Happy Halloween!

It has a been a cool, brisk, and green Halloween; tomorrow is The Day of the Dead. I found the skeleton family of dolls on sale at Michaels, along with the Lemax houses. I bought the family, and was very pleased. Today, at our local flea market, I found a Ginger with outfits and marked Hangers, and an HP Pam with original shoes, hat, dress, etc. I found a great cross stitch of Little Women, framed and matted, and two of the very small Nancy Ann HP dolls with original outfits. They are my best examples of this size. There was also a tiny doll watch to fit a Saucy Walker, in an original package.

The dealer has been an acquaintance and friend for a very long time. Her mother used to dress dolls and her father proudly told all her customers that his wife made the outfits. I bought several outfits that her mother made, and relived the memories. We first met her at the same flea market. I also found an art deco Strombecker corner table in its original box. Later, I found our local stamp club show, and won the door prize, a Lincoln stamp worth over $250.00! I was very, very excited, and it was my best stamp ever. I won it nearly the moment I walked in.

Outside, the scarecrow and Halloween decoration dolls reigned. It was clearly their evening. I dressed as The Black Dahlia last night, and one of my black haired dolls actually snaps in two and back together. I dressed her in a two-piece black felt dress decorated with white flowers. After the party, I snapped her back together; she is restored and redressed, and only needs a new pair of black heels. Half of her was a brooch, and half a necklace, to go with my black velvet dress.

Hoping to view new American Girls and outfits, soon. I also have more dolls to dress from my Uber great restoration project. Life has been very busy, and I hope to make some holiday ornamnents from pressed leaves, another passion.

Happy Halloween, Blessed Samhain, Blessed Day of the Dead and All Saints and All Souls Days.

Till Next time.

Historical Dolls

It's been a good haul for the museum again. We found our first Porcelain Marie Osmond doll, and a very nice Boyd's doll, and of course, a porcelain Adora Belle. Then, never seen before, a hard plastic, mechanical CPK and a mechancial Bratz girl joined the family. We alsol found an all brass dancer from India, arms outstretched, and a small figural bell, also from India, with a Bridegroom figure on top. Many procelain costume dolls and clowns, a few foreign dolls, some plush characters and another bear or two have also found their way to the hallowed halls of Dr. E's Doll Museum.

We will be setting up exhibits in a sister museum of nutcrackers and German dolls and characters, as well as a later display of Barbie, Lili, and friends.

In the spring, we will have a travelling show of dolls representing historical women. Today, my doll of Boudicca, from our friends at Uneek Designs comes to mind. Such a perfect miniature, and of one of my favorite all time historical women. She will be part of the show for sure. The graphic of her is one of my favorites, another strong warrior woman, mother, leader, soldier, full of courage, brave so that even her enemies write of her with admiration. Isn't thathat the way to go?

Autumn is a good time for historical women dolls. There are female ghosts, and Prisilla Aldens, and Pochohontas dolls of all types. There are Erzebeth Bathory's and Brides of the Monster, Elvira, witches, especially the famous
Titutbas and others from Salem. There is Evangeline, and the Cornhusk doll with her apple head and gourd sisters, the ephemeral and eclectic Jaqueline O'Lantern and her fmaily, the Dried Fruit sisters, the dolls of famous maker made by other famous women, my penpal Suzanne Gibson, the late Ann Parker, The Grand Dames, Ruth Handler, Madame Alexander, Miss Elsa, Dame Peggy Nisbet, and Miss Walker, Miss Chase, and Miss Ginny Graves. So many, including Sister Innocentia, and Madame Lenci, Fraulein Steiff, the elusive Marjorie Spangler and Christmas Christina. We love them all. We love the corncob dolls of Laura and Mary, Miss Hickory and Hitty, The Doll of Lilac Valley, Sethany and Nicey, and all of them.

Happy Fall, and Happy Halloween!

Halloween Dolls and other Ideas

For more tips and holiday idehttp://dresgreening.blogspot.com/as, see my blog on tips for living green.

Today it feels like October. It is getting colder, and darker early, and there has been a spooky, misty rain. Check out Dr. E’s Greening Tips for the Common Person, my other blog as well. You can google the title and find it easily. There are photos of dolls and vintage art there, as well. I’ve also posted tips for making holiday cakes and for making miniature terrariums and dolls of natural materials. There are also ideas for homemade and craft gifts for the holidays.

I’ve been checking around the stores for great holiday and Halloween decorations and dolls. The miniature houses and accessories at Michaels still rock, as do the Dept. 56 houses and accessories. A personal favorite in my collection is a light up house entitled “Vampire Attorney” office, which was part of our local vampire display. I also have preserved as gingerbread and cookie house, bought over twenty years ago at Marshall Fields. Next would by my Elvira and Grim Reaper dolls, and the dressed skeletons my mom and I bought, but also knitted and sewed for. We have brides and grooms, Ophelia who sings “Fright Wedding” to the tune of “White Wedding,” our Puffkins and Beanie Babies and Bean Sprouts witches and ghosts, and an assortment of scarecrow dolls with pumpkin heads. My late friend, my dear Greg, would bring me cornhusk dolls to display together in baskets, and beaded miniatures to wear at Harvest. I also love the wax candles I’ve blogged about earlier, and my witches, many of which came from Salem, MA itself!

The museum has a small collection of voodoo dolls and magic dolls from around the world, and we have large mechanical Frankenstein’s monster and various other images, including one of our newest additions, The Golem of Prague. We love our living dead dolls, especially Erzebet, and our MacFarlane toys Six Faces of Madness figures. Personally, I love my carved masks from around the world, but my husband won’t let me display some of them, and my Dia de Muertos figures. We have a mechanical zombie baby and a Spasm, the Emaciated Prisoner, who shakes and moans. She is wearing some of my clothes, and a tasteful hat and slippers. I can’t bear to leave her cold and suffering. She sits on one of my beds with other dolls, but again, my husband won’t look at her! Of course, there are the doll horror films like the Chucky films, Dolls [my favorite], Dead Silence, and Interview with the Vampire, as well as Audrey Hepburn in Wait until Dark, and a scene with doll in the mini series Tommyknockers. Dolls are at their eeriest this time of year, and it is fun to collect them and look for them. Annalee Dolls makes wonderful Halloween editions, and so does Mattel. We have quite an assortment of Halloween and Wizard of Oz Barbies, as well as Cruella De Ville, and also doll versions Dracula, Twilight characters, the Universal Monsters, and Maleficent. We even have the Bride of the monster and a tiny Nosferatu, and the famous Hunchbear of Notre Dame. We love our monsters at the museum, and we love Halloween. Now is also a great time to visit The Shelter for Misfit Dolls online. Google the name. Happy, spooky dolling!

Thank you

Thank you to all my Twitter followers, and thanks to the over 1250 who have viewed this blog and the over 300 people who have viewed my other blog with living green tips for the common person. You all inspire me to keep writing, and keep on with the museum plans, though I confess life is getting in the way big time. This is a sad, elegiac time of year, and I see the lost faces of those I love in the dolls they have made for me, dressed for me, and given me. My mother and grandmother used to sew Halloween costumes for me, and for my dolls, and they made rag dolls and doll quilts and doll clothes. I still prefer my mothers handmade Barbie clothes, and I marvel the Christmas she made little boots and maxi coats of faux leather, brocade evening gowns, velvet skirts and dotted swiss blouses with bead and ribbon trim, while she taught seven classes every day, came home, cooked, kept me entertained, and graded papers incessantly. Dolls are so much more than just collectibles or investment items to me; they are the symbols of her love. They mean motherhood and family and creativity and even sacrifice of valuable time. When I think of getting rid of the all of them and of the whole museum idea, they seem to reproach me, and the spirits of those who have loved me so well in better times seem to say, "haven't we been through worse than this, and haven't we seathered the storm?"

Now is a good time to look for craft dolls and holiday dolls of all types. Many stores will have Hallwoeen items on sale, some at 40 or 50% off. There are more estate sales, and last of the season yard sales, and of course, the wonderful catalogs that come out. I love Design Toscano and Sadigh Gallery for ancient dolls and replicas of ancient dolls, and miss the old Marshall Fields, Sears, Wards, and Enchanted Doll House catalogs. Mark Farmer used to have a great doll catalog, as did Shopping International. Thse are now colletible items in themselves. American Girl has always had a good catalog, and Harriet Carter, Doll Masters, Standard Doll, and Mangelsen's still have great ones. I also loved Lynne's Miniatures, Shackman, and Federal Smallwares, and there was the wonderful Doll Talk from Kimport.

Online shopping is great; I swear by Etsy, but I miss those in hand catalogs that served as great paper doll sources, and alter, as great research sources.

Thanks to our friends at The Haunted Doll Museuma and site, and to those who loyally follow this blog. Till next time.

Dr. E.

City Wide Yard Sales

Today I attended the first of these in my area. I was surprised at how many were participating. The entire community center was filled with tables, better even than our Antique Show and Holiday Craft Fairs. I did very well; at the end, folks were generously giving things away, and I was able to pick up good prizes for school. I found a wonderful antique wall pocket, many fine pieces of china, vintage dolls in original clothing and shoes, another metal doll house, this an L-shaped ranch with patio graphics, and lots of great furniture to go with it. I found some old paper ephermera, Boyds bears for $2 each, and trains for our special civic project. One of the dealers was a lady who, with her late husband, ran our own Lighthouse Antiques, now defunct over 30 years. My mom and I had great memories of going there and buying bisque Nancy Anns for $.50 and many wonderful old dolls, including pincushions, and composition Shirleys and Shirley twins, Horseman, foreign dolls, you name it. The dealer remembered me; her husband, and my mom, are now gone. It was very bittersweet for me. I remembered how excited my mom and I were when the compo doll with the cute face we turned over had the Shirley Temple mark on the back. We researched and cleand up every doll. My mom lovingly dressed them, and one Shirley twin was a look alike of the doll she had to leave behind in Europe. She often washted them up, and put them on our evergreens to dry in the summer. She and my uncle would laugh and laugh, because I would be playing under the bushes, in their shade, oblivous to the fact that the dolls, often birthday presents, were drying right above me. I guess it is true that hiding something in the open makes the best hiding place.

It was very emotional for me, and I remember my mother having such a good time. She had met this lady herself about ten years ago at another flea market, but once again the dolls bring back family memories. I still have all of the dolls from the LH. the museum is proud to have them.

YouTube and Doll Museums

There are some great museums on YouTube, including Musee de la Poupee, and our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum Surf, use doll musem, names of doll museums, doll collections, Barbie, G.I. Joe, Toy Museums, etc. Have Fun. Here is one link for Musee de la Poupee:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHeWDieibag&feature=related

New Followers and Autumn Blogs

Welcome to our new follower, and thanks to the over 1000 folks who have viewed ups here at the museum. The inhabitants and I are very happy. Too, a trip to one of my favorite rural doll shops over the Spoon River Drive weekend and stocked up on shoes and stockings for Margaret's orphan dolls. They are shaping up quite nicely; they wouldn't recognize themseves! I will somehow get some photos on the blog for everyone to see. Genevieve Angione was right; all dolls really are collectible.

We had a great time at our Pen In Hand research for fiction session, and I brought examnples of research files I put together in accordion files or binders for Tasha Tudor, the metal doll book, examples of doll reader and old toy catalogs I love to use. The whole group was very enthusiastic. I was reading and rereading the Kromholz book on German dolls and her trips to sites and factories. I recommend her work highly; she is very informative and is now self-publishing her book on china dolls. She leaves no stone unturned, which I appreciate.

The outdoor dolls, or garden statutes, are slowly finding their way indoors for the winter, though we are enjoying a late summer. I'm very pleased to be sitting in my favorotie coffee bar, blogging away. I feel very literary, and also thrilled to have The Haunted Doll following us on Twitter.

I saw many new and interesting dolls at Toys R. Us on our pre-Christmas window shopping trip. Monster High is still my favorite, but the various Barbies are excellent. I just read All Dolled Up, and highly recommend it. I will post my poem Fishwife Barbie here; it is not pornographic, but parents, it may be a bit much for young kids. I love Barbie, in all her manifestations. I included Marge Piercy's poem "Barbie Doll" in the bibliography. I hope both my books will soon be out. There were great 20 inch plus sized Alexanders, and a variety of doll clothes. I also have my eye on the different varieties of the Fisher Price doll house, and certain lego and playtmobil sets.

At the Christian book store, Zondermann's, the Life of Faith dolls are gone, but there were still a few God's Girlz. There were great action figures, some representing nativities. All had cloth clothing, but were a little pricey. I also fell in love with a Fisher Price Little People nativity.

Have found some tiny metal dolls of lead and brass that are very interestig, one an old woman sitting in a red metal rocker, separate from her body. She is not Amish. Another is a 5 inch English brass bell, with molded clothing and headdress in the style of Elizabeth I.

At Spriit of Halloween, I saw mechanical and nonmechanical zombie babies; so frightful they are cute. I was able to buy one last year, but the variety is even better. There were also a couple of evil clowns that were intersting, and the usual life-sized Hellraiser and Jason figures.

There are also many more dolls and figures for Thanksgiving, which makes me happy, including some that seem to be inspried by the art of Ellen H. Clapsaddle. She is worth googling if you love Victorian postcards. Her biography as a 19th c. female artist is also very cool and puts her incompany with Rose O'Neill, Maude Humphrey Bogart, Grace Storey Putnam, and others.

Happy autumn dolling. More reports as I get catalogs and get out to view more holiday dolls.

The Museum Curator!

Vampire Dolls

Hereis a poem; I'm going to upload some photos of vampire dolls in honor of the season. The poem is original; I wrote it and will soon publish it. It is inspried by tales of Erzebet Bathory, the Vampire Countess.


Vampyre

Victims, my victims? Or victims of ignorance and gloom?
Amnesty, for me none, family, friends, mother, father, gone
Mountains between me and freedom ,caverns wall me up
Pity, is there none? Promise of justice, of freedom? None?
Youth misspent, mine and others, games and frolics misunderstood
Revenge of old enemies, robbery and mayhem of my father’s castle
Enigma, mystery, shrouds of truth, freedom, honor and justice

Vampire Dolls

Here is a poem; I'm going to upload some photos of vampire dolls in honor of the season. The poem is original; I wrote it and will soon publish it. It is inspried by tales of Erzebet Bathory, the Vampire Countess.


Vampyre

Victims, my victims? Or victims of ignorance and gloom?
Amnesty, for me none, family, friends, mother, father, gone
Mountains between me and freedom ,caverns wall me up
Pity, is there none? Promise of justice, of freedom? None?
Youth misspent, mine and others, games and frolics misunderstood
Revenge of old enemies, robbery and mayhem of my father’s castle
Enigma, mystery, shrouds of truth, freedom, honor and justice

Macabre Musings

We at the Museum love haunted dolls, and spooky dolls, and all kinds of dolls. We are a home and repository for all kindred spirits. We also adore our Dia de Muertos friends. We hope to adopt a haunted doll soon. What is your doll wearing this Halloween?

We also love comments; welcome to the 1000+ doll folk who have viewed us. We hope to have up a web museum of metal dolls first, and other dolls later, very soon.

Don't turn your back; it's Halloween, and the dolls may come alive at night!

Ningyo Kuyo - Temples where Dolls are Burned in Japan

This is a festival celebrated September 25th in Japan. Dolls are blessed in Buddhist or Shinto temples; supposedly as worn out objects, but many gorgeous dolls are destroyed as well. I've read articles where the most valuable and lovely dolls are not cremated, but displayed. In keeping with the spirit of the season, I mention them and will post some photos. I knew I was having a bad day on the 25th!

Haunted Doll Musuem

In the Spirit of the Season; here is The Haunted Doll Museum Gallery. http://www.hauntedamericatours.com/museum/hauntedDOLL.htm

Haunted Dolls and Dolls of Horror

Here is a link for an eBay review on buying Haunted Dolls; nope, I'm not kidding. "Tis" the season! There are dolls on eBay and on websites describint them, which are reputed to be haunted and to host paranormal activity. Personall? No, I don't believe it, but I'm interested in dolls in all aspects of peoples' lives. These are certainly intresting histories connected with the items I love to collect. There is also the story of Robert the Doll, which can be googled. Rilke, the great poet, was a little afraid of dolls; they reminded him of corpses, but he also said that to him, they were alive, but also very dead. Freud, that great collector of ancient artifacts, figurines, and yes, a few of them dolls, also felt that dolls were uncanny, and Eva Marie Simms has written a great essay on Freud and the dolls entitled, "Uncanny Dolls." It can be found through google, too.

The creepiest dolls I've seen besides the Halloween figures and animatronics are the custom-made historical figures by Headless Historicals, and a series of altered porcelain vampire dolls that have real, sharpened human dentures fixed into their little bloody doll mouths.

Also, though cached, I love The Shelter for Misfit dolls hosted by The Little Dead Gyrl. I've tried contacting her, but no luck. The site was last updated over six years ago.

Ah well...

I spoke of spooky dolls earlier, and I'm on the hunt for new examples to add to my collection. Halloween Barbies are always favorites, and I love the new Horror High School series, and any of The Universal Studios Monsters. The Twilight and Dr. Who figures are great, especially by Tonner, who also makes the great Goth girls. I've also seen Barbie sized Brides of Dracula, and who can forget Corpse Bride?

Mego and other companies produced wonderful monster dolls that were jointed at then neck, elbows, knees, shoulders, and hips. These were all well-costumed. McFarlane toys makes the terrifc monsters from film as wellas the six faces of madness dolls/figures which include Erzebet Bathory, the Blood Countess. There are lovely pumpkin figures and witches at Tuesday Morning, Marshalls, and TJ MAXX, and terrific Native American figures and pilgrims, some very large, at major department stores including Younkers, Dillards, Von Maur, Macy's, and others. Target always has a nice selection.

More and more places are stocking authentic Day of the Dead figures, and sugar skulls and animals. These are also featured in the animated feature Ray Bradbury's "The Halloween Tree," with Bradbury narrating. There are a lot of Great Pumpkin and Peanuts dolls and figures for this time of year as well. At the museum, we plan galleries of horror dolls and Halloween dolls. I can't wait to display all my witches, vampies, ghouls, monsters and demons together. I'm especially fond of the vampires and of Elvira herself.

We spent time decorating for Halloween today, and my twelve foot, hanging pirate is holding court from his favorite tree. I have a few more scarecrows to put out, but we are nearly through. The lighted figures will go out Halloween night. Let's not forget the carved pumpkins, gourds, figural cookies and Jack O'Lanterns. They, too, though ephemeral, are dolls and relatives of dolls. They play their part in doll and Halloween history well.

As far as really scary dolls, I've been restoring quite a group, which were the kind gift to me from my dear friend Margaret. They were damaged by water, but she did want to toss them. Don't blame her; I never toss a doll, other things, sure, dolls, no. I've truly proved I've never met a doll I didn't like. They looked haunted and creepy, and their little eyes were cloudy and cracked in some cases. I scrubbed and scrubbed with gloves on, using steel wool, windex, Febreze, soap, water, and nail polish remover. I let them dry in the sun, and washed their hair. I'm now finding wigs, clothes, and shoes. Little by little, they are being reclaimed. No, I won't sell them. They are proof that one should never give up. These were dolls from the 40s through 70s. I learned that hard plastic dolls wear better than any, and that expensive vinyl, Vogue, Royal, quality Eegee, suffers far more from damp and is harder to clean. Who knew?

I hope to go on a fall scenic drive or two next week before it is over; I have my favorite doll places there, too. Don't be spooked by your dolls, though I admit my toddler Leatherface from Living Dead Dolls gives me a turn; I prefer him put away in his box, wrapped in a bag, on a high shelf! Sometimes at night, I think I hear the hum of a tiny chainsaw ...

But, Chucky, Freddy, The Cryptkeeper Dracula, these are old friends! My husband will not let me display some of my handcarved masks and animatronics, especially Spasm the Emaciated prisoner. Poor Spasm was given a new wardrobe, complete with hand embroidered sweater, vintage hat and knitted slippers. And, of course, there is my two-headed baby, Frederica the painted skeleton, my Alien queen in a red knitted dress, the dancing maggot, all these have outfits, scarves, and accessories knitted and crocheted by my Mom, whose comment in Marie Leveau's House of Voodoo when I as buying Voodoo dolls was, "Cute." I miss her terribly; she understood. Happy Halloween!