Oh! You Beautiful Doll!

So, the long-running Annalee Dolls company has a number of dolls inspired by characters from “A Christmas Carol.” That is not surprising in itself, as there are tons of such collectibles.

What’s fascinating to me, though, is that one of said dolls depicts the underrated Martha Cratchit:

And she’s carrying the pudding!

Even more fascinating is that Martha also made the cut for the mouse series:

That's so fun! But even more fascinating is this other Annalee doll of Mouse Martha, this time playing the piano:

With the little Cratchit sister!

I'm officially fascinated!

Friendly!

Another fun game one can play on one's phone is the popular Words with Friends (2).

One regular feature of the game is the Solo Challenge, where you work your way up through a series of increasingly difficult computer opponents.

For this holiday season, the Challenge had "A Christmas Carol" for the theme! 

Here's a look at the ladder:

Kind of an interesting mix of representations there! Martha Cratchit seems the most traditional and she actually seems to function as Mrs. Cratchit.

I did eventually defeat Scrooge, by the way!

Very Much So!

OK, in the true spirit of randomness, here's a wacky card (I think) of the Cratchit Christmas dinner:

I don't remember where I got the image or what the context was, but... Fun!

"A Christmas Carol" All-Star Team - Day 10

As our All-Star Team continues to grow, we have another Cratchit: Martha!

I find Martha Cratchit to be one of the most interesting side characters. We know a little more about her than many of the other minor characters.

She's the eldest of the Cratchit children, but probably still a teenager. She works as a "poor apprentice at a milliner's" and presumably sleeps there (as Ebenezer and Dick Wilkins slept in the back at Fezziwig's) since she was working the night before and that morning.

So, she had to work Christmas Eve night and Christmas morning. And her father thinks he has a tough boss!

There are lots of good Marthas out there, but one that really caught my eye is from the "Knockout Comic" adaptation from 1948.

Here's her sequence:

I think Hugh McNeill's art is outstanding and gives her a ton of personality in just a few panels!

We leave the Cratchit family for a bit, but we'll check in on Bob and Tiny Tim later in our countdown...