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!