The Doll People

The Doll People is filled with characters who have opposing worldviews. Most of the adult members of the Doll family are timid people who worry constantly about violating the Doll Code. They fear being too loud, moving around too much, and leaving the confines of the dollhouse. They are terrified of drawing The Captain’s attention. They also live by a rigid schedule and a set of rules that they expect the children of the family to follow. By contrast, Annabelle and Auntie Sarah believe in adventure and exploration. They are curious people who feel restless within the constraints of the family conventions. 

The Funcrafts’ worldview is even more sharply opposed to the Dolls’ worldview. They are not overly concerned with the Doll Code—or any other kind of convention. Mom Funcraft slides down banisters, the children are allowed to roam the Palmer house at will, and they even tease The Captain, who is one of the Dolls’ greatest fears. Far from being disgusted by the Rancher Family game, the Funcrafts enjoy its chaos, and they seem unaffected by the constant disorder that Nora creates in their dollhouse. Nora and her sister, Kate, also have opposing approaches to life: While Kate plays with her dolls in traditional ways—setting them up at the table for tea and tucking them into bed at night—and takes meticulous care of both the dolls and their dollhouse, Nora flies the Funcraft baby through the house in the Funcraft kitchen sink, leaves random jumbles of objects in each room, and creates a pool for them by dumping grape soda on their terrace.