We have all been so very, very busy these past weeks, helping our new friend Tootsie get used to her new surroundings. Remember, she’s spent the last few decades trapped in an attic with very little social interaction beyond a Barbie and Ken (whom she tells us were really rather snooty), and a couple of very friendly Care Bears, so she doesn’t know much about what’s been going on in the outside world all this time. We have a plan to introduce her to everything slowly, so as not to overwhelm her.
But in the meantime, we’ve been showing her all around Whimsieville, and getting her used to so many new things. And I have to say, it was no surprise to any of us when she showed an extreme interest in contents of our extensive Wardrobe. After all, Tootise is a Whimsie, and like all Whimsies, she has an instinctive interest 
in Fashion! Of course, it’s been so very long since poor little Tootsie has seen very much in the way of Fashion. Back in the day, when she used to visit often with Tillie and her human, Jennifer, what she mostly considered Fashion would be a comfortable pair of dunagarees and maybe a soft tee shirt, and a sweater that didn’t bind around the neck or wrists. So! Imagine her surprise when we showed her so many dresses and hats and soft pants and jammies and every kind of accessory for the hair! It was just so overwhelming for little Tootsie that she practically broke down crying tears of joy!
But after those tears of joy, there came much trying on of all kinds of clothing. So that’s where we felt like we should start, with a simply Fashion Show of simply yet comfortable clothing. Here’s how it all went:
First of all, as has been mentioned, Tootsie is a BIG FAN of dungarees (though we are trying to teach her to refer to them as “blue jeans.”) So naturally when she first looked into the wardrobe, her eyes gravitated towards denim, and to start off, she choose this simple pair of blue jeans with this lovely blue and white long sleeved shirt. We all still have to wear long sleeved shirts most of the time, because it’s still the middle of Winter, and sometimes very, very cold. Why, last week, we even had a little bit of snow here in Whimsieville!
Tillie chose a soft pair of baby blue pants and a bright red shirt to compliment Tootsie's choice of a mostly blue outfit, but then Tillie took it all one step further by adding a comical red cap. It seems Tootsie, though completely aware of the concept of "hats," has never really had a chance to wear one, and she was overwhelmed by the large selection of hats in the Wardrobe. In keeping with her blue theme, here she has chosen a simple blue beret, making her look rather French…no?
Next, Tootsie teamed up with Trixie to explore a whole ‘nother side of Fashion…and that would be…PINK! Trixie very graciously held back on her love for pink, and let her new friend Tootsie wear most of the pink here. Tootsie abandoned her love of “dungarees” momentarily to try a pair of soft pink pants in a hot pink color! With something so bold as these pants, a plain white shirt is not at all amiss! But notice what else is going on here: both Trixie and Tootsie are working the magic of simple PINK caps! Oh, don’t they both look simply adorable!
Trixie thought our pink glittery sneakers would look fabulous with Tootsie’s pink and white outfit, but our gal Toots is so much a fan of running around barefoot that though she was intrigued by our collection of shoes, she did not yet feel ready to try them on. As a concession to the cold weather, though, she was willing to wear socks. Socks are sort of a nice compromise between running around barefoot and having your tootsies contained in the lace-up or buckled or velcroes confines of shoes.
Finally, I get my chance to pose with Tootsie, and my Fashion lesson for our new friend is the Joy of Polka-Dots! As you can see, I’m wearing a pair of pink polka-dotted footie pants, but Tootsie, inspired by Trixie’s choice of brown as a Fashion Statement, has chosen brown polka-dot pants. Again, she wears the comfy socks, and also is working another hat, this one a crocheted beanie, in a pinky-peachy color, with a huge pom pom on top. I’ve put some simple colorful bands in my hair, hoping to persuade Tootsie that she might try the same, but the whole idea of hats has been just so fascinating for her, I wonder when we might see her pretty little ponytails again!
One thing I do have to say about Tootsie: she is a quick learner! And she is willing to experiment, and embrace new experiences. Ah, it’s very clear to all of us that Tootsie has the true heart of a Whimsie! it won’t be long now before we’ll be able to explain the internet to her, and show her this website we’ve been keeping, and no doubt before very long, Miss Tootsie will be adding in her own two-cents on all these topics that are of most interest and importance to us Whimsies.
