YMMV / The Lonely Doll

• First Installment Wins: Though all the books were very popular in their heyday, the original Lonely Doll's fame endured to the point that readers quickly forgot there were nine other books in the series. It probably didn't hurt that the books were published over the course of three decades, meaning that fans of the original were well past adulthood for the majority of the series.
• Signature Scene: It's hard to impress how deeply seared upon the memories of readers is the image of Edith lying across Mr. Bear's lap as his paw raises for a smack. In many cases, it's the only thing people remember about the book.
• Unintentional Uncanny Valley: Straddles the line. Wright was extremely skillful at getting an astonishing range of lifelike poses from her subject, as well as evoking emotions on Edith's static face. In many of her images, Edith resembles a tiny, strangely stunted, but real human child...until you look close enough to see she's not. Probably the major contributor to Edith being remembered as a Creepy Doll.
• Values Dissonance: Since the time of the book's publication, public opinion on corporal punishment has become far more negative, as well as the idea of letting a small child (well, doll) go where she pleases without adult supervision.