1930
Sexsmith and District Museum
Toys in the early years of homesteading were few and far between. Store-bought toys would be especially rare, so children made due with homemade entertainment or hand-me-downs. In 1930, Joyce Anderson desperately wanted a doll for Christmas, but her parents Fred Anderson and Irene Payne, like many others, were hard-up for cash. One day while Irene was in Grande Prairie doing some shopping she came across a $5.00 bill lying in the street. Knowing how much her only daughter wanted a doll for Christmas, she bought this Shirley Temple Doll. Such expensive toys became prized possessions and were usually taken care of very well. This doll was handed down to Irene’s granddaughter, who donated it to the Sexsmith museum.