Accentuate the positive Woman’s doll and book open a world of possibilities
By Steven Mihailovich | steven.mihailovich@tlnews.net
Thursday, October 18, 2007

How does a person remain positive when dealing with debilitating problems such as multiple sclerosis, family deaths and the loss of a friend in the Sept. 11 attacks?

According to Marlene Balbach, who has endured them all, one has to think about the possibilities.

P.T., or Possibility Thinker, a character created by Balbach, is coming to fruition in a big way for the Escondido resident. Dolls based on the character were placed in their first retail outlet yesterday at Thinker Things in Del Mar. A P.T. book written by Balbach will be available at the end of November.

“There are a lot of negatives in life,” said Balbach, 58. “P.T. is about waking up in the morning. I’m not a Pollyanna. Life is a journey. Each day is part of that, and you can either enjoy it or be miserable.”

Balbach practices what she preaches. Thirty years ago she was diagnosed with MS, a degenerative disease that attacks the brain and nervous system, causing sensory and muscular dysfunction.

“MS could have caused me to be bitter and angry or realize that I had to deal with it and see how to do something better with my life,” Balbach said. “I invented P.T. to inspire my MS friends. Then I realized it’s not just for us. We all need to be encouraged.”

The idea for P.T. came to Balbach about 20 years ago, she said.

Balbach produced the first P.T. doll and incorporated in 2004. P.T. was redesigned about one and a half years ago when Balbach learned that some children were frightened by its large eyes.

The dolls are 22 inches tall and wear sweat shirts, blue jeans and a headband, with embroidered facial features and yarn hair. A doll wearing camouflage is also available. The dolls come with interchangeable hearts that display encouraging messages when opened.

The dolls have been available on the P.T. Thinker Web site since October 2006 and are priced at $42.95.

Jane Naisbitt, owner of Thinker Things, placed the doll on display yesterday at her store, which sells games, toys and books. She’s ordered a limited amount to test the market but said the doll might take off in the holiday season, when 70 percent of her doll sales are made.

“Dolls are big mostly at Christmas,” Naisbitt said. “I’ll have six on display. We mainly want to see how customers respond . . . to see if the they look at it and listen in on conversations. I think it will be a great gift for boys. There aren’t many dolls for boys.”

Balbach’s 32-page illustrated book titled “P.T.’s Big Surprise” is coming out at the end of November. In the story, P.T. meets a character named Zwiggy. Together they visit the zoo.

“Zwiggy is an outsider,” Balbach said. “P.T. is a teacher, not just a friend and companion. The book is about acceptance. There are kids who don’t feel accepted. You can see that on playgrounds. Even as adults, we label people as good or bad. We judge people by their cover.”

The self-published book was illustrated by Escondido-based artist Laura Glusha. Glusha said she was inspired by Balbach and her story.

“She came over one day, and we never stopped talking from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m.,” Glusha said of their first encounter. “She’s religious and I’m not. She’s right and I’m liberal. But we shared a basic philosophy of life so completely. We both care about humanity.”

Balbach is determined to make her P.T. products work in the marketplace.

She recently hired an advertising agency. However, no matter what the sales numbers turn out to be, Balbach said she most treasures the positive effect her P.T character has had on people’s lives.

“That’s what it’s about to me,” Balbach said. “I didn’t go into this for the money itself. You touch a life one day at a time.”

Reach reporter Steven Mihailovich at (760) 752-6753.