What Are They Selling?

I live in an area at the north east end of Los Angeles. Centuries ago, a monk at a nearby monastery noticed that the soil and climate were the same as his native Spain where his family grew olives. He imported olive seedlings, and within a few decades the area boasted the largest olive orchard in the world. It was said that it looked like a “sea of trees.” Today, this area no longer has those olive trees, but it is named with a Spanish word meaning Sea of Trees.

This is a very religious area with many Roman Catholics. There’s a nearby graveyard where people often have picnics at the graves of their late relatives, a practice which seems to be popular in some Latino religious traditions.

Today, I went to a small restaurant. At the door to the restaurant is a barrage of candy and toy dispensers. When I was a kid they cost a penny or nickel. A few were very expensive at a quarter. Well, I saw one vending machine that sold “string dolls.” I snapped a picture of the front for you:

It costs $1.00 for this toy. That’s pretty expensive, in my opinion, but that’s not what interested me. About a yard to the right of this vending machine was another similar machine. Look at what it offered:

Look at the pictures. The toys are identical! Some vendor decided it would be a wonderful idea to sell “Voodoo Dolls” to children. Needless to say, I had to get one. So I stuck in the four quarters and turned the dial. Here’s what came out:

On the top of the pink lid were two overlapping letters, “AA.” I have no idea who is selling Voodoo Dolls to children, but I doubt it’s American Airlines! I opened the top and here’s what’s inside:

The actual doll is made of string and is about two-and-a-quarter inches tall. It has two black buttons for very wide-set eyes. The “leggings” are more string—actually thread—of an orangey color.

If they included some pins and instructions on how to curse your parents, I’d be worried. Luckily, no directions were included.