Three Identical Dolls - Story-Lovers SOS Story Lists

THREE IDENTICAL DOLLS
(excerpts from Storytell posts and original research)

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	Ready-To-Tell Tales (American Storytelling) by David Holt and Bill Mooney. (1995) Amazon: Anyone who has watched a master storyteller mesmerize an audience has wondered "how do they do that?" This book gives the answers. Here are 40 of America's most popular storytellers, each of them sharing a story guaranteed to work in front of the most demanding audience. In addition to the story, each teller gives tips for telling it in a performance.

1) In David Novak's version, the last doll is the storyteller. The hair goes in his ear and out his mouth as a storyteller always shares what he hears. The strand of hair comes out curled because the storyteller always adds his/her own twist to the tale.
Bones:
A king with a long beard thought himself great and clever and challenged everyone to find a riddle or puzzle for him to solve. One day a package arrived containing three identical dolls with a note asking the king to tell the difference between them. He stroked his long beard as he looked at the dolls, he thought and thought and couldn't see any differences. He called for his old wise man, who told him nothing at all. The king then called for his fool, who only wanted to play with the dolls. The king called for the storyteller, who said the differences were not on the outside but on the inside of the dolls and could be found through their ears. He plucked three hairs from the king's beard and stuck one of them in the first doll's ear. It disappeared. The storyteller said this doll was a wise man who kept what he heard to himself. The second hair went into the second doll's ear and came out the other. He said this doll was a fool because what went in one ear came out the other. The third hair went into the third doll's ear and came out of its mouth all curled up. The storyteller said that this doll was a storyteller because what it heard it eventually told and the hair was curled because no storyteller ever told a story just as he heard it, but always added a special curl of his own.

2) There's a version of the story called The Three Figurines.
Bones:
A king by the name of Amar Singha wanted to test the cleverness of the neighboring king, Rana Roy. He sent the king three golden figurines, each with the same appearance and weight. The king's task was to conclude which figurine is the most valuable.

Rana Roy and his court ministers studied the figurines, but were unable to distinguish one from the other. Even the wisest person in his kingdom could not see any differences. The king was troubled about being disgraced for having a kingdom where no one was intelligent enough to judge the differing values of the figurines. The whole kingdom participated in the task and everyone did their best.

Just when they were about to give up hope a young man named, Brajesh sent a message to the king. He said that he would determine the difference if he could inspect the figurines. Rana Roy had him brought to the palace and he presented the figurines to him. Brajesh looked them over very carefully.

After some time, he noticed that all three figurines had a small hole in the ear. He inserted a thin silver thread and discovered that, with the first figurine the thread came out through the mouth. With the second figurine, the thread came out the other ear. With the third, the thread came out through the navel. After thinking about this for a while, he turned to the king.

"Your Majesty," Brajesh said, "I think the solution to this puzzle lies before us like an open book. Our task was to try and read this book. Just as every person is different from another, each of these figurines is unique in itself."

"The first figurine reminds us of people who immediately go out and retell what they have just heard. The second figurine is like the person for whom news goes in one ear and out the other. The third figurine, however, is very much like a person who keeps to herself what she hears, and she lets it move her heart. On this basis, you should judge the value of the figurines.

Which would you want as your confidant? The one who cannot keep anything to himself? The one who considers your words no more important than the wind? Or the one who is a trustworthy keeper of your words?"

3) There is a collection of stories called, Eurasian Folk and Fairy Tales by I.F. Bulatkin (1965). In the book is a story called, The Golden Dolls, which is attributed as a Mongolian tale. Nice story! Few things are as important as learning to be a good listener in life.

4) The Three Dolls
Bones:
It was a king's court, the ministers, pundits and artists were all seated in their respective places. The king and his ministers had earned quite a name and fame for their wit and wisdom. One day a sage entered the court. He was given a warm welcome with all honor due to him. The king asked him: "Oh revered one! May I know what brings you here? We are very happy on account of your presence here today." The sage replied: "Oh King, your court is reputed for its wit and wisdom. I have brought three beautiful dolls and I would like to have an assessment and evaluation of these dolls done by your ministers." He presented to the king the three dolls. The king called his senior most minister and gave him the dolls for examination and evaluation. The minister just looked once at the dolls and commanded a royal messenger to fetch him a thin steel-wire.

The minister inserted the wire into the right ear of one of the dolls. The wire came out of the left ear. He kept it aside. He took up another doll and once again passed the wire into its right ear. It came out of the mouth of the doll. He kept that doll in one place. He took up the third doll and inserted the wire, it neither came out of the other ear nor from the mouth. The king and the courtiers were eagerly watching the scene. The minister paying his tributes to the sage said: "Oh revered one." Of the three dolls, the third one is the best. The three dolls actually are symbolic of three types of listening. There are three types of listeners, in the world. The first type listen to every word, only to pass it out from the other ear. The second type listen well, remember it well only to speak out all that they have heard. The third type listen, retain everything they have heard and treasure it up in their hearts. They are the best type of listeners." The sage congratulated the king and the minister on the successful evaluation of the dolls and blessing them both, left the court.

'Shravanam' is the first and the foremost among the nine types of devotion. Having heard the words of the wise, we should try to revolve their meaning and message in our minds and put them into practise to elevate our lives.
— Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Source: Chinna Katha II, 50
More info at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/saibabanews/message/1219

5) Mrs. Santa Claus
C. S. B. Adapted from a story which I once heard Miss Frances Newton tell.
Bones:
It was Christmas eve. Old Santa Claus was just ready to start out upon his long journey over the snowy treetops and roofs to find the waiting chimneys and the little empty stockings. Such a busy day as it had been—with the brownies finishing the packing and Mrs. Santa Claus sewing buttons on the last doll's dress, and tying the last hair ribbon, and smoothing the last curl! But everything was ready. The sleigh was packed from top to bottom, so full that it seemed as if old Santa Claus could never squeeze in himself. There were tops, and drums, and Jack-in-the-boxes, and steam engines, and hundreds of dolls, and barrels of chocolate drops; and peppermint canes were hanging out from the back. The reindeer were harnessed [252] and prancing—Dasher, and Dancer, and Donder, and Vixen, and the rest. The sleighbells were ringing gaily, and old Santa Claus jumped in and took the reins.

"Good-bye, mother," he called to Mrs. Santa Claus, who stood in the door to watch the sleigh start. "Anything I can bring you from the city, dear?"

"I think I need a new pair of spectacles," said Mrs. Santa Claus. "My eyes are growing dim with so much sewing. If the stores are open when you finish to-night just bring me a stronger pair of glasses."

"I will. Good-bye!" shouted Santa Claus. With a dash and a jingle of bells the reindeer jumped to the top of the trees and started; and Mrs. Santa Claus went in to sit in her rocking-chair by the fire and doze.

The workshop was very still. Christmas eve, you know, is the only time of the whole year when Santa Claus' workmen may rest; so the little brownies who paint the sleds, and nail the doll houses, and test the steamboats, were curled up in heaps on all the benches fast asleep and snoring. The candy-kettles were polished and hung in a row upon the kitchen wall. Mrs. Santa Claus sat and rocked by the fire and thought of all the dolls she had dressed...

The rest of this story is at:
http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=bailey&book=hour&story=mrs

6) Other sources:

	The Hidden House by Martin Waddell, Angela Barrett (illus). (1995) With the owner gone, three dolls watch as their house becomes hidden by growing plants and trees until a man walks by and discovers the residence. The haunting and strangely animating presence of the dolls, the exquisite details of landscapes and interior scenes and the delicacy of Barrett's watercolors lend grace to this enchanting story about the passing of time and seasons.

The Identical Dolls and Other Folktales (Folktales from Highlights) (1995)
Stories in thus book: The Identical Dolls retold by Rita Dibble, The Spider Who Couldn't Spin by Lee Ebler, Trouble retold by Vashanti Rahaman, The Trolls in the Mill retold by Judy Cox, Eight Loaves of Bread adapted by Vesta Condon and Jose Guerrero Lovillo, Happily Ever After by Vashanti Rahaman, Snow Quest by J.L. Bell, The Moonfish by Caroline Stutson, The Six Sillies retold by Josepha Sherman, The Vulture and the Rain God retold by Bonnie Highsmith Taylor, How Pecos Bill Got His Name and Then Got Famous by Betty Bates, Squirrel Saves the Sun adapted by Marianne Mitchell, Savitri retold by Rita Dibble, Easy Come, Easy Go retold by Vashanti Rahaman, To Catch Smoke retold by Jody Cox, The Legend of the Talking Grass retold by Bonnie Highsmith Taylor, Marigol's Incredible Hat by Anne Schraff.