A Bientot
Photographing and writing about black dolls in scenes where blacks don’t normally appear in mainstream media depictions of American life played a big role in preparing me for this new journey. The...
View ArticleRetail Therapy
I was homesick every day while I was in Senegal. One of the things I missed the most was shopping in big box retail outlets where prices are clearly marked and you can touch the merchandise without...
View ArticleLions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!
If any interesting clone faces came out last year, I missed them while I was in Senegal. This year, however, I have been pleased to find several new clone face molds. This lady is a Lovely Patsy...
View ArticleWomen of Color Re-bodied
"Any idea why Xenobia asked us to meet her here in the grotto?""Not a clue..." "but here come Carmila and Mircala. Maybe Xenobia was more forthcoming with them.""Wow! Fearsome frocks! I didn't know...
View ArticleDressed to Thrill
These days some of the most interesting character and fashion design work for dolls is showing up in the Goth realm. Mattel's Monster High and Everafter High, Lovely Patsy's Midnight Magic, Playhut's...
View ArticleCollector's United Doll Show 11/01/14
Last Saturday I attended the Collector's United Doll Show in Marietta, Georgia. My first purchase was this early Janay.I'm not sure if this is her original outfit. She did not have shoes so we...
View ArticleWhen First We Practice to Deceive
"Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my dress?"In 2011 Mattel announced a doll election to determine which of three prototype Monster High characters to produce for sale. Headless...
View ArticleMidnight Blonde
I always knew I was a princess in disguise.Even though I had monstrously big feet, glasses, and unmanageable hair I was determined to find my happily everafter.I studied screenwriting so I could make...
View ArticleeCommerce
Back in the nineties I read a book about digicash that sounded like pure science fiction. I was still getting used to using ATMs. These days you can pay with your phone in many stores. You don't...
View ArticleGossamer Gowns
As I noted in an early post entitled "Sewing for Skipper," one of the most important things I gained from playing with dolls as a child was sewing skills. I therefore tend to look askance at "no sew"...
View ArticleDate Night
"Can't you turn that thing off for one minute? You promised me you would leave work at the office this evening.""I was just muting the phone so it won't ring while we're in the movie.""So we agreed on...
View ArticleFrankenfairies
I always loved the Disney Fairies' curvy little bodies. (left -- posable Tinkerbell, right -- original Tinkerbell)"If only they had articulated legs," I often sighed. Even vinyl legs with click knees...
View ArticleGirls Gone Goth
Once they got comfortable with their new bodies, my frankenfairies wanted new clothes, of course. Disney used to make fashion packs for the fairies but these days the only way to get new ensembles is...
View ArticleAt Your Service
In recent years I have been gratified to see re-tellings of fairy tales like "Sleeping Beauty" that give the heroines more agency and even present a sympathetic view of powerful women who have been...
View ArticleWhere the Boys Are -- Joelanta 2015
The protagonists of the 1960 film, “Where the Boys Are” headed south to Fort Lauderdale for their spring break but this year I went north to Appalachia. I spent two weeks at the Hambidge Center,...
View ArticleWhere the Boys Are -- Joelanta 2015 part 2
Animator Jeremy Fisher When Jeremy Fisher was about 12, he became fascinated with stop motion animation after seeing the “Star Wars” movie. He began animating his Star Wars action figures to...
View ArticleLe Geek C'est Chic
A couple weeks ago Debbie of Black Doll Collecting shared images of new Sparkle Girlz fashions she had spotted. I went to 4 different Walmarts to track them all down. Then I rounded up some students...
View ArticleIntuitive Impulses
"Go here!" insists a small voice in my head. Whenever I listen to it, I usually find some wonderful doll treasure at an incredible price so I have learned to heed my intuition. On a recent trip to...
View ArticleMore Than Ever
When Celeste Honorée first appeared in "The Spice of Life: Part 2" back in September 2012, she was watching her mother, Yvette prepare for a blind date with a certain Mr. Guidry. Now Yvette has...
View ArticleSilky Straight
We wear the mask that grins and lies,It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,--observed Paul Laurence Dunbar on the conditions of life in the Jim Crow era. While Dunbar achieved fame and financial...
View ArticleExploring the Phyllis Hirsch Boyson Artifact Collection
The week of August 9th– 16th I attended the Puppeteers of America national festival at the University of Connecticut. I spent seven days participating in puppetry workshops and attending puppet...
View ArticleA Little Piece of Leather
One reason I haven’t posted in a while is there haven’t been any dolls on the market I could get excited about. The evolution of Barbie to include tall, curvy, and petite body types is an encouraging...
View ArticleIn the Eye of the Beholder
Long about this time last year the puppet bug bit me hard. Nita traveled with me to the Puppeteers of America Festival last summer.I became a docent at the new Worlds of Puppetry museum in the Center...
View ArticleI-DOLL-atry: Part One
If a doll is a still image of ourselves reflected in the eyes of society and a puppet is the moving image, which muse do I serve in my quest to represent all members of the human family in the best...
View ArticleI-DOLL-atry: Part Two
In addition to the regular show and auction, this year’s NIADA conference included a show at the Principle Gallery on King Street in Alexandria, VA. Viewing the works in this setting underscored the...
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