There’s skinny dipping. And there are plastic-y babes unafraid to show some skin. But what about a buck naked, plastic baby? Allan Peck, a KSCS deejay who’s lived in University Park all of three weeks, says his wife had an odd encounter Friday when she brought the couple’s 2-year-old daughter and her naked baby doll, at left, to the Holmes Aquatic Center.
“The lifeguard had apparently gotten the doll out of the pool and set it in the chair next to her,” said Peck, who admits the doll — a parting gift to his daughter from a friend in Garland – “creeps me out.” A few minutes later, it was gone — positioned, at that point, atop the water slide. “So now this baby doll is peering down and staring at the entire University Park public pool,” he continued, chuckling.
When his wife (whose name I’ve omitted from this post at Peck’s request) inquired as to its whereabouts, said Peck, the lifeguard “copped an attitude, and said, ‘Yeah, is that your doll?’ ”
It was creeping her out, the girl supposedly explained. Other swimmers had complained. Final verdict?
‘This doll needs to have a swimsuit.”
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All told, Peck finds the story “hilarious,” albeit an uneasy welcome to the neighborhood. “I don’t really think this is what life is like in the Park Cities,” he told me yesterday afternoon, breaking a moment later to go on air. As I sat on hold, I heard the twang of country music give way to a live caller — someone advising Peck to “have 1,000 people show up with naked dolls” next time. He’s not so inclined.
“Absurd as this is,” he said, “I don’t want to make anybody feel uncomfortable.”
UPDATE: Says UP parks director Gerry Bradley, after taking in “at least 20 versions” of this story:
“We feel like [the lifeguard, who’s 16] handled it well. As for whether [the doll] was wearing clothes or not, I don’t know if that was the total issue.” Bradley’s heard talk of the nakedness issue too, he said, “but the major concern is that it was very lifelike.”
To that, he added, “Even though you are in a public atmosphere, I think people should watch their children and what they’re doing — and what they’re leaving at the pool.”
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