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Two News Items:
The first is from The Daily Mirror (London), Friday, November 22, 2002:

FARMER’S WIFE: IT’S
ME OR 39 DUMMIES

By JOHN HAWKINS

A FARMER has been warned by his wife that she will leave him unless he ditches his collection of 39 female mannequins.

Jan James, 59, is fed up with sharing her home with husband Frank and the dummies.

She says her husband’s obsession has left no space in their home for real people as they clutter up every corner.

Now Frank has been given a Christmas deadline to get rid of them.

She said: “I’m not particularly jealous of them but I’m fed up of bumping into them. They are a nuisance and they scare the grandchildren.”

Frank, of May Hill, Gloucestershire, started collecting dummies when he decided he wanted to open an Edwardlan outfitters. He began asking around in the antique world and he was flooded with offers. But the shop fell through.

Now he has reluctantly decided to “thin out” his collection, but says he won’t be giving them away.

He said: “They are extremely expensive. They have got to go to proper homes. Some men think they are the perfect woman. They never get older than 25 and don’t answer back.”

And here’s a slightly longer (and illustrated) take on the same story from The Daily Express (London), also Friday, November 22, 2002:
I MARRIED A DUMMY

COLLECTOR: Frank in his statuesque harem complete with plastic children

Get rid of your harem of models
by Christmas, wife tells husband
By Geoff Maynard

LONG-suffering wife Jan James has to share her husband with 39 beautiful models. But she has finally put her foot down and ordered them out of the marital home.

“I’m not particularly jealous,” said mother-of-three Jan, 59. “It’s just that I’m fed up with bumping into them wherever I go.” Husband Frank started collecting the plastic mannequins last year when he began restoring an old shop.

Now he has been ordered to ditch his harem of shapely blondes, brunettes and redheads by Christmas.

“They’ve taken over the house and there’s only one room where I can move comfortably without them getting in the way,” said Jan. “That’s my little sitting room, but there are even two in there.

“They are a nuisance and scare the grandchildren, so I’ve threatened him with a Christmas deadline.” Shopfitter Frank even has a collection of wigs at his home near Hereford so he can have a new woman every day of the week.

Jan added: “We’ve got a lot of barns but he is reluctant to keep them outside in case they get damp, so I don't know what he’ll do. But I suppose it could be worse - at least they’re only dummies.”

Frank, 62, said: “I only needed two for the shop I was planning to restore so I asked friends to keep an eye out for them.

“But it seemed everyone was trying to get rid of some.

“I do like having them around. They’re amusing to look at and you can dress them up if it takes your fancy. There are some men out there who think they make the perfect woman. They never get older than 25 or answer back.

“But I need to do something with them because they’re causing domestic troubles.”

News Item: I’m Dating a Model
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