header image
 

It’s official: Summertime is here! Time for summer dresses and shorts, and time for delicious slices of watermelon! We Whimsies have combined the best of Summer and put it all together in one glorious Fashion Show for you! So let us begin.

First, here is our Group Portrait, all of us hanging out on our snazzy Adirondack chair, about to dive into the aforementioned delicious slice of watermelon. As you well know, we Whimsies are very fond of Sugar, and while we usually prefer the more elaborate treats of pastries, candies, cakes and cookies, every once in a while, we like to indulge in Sugar in its most natural form. And what could be more natural than a slice of watermelon in the middle of Summer?

You might notice that there are four of us and only one slice of watermelon, but that is no problem, as Whimsies love to share with friends! And besides, we are very small, and in comparison, that slice of watermelon is actually quite HUGE, so after the photo shoot, when we cut it into four very perfectly distinct wedges, it turned out to be just enough fruit for each of us.

It’s often been said that Whimsies have “watermelon smiles,” and we really do, if you think of a full half slice of watermelon, as seen here. Maybe one of the reasons why you can’t seem to wipe those watermelon smiles off the faces of any Whimsies is because we are always dreaming of the next time we might get to eat a delicious slice of our favorite fruit!

Tootsie in particular could not bear to part with the watermelon when it came time for our individual Portraits, and insisted it be incorporated into her photo. For all the world I would say it looks as if Tootsie is just about ready to devour this whole slice of watermelon by herself! At least that faraway look in her eyes seems to indicate that is what she is daydreaming about.

And isn’t this the most appropriately Summer-themed outfit in which to be eating watermelon? The red bandana print of her dress, with a shirred top and tie-straps exemplifies the best of everything you associate with Summer.

The only thing more summery, perhaps, is her hat. It might be hard to tell from this photo, but on one side, her hat is a delicate white cotton eyelet, but on the other side, a white terrycloth, such as you might have for a beach towel. We Whimsies have of course never been to a beach, but we have seen plenty of pictures of it on The Internet, and of course seen it in movies such as one that Mr. Russ and Miss Chrissy watched just a few weeks ago, called Where The Boys Are. This is a 1960’s movie, from the decade in which us Whimsies had our beginnings, when everything in the world was so much simpler than it is today. In this mostly frolicsome romp (yes, we watched it with them), a bunch of boys and girls leave their colleges in the snowy north and go to Fort Lauderdale Beach, hoping to have some fun and maybe find somebody to marry. At least some of the girls are thinking about getting married. But now I am getting way off track! I can say this, though: while it’s true that we see a lot of the beach in this movie, from what I remember, we don’t see anyone wearing a terrycloth/white eyelet hat like the one Tootsie is sporting in her Portrait. And I also don’t think we see anyone eating watermelon. So, you know what? The more I think about it, the more I have to wonder how accurate this movie actually is

But let’s move on!

After prying Tootsie and the watermelon out of the Adirondack chair, Trixie stepped in for her photo shoot. As you know, Trixie is Whimsieville’s #1 Fan of the color PINK, so she rummaged through the Wardrobe especially looking for Summery items in her favorite color, and ultimately paired together a very casual short-sleeved shirt with soft pink shorts. But the pièce de résistance, as the French like to say, is her little pink ruffled hat, with a brown flower adornment on the brim. Generally you would not think a brown flower would sound very attractive, but brown is generally such a complimentary accompaniment to anything pink, and in this case, it works out perfects, wouldn’t you say?

I guess I’ll go next, in my flowery green outfit that fits somewhere right between Spring and Summer. You may have noticed that Tessie was wearing this very same outfit a couple of months ago when we did our Fashion Show Complete with Dinosaurs. At the time, I very much admired how bright and lovely Tessie looked in this outfit, so I kept it in the back of my mind that someday I wished to give it my own spin. And that’s what I’m doing here with a little green stretchy cap on my head.

Since everyone else was also choosing to wear hats, I didn’t want to be the oddball, so I searched for just the perfect headpiece to accompany my green and flowery outfit, and tried on several from our Wardrobe, but in the end I decided, as they say, to “Keep It Simple, Stupid!” Now, I’m not saying I’m stupid, or anyone else is stupid, that just happens to be the saying. And the meaning of the saying is that in the end, the simplest solution is very often the best solution. And so, here you see me, in simple green pants (which just a touch of drama in a ruffly hem), a simple green hat, and big expressive flowers all over my dress.

And now at last we come to Tessie, looking positively adorable in aqua! Like Tootsie, her dress has a shirred top and thin straps, as well as a ruffled hem. The juxtaposition of pale pink and pale yellow accents in her aqua dress make for a fabric that simply screams of all the hazy, lazy joys of Summer. With those large armholes and open neckline, I would imagine that no matter how hot it might get, Tessie will be staying cool in her choice of Summer dress.

But we must pause for a moment to talk about her hat. To the naked eye, it appears to be a simple aqua cap. But in fact…it is not! Tessie is in fact practicing a bit of Fashion Deception on you! (And I say Deception in the nicest way.) You will notice from this photo of Tessie and Tootsie waiting on the side for their chance to be sit for their Portraits, that Tessie’s hat actually has a cleverly disguised secret! It is NOT a pure aqua hat, but on one side, sports a sporty orange and yellow Hawaiian flower pattern! Very nice for some outfits, but this would not do at all for the gentle aqua plaid dress Tessie had chosen. So, rather than appear in something so jarring to the senses, this clever little Whimsie simply made the decision to tuck the entire brim of her bucket hat up under the “bucket” and simply pretend this was a completely aqua hat.

Sometimes you have to think on the fly, and that is exactly what Tessie has done here, and I applaud her for it. And I just hope I have not offended you too much by showing you this “behind the scenes” photo of her crazy mixture of gentle plaid and mismatched bright Hawaiian flowers! If I have offended you, I apologize. But I think you will get over it. Because it’s Summer, and everything is so relaxed, nothing to fret about. Go have yourself a delicious slice of watermelon, and before you know it, you’ll be feeling quite yourself again.

At probably the biggest intersection in Whimsieville, we have what is known as Coffee Table. It mainly serves as an eatery for Miss Chrissy and Mr. Russ, as it sits just opposite the biggest Movie Theater in town, but on occasion Coffee Table also functions as a Library.

“Coffee Table Book” is a phrase you may have heard before, and though here in Whimsieville books do not usually sit on top of Coffee Table, there is one very specific book I personally adore that spends most of its time on the bottom shelf. (Take a look at the picture below, you can just see it there, right next to Barnabus Collins’ coffin. Don’t ask. That’s a whole ’nother story, and I might tell you about it someday.)

From this picture (which, if the internet is working the way it should, is now on the left), you may not be able to tell what my favorite book is all about, so give me just a moment here…I’ll scurry on up to Coffee Table, reach underneath… grab the book, pull it up on to the… top…Jeez! This thing weighs a TON! Whew! Okay, now you can see it! And you can clearly see that the title of the book is The Art of Marvel Studios.

This is a book all about the superheroes I love so much! So you can imagine how many times when I am moseying by Coffee Table, I like to get my exercise by lugging this book off the bottom shelf and setting myself up for a good Look.

I say “Look” instead of “Read,” because the whole point of a good “Coffee Table Book” is that it is something that LOOKS great, with lots of fabulous photos or artwork. It’s not really the kind of book where you have to do a lot of actual reading, it’s more about skimming through and enjoying the artwork. I think originally the idea was that you would get yourself a nice big cup of delicious coffee (if you like that sort of thing…), sit back on a sunny Saturday afternoon, or cold Winter’s evening, when going outside simply isn’t in the cards, and relax and simply let yourself get lost in the pages, transported to another world.

Well, I don’t particularly like coffee (I much more prefer to sneak a sip of Mr. Russ’ cream soda whenever he is not looking! Shhh…don’t tell him!) But it doesn’t matter what I like to drink, because I would never want to drink (or eat) anything while looking at such a beautiful Coffee Table Book! I would be much too afraid of ruining the glossy pages of these gorgeous books.

And here I say “books,” because as you can see, the “book” called The Art of Marvel Studios is in reality a collection of four different books, each one showcasing a different Marvel superhero. (Though, strangely, Iron Man has two books, when Thor has only one, which I don’t really understand, because…really??? WHY???)

The Thor book is of course my favorite, because (as everyone knows…) Thor is my favorite of all the superheroes. And in this book, not only do we have a lot of great pictures of Thor, but we also see a lot of Asgard, which is so mystical and picturesque, but perhaps best of all, we also get to meet all of Thor’s friends.

To tell you the truth, my very favorite pages in this book are not so much about Thor himself, but actually about one very special lady: Sif, the girl warrior who sometimes fights beside him. As you can see here, Sif has some pretty cool outfits! Don’t you think? Very shiny!

Of course, these picture are just an artist’s idea of what Sif might look like, with her long, dark beautiful hair. We happen to know what Sif really looks like, because a while back she showed up on one of our very favorite TV shows, *Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, and you might recall, we talked about her when we saw her on that show.

But I don’t want to spend all my time here talking about Sif and Thor and Asgard. Despite the fact that Iron Man is unfairly represented in two of the four books, I do have to mention that most of what we see of him and his world in those two books is actually pretty cool. Miss Chrissy tells me that Iron Man is actually her favorite of all the Avengers, but if you ask me, I think it’s because she mostly likes his alter-ego,Tony Stark, because he’s both so funny and so sexy.

Mr. Russ prefers Captain America, and my fellow Whimsies…well, they all just say they like Thor best of all, I think mostly because they know that I like Thor best of all, and they don’t want to get me started on outlining my long list of all the reasons why Thor is the best Avenger ever. (And by the way, Miss Chrissy…Thor…ALSO very funny and very sexy!)

Anyway, there you have it. A Marvelous Coffee Table Book right here in Whimsieville. I can’t wait until Miss Chrissy and Mr. Russ make another trip to Barnes and Noble! Who knows what they might come up with next?

Miss Chrissy and Mr. Russ have been spending an awful lot of time with us in Whimsieville lately. They stay very busy pecking away at their keyboards most of the day, but in the evenings, they always have time to stop for some fun. And we Whimsies get to join in! One of the things they love to do (while listening to music provided by the newest resident of Whimsieville, a plain black and gray cylinder with a very pleasant voice, named Alexa) is to work on PUZZLES.

Now, we Whimsies are no strangers to Puzzles. Having lived many many years in a Hoard, both Trixie and I have run across quite a few Puzzles in our time. Tootsie says she vaguely remembers Puzzles, and Tessie says she most definitely remembers them, from back in the day when she and Miss Chrissy were young girls together—but back in those days, the Puzzles were nowhere near as big as the Puzzles that come into Whimsieville nowadays! Tessie remembers Puzzles being maybe 100 pieces, but now we are seeing Puzzles of 500 pieces, 750 pieces, and even 1000 pieces! Goodness! When you open the box and look at all those pieces you have to wonder, “How in the world are we ever going to puzzle all this together??” But guess what? We do! It takes time and patience (and a lot of good music) but in the end we have something that looks just as good as the picture on the box.

We’ve done several Puzzles with Miss Chrissy and Mr. Russ over the last few weeks, but this one in particular really caught our fancy, because it features so many adorable kittens getting into so much mischief! When we say the picture on the box, we all said “Awww!” and “Isn’t that sweet!” because the theme of the Puzzle was a bunch of kittens let loose in a Candy Shop! We couldn’t wait to put our minds to this one!

In fact, we enjoyed doing this Puzzle so much, that there were many nights, after Miss Chrissy and Mr. Russ had retired for the evening, that the four of us crept out of our beds, put on a soft light, and went back to Puzzling out what the final picture would look like. In the morning, Miss Chrissy would scold us, but not very heartily, because she knew how much we were enjoying the Puzzling. She was just concerned that we might not be getting enough Beauty Sleep. But she need not worry on that account! Whimsies actually require very little actual sleep. Mostly, we just like to get tucked into bed because the blankets feel so comfortable. But when there is an interesting Project that needs completing, that Project will always win out over Comfort!

Now don’t get me wrong! There were plenty of days when we worked on the Puzzle as well. In fact, we spent so many hours upon hours Puzzling, that soon we all had to admit that perhaps we were spending a little bit too much time on the same activity. Because after a while, it go to where if we just closed our eyes, even for a brief moment, we would see puzzle pieces floating around, like clouds in the sky.

That was when we knew we had to take a break and go do something else besides Puzzling, like read a good book, or watch a favorite TV show (right now, we are rather obsessed with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, because it’s so funny, and actually, it’s Rhoda who is our favorite character, not Mary, because Rhoda is such a good friend to Mary, sort of like we Whimsies are to each other, and of all the sassy ladies on the show, Rhoda is the sassiest!). And of course, we never tire of visiting our Wardrobe and creating new Fashion Outfits to wear while strolling around outside and enjoying all this fine Spring sunshine! So yes, we keep busy. But then…somehow we always end up sitting around the Puzzle once again!

But a Puzzle will not last forever, and I am happy to report that with Miss Chrissy and Mr. Russ’ help, we finally finished this one! And you can see the finished results below, and I dare you NOT to say “Awww!” and “Isn’t that sweet!”

Now one more question, I know you must be asking. Since the theme of this Puzzle is kittens (which are baby cats), and even though Mr. Squee will not often admit it, he is actually more than just the Mayor and Dogcatcher of Whimsieville, he is indeed a Cat, I’m sure you are wondering what in the world he must have thought about this particular Puzzle. Well, to tell you the truth, Mr. Squee is sometimes such a serious fellow, he didn’t quite seem to catch on to all the fun, and even though he never actually said so, we feel quite sure he must have thought these youngsters of his species were being downright foolish in hanging around so much candy. Because really, cats don’t give two hoots about candy, no matter what some puzzle artist likes to make you believe.

But I think mostly he was concerned about us giving so much time and attention to a single activity. After he heard us talking about the images of puzzle pieces floating around like clouds in our heads, I think he became quite concerned about our well-being, because on more than one occasion, he actually stood guard over the Puzzle and blocked our access to it, telling us to go do something else instead. We sort of got mad at him for that, but he stood his ground, and when Miss Chrissy took his side, and told us to go play outside in the sunshine, we grumbled, but eventually put on the cutest outfits and went outside to run and play…and forgot all about the Puzzle. At least for a little while.

But all’s well that ends well! The Puzzle is done, and it looks beautiful and we have moved on (at least temporarily) to other exciting activities! Which we will share with you next time!

Miss Chrissy has been very busy lately, so we had to be patient, but at last she made it over to the Thrift Store Boutique and was able to find us a few new items for our Wardrobe! So we have three new items to model for you today. Miss Chrissy actually picked up a couple more things as well, but you will not see in this post, because when we looked at all this new clothing, it immediately came into our minds that there were two very specific photo shoots that were in order. So we will show you these new clothes now, and the rest of the fashions at another time in the future. Because, it’s always good to have the anticipation of yet another Fashion Show, don’t you think? Really gives you something to look forward to!

But let’s get on with this Fashion Show right now! And we will start with Tootsie and Tillie, in a little vignette we shall call “Fun with Dinosaurs.” If you look closely, you will see that both young ladies are simply hanging about with their pet dinosaurs while wearing….dinosaur jammies! The trained eye will also notice that Tillie is wearing some soft gray jammies, trimmed in red, which actually have been seen before in Whimsieville. These jammies are not new, but it has been so long since they made an appearance that they almost feel new! And since these jammies do not have “feet,” Tillie tops them off (or is it “bottoms them off”??) with a simple pair of gray socks.

The real point of this photo is that Tootsie is the one wearing the new jammies. As you might remember from last time, Tootsie has become infatuated with Santa Claus, and is currently rather attached to her Santa jammies. In fact, we were all beginning to wonder if she was ever going to change into something different! But when she saw these new jammies from the Thrift Store Boutique, she was so ecstatic about the dinosaur jammies, that we all agreed she should be the one to model them.

As you can see, these jammies are a very bright color, which I believe you could describe as “aquamarine.” Though you might also say “turquoise.” At least a very light turquoise. And they have rainbows all over, in addition to some very simple line drawings of dinosaurs.

Now. Who in their right mind would ever think of combining the color aqua (or turquoise) with rainbows and dinosaurs?? Someone with a lot of imagination, that’s what I think! And that works out perfectly for us Whimsies, because we are all about the imagination!

Add on top of the very colorful and imaginative motif of these jammies that they fit a Whimsie perfectly and are so extremely comfortable, and there you have it! What could be better? Of course, we are taking it on Tootsie’s word that these jammies are comfortable, because once Tootsie put them on, she refuses to take them off and let anyone else have a try! But we don’t mid if she wars these jammies for a while, because at least, in the middle of March, with Spring only a few days away, she is finally out of those Santa jammies!

Now, let’s head off in a different direction and take a look at me and Trixie. Hmmm…what is the theme of this photo shoot? Well, the obvious answer is: GREEN! Miss Chrissy bought up TWO very cute tops in the color green. Not only the color green, but both a very bright and vibrant green that simply screams Springtime!

Actually, Trixie’s shirt, though bright, is long-sleeved, which might get a bit too warm in true Spring weather. Also, she wisely paired her shirt with long black pants. Classic! So she is dressed for a cool Spring day. An early Spring day….which is actually where we are on this St. Patrick’s Day, when Spring is actually not quite here yet, but just around the corner. (And of course, speaking of St. Patrick’s Day, green is so very appropriate today, don’t you think??)

But look at me! My pretty top with big white and yellow flowers has sleeves so short, it is practically “sleeveless”! I found some pale green pants in our Wardrobe which don’t quite match, but do compliment the colors of my new shirt. And because it is, in fact, not quite yet Spring, I’m carrying a simple white sweater to put on, in case the weather is still a wee bit cold.

And later on…it did indeed feel a wee bit cooler, so I had to put on my sweater, and now I am feeling quite cozy! And even though I am dressed for a day outside, I feel as comfortable as if I was hanging out at home in a pair of dinosaur jammies!

Well, that’s it for now, but we will surely be back soon to share the rest of our new clothes, and some of the other exciting things we are doing here in Whimsieville!

One of our favorite things to do here in Whimsieville is to go on the internet and find pictures of other Whimsies. Sometimes we find very beautiful Whimsies wearing beautiful clothes, and it makes us say, “Oooh! How pretty!” But other times we find Whimsies who seem to have…well… “lost their bloom,” as Jane Austen would say…and then we say “Oh! The poor dears!”

One thing we have noticed, though, in all our internet searches, is that very often we find Whimsies hanging out together in groups, usually with their fellow Whimsies, though sometimes with others of a fairly like disposition. It’s really made us think, and reflect upon what it means to be a Whimsie.

What are the defining characteristics of a Whimsie??

Well, Whimsies are not complicated. We like the simple things, and one thing we’ve always known—but it’s been validated by everything we’ve observed about other Whimsies all over the world—is that by and large we are very social creatures. Almost more than anything else, we enjoy hanging out with friends (whether they are Whimsies like us, or another species entirely.)

So for just a moment, I would like to celebrate the Friendships which we Whimsies so dearly treasure. And I’d like to start with this lot:

Take a good look a this picture. This is probably the most diverse group of Whimsies I have ever seen! Every one of them seems to have something different going on! Do I see a Clergyman in there? And what about that girl with the blue feet? What is THAT all about?

There also seems to be a football player and…a mustachioed caveman? Of course, there’s Bessie the Bride whom we’ve seen before. But what is that large tag she’s wearing? And that other one, with short white hair and (pardon me, but…) entirely too much makeup—she is also wearing a tag! And is the clergyman wearing one too? What could it all mean?

Well, we pondered this question for several days and finally came to this conclusion: we believe that what’s going on here is a Whimsie Convention!! There must have been an official get-together of Whimsies at some time, somewhere, and there must have been meetings with topics to be discussed, and those wearing the tags are the “speakers” or “leaders” of the discussion groups.

The four of us here in Whimsieville have agreed what a wonderful experience it might be to attend a Whimsie Convention at some point in the future, and actually get to meet some of these other Whimsies we are always seeing on the internet! Wouldn’t that be fun?

Yes, it would. But I doubt it would ever happen, since traveling in such a large party would truly be a Big Undertaking. I say it would be a “large party,” because surely Miss Chrissy would accompany us, if not Mr. Russ as well (though I think Mr. Squee would much prefer to stay home.) And also there’s this: as much as we have all talked it over and agree that a big trip would be such a fun adventure, when it comes right down to it, none of us Whimsies here in Whimsieville are really very adventurous in our heart of hearts. In our heart of hearts, we all prefer the simple pleasures of our home. I think you call that being a “homebody.” Yep. That’s us, pretty much. We like to dream about big adventures, but when push comes to shove (as they say…people in general say, not just Jane Austen), at the end of the day, we would much rather sleep in our own beds each night.

So that’s where we stand on any possibility of attending a “Whimsie Convention.”

But let’s move on to this next picture we found, which clearly shows what a devoted friend a Whimsie can be. Here, clearly, the poor dear on the right has, for whatever reason, lost all her hair! We know people can get a terrible disease called cancer, and have to have something called chemotherapy, which causes their hair to fall out, but one of the advantages of being a Whimsie is that we never get sick in any way, so clearly that is not what has happened to this Whimsie. If I had to guess, I would say…. Probably her hair was all dirty and matted, and some well-meaning person suggested a new shampoo to help her get hear hair looking pretty and shiny again, but when she tried that new shampoo it was what is known as an “Epic Fail,” because instead of making her hair look beautiful, it all fell out!

Oh, the poor dear!

Yet, she is still smiling, putting on a brave face, though you have to imagine that deep down she is incredibly distraught because now she will have to wait so long for her hair to grow back. On the plus side, however, when it does grown back, it will no longer be dirty and matted, it will in fact be as shiny, new and beautiful as hair can possibly be! So she has that going for her.

But she also has something else going for her. Well, actually, she has two more things going for her: one is that whether she has hair or not, she still looks beautiful! Doesn’t she? I think it’s her rosy cheeks and fetching smile that almost make you forget she’s completely bald.

But here’s the most important thing she has going for her: she has a friend, a good friend in Little Miss Redhead there, who is clearly giving her a sideways hug and consoling her regarding her recent Beauty Mishap. Whimsies are like that. As a rule, we are very sympathetic and empathetic and ready to comfort someone in their trouble and misery. As we clearly see here. What a stunning picture of Friendship this is!

But let’s look at another one, shall we? Here we see the clergyman from our earlier picture, and he is hanging out with his friend, another redhead, but this one, we have seen during our internet searches, is sometimes referred to as a “little devil.” I kid you not! In fact, in some pictures we have seen of her, she actually has a tail and is carrying a pitchfork. Oh my!

Now, no Whimsie would ever actually be a “little devil,” but this brilliant redhead, for whatever reason, likes to dress up like one. Why? Is it Halloween, and this is her costume? Or does she simply like to SHOCK people with her vibrant red hair and outfit? Some people are like that, of course…and I guess it is not beyond some Whimsies either to want to be as outrageous as possible.

But look at her friend, the Clergyman. He does not seem at all bothered by her unusual choices. In fact, I would say the two of them look rather chummy. I think they understand each other, as true friends do, and are each willing to look past their obvious differences and deliberate eccentricities to find what most unites them…being Whimsies!

Finally, let’s look at these friends. Clearly this large group has just settled down for a TV PARTY! And what says Friendship better than an evening of binge-watching your favorite TV shows? Who’s in the kitchen, popping the popcorn for these entertainment enthusiasts? What are they going to watch? I wonder…But one thing I know for sure, it won’t be anything too scary or “racy,” since it appears they have even invited a little baby to their party! (I wonder if that baby is old enough to eat popcorn?)

Of course, where all this is going…is right back to Whimsieville! Here in Whimsieville, taking a good hard look at Whimsie friendships across the internet has really solidified in our hearts and minds how very blessed we are to have each other every day of our lives. We are, of course, most blessed to have Miss Chrissy to take care of us, and to a lesser degree, Mr. Russ, who takes care of not only us but also Miss Chrissy, and also Mr. Squee. And oh yes! How blessed we are to have Mr. Squee, always protecting us from dogs and wolves and any other dangers that somehow never actually find their way into Whimsieville.

But most of all, we four Whimsies are blessed to have each other. We all come from different backgrounds, have different stories, and different personalities, but when that “push comes to shove,” We are better, and stronger, TOGETHER, than any of us would be on our own. Even though we may differ now and then on the little things like whether strawberry ice cream tastes better than chocolate ice cream, or which hat best matches a gingham outfit, in the end, we are all devoted to each other in a strong and everlasting bond of Friendship.