1960?
Laurie got (for Christmas?) a 3ft tall raggety ann type doll with elastic straps on the bottoms of her feet. You would stand the doll on top of your own feet, with the elastic straps to keep them there, and start dancing around the room. This made for the perfect dance partner for a 5-7 year old. The doll would not try to lead, complain that you went the wrong way or too fast, only stepped on your feet because she was strapped to them, and could get dumped on the floor when you were finished without feeling rejected. We might have a radio or record player providing music, but mostly we simply sang while we took turns dancing. Mostly we sang the old song about "dancing with the dolly with the holes in her stocking and her knees kept a'knocking" and waltzed her around the upstairs front bedroom. For real excitement, we would un-strap her feet and do the twist - her legs flapping spasticly in the air - or just spin as fast as we could with her legs like helicoptor propellers and slapping and any brother or sister who didn't get out of the way.
(a little sibling can turn anything into a weapon against a rival sibling!)
