Almost 70 years ago, in 1955, a little girl named Kathy Cotton entered a contest on the Merry & Mr. Bill TV show. The prize was the very popular “Terri Lee” doll complete with a full wardrobe. At that time, Terri Lee’s value was $100, definitely a lot of money for the mid-1950s. What a surprise it was when Kathy received the letter announcing she had won the doll and inviting her to appear on the show to accept her prize. Again, looking back to 1955, just picture Kathy, her two sisters and her parents driving to Lincoln, Nebraska from their farm in Kansas to appear on KOLN TV.
Kathy could not have been more excited because Terri Lee came dressed in a lovely spring outfit complete with shoes, hat and a handbag. But there was so much more – about 15 different outfits and a beautiful wedding gown. Other accessories for Terri Lee’s wardrobe were a clothing rack, a doll “walker”, a 45 rpm record (remember those?) that told the story of Terri Lee, and the cutest pink curlers. All of the wonderful treasures that came with the doll are still in their original boxes marked with the 1955 prices as well as a catalog of all original outfits.
Kathy had such a sentimental attachment to Terri Lee that she could never part with her and all those wonderful outfits and accessories that made her so special. Even though she moved 24 times since 1955, Terri Lee moved with her each time. In 2005, Kathy and her husband Philip moved to SaddleBrooke. Fast forward to today, Terri Lee is now 59 years old and old enough to be a SaddleBrooke resident in her own right. After nine years and realizing, as we all do, that we have accumulated too much stuff, they decided it was time to get serious about cleaning out the garage. That meant trying to figure out what to do with the two huge boxes devoted exclusively to Terri Lee and her clothing.
After serious and careful consideration, Kathy decided it was time for Terri Lee to travel on and hopefully bring enjoyment to someone else. Kathy and Philip entertained the idea of selling this treasure on eBay but realized it would be a daunting task as they had no real knowledge of Terri Lee’s value and no time to research it. As longtime, generous contributors to the Golden Goose Thrift Shop, Philip came up with the obvious solution and suggested donating Terri Lee and all that went with her to the Goose.
When Kathy and Philip brought Terri Lee to her temporary home, the Goose researchers immediately got to work and within hours discovered a true collectors’ market for items such as this. The Goose has a knowledgeable volunteer who specializes in listing and monitoring items on eBay so all were comfortable that this was the perfect decision. Thank you to Kathy and Terri Lee for taking us back to our childhood, if even for just a few moments, remembering a special and favorite treasure but most of all, thank you for helping the Golden Goose continue its all-important mission.
Fast forward to today, Kathy is a volunteer at the Goose and will gladly take your order for a pickup!
