(I did have a Shirley Temple doll. I don't remember when I got her, but I know I still had her when I was in third or fourth grade, which would have been 1959-1960. I wish I knew what happened to her. I always kept all my toys and books, but she disappeared. I may have thrown her away, now that I think about it more. I think I got tired of her curls and decided to give her a short haircut. Did you know the hair on dolls doesn't grow back? I may have thrown her away so I wouldn't get in trouble. )
Back in 1956 I was just out of high school and working for the Emporium at the Stanford Shopping center in Palo Alto, CA. I was a salesperson and worked my way up to being the manager of the doll department, mainly because my man boss did not want to mess with the dolls and stuffed animals. Anyway one day a very pretty lady came into my doll department and was looking at the dolls. She asked me to see the manager and I told her I was the manager of the doll department, did she want me or my boss, was the manager of the total toy department She said she would like to speak with me in private. So I took her into the back storeroom where I had the restock for my department. She said that she was associated with the company that made the Shirley Temple doll and she noticed I had several of the dolls on display behind the glass doll case. I said I did and thought the dolls were really cute but sometimes their eyes crossed. She laughed and said to make them look better it was helpful if I always cocked their heads at a little turn to the left. So I thanked her and we went back out to where the dolls were displayed and I rearranged them so they were not crossed eyed anymore.
She winked at me and said thank you. Then she picked out about $ 200 worth of toys and gave me her charge card. I had to call in her charge since it was over $ 50 and it had the name Shirley Black. I could see some of the customers were watching us and whispering as I talked with her. After she left one of the older women who was a salesclerk in the other part of the toy department came running over to me all excited and asked me if I knew who I had been talking to. I said she was from the company that made the Shirley Temple dolls and her name was Shirley Black. My friend says, "you were talking to Shirley Temple Black" I almost died. Anyway she used to call the store to order toys for gifts and always asked to talk to the manager of the doll department and then she always had orders well over $100 and I was paid a small salary and got a commission over a $2000 sales for the month so thanks to her I had some bonus paychecks.
I remember having the Shirley Temple paper dolls and watched the movies she was in. She was my heroine.