Florence Griffith-Joyner Doll - Sears Wish Book - 1989

 

    I was all about the Olympics when I was a kid. This was, of course, back when both Olympics ceremonies happened during the same year. Schoolteachers always enjoyed an opportunity to tie them in with their lessons, meaning that there was no way they were going to go by without the kids of America being fully aware. 1988 was no different. In all honesty, I remember the winter games from that year most vividly. I remember watching Katarina Witt bring her drama to the ice, that my uncle thought Elizabeth Hanley was adorable, and that I used to put on my boots and hold positions in the dining room as if I was gliding across ice. That memory still makes my mom laugh. One thing I do remember about the summer games was the track stars. I remember Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and of course, Flo Jo. People loved Flo Jo because she proved that you could be one of the most talented track stars in the world and a style icon at the same time. What I remember most were her long, painted fingernails. She became an instant role model and, as the 1989 Sears Wish Book shows, a marketable one. Keep in mind, this was a year after the games, and she was still toy worthy. I checked this doll out on eBay. It's not too hard to get one of these things MIB for the price of a fast food meal (well, for two), and it looks like she comes with fingernails for you to wear. I may be about 17 years late to the party, but I think I know what I want for Christmas now.