We never know why Foxie chooses one troll or Dora doll over another. It’s a love only she defines. Of all the Dora dolls she loves, one of her absolute favorites has always been “France Dora.” Her most recent was just gifted to her by very good friends of the chimpanzees (and humans!), Syd and Diane Marcus:
I am not sure if it’s the jaunty beret, the classic attire, or just a certain “je ne sais quoi,” but to say Foxie loves this particular Dora is an understatement. The second she saw us bring her in, her hair stood on end (pilo-erect) in excitement and she play-thumped the ceiling repeatedly as she ran toward us. Foxie often likes us to play chase with her new dolls for a few minutes before giving them to her, but where Mademoiselle Dora is concerned, she often asks for her straight away. Foxie’s routine (as it is with most new “babies”) is to gaze at them in adoration and awe, kiss/groom them with her lips and then rub them on her belly.
And she will carry “France Dora” with her for days. We typically cannot get away with throwing Mademoiselle Dora in with the rest of the enrichment to be cleaned each day (because Foxie doesn’t let go of her). We have to wait for her to play toss the Dora with us and then take the opportunity to give her a quick bath, and get her back to Foxie ASAP. And this often involves Foxie blowing raspberries of discontent at us the entire time, letting us know we better be fast about it. Needless to say, Dora quickly loses her “je ne sais quoi,” but hair askew, cute attire gone, and worse for the wear, Foxie’s love will not wane.
As a side note, who other than Queen Negra also took a fancy to Mademoiselle Dora and arrived at breakfast this morning carrying her! Negra even decided to hold onto Dora for awhile and nest with her, despite Foxie trying every trick in the book to get her back. Mademoiselle Dora is apparently quite popular. We will try to keep you posted as this latest drama unfolds. 🙂
