic and "old school," reminiscent of the advertising art style popular in the 1930s or 1940s. Several months ago I wrote to Ocean Crawler and asked them if the had ever produced posters or prints based on their box art. They kindly responded by saying, "that's a good idea," and a few weeks later they sent me one of a limited edition run of promotional posters!

One of these days I hope to be able to afford an Ocean Crawler dive watch. But, y'know, priorities... a Smart Doll will probably need to come first!