She has returned

The new Leah Tard doll

The first one came into my life around age 10. My parents had gone to Sioux City to visit my grandmother in the hospital and were really excited when they found a doll in the gift shop with the name "Leah" on it. It's not a super-common name, so (especially waaaay back then) it was a big deal to find anything with "Leah" printed on it. And I know it is supposed to be a play on the word "leotard," but can you see why a 10-year-old girl would be traumatized when her parents gave her this doll? I took it to mean they thought I was stupid. My sister, then 12ish, latched on to my dislike of the doll and its horrible name and has been calling me that for decades now.

Needless to say, the doll and I never bonded. But she stuck around for years, gathering dust on the shelves in the shrine back at the fam's house. Every once in a while it would come up in conversation. I'd say: "I hate that stupid Leah Tard doll." My mom would say something like, "It doesn't mean anything bad. It's supposed to be like a leotard ... you know, the dance outfit." I'd reply with a comment about never taking dance lessons, and my mom would argue that she and my dad were just excited to see something with the name "Leah" on it.

Last summer, my sister and the kids were back in the homeland and staying in the shrine. The boy told my mom/sister that he couldn't sleep because the doll freaked him out. After that, the doll went to live with Leah from my mom's office.

So, EdC. has heard stories of this doll. And everytime I went back to the Mainland, I was supposed to photograph her for his entertainment. But I never did. And then she was gone.

Today, I go into work and what do I see sitting on my desk? The Leah Tard is back. I'm like, "Dudes! Where did this come from? EdC., did you call my mom and tell her to send it?" EdC. says, "No. I bought it on eBay. It was the only one. Happy Birthday!"

Questions that still remain about the Leah Tard:
1. Why 2 words with Tard capitalized?
2. Is she wearing a T-shirt under her tank top? If not, why aren't her neck and face the same color?
3. What's the deal with her nose?
4. What's the point of the dumbbell sewn to her shoulder? Doesn't she need one on the other side too ... for balancing reasons?