"Drifting Dolls Head To Alaska"

This is an article about toy heads of Tommy Pickles floating in the Pacific Ocean near Alaska. It was published in Morris Communications' newspapers during August 2000, and is © 2000 by Morris Communications. Special thanks to Chris Painter.

SOMEWHERE IN THE NORTH PACIFIC-Maybe they'll wash ashore any day now. Earlier this year, a cargo load of "Rugrats" doll heads spilled and was last seen floating toward Alaska.

The heads, designed for Mattel's Tommy Pickles dolls, are about the size of a small cantaloupe, according to Curtis Ebbesmeyer, a Seattle-based oceanographer. Ebbesmeyer publishes a quarterly newsletter called the "Beachcomber Alert" that reports beachcomber finds around the world.

About 10 of the "pickle heads" have already been found in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia's Queen Charlotte Islands, said Jim Ingraham, an oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Ingraham is a regular contributor to Ebbesmeyer's newsletter. Ingraham and Ebbesmeyer believe that at least a thousand heads were lost at sea. Generally, 1 percent of spilled cargo washes ashore, they said.

Because it takes subarctic currents up to four years to make a full rotation, Ingraham says he wouldn't be surprised to hear about future doll-head finds.

If they do make it to Alaska, it wouldn't be the first time shipwrecked toys have drifted north. In 1992, a flotilla of yellow rubber ducks landed near Sitka. Altogether, more than 400 duckies washed ashore between Cordova and Coronation Island.

Ebbesmeyer and Ingraham are hoping people let them know if they come across any of the heads. Ebbesmeyer says he would prefer to receive the head itself, but would settle for a photo and description, including a map, of the find. Write to him at 6306 21st Ave. NE, Seattle WA 98115.

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