Little Ennui People for the Phat Quarter Toys Swap

My brother Joe and I played with Fisher Price Little People far beyond the recommended age. We did so sneakily. And they weren't our Little People. They belonged to the bratty little daughter of our babysitter.

Little Ennui Girl.

As we played, we forgot for a little while how much we hated going to this babysitter's house, on a dirt road, far from home, far from our parents. The kids on that dirt road did not like us and we didn't understand why.

The whole, happy family.

Joe and I were passionate, intense kids. We suffered from ennui before we knew what that meant. And we were nerdy smart, so we knew that word at a young age.

Mid-stitch, happiness and ennui.

Picture two dark-haired, strangely pale kids with giant brown saucers for eyes, bent over these simple, brightly-colored, wooden peg people, plotting our escape to the circus, the amusement park, home... that was Joe and me.

Little People of our vintage.

So of course, I couldn't make accurate, smiling, dopey Mid-Century Little People for the Mr X Stitch Phat Quarter toys-themed swap. I made them look like Joe and me.

Little Ennui Cowboy.

And then, because I am on a Kanji kick, I included some Japanese characters for Little People, happiness, joy and laughter. Because that is what childhood is supposed to be about and that's what toys are intended to inspire, right?

She looks particularly tortured to me!

I'm happy that these little freaks now live with Leslie, a.k.a. lockedinthepark, in New York. (Check out Leslie's blog, crafts, feminism and more.) I feel she can appreciate their ennui.

Sparkle, sparkle.

My brother and I are now passionate, intense adults. I wish we could see each other more. It's not too late, Joe. We can still escape if you're up for it. Let's fill our pockets with an army of Little People and run away... are you in?