My Friends, Buffy and Jody

Please tell me you know my beloved childhood companions, Buffy and Jody. Oh, I so, so loved them, even more than I loved Eddie's father (and Eddie, secondarily) on The Courtship of Eddie's Father. Except for the sadness of Buffy, Jody, and Cissy being orphans, their life was so fabulous in that high-rise in NYC. Come to think of it, didn't Eddie and his father live in a high-rise, too? And what exactly is a high-rise, anyway? Are we talking skyscrapers here or just tall apartment complexes? It all seemed logical back then, even though I personally lived in a house with a big front porch on a shady street, more like Ramona.

Anyway, while I was reading Om-Kas-Toe, the Blackfeet boy, to Laurel and Duncan today, Laurel got out her paper dolls. I loved paper dolls as a girl. I played with them as much as I played with Barbies and baby dolls, so pretty much I spent my whole childhood playing with some kind of doll. Laurel has all of my paper dolls and a few of her own. I love to watch her play with my paper dolls, mostly because I remember each and every outfit so perfectly. But for some reason I've never given her my box with Buffy and Jody and their marvelous wardrobe. These were my absolute favorite paper dolls and the only ones to which I still have the box. They must be worth at least $600, 000, even if Buffy is missing a hand. I think this makes her even more precious.


Just look at these two. Are their outfits not amazing?

Jody's tie is simply a work of genius.

I seriously think that my brother and I had these same exact outfits, or mighty close. In fact, I think I kinda thought that my brother and I were Buffy and Jody. Probably I never told him that, though. I think my mom still has my brother's pants just like those in a box in the attic.

Tennis, anyone? Just imagine them hopping over to their tennis club. Buffy really should have had more appropriate footwear.

Aww, look at them in their cute little bathrobes! If only Jody had some fuzzy slippers, as well.

I thought you might want a close up of Buffy's adorable freckled face. (No comments about the hand, please. She is well aware of her condition.)

And if that's not enough, here's 2-minute clip of the fabulous Family Affair:






I could watch them all day. Oh, but I have my own kids to watch! And I'm getting to them and dinner and all that kind of thing in a minute, but first, a "where are they now" on Buffy and Jody: in case you somehow missed this in the 80s, Buffy died of a drug overdose. Sigh. But Jody is still acting and, appropriately, speaking out against drug abuse. Oh, and there are plenty more episode clips over on YouTube.