Good Afternoon Kristine,
Sounds like a King Cake baby.  A very small (approx. an inch long) shiny
metal baby "doll" (now made out of plastic) would be baked in the
cake.... and the person finding the small baby in their slice of the
cake would have to throw the next King Cake party.  Needless to say,
some of us guys considered it a "prize" that you didn't want to win.
Growing up in New Orleans in the 1950s and early 1960s King Cake parties
were used very often as teenage mixers/dance where you could meet
members of the opposite sex in a chaperoned home "party" environment.
The parties were thrown on Saturdays during the carnival season (meaning
those Saturdays after the 12th day of Christmas (i.e. The Feast of the
Epiphany, January 6th) through the Saturday before Mardi Gras (and Ash
Wednesday, the beginning of Lent).  Some poor souls got invited to a lot
of King Cake parties and would almost always find babies in their slices
of King Cake.  My mom always told me to never come home with a King Cake
baby.....she didn't like throwing King Cake parties....she was convinced
that it was a racket.....and that who got the baby was a "fix."
I never -- ever -- found a baby in my slice of King Cake.
Thankfully,
Wesley

Wesley S. Creel
Administrator of Programs
Pink Palace Family of Museums
3050 Central Avenue
Memphis, TN 38111
U.S.A.
www.memphismuseums.org
Office telephone 901.320.6370
 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
Behalf Of Kristie Rhoback
Sent: Friday, September 30, 2005 3:08 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Help identifying a small doll...

Hello Listers

I have a bit of a mystery....

While cataloging our doll collection I came across a small molded female
metal doll 1" tall and at it's widest point just under 1/2" wide. It has
defined hair, eyes, nose, mouth and buttocks and the undefined arms with
no
hands are bent at a 90 angle. It reminds me of a frozen charlotte style
doll.

I read somewhere that small metal "toys" were baked in to cakes and
those
that found the "toy" received a prize. I can't recall the source. I've
never
seen one but was wondering if this could be something similar. It seems
too
small to truly be a toy. Has anyone see something like this? I searched
on
line and came up empty....

Please help!

Kristine Rhoback
Textile Curator
Amherst Museum
[log in to unmask]
(716) 689-1440

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