“When we, the Martina sisters, were little girls our parents couldn’t afford buying us dolls. We used thick ropes that we tore apart and braided as if they were real hair. I would cut a strip of cloth and tie a knot. The so-called black lemonade bottles were perfect for the doll’s face.”

“I played with these ever since I was 5 or 6 years old. I even sewed a skirt – normally these don’t have skirts! You put the hair in the bottle and wedge it using cork. In neighborhoods like Groot Kwartier where Afro-Curaçaoan families lived, Montaña, Marchena and Ser’i Dòmi, all little girls made bottle dolls. In neighborhoods where wealthy Jewish, Dutch and protestant families lived like Scharloo, Mahaai and Van Engelen they had real dolls. This didn’t change until the late 1960s.”