Children of Japan

Children of Japan
Courtesy, R. John Wright

Hinges and Hearts

Hinges and Hearts
An Exhibit of our Metal Dolls

Tuxedo and Bangles

Tuxedo and Bangles

A History of Metal Dolls

A History of Metal Dolls
Now on Alibris.com and In Print! The First Book of its Kind

Alice, Commemorative Edition

Alice, Commemorative Edition
Courtesy, R. John Wright

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Emma, aka, La Contessa Bathory

Emma, aka, La Contessa Bathory
Her Grace wishes us all a Merry Christmas!

Annabelle

Annabelle

Emma Emmeline

Emma Emmeline
Our New Addition/fond of stuffed toys

Cloth Clown

Cloth Clown

Native American Art

Native American Art

the triplets

the triplets

c. 1969 Greek Plastic Mini Baby

c. 1969 Greek Plastic Mini Baby
Bought Athens on the street

Iron Maiden; Middle Ages

Iron Maiden; Middle Ages

Sand Baby Swirls!

Sand Baby Swirls!
By Glenda Rolle, courtesy, the Artist

Glenda's Logo

Glenda's Logo
Also, a link to her site

Sand Baby Castaway

Sand Baby Castaway
By Glenda Rolle, Courtesy the Artist

A French Friend

A French Friend

Mickey

Mickey
From our friends at The Fennimore Museum

2000+ year old Roman Rag Doll

2000+ year old Roman Rag Doll
British Museum, Child's Tomb

Ancient Egypt Paddle Doll

Ancient Egypt Paddle Doll
Among first "Toys?"

ushabti

ushabti
Egyptian Tomb Doll 18th Dynasty

Ann Parker Doll of Anne Boleyn

Ann Parker Doll of Anne Boleyn

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Tin Head Brother and Sister, a Recent Purchase

Tin Head Brother and Sister, a Recent Purchase
Courtesy, Antique Daughter

Judge Peep

Judge Peep

Hakata Doll Artist at Work

Hakata Doll Artist at Work
From the Museum Collection

Japanese Costume Barbies

Japanese Costume Barbies
Samurai Ken

Etienne

Etienne
A Little Girl

Happy Heart Day

Happy Heart Day

From "Dolls"

From "Dolls"
A Favorite Doll Book

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Jenny Wren

Jenny Wren
Ultimate Doll Restorer

Our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum

Our Friends at The Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum

Baby Boo 1960s

Baby Boo 1960s
Reclaimed and Restored as a childhood Sabrina the Witch with Meow Meow

Dr. E's on Display with sign

Dr. E's on Display with sign

Dolls Restored ad New to the Museum

Dolls Restored ad New to the Museum
L to R: K*R /celluloid head, all bisque Artist Googly, 14 in. vinyl inuit sixties, early celluloid Skookum type.

Two More Rescued Dolls

Two More Rescued Dolls
Late Sixties Vinyl: L to R: Probably Horseman, all vinyl, jointed. New wig. R: Effanbee, probably Muffy, mid sixties. New wig and new clothing on both. About 12 inches high.

Restored Italian Baby Doll

Restored Italian Baby Doll
One of Dr. E's Rescued Residents

Dolls on Display

Dolls on Display
L to R: Nutcrackers, Danish Troll, HItty and her book, Patent Washable, Mechanical Minstrel, Creche figure, M. Alexander Swiss. Center is a German mechanical bear on the piano. Background is a bisque German costume doll.

A Few Friends

A Few Friends
These dolls are Old German and Nutcrackers from Dr. E's Museum. They are on loan to another local museum for the holidays.

Vintage Collage

Vintage Collage
Public Domain Art

The Merry Wanderer

The Merry Wanderer
Courtesy R. John Wright, The Hummel Collection

The Fennimore Doll Museum

The Fennimore Doll Museum

Robert

Robert
A Haunted Doll with a Story

Halloween Dolls Displayed in a Local Library

Halloween Dolls Displayed in a Local Library

The Cody Jumeau

The Cody Jumeau
Long-faced or Jumeau Triste

German Princesses

German Princesses
GAHC 2005

A Little PowerRanger

A Little PowerRanger
Halloween 2004

The Island of the Dolls

The Island of the Dolls
Shrine to Dolls in Mexico

Based on the Nutshell Series of Death

Based on the Nutshell Series of Death
Doll House murder

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A lovely dress

A lovely dress

Raggedy Ann

Raggedy Ann
A few friends in cloth!

Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum, WI

Fennimore Doll and Toy Museum, WI
Pixar Animator's Collection

Little PM sisters

Little PM sisters
Recent eBay finds

Dressed Mexican Fleas

Dressed Mexican Fleas

Really old Dolls!

Really old Dolls!

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

The Tender Hauntings

To paraphrase a former president, there they go again!   Just when you thought it was safe to collect dolls in public, another creepy doll movie hits the theaters.  I have mixed feelings about this type of film.  I have given a conference paper at The Midwest Modern Language Association Convention on Dolls in Horror Movies when the Convention theme was "Play, No, Seriously" and I love "ghoulie/ghostie" dolls at Halloween. I cheerfully reviewed "Creepy A** Dolls" because it was a tongue-in-cheek, funny approach to the subject of haunted dolls.
"Annabelle" is based on an earlier film, "The Conjuring," which was about an allegedly "haunted" Raggedy Ann Doll called Annabelle.  The original doll is now housed in Warren's Occult Museum and is featured in the web museum, "The Haunted Doll Museum."  Annabelle the Raggedy Ann has been called the Devil Doll and other names Johnny Gruelle would not approve of.   The Warrens are an interesting couple who go around exorcising "possesse" objects, and more often than not, acquiring them for their museum. You can find the story at the New England Society for Psychic Research web page.
In the new film, a young couple expecting a baby happen upon a doll with a murderous past.  Mia, the expectant mother, puts the doll in the nursery she is fixing for the new baby, among other beloved dolls in her collection.  Then, of course, the bloody mayhem and destructive activities begin.  Yet, as one review puts it, the film is not really about the doll, anyway; it is just a vehicle for the demonicspirits that possess it.  We know nothing about the dolls value, why it is rare, what kind of doll it is, who made it, etc.
Part of me can't help but wonder if there will be licensed dolls and products from the film.  After all, it is possible to buy Talking Tina from the famous Telly Savalas "Twilight Zone" episode, and the little doll from "Triology of Terror" is also available.  Both are a little pricey, but character and celebrity doll collectors like movie-themed dolls and they do well as cross over collectibles.

The nice folks who run The Haunted Doll Museum on the Web have been very nice to me, and have followed my Tweets, but I confess I don't believe in haunted anything.  It would be nice to sit down with M. Jumeau and M. Bru to talk doll making, and to have tea with Armand Marseilles and Madame Alexander, but I don't believe it will ever happen, either.

In view of the recent media mess in San Clemente with the dolls I call "The Talega 11", I wonder if doll collectors need more "creepy publicity?"

Certainly, I can laugh at myself.  Our local haunted house has a Baby Doll Room, bathed in eerie red light, with zombie babies and skeleton dolls mixed in with all types of vintage dolls invarious stages of repair and disrepair.  One year, when I have time, I'm going to volunteer to be the guide in that room.  I love that room, and all the other animatronics and mechanical Halloween dolls and mannikins  featured.  I love them because they are types of dolls and play a part in doll history and art.  I appreciate the imagination and craftsmanship it took to make them, and to display them.  They don't scare me.  Our local talk show hostess, a celebrity in her own mind if no one else's, made a point of saying to the local movie reviewer that she "hates anything like dolls that move!"  Must be why her staff treated me so rudely when I was a guest representing our local American Association of University Women group with a short program on historical dolls.  Oh well.

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