While decluttering my daughter's closet, I came across a friend of the past.  In a shoebox rested Peteena. Peteena is a fashion dog.  She is an 11 ½" high, stark white poodle.  She stands on her hind legs.  Her arms and legs move.  She has fur in all the right poodle places.  She was my toy as a young child. She is not as voluptuous as Barbie.  She does not cry nor wet as does Tiny Tears. She is a simple fashion dog with a great wardrobe.  Still in her possession is a satin evening gown with matching fur lined stole, a ski outfit with goggles, and my favorite; the polka dot bikini. They all look very much like the Barbie outfits of today with two exceptions: they are much better made, and there is a hole for the poodle tail.

I have never seen another Peteena.  No surprise there, I suppose, as I recall being endlessly teased as a child that I would even play with this ridiculous fashion dog.  I have looked at yard sales and yes, even antique stores, to see if other Peteenas survived the wrath of the 60's.  I recently checked the auctions at ebay.com and found a handful of them selling for $5 (nude) to $75 ("mint, with polkadot bikini").  Sorry, but my Peteena is priceless.

She is vintage like a quilt.  Handed down to my daughter like an heirloom.  Today is a high tech society.  Our children's toys and ours (sewing machines and fishing gear included) are high tech too.  They recharge, have a remote, or batteries. 

The vintage quilts and Peteena are strong reminders of the simpler past. practical art, cherished comfort.  Now I cannot say that Peteena is practical art.  She is definitely art, but she does not do the "practical" things the techno dogs do today, like wake you up barking, but then they are not fashion dogs.  She is cherished comfort.  And cherished comfort, like a good old quilt, is a very practical thing to have.  It keeps you real and warm, at least in your heart.

Peteena, ready for a swim.

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