The Story of Marissa

Christmas posting frenzy! Here is the story of how our very own Marissa Cooper moved into Toyland, exclusive to the Toyland Express!

The Story of Marissa
(or 'Loud American Dolly goes to Toyland')

A tall girl, about twelve inches high, scrambled out from a pile of fluffy bunnies and crumpled up paper with wax crayon sketches on. She was alone and forgotten, but determined to make herself a success. She had long brown hair, an expensive looking pink dress with white poodles on, and purple high-heels. Most importantly, she had a radiant smile making her an exceptionally pretty teenager. She was sixteen, ‘sweet sixteen’ as she said, and she was not going to let anyone get in her way – not even her legs which were sewn on the wrong way round. Her name was Marissa Cooper, a fashionable and loud American from California.

Her Daddy had sent her to England to learn how to behave, as he was very rich and could afford things like that. She started her journey armed only with a handbag to match her dress and lots of money. Unfortunately she hadn’t made any friends yet, because people found her too loud. She was, though, a charming girl inside if only someone gave her a chance.

Marissa’s first task was to escape the Land of Old Toys, as she’d named it, and somehow get upstairs into Emily’s bedroom. There were stories of bright lights, fame and fortune in Emily’s room – where everyone got constant attention, where there were shops and restaurants and spectacular views. The All-American girl, this sounded like a dream to Marissa.

Marissa was currently standing on a cold wooden floor, coughing occasionally from the dust, and the room’s door closed, the handle impossible to reach. She promised to herself she was going to make it, checking her hair in her pocket mirror. Now, no one ever really spoke to Marissa, as she wasn’t a bear or a plastic doll. The people of the Land of Old Toys were not friendly – they were too sad about being forgotten by Emily. All the bears stuck together and so did all the plastic dolls. But she had heard in the cold lonely nights in the weeks since she had arrived in England that Emily’s room was a very long way away and it wasn’t worth trying to get there. Marissa was not a girl to take no for an answer though, and because in America you only have to be sixteen to drive, she knew how to drive a car. There was only one car in the Land, a blue Barbie convertible that was never used.

‘Hey! Excuse-me, hey, my name is Marissa and I couldn’t help but noticing what a nice car you have!’ Marissa smiled and said in her happy American accent. The Barbies towered over her, looking very fashionable but not very friendly. They stared at her until she said something else.

‘OK, yeah, so I was thinking like maybe I could like buy it?’ she kept smiling. The Barbies didn’t seem to like Marissa. One of them had a little puppy Dalmatian at her feet, which had just noticed the poodles on Marissa’s dress. It instantly jumped up towards her; its front paws on Marissa’s waist. She took a step back, surprised, and the Barbies giggled as she giggled too.

‘OK Spotty if you like her then she can have the car,’ said one of the Barbies (Marissa couldn’t tell which one as they all looked identical, except for the clothes they were wearing). Marissa’s face lit up as she bought the car and skipped immediately into the front seat, putting her bag on the passenger seat. She thought that Spotty was a very boring name for a Dalmatian but was so thankful to the Barbies that she didn’t say anything, though normally loud Marissa would certainly have commented.

The car was in an awful state. It was very dirty, so much that it looked dark blue in colour. Marissa rubbed away some dirt on the bonnet and saw it was a light sky blue colour underneath. It drove okay though, and Marissa was so excited that she left right away, driving whole metres happily listening to a crackling radio station before she had to stop.

She had to stop because the door was closed. Marissa was tall, but not that tall. The handle was about four times her height upwards, and even if she was that tall, it was made of heavy gold metal and Marissa was not strong. Her Daddy had always done all the manual work at home in sunny California. Marissa let out a little moan and parked the car right there, in the middle of the wooden floor, with no sign of anyone about to help her. There wasn’t even anything she could climb up onto to get to the handle.

Marissa sat there for hours, missing her Mummy and Daddy, and dreaming of Emily’s room – the shops, restaurants and spectacular views – where bears and lions and people were friends. Would she be stuck here forever? She angrily spat out her chewing gum, and it landed right on the steering wheel.

‘Oh brother!’ Marissa had had enough. She went to pick it off with her hands, but one end just got stuck to her hand while the other stayed on the steering wheel. Oh what a mess! ‘I knew I should have brought bubblegum!’ she thought. Then suddenly she had the best idea she’d had for a long time – or since deciding to buy the car, at least.

She got out the car, a long thread of chewing gum still joining her hand to the steering wheel, and ran as fast as she could away from car so that it came unstuck. Marissa could run very fast, as she was very fit and healthy, being the captain of the school cheerleading team back in the USA. She ran so hard away from the car that when she chewing gum snapped she fell right on her face and slip across the wooden floor. This didn’t bother her though, as she was too pleased with herself about her plan. She ran to the big door, and began to chew another piece of chewing gum. She spat it out so that it hit the door a little way above her head. She then chewed another piece and spat it onto her hand, and it stuck like superglue. Some distance back, a toy shouted something, but Marissa wasn’t interested. She jumped up so that her clean hand touched the gum on the door, and began climbing slowly up the door, using the gum to keep her stuck. It wasn’t very safe, and it wasn’t very fun – and all Marissa could smell was the sickly mint on her little hands. But she was very light, so chewing gum could hold her.

After what seemed like forever, she reached the door handle. She looked down and squealed – she was so high up above her car! There was no turning back now though – Marissa wasn’t going to stay in the Land of Old Toys for the rest of her life. Now Marissa was at the handle, she realised she hadn’t thought how she was going to pull down on the heavy handle. Eventually she took a fresh strip of gum from her little packet (which was running out now, so she’d have to get this right first time) and wound it round the handle. She then held onto the end and slowly slid down to the floor, which pulled the handle down a tiny amount, before running to her car and sticking the gum to the boot. She got into the driver’s seat, and pushed down on the accelerator pedal as hard as should could, driving away from the door so that the super-strength chewing gum pulled the door open quick enough before the handle went up again. To everyone’s surprise, this ridiculous plan worked, though Marissa was now out of gum. She turned around and drove towards the open door, which let the sun into her eyes from the room next door.

‘See ya later guys! I’m going to the bright lights!’ Marissa waved goodbye to her old life in the Land of Old Toys. Now she just had to find her way to Emily’s room, wherever that was.

Marissa Cooper now found herself on the edge of a huge, bright room with wicker furniture and lots of windows. There were doors opening out onto a huge garden. The only way forward into the house was through what looked like the kitchen. It was very quiet and Marissa thought there must be no one around. She was awfully hungry and having run out of chewing gum decided to park her car and find some food.

‘I wanna a burger!’ she exclaimed to herself, as burgers were her favourite food, though she knew how unhealthy they were. Looking up at the high cupboards and cutting boards, there was no sign of any burgers, or anything in fact, except the fruit bowl. Marissa couldn’t open any more cupboards; especially now she’d run out of gum, as she kept remembering. Anyway, Marissa eyed up the fruit bowl. It was like a tropical paradise of every different colour imaginable – greens, yellows, oranges, red, purple. And as Marissa was only twelve inches tall, the fruit was incredibly big.

There was a gap between the cupboard units on which the fruit sat and the wall, and Marissa headed straight for this gap. She slipped off her purple high-heels off and pushed her feet against the cupboard, and her back against the wall. Then she slowly climbed up this way. This wasn’t too hard for fit and active Marissa Cooper. She got to the top and back flipped right into the middle of a bunch of grapes. To her, each one was like a watermelon, and so she only had one, eating around the pip in the middle. She rolled some down into her car though, before jumping back down to the floor.

So far so good, thought our favourite American girl.

The next door led into a small lounge-type room with yellow couches, an unlit fire, a little television and a small white rocking chair, only big enough for a child. Marissa drove in and stopped in front of it, wondering which direction to take next. Sunshine burst in through the windows in this room, so she put on her sunglasses, which effortlessly matched her dress, shoes and handbag.

Suddenly, a deep, slow and strong sounding voice called out, ‘Yes? What is your problem?’

Marissa jumped, as she had no idea where the voice was coming from. She looked all around her, worried. She didn’t think she had a problem, and did not like the sound of this voice being all nosy and rude about it anyway. Then she heard a tremendous yawn that shook the rocking chair back, and then forwards. Marissa shut her eyes from the shock and for a moment was scared the whole chair was going to fall on top of her, which would certainly end her journey. When it swung back again and eventually settled she was relieved.

That wasn’t the end of her problems though in this room, as staring upwards at the seat of the chair, she saw a grumbling bear slowly come to the edge of it so that it could see her. Marissa was now scared the bear was going to fall on top of her, which also would certainly end her journey, and although it was shorter than her it looked much stronger and better built.

‘Hel-lo’, the bear slowly repeated. He spoke as if he had all time to say every word he was saying, and didn’t want to rush at all. His voice was so deep that it made Marissa’s stomach shake, with the watermelon grape still rolling around inside. The bear looked friendly enough, but very old. His face was drawn with lines and he looked so tired, and Marissa was scared she’d woken him up, and how he would be angry if she had. Marissa wanted to make friends not enemies!

‘I’m so sorry, sir, it’s just I’m j-j-just lost and new and lonely and I want my Mommy!’ A little tear ran down Marissa’s face, and landed on her steering wheel. She kept talking, something she did when she was nervous. ‘I’m new and lonely and I just want to get upstairs to find Emily and some friends and live the American Dream but now I’ve woken you up and you’re so angry and I know you are but I’m so sorry please don’t hurt me…’

‘Marissa,’ growled the bear in a deep voice, and the dolly’s voice faded away. Marissa wondered how this bear knew her name. He must be very clever, or even magic.

‘You told me your name, just now, don’t worry.’ He was definitely magic or something, though Marissa. It was like he had read her mind! ‘I am Wise Teddy, and I am very wise because I sit here watching everyone go past me about their lives. No one ever looks at me but I have learnt a lot from watching them. I can try and help you with any problems.’ This took a long time for Wise Teddy to say, and Marissa was dying to say something.

‘I’m so pleased to meet you Wise Teddy! My name’s Marissa Cooper and I’m lost, could you tell me where I am and where I’m going to and how I get there and things?’ She smiled sweetly, though Wise Teddy didn’t really care. He scrunched up his face and smiled a knowing smile.

‘You are in the Breakfast Room,’ he began, at which Marissa’s stomach seemed to exclaim. However there was no food to be seem anywhere in the room. ‘If you want to find Emily then she’ll be in her room, and to get there you need to go out that door,’ he pointed, ‘and go up the stairs. At the top it’s the door right in front of you. The person in charge is King Cheeky.’

Wow, a king, thought Marissa. There was no ruler in the Land of Old Toys. ‘Thank you so much, I’ll come and visit you when I’m a successful dolly! Do you take tips?’

‘No you don’t have to pay me!’ chuckled Wise Teddy. Marissa was pleased she had managed to make the sombre old teddy smile, as she drove off at top speed towards the staircase, which went up round and round. The stairs were very tall though, and with Marissa sitting in her car she could hardly see over the top of the bottom one. As any clever child will wonder, how do toys climb stairs? Marissa could have used her gymnastic skills to get up in no time, but she didn’t want to leave her new blue convertible behind. Though she wasn’t strong enough to lift it, and besides, that would make her hands all oily. She needed a method to get up the stairs as good as the chewing gum, but didn’t want to bother tired old Wise Teddy again.

So Marissa drove past the stairs into the biggest single room she’d seen all day. It was like the Breakfast Room but bigger, with a bigger fire, a bigger TV, and more couches. Her plan was to park right in the middle of the floor so that Emily or somebody would notice and pick her up and take her upstairs. But who would take Marissa upstairs? Marissa was not a popular toy, and if someone saw her in a Barbie car in the middle of the lounge, they’d take her back to the Land of Old Toys in seconds! That would be absolutely awful. Marissa got out of her car and began to nibble on her sweetie necklace.

Just then another bear came skipping past. He seemed like the opposite of Wise Teddy – he was energetic, tall and happy. He was skipping around in ever-bigger circles as if he hadn’t a care in the world. He was white and wore a red ribbon around his neck, and looked such good fun! Marissa whistled to get his attention, looking to make a new friend while she thought how she was going to get up those stairs with her car. The teddy skipped up to her and stopped a few inches short of her smiling face.

‘I’m White Teddy, or Whitey, to my friends.’ He stuck out a big furry paw for Marissa to shake. She took it, and introduced herself. Immediately Whitey grabbed her other hand and started a round of Ring a Roses. Marissa couldn’t help but laugh at what good fun Whitey was. He must be so popular, one of Emily’s favourites surely!
Suddenly, though, Marissa heard footsteps coming down the wooden floors of the corridor that she’d just driven down. With remarkable quick thinking, she stopped dancing and told Whitey to get in the car, in the drivers seat. She jumped into the passenger seat and whispered into Whitey’s ear.

‘We’re going to trick someone into taking us upstairs. Do you live upstairs?’ Whitey was clearly excited at the sound of a trick. He was something of a mischievous bear, and up for any fun that was happening.

‘No I live wherever Emily leaves me. Sometimes its upstairs. I used to live at the top of the bed!’ Whitey boomed.

‘Shhh! Someone will hear us! But really, the top of the bed?’ Marissa was impressed, as that was where the best of the best toys would sleep, right with Emily. Whitey seemed pleased with himself for sitting in a car with a beautiful girl like Marissa, and wanted to impress her more.

‘I once got left on holiday and was posted back!’ he said. Marissa told him to be quiet again and he did, as there was somebody in the room now. Both toys sat still, Marissa’s fingers crossed that the person would do as she hoped. The person walked right up to the car, the shoes almost kicking a dirty mark into Marissa’s car. Marissa let out a little squeal. The person immediately looked down. Instinctively Marissa grabbed Whitey’s furry paw again for comfort. The person then swooped down like an eagle and grabbed the whole car, and Marissa and Whitey both thought they were going to fall out of the top. They hadn’t had time to put on their seatbelts, you see. The person stopped to read some boring bit of paper beside a lampshade, as American Dolly and White Teddy hung in mid air in a Barbie car. Eventually they were carried at what seemed like a ridiculously fast speed up the stairs and thrown across a big room onto a soft bed. Like a cat, luckily they landed on their feet, or in this case, their wheels.

‘It worked! It worked! We’re here! I think, anyway. Emily’s room!’ Marissa was so excited. Lots of friendly but new toys were staring at her and Whitey, but mostly her, and lots had never seen the car before either. Whitey jumped out of the car and told Marissa he’d show her around. She really liked Whitey and was looking forward to setting up a new home.

The End