A sad story haunts the candidacy of Sarah Palin. One blogger discovered that her daughter Piper misses her -- so much that she was given a doll shaped like her mother.

There have also been commercial dolls based on Alaska's "hockey mom" governor (left) -- including a three-figure set from HeroBuilders.com that includes the satirical Sarah Palin School Girl. But back in Wasilla, there's a sympathetic baby-sitter who remembers when she created a real homemade doll especially for Palin's 7-year-old daughter.

Blogger David Neiwert trekked from Seattle to Alaska to interview locals about the Palin candidacy. He visited Wasilla, where Palin grew up, and met the locals at a nearby bar called the Mug Shot Saloon. But one woman caught his interest, because she was holding a doll dressed like Sarah Palin. The doll wore a pink dress and tiny furry boots, and its stomach had been autographed by the governor...and by her 7-year-old daughter. As the interview progressed, the woman revealed the story behind the doll.

"I made her because I really love the governor. She means a lot to me, and I used to watch her kids." And young Piper had always had one question: Where's my mommy?

On his blog, Neiwert posted a video of the interview -- the doll appears at the 90-second mark -- and told his readers the story's sad conclusion.

"She made a doll that looked like mommy to make her happy."