Mannequins are seen on a balcony at a house in Oxford, Miss., Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013.
(DM Photo/Cady Herring)
Have you noticed the two mannequins quaintly perching on the balcony of a magnificent Victorian house on University Avenue?
There is a history behind one of Oxford’s cherished traditions curated by the Doty family living in 803 University.
Richard and Beth Doty, both Ole Miss alumni, celebrate holidays, events and, most notoriously, football and baseball games with their two mannequins, Chloe and Zoie.
Though the couple attended The University of Mississippi, both relocated to Jackson where they met one another and moved back to Oxford to start a home and a family together in 1995.
“We wanted to have a family, and Oxford is a wonderful family town,” Beth Doty said.
The couple have two children, Laura, 27, and Graham, 26. Both born and raised in Oxford, much of the Dotys’ extended family also calls Oxford home.
The idea for the mannequins began at the couple’s old abode, where stood a large tree used at Halloween to host a witch on a broom. The large tree in front of 912 University has since been cut down. Doty made the witch herself from odds and ends in the household and was known for her witch throughout the town.
When the couple relocated to the Victorian house across from Oxford-University United Methodist Church, the witch had fallen apart. Dubbed “Zoie,” the first mannequin was purchased in an antique mall in Hazlehurst.
Doty grew up in Crystal Springs nearby and paid the used-to-be department store a visit.
There, she found scattered body parts of an old-fashioned mannequin.
“I told the lady I could put the whole mannequin together if I found all the parts — she must have thought I was totally crazy!” Doty said.
After Zoie was purchased, she was dressed for every holiday, football and baseball game. After years
of being out in the weather, Zoie started to lose her hands.
“It became harder and harder to dress her once she started losing her hands,” Doty recalled.
Though she attempted to incorporate the mannequin’s missing hands into her costume designs, eventually it became impossible. Her son then helped her find and purchase a new mannequin.
“You would not believe the weird stuff we saw!” Doty said.
Now, Zoie is accompanied by a friend, Chloe. If you happened to drive by the Dotys’ house and noticed the mannequins this past weekend, they were donning Chi Omega T-shirts.
“It was for my niece, Elizabeth Collins, who just pledged Chi O,” Doty explained. Elizabeth’s sister as well as their cousins are also members of Chi Omega, so the sister mannequins were honoring a family tradition.
The mannequins have traveled all over Oxford, honoring wedding announcement parties and birthday parties with their presence.
When asked to recount a fond memory of the mannequins, Doty immediately recalled a story involving three students showing up at her door. It was about two years ago when two female and one male student asked to scale the stairs and take pictures with the mannequins on the balcony.
“The young man was from New York and was about to graduate,” Doty said. “He had been taking pictures of the mannequins all four years and sending them home to family while at Ole Miss, and he wanted to take a picture with them before he parted with the town.”
Beth said she did not initially think many people noticed the mannequins.
“After a while, I started getting calls about the mannequins when they were dressed up, and also when they weren’t out there at all!”
Doty said she notices many drivers stopped at the stoplight in front of her home enjoy the mannequins and their seasonal outfits.
“It is especially funny to see students’ reactions to the mannequins coming back from the bars,” Doty
said, laughing. “The students are barely making it, then the mannequins scare them because they look like actual people!”
Where do Zoie and Chloe’s many costumes come from? Most of their outfits are her daughter’s old
clothing, Doty said. Some of Laura’s old homecoming gowns and dresses have been passed down to the sister mannequins, and some of Graham’s old sports clothes have been used, too. Many of the costumes are handmade by Beth Doty, and some are bought.
Many people call Doty suggesting or offering outfits for the girls to wear.
“This past fourth of July, a man called offering an outfit for one of the mannequins,” Doty recalled.
He had in his possession his grandfather’s old military uniform from Connecticut, fully decorated with a saber.
“I was hesitant because this outfit was the type you would find in a museum!” Doty exclaimed.
Nonetheless, the gentleman offered his uniform, and when Zoie was fully dressed, Doty recalled, “she looked so real!”
Rob Pyron, recently elected Mr. Ole Miss and Doty’s nephew, is proud of what his aunt has to offer Oxford.
“Her mannequins are an extremely unique part of Ole Miss,” Pyron said. “She is always getting the Oxford community in spirit — it is what makes the town unique, whether it is for a football game or simply celebrating springtime.”
Doty plans on dressing her mannequins for this weekend’s game.
“Maybe it will bring us a win,” she said.
The next time you drive by 803 University Avenue, don’t forget to wish Chloe and Zoie good luck in their daily efforts to bring the spirit of Ole Miss to Oxford’s community and students.
