SC Grandma Gives Stress Relief to GIs

By Pamela Mortimer

Carol Davis had an idea. When her grandson was stationed with the Air Force in Italy, Carol decided to send him a present. As a joke, the loving grandmother made a pliable, "google-eyed" doll that could take a good beating and reduce stress. Although the doll was meant as a joke, it became an overnight sensation.

"I thought it would get a rise out of my grandson, 'Why are you sending me a doll?"' Davis said. "But after I sent 'em, I got messages back: "Can you send us some more?"'

Davis's grandson, 26-year-old Senior Airman Thomas Hagmaier, estimates he's given out between 1,000 and 1,500 of the dolls on his own.

"Everybody around me asks for one," he said in a phone interview from his base in Little Rock, Ark. "And I tell them, even if they destroy one, that's what it's for. I can give you more."

Dolls are generally not associated with the Air Force, Marines and other soldiers who are spending time overseas, many in combat. But these are no ordinary dolls. Carol Davis’ dolls are one foot tall, hand-stitched, and are built to take a beating as well as a squeeze. The recipients of the dolls find that the toys are a great help in releasing pent up frustration.

Since 2004, nearly 17,000 of the Dang-it-Dolls have traveled around the world reaching destinations such as Italy, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates.

"The legs are shaped so you can grasp onto them," Air Force Staff Sergeant Rachel Staub wrote in a recent e-mail recalling her homesick days while stationed in the United Arab Emirates. "It returned with me to the States with an eyeball missing and the stitching around the legs loose with some of the stuffing coming out."

The little doll "was used mostly for laughs and to keep my mind off being homesick," said Staub. "It brought a smile to all our faces!"

The Dang-it-Dolls are still being made in Carol Davis’ garage by groups of military spouses, friends, and college students. The space resembles a craft store more than a garage, with fabric, paint, stuffing and half finished dolls on every surface.

Although Davis created the dolls, the finished look of each toy depends on its creator. They may be fuzzy, furry and soft, with splotches of paint or tufts of yarn. Some even dress in military gear, strictly by the book, of course. Davis proudly displays a photo sent to her by one of the recipients of the dolls. This particular doll dressed in a flak jacket made out of desert camouflage fabric. The doll has become the unit’s mascot.

In order to keep the project going, Davis formed a nonprofit group to absorb the costs, especially the high cost of with shipping the toys overseas. Most of the supplies are donated, Davis said.

"When you come to a workshop to help, you have to bring a box of stuffing," she said. "We will feed you, but you have to bring some stuffing."