Toys & Dolls: Blade (Puppet Master) Plush Doll

"He'll kill you with cuteness"

Full Moon Direct very kindly gifted us one of their Blade (Puppet Master) plush dolls for review, but I should point out that this didn't influence my opinion of the toy in any way. 

Blade is the leader of the puppets in the Puppet Master films and one of only 3 characters that appear in every movie in the series. In the films, he's a little creepier and looks more like this:

The doll arrived inside a sturdy cardboard box, packaged in plastic; no other packaging was necessary for a soft toy. I also feel the need to mention that even though Full Moon Direct are located in the US, the shipping time to the UK was only 5 days, which is pretty fast!

The adorable over-sized plush is a creepy-cute version of Blade and all of the character's distinctive features are included, from his white hair to his knife and hook hands. He stands at 12 inches tall, wears a trench coat, trousers, and shoes made of felt and a wide-brimmed hat made of rigid hat felt. The coat and trousers can be removed, if you really feel the need to undress him, but the hat is sewn into place so that it doesn't fall off of his head.

The quality of the doll is great; the materials used are durable and the stitching is well-finished. The only somewhat negative point about him is the hair. It's stitched to his head at the sides, but still looks like hair due to the fake fur fabric used. However, at the base of his head it is left unattached, which means that the edge of the fabric is unfinished and so tiny clumps of fur occasionally fall out along the bottom. That is only very occasionally though, and doesn't detract from the look or durability of the doll.

Overall, Blade is a well-made and unusual plush doll that I would recommend to fans of the Puppet Master franchise or lovers of the "spooky cute" genre. 

↓You can purchase your very own Blade plush doll, for $24.95, from Full Moon Direct below↓

"Blade" Plush Buddy

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Interviews: Kei the Monstar Maker

UK-based blogger, crafter, and Monstar maker, Kei (of Unfortunately Oh!) recently let us into her world of monsters and shared a little of her life as a mad scientist seamstress...

What prompted you to start documenting your crafting projects on Unfortunately Oh! ?
When I first started to post photos of my projects online, people asked me how I made them. This ended up with a couple of tutorial posts and after seeing a number of awesome craft blogs, I decided to follow suit. Unfortunately Oh! was set up as a base where I could share crafting tutorials, though it's morphed into a bit more than that!

Were there any blogs in particular that you found inspiring in the beginning?
I started following a whole bunch of blogs at the same time, but I always found (and still find!) cool stuff on blogs like Flamingo Toes, Dollar Store Crafts, and Can't Stop Making Things

Many of the things you make are not as creepy-cute and scary as a monster. Do you enjoy making darker, spookier creations as a variation?
Yes! I do love dark and spooky things, so it's always fun to make things along that vein! I want to make items along that theme more frequently, it's just a case of fitting it in with the other styles and themes I love.

Have you made other types of dolls / toys before?
When I was a child I had one of those toy-making kits and ended up making a toy cat stuffed with old school tights! Then when I was older, I made a couple of ragdolls based off a pattern I found on the internet. I also customised a few old 11" dolls with paint and hand-sewn outfits, which had more of an alternative theme.

So it's been something of a lifelong hobby then?
Kind of. I've always been encouraged to be creative, but I didn't turn my eyes to toys and dolls until I was around ten or eleven.

How did you come up with the idea for Monstars?
I don't completely remember how I came up with the idea for Monstars. There have been monster-themed dolls in shops but they've always been mass produced and often only in a single colour, never unique. I made my first Monstar, named Percy, using scraps left over from old sewing projects. The name 'Monstars' was inspired by the title of the song, 'MOnsTar eAT CanDy & cHocOLaTo' by Japanese band the fool.

The Polka Dot Terror, a Monstar that found its way to HSL back in 2011

When you start making a Monstar, do you have a specific image in your mind, or do they develop as you progress?
I work using a few home-made patterns and decide upon which fabrics to put together, but details such as the eyes and mouth, any ears/hair, and the occasional third leg, happen as I go along.

That must give you a lot of freedom to make almost any kind of monster you wanted then. Even a teddy-eyed octopus monster or a doll-eyed fish yeti?
Why not!

How long does each one take to make?
About one and a half hours each, sometimes longer if I'm putting in extra details or doing fiddly bits like ears!

Each doll seems to have a personality of their own. Do they have individual back stories?
I'm working on it! They definitely seem to come to life as I make them. I feel a bit like Dr Frankenstein!

If you could bring one of your Monstars to life, Victor Frankenstein-style, which one would it be?
Percy, because he was my very first Monstar. I would like to know if he likes his hair and if he wishes I'd given him a scarf instead of a bow tie.

Percy, the original Monstar (far right)

Is Percy your favourite or does that honour go to someone else?
I don't have favourites, that would be unfair on the rest!

If you had the chance to work with another artist/crafter on a fusion between a Monstar and some of their works, who would you work with and what would you create?
It's a garden dream, but I would love to create a Music/Monstar fusion with the singer/pianist, Jill Tracy. Her music is splendidly dark and delicious! The fusion would be a musical Monstar. The Monstar would be designed to compliment her music and contain a voice box so that when its head is pressed, Jill Tracy's music would flow out.

Finally, could you give a message to our readers who enjoy your work?
My Monstars have loving hearts, so please continue to love them back!

Many thanks to Kei for doing the interview!

Pepe Monstar

If you'd like to see more of Kei's crafts, or to get your hands on a Monstar, check out the links below:
Unfortunately Oh!
Etsy Store

Toys & Dolls: Living Dead Dolls Figurines - Pumpkin

A few days ago, I received an unexpected parcel and inside was this little axe-murderer - Living Dead Dolls Figurine, Pumpkin! (Madame Luciel had bought him for me and sent him as a surprise - thank you!)

Each 2 inch high figure featured in the Living Dead Dolls Figurines collection comes individually packaged and is randomised. The likelihood of getting each one is detailed on the back of the box and that means that there's a 20% chance of getting Pumpkin randomly. I don't usually like it when companies randomly select which figure you get, but on this occasion it made no difference, as I like all of them equally. 

There is, as usual, a very small chance that your box will contain a rare, third version of Eggzorcist. Even though I do like Eggzorcist, there's only so many versions of her a person can have before they start looking the same. However, since I got Pumpkin on this occasion, that wasn't an issue.

Pumpkin comes in 3 parts: the main figure, an axe and two pumpkins that are joined together. The axe fits snugly and easily into his hands and the pumpkins can be placed anywhere around him, as there is no specific slot for them. The dolls that Mezco have released of Pumpkin in the past have all included machetes as his weapon (correct me if I'm wrong, I only have Pumpkin and one variant), so it was a fun change to have him with an axe this time. 

His pose - with one leg out to the side - is a little strange, but it does suggest that he's just about to chop something up, which is probably the point!

Even though it's quite a small figure, it's solid and sturdy, the details are intricate and, along with his oversized head and features, this helps to give Pumpkin a creepy, cute and crazy aesthetic. For example, the blood spatter on the axe and the black lines that draw out the teeth of his deranged smile. 

Overall, Pumpkin is an adorable little maniac and anyone who likes Living Dead Dolls, spooky cute things, or Halloween (as I do) will probably appreciate him a lot!

Art & Dolls: Georgie D'Kay

Hailing from Akron, Ohio, "deviant doll artist" Georgie D'Kay takes unassuming little pretties and transforms them into the brilliantly bizarre beauties known as Little Murderess Dolls and ArachnoKids.  

ArachnoKids

Each serenely scary doll is hand-crafted, meaning every one of them is finished to a high-quality standard and unique. It is unsurprising then that her D'Kay's work has been featured in galleries and collections  including Thirteenth Floor and Oddmall.

Even more impressive than her dolls, are Georgie D'Kay's absolutely gorgeous and amazingly detailed 3D sculptures on canvas, which are both haunting and divine. Particularly wonderful are the macabre "Corpse-Art" pieces 'Red Catrina' and 'Two-Headed Corpse Sculpture', which would make an outstanding adornment to any wall.

To see more delightfully dark artwork, and to keep up to date with Georgie D'Kay's work, be sure to visit the links below:

Georgie D'Kay's Website

Etsy Store

Twitter

Ebay Store

Facebook

Many thanks to Georgie D'Kay for permission to use the images!

Art & Dolls: Steampunk Freddy Krueger by Abomination Nursery

I don't make a secret of the fact that Freddy Krueger is not one of my favourite horror characters. In fact, he pretty much annoyed the hell out of me every time I watched 'A Nightmare on Elm Street'. So when I tell you that I LOVE a Freddy-inspired figure/horror doll, you know it must be fairly amazing! Yes, amazing really is the best way to describe Abomination Nursery's 'Steampunk Freddy' OOAK horror doll.

Steampunk Freddy by Abomination Nursery

The doll is now up for auction on Ebay and there are a multitude of other devilishly dandy shots of 'Steampunk Freddy' accompanying the listing. Abomination Nursery's creations just keep getting better and better. If I had the money, I'd buy this myself!

Steampunk Freddy Krueger Ebay Listing

Abomination Nursery

Dolls & Art: Little Gothic Horrors

After the fun of posting something for the Blogger Zombie Walk, another great part of the event was discovering so many fantastic blogs that I'd never seen before. (If you haven't checked the other blogs out yet, you really should!) One of the afore mentioned wonderful "new" blogs I found was 'Little Gothic Horrors', which belongs to Emma Yardis, an Australian doll artist and purveyor of all things spooky.

Hannah - Victorian Gothic Ghost Art Doll from Little Gothic Horrors

Each "delightfully dark little doll" are handcrafted and based on a pattern that Emma designed herself. You might think that having the same pattern for all the dolls would get boring, but actually the details, colours and fabrics ensure that the Little Gothic Horrors all have their own styles and personality, which is really fantastic.

Yvette - Victorian Gothic Ghost Doll from Little Gothic Horrors

As part of the Blogger Zombie Walk, Emma is currently running a contest to win Zola Zombie, so if you'd want to be in with a chance of winning, simply go to the post on the Little Gothic Horrors blog, and leave a comment that includes the word "zombie". You'll have to hurry though, because the competition ends on October 8th! If you don't happen to win, don't worry! Zola's zombie kin, Zara Zombie, is also available for purchase through the Little Gothic Horrors' Etsy store.

Zara Zombie Art Doll from Little Gothic Horrors

To visit Little Gothic Horrors or to purchase a doll of your own, you can click on the links below↓:

• Little Gothic Horrors Blog
• Little Gothic Horrors Etsy Shop
• Little Gothic Horrors Facebook Page

Books: Tales of the Sisters Kane

I recently received a package, from Kei of Unfortunately Oh! (thank you!), filled with Halloween recipes, spooky brooches she had made and this delightfully strange book. 'Tales of the Sisters Kane' is a collection of cautionary rhyming tales and charming photographs by Christy Kane. The book contains four extended poems:

• Lily...the seamstress
• Polly...the roller skater
• Callalilly...the pianist
• The Triplets...and Wisteria

Lily...the Seamstress by Christy Kane

The tales, which were apparently told to Kane by the dolls she creates and photographs, are peppered with high-contrast, slightly creepy pictures illustrating each unfortunate, but life lesson-teaching fate. (I cannot stress enough how much more beautiful the photographs are in the book compared to the photographs I've taken of them!)

The Triplets...and Wisteria by Christy Kane

The style of the story telling rather reminds me of authors/artists like Edward Gorey, mixed with traditional dark fairytales such as Hansel and Gretel. However, despite that slight reminiscence, this book is very unique, unusual and is definitely one to check out if you enjoy child-like, creepy fables mixed with original and spooky art.

Callalilly...the Pianist by Christy Kane

One of the stories, 'Callalilly...the Pianist', has also been made into a great short film by Jerrold Ridenour, which features The Sisters Kane themselves:

Christy Kane:

"About the Author:

Christy Kane graduated from NYU with a degree in photography.

She has been creating dolls and documenting their happenings

for centuries. To learn more or inquire about purchasing a doll of

your very own visit www.christykane.com "

Christy Kane

Art & Dolls: 'Dig Deep' Holy Death Assemblage by Ugly Shyla

'Dig Deep' by Ugly Shyla

'Dig Deep' is the darkly beautiful, hand-crafted death assemblage, designed and made by Ugly Shyla.

"TITLE: Dig DeepMEDIUM: Vintage gauze fabric fabric,ceramic,glaze and a wooden frame.COSTUME: A stained gauze.SIZE: 13 X 11 inches.NOTES: Assemblage is to be displayed hanging on a wall.The figure stands out a bit from the frame so it looks like she is almost floating out of the frame.Behind the Death figure's head it says "I am trapped in a hole I can't dig my way out of."Piece was partially inspired by Santa Muerte http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Muerte "

The absolutely gorgeous piece is now available on Etsy:

'Dig Deep' Holy Death Assemblage

Whilst you're there, make sure to take a look at some of Ugly Shyla's other pieces too as there are many darkly beautiful items in her Etsy store.

Ugly Shyla's Website:

http://uglyart.net/

Toys, Dolls & How-To Guides: Creepy Little Yarn Dolls

My yarn dolls

Kei of Unfortunately Oh! recently sent me a link to a tutorial, from Dollar Store Crafts, on how to make yarn "voodoo dolls". Since I collect voodoo dolls & toys related to them, I thought it would be great fun to try making some of my own voodoo doll toys and to share a how-to guide here on HSL! Mine came out looking rather different to the DSC one, but that's the great thing about these - they're so customisable! I also chose to make a decoration from mine, using an old light fitting that I had, but you could adapt them to go on necklaces, keychains, or anything else that takes your fancy too.

You will need:

• Yarn or string (colour of your choice)
• Needle and thread (same colour as yarn)
• Thin, bendable wire (colour does not matter as it will be covered)
• Sponge, cotton wool balls or foam (for the head)
• Scissors
• Glue (either hot glue or PVA glue, not super glue, as some super glue contains chemicals that melt yarn fibres. Although it fuses it together really well, it smokes and, if you use too much, it can cause a hole)
• Buttons & decorations
• Something to attach your doll(s) to *Optional*

Tutorial after the cut below↓:

Photography: Mariel Clayton's Killer Dolls

Hello there little monsters~!

Today I want to show you an unusual view of the famous Barbie dolls!

"A doll photographer with a subversive sense of humour. I'm not a man-hater, I wasn't abused as a child, I'm not 'dark' or 'disturbed' or 'mentally scarred'... I just find certain things funny."

That's how Mariel Clayton introduces herself, before taking us to a world where the sweet Barbie hides some dirty secrets behind that plastic smile!

I'm particularly fascinated by her photography, so I hope you all enjoy these pictures as much as I do! Though, maybe, you will end up taking your dolls out of the room before sleeping, just in case...

'Ole'

'Two heads are better than one but it takes 4 to reach the cookie jar'

'I told you what would happen if you touched my chocolate'

'F is for Facinorous'

'B is for Brochette'

'Play Nicely With Daddy Part 3 ...now now, you know he doesn't need a delicate cycle'

'She loves dinner parties...the leftovers last for days.

'Failure to Perform'

'Modern Maternity'

If you want to see more of this awesome photographer's pictures, just visit the official website! http://www.thephotographymarielclayton.com/

Toys & Art: Abomination Nursery Pinhead Doll

Pinhead 14" Custom Doll

Abomination Nursery currently have a few new dolls on display on their website, including this rather wonderful custom of Pinhead from 'Hellraiser'. The doll is 14" tall, made of vinyl and features real metal pins in the head. The outfit, too, is custom-made.

Pinhead Close-up

I don't know about you, but I think he looks way more sinister in doll form! To see more shots of this doll, or view the rest of the pieces from Abomination Nursery, check their Official Website.