Doll:Pollyanna

Pollyanna first appeared in the juvenile book written by Eleanor H. Porter in 1913. The book relates the life of Pollyanna Whittier, an orphan sent to live with her wealthy but cold aunt in Beldingsville, Vermont. Pollyanna responds to her trials and tribulations by playing The Glad Game, searching for the things to be glad about in any situation. Pollyanna's optimism, her sunny desposition, and her kindnesses to others influence the town folk to find the good in their own lives. Eventually, Pollyanna's influence converts the town's crankiest inhabitants into friendly neighbors. The heroine's gladness, however, is sorely tested when Pollyanna is struck by a car and loses the use of her legs. The brave girl determines that she is lucky to still have her legs, and the book ends as Pollyanna heads to a hospital where she learns to walk again. Porter's story of Pollyanna became a best seller, and the author wrote a few sequels; others wrote sequels too--the most recent was published in 1997. In 1960, Disney released a movie of Pollyanna, staring Haley Mills. The Uneeda Doll Company produced the Pollyanna doll at the time of the movie's release.