by Mary Brady
The Bennington Dollhouse and Toy Museum is the most amazing little gem you can visit. Although the intimate “teas” that founder Jackie Marro had planned for this summer could not be socially distanced in the petite house on Union Street, jammed to the eaves as it is with dollhouses, Barbies, Ginny dolls, boy toys, and all manner of miniature adorableness and teeny-weeny antiquities. Jackie also creates puppets. (See “Puppets at the Dollhouse and Toy Museum”.)
The moniker “MOMA gallery,” as she likes to call it (Museum of Miniature Art), however, fits nicely! By the way, it contains a missing masterpiece, as well!
The Dollhouse holds a great deal of personal and American history. The house previously was a retirement home for Jackie’s parents. A Suffrage Centennial lineup of famous suffragists occupies one wall, and is there waiting for the time when delayed Suffrage Centennial celebrations can be visited.
Meanwhile, no moss is growing under Jackie Marrow’s petite feet. She is redesigning the Doll-house’s gardens (front and back), and downsizing from the historic property she and husband Tony renovated in Old Bennington, while religiously maintaining the nature walks for the Bennington Museum, and oh, by the way, moving to the Putnam Hotel in November.
In her spare time, she posts video recordings of different topics on Vimeo, a video-sharing site. So don’t be surprised if you get a busy signal at the number below.
Barbie in her handmade, fully electrified mansion. Only the pool from the original is missing.
If you need to overcome latent Barbie doll anxiety, a visit to Union Street could help. Jackie can fill you in on the fascinating history of artist/author/ survivor Esphyr Slobodkina, while showing you Esphyr’s handmade Barbie mansion. Surely, that outfit would knock Ken’s eyes right out of their plastic sockets.
For more information on the Dollhouse and Toy Museum, www.dollhouseandtoymuseumofvt.com or call (802)681-3767)
Editor’s Note: Jackie was the videographer for our film “From Corsets to Combinations: The Fashion Revolution of Women’s Suffrage.” View Jackie’s videos on her Vimeo site.