Guatemalan Worry Dolls

[p’yunik~*~chovexani]

I never knew what these little guys were called, all I knew that every time I went to visit my great grandmother on my mother's side as a child, she gave me one of these and told me to tell the doll any fears I had and to put it under my pillow and that in the morning I would have no more worries and would feel happy. She also told me that I could tell them my wishes and in the morning my wishes would come true! My grandmother however was Mexican not Guatemalan, but I would assume the dolls are very similar.
Upon doing further reading, I found these are actually dolls that everyone use lol (I thought my abuelita was special haha) but are pretty cool, and have taken the probably 30 or more that I have still from when I was a child and have begun using them again.
It is said that if you tell them your worries they worry for you so you can rest better and be happier and can sometimes even resolve the problem. It is also said that by telling them your hopes and dreams they can work on those for you as well and make those come true. One thing I also read and I am unsure if this is true or not but you can tell them the names of your enemies and they can manifest their fears as well. LOL Idk about that and wouldn't use them that way anyway.
Has anyone else used these?

[quipta]

I used them when I was younger and I have found they they relieved my anxieties tremendously. I used to lose them all the time because I would put them in my pillow and the next morning they would be gone! I took this as a sign that they took the worry away and was dealing with the problem for me. I never knew that you could also use them for wishes and hopes. After reading this post, I might seek out more of these dolls.

[Bella]

I used to have some of these when I was, I think 7 or 8? I got them on a trip to the boardwalk in New Orleans with an aunt.
They came in a little yellow wooden box and I had no idea what to do with these stick people that were wrapped in string. :lol:
Needless to say, they didn't get used much (if at all) and I don't have them anymore.

Similar to this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-Boxes-Handmade-Me ... 230da7d9cc

[quipta]

LOL! Those were the ones I had when I was little! :lol:

[FeyLady68]

I have a set that I've had for many years. I don't remember now where I originally got them, but they've been with me a long time.

My "worry people" I've called them. I've never worked directly with them but just assumed they were "worrying for me" on their own already lol.

After reading this I may try working with them directly the way you describe and put them under my pillow. Thanks for the info! :thumbup:

It's funny because I came across them a year or two ago and realized how much the little man and woman dolls do kind of look like me and my husband. :crazy: I've had these little worry dolls since long before I met him though.

[FeyLady68]

Mine look a little different than the link posted above though.. I'll try to get a picture of them. They're hard to photograph because they're so small.

[mama_wolf]

I just saw that "bythepowerof3" has some for sale at their Ebay store.

[LindaLove]

I remember seeing these when I was younger and thinking that they were so cute! Didn't know that they had a specific name and use. Might have to seek some of these out.

[Lampropeltis]

When I was little, I recieved some from an older sibling. I never worked with them much, but always enjoyed how they felt. And I wasn't an itsy-bitsy doll kind of person either! They're still hanging around somewhere.

I recommend them. Triple purpose as user-friendly paranormal items, modestly priced folk art, and cute 'buddies' for a kid or worrier, they have great bang for your buck!

[Alycat79]

Oooooh, I used to have a set of these, just like the ones in the link Bella posted. My dad gave them to me when I was a child after a trip to Mexico, though I haven't seen them for years. I tried to use them, but I wound up spilling so many worries out that I think they imploded or something. :lol: I wonder where that little box is now. :think: