Jezebel: Dolls

Adorable Doll Protests Piss Off Russian Police

Anna North — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 11:55:00 EST

Protesters in Russia say, "the authorities' attempt to limit citizens' rights to express their position has become absurd." So they decided to absurd right back — by staging a protest whose participants are dolls. The various teddy bears, Lego people, and South Park characters are positioned in the snow in the city of Barnaul, holding signs that say things like "I'm for clean elections." The hearts of local police, however, are not warmed by this display of plaything civic engagement. Says Barnaul deputy police chief Andrei Mulintsev, "Political opposition forces are using new technologies to carry out public events -– using toys with placards at mini-protests. In our opinion, this is still an unsanctioned public event." We hope he also repeated this in a teeny-weeny voice so the dolls could understand. More »

Watch a Robot and a Doll Court and Marry Each Other in New Ad

Doug Barry — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 18:00:00 EST

A Filipino company called Manikako that teaches kids how to make their own dolls out of old clothes and other recycled materials collaborated with Energizer, Revolver, Post Manila and TBWA\SMP to create a WALL-E-esque ad that Adrant describes as "a charming love story," but that I find borderline creepy. Just borderline, though. I guess the ad's message is sweet but is it really productive to tell kids that the only way a sad, lonely robot can find happiness is that if it enters into the marriage contract? (Winston Wu would most certainly not approve.) And what does the doll see in the robot? All the robot does is mope, mope, mope. I don't know, I feel like they'd be just as happy in a civil union, but points to Manikako for celebrating the differences that can draw our alienated robot selves together. More »

Barbie Goes Black Market in Iran

Anna North — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:15:00 EST

The latest casualty of worsening Iran-US relations is Barbie. The Iranian government is apparently cracking down on the sale of the popular perma-heeled doll, forcing some dealers underground. More »

You Will Never Be Able to Cuddle With the Steve Jobs Doll

Cassie Murdoch — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:20:00 EST

After introducing a much-anticipated 12-inch Steve Jobs doll, the company that designed it has said it will not to sell the figurine after all. Bummer. It looked awesome and even had the black turtleneck and could hold onto a tiny apple! The company, In Icons, had originally said that they'd bring the doll to market no matter what Apple did to try to stop them, but they've now relented and issued this statement about the decision: More »

The Campaign to Make Barbie Bald

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 11:40:00 EST

Plenty of Barbie dolls have ended up bald after falling into the clutches of a nasty little brother, but now there's an online movement to have Mattel release a Barbie who's intentionally hairless. The hope is that the doll could make girls who've suffered hair loss due to cancer treatments, Alopecia or Trichotillomania feel less self-conscious, and teach other children that there's no reason to gawk at people who've lost their hair. There doesn't seem to be a down side to making the doll, but for some reason Mattel is resisting. More »

How To Give Barbie An Afro (And Call It A Halo Instead)

Kristl Smith Tyler — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 18:00:00 EST

People who were part of the Black Pride movement of the 1960s also took pride in wearing their hair natural instead of using straightening combs or chemical relaxers. Their pride in African culture was an Afro-centric view that really shook (read: terrified) most middle-class Americans. The way they wore their hair was soon dubbed an "Afro," which was shorthand for Afro-centric. More »

Crazy Bitch Doll Is This Year's Hottest Toy

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:12:00 EST

Many toys have a surprising amount of rage that gets let loose when someone installs a device that lets them speak. Now Toys"R"Us is under attack after several parents noticed that the store's "You & Me Interactive Play and Giggle Triplet Dolls" say "Okay, crazy bitch." The store refuses to pull the dolls from shelves because it insists they're just speaking in "baby babble." Most people are appropriately enraged by this attempt to corrupt children's minds, but when asked for comment by KDVR Denver, one mom shrugged off the news, saying, "there are bigger issues in the world to worry about." Unbelievable. We're talking about a doll that makes a noise that sort of sounds like a bad word. There is absolutely no bigger issue in the world today! More »

Barbie Ditches Ken For New Girlfriend Ellen DeGeneres

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 22:48:00 EST

Barbie has a "Fairy Secret," though it won't come as a surprise to any girl who's noticed that no matter how you contort Barbie and Ken, all of their sexual positions are extremely stiff and awkward. According to the cover of this sticker book, America's Favorite Doll has run off with Ellen DeGeneres. We'd like to celebrate Barbie finally coming out of the closet, but we can't support what these two are doing to Ellen's lovely wife Portia. More »

Hipster Paper Doll Is Too Cool For Actual Paper

Whitney Jefferson — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 14:05:00 EST

For 30 seconds' worth of enjoyment, perhaps check out Hipster Dress Up, a web app that allows you to dress a hipster "paper" doll — boy or girl — in a variety of fashions straight out of an Urban Outfitters. Though if you live in the right neighborhood, it might be more entertaining to just sit on your stoop, staring and pointing. More »

Relive The Royal Wedding With Horribly Disfigured Pippa & Kate Middleton Dolls

Margaret Hartmann — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 23:50:00 EST

Finally, little girls can imagine that their sister is marrying into a wealthy family of meaningless figureheads with the new $49.95 Pippa Middleton fashion doll. Herobuilders also sells a Kate Middleton doll for the same price, though it's actually just a Pippa doll in a generic gown. We recommend you invest $189.95 in the deluxe Kate doll instead. The "handmade replica of her wedding dress" looks like it was stitched together out of a dinner napkin, but at least it covers up the bulky elbow joints and nipply G.I. Joe torso. More »

Barbie's Surprising Resemblance To The Playboy Bunnies Of Her Time

Whitney Jefferson — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:20:00 EDT

Some parents are up in arms about the latest, tattooed hipster Barbie that's sure to be a hit this Christmas, but maybe they should channel their anger into this, instead: a chart that makes a pretty interesting case for Barbie's looks mirroring those of Playboy's Playmate of the Year. Oh yes.

Dreamy New Vogue Italia Editorial Features Puppets

Jenna Sauers — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EDT

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Kiris Pyrhonen and Audrey Marnay are life-sized wind-up-doll-puppet-toy-creatures in Tim Walker's latest 15-page editorial for Vogue Italia. This is far from a new idea for a fashion editorial to explore — but Walker executes it beautifully. More »

Meet TLC's Latest, Doll-Obsessed Star

Whitney Jefferson — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:40:00 EDT

Meet Marilyn Mansfield, a woman who we assume took the names of Marilyn Monroe and Jane Mansfield and who also happens to own over 500 "reborn dolls." (Yes, those kinds of dolls.) So is it any surprise that TLC recruited her for their latest reality offering, My Collection Obsession? Of course it's not. More »

The 10 Most Horrifying Reborn Dolls

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 16:00:00 EDT

Reborns — dolls that are made to look as realistic as possible — are an endless source of fascination. We've seen clips of My Fake Baby; the pages of Doll Reader; coverage on morning TV shows; and so on. But which of these oh-so-lifelike dolls are the creepiest? Let's take a look, shall we? More »

Ken's "Buddy" Named Allan Is A Real Doll

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 16:30:00 EDT

Who needs Barbie when you have your own homoerotic pal? Ken and Allan look really close. And really happy. Full image below. More »

Colorado May Require Daycare Centers To Offer Dolls Of Different Races

Anna North — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 09:54:00 EDT

The state of Colorado has proposed a long list of new regulations for day care centers, including a requirement that they provide dolls of at least three different races. Childcare providers aren't pleased. More »

Lonely? A $12,000 Vinyl Child Should Fix That!

Lane Moore — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT

Hey ladies! Are your kids going off to college? Have you thought about having kids but you're not quite ready for a real, live family? There's a doll for that! More »

Horrifying Pregnant Barbie Stolen From Old Dude

Anna North — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 13:20:00 EDT

A 67-year-old Illinois man says his pregnant Midge doll, which he claims is worth $400, has been stolen. Some people apparently complained about the doll when she was released in 2002, because she was not sold with a spouse. However, the real problem is that her "magnetic, detachable stomach" and removable fetus are creepy as shit. More »

Grown Woman Hoards Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dolls

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 13:50:00 EDT

Typically, the people featured on A&E's Hoarders suffer serious health risks because their homes become unhygienic messes due to dust or mold or or broken toilets; there's an inability to clean because there's simply too much clutter. But things were a little different for Phyllis on last night's season premiere. She collects dolls -- hundreds of thousands of them -- that she washes and repairs (in what she calls her "doll surgeries," conducted in a makeshift doll hospital she set up in her home). More »

The Blow-Up Sex Doll Swimming Competition

Whitney Jefferson — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:22:00 EDT

A Lithuanian radio station organized a men-only field day of sorts, with the main event being a race in the water with a "special" twist. Given the ridiculous setup of the event, this video is surprisingly safe for work. More »

Creepy New Commemorative Crap Spawned By The Royal Wedding

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 05 May 2011 14:54:00 EDT

The Royal Wedding is over, but the weird commemorative crap keeps on coming! Since there's a chance you might forget the epic televised event so relentlessly covered by the media, you'd better get yourself a souvenir. Luckily, you have options. More »

Barbie Doll With Life-Sized Proportions Is Ridiculous, Scary

Whitney Jefferson — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 11:50:00 EDT

When Hamilton College announced its first-ever National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, student and anorexia survivor Galia Slayen created a life-sized Barbie that was recreated based on the doll's measurements. More »

Period Dolls And Other Educational Toys We'd Like To See

Anna North — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 13:38:00 EDT

According to the makers of the extremely unsettling Breast Milk Baby doll, "little girls need to learn to breastfeed." This questionable maxim got us thinking about what other bodily processes you're never too young to learn about, and how they could be illustrated with dolls. More »

Two Men And Their Doll Are Picture-Perfect Family

Sadie Stein — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 19:23:00 EDT

their doll "son," Digby, with every advantage. Together, the three have many adventures. Little to they know that one is going to be hanging out with me. A lot. More »

Mattel Spoils Ken & Barbie Reunion "Surprise"

Margaret Hartmann — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 22:45:00 EST

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Mattel has announced the results of Ken's creepy online campaign to win back Barbie's love: She said yes! In a statement to USA Today, Barbie declared, "Ken and I were made for each other. Our love is grander than any dream house." More »

Pay Tribute To Princess Diana With A Disturbing Baby Doll

Margaret Hartmann — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:01:00 EST

For just $150 this porcelain Princess Diana doll can be yours! It's "based on pictures of the Princess" — as an adult, not a child — so you can remember the idealized baby version of Lady Di that never was. More »

Ken's Nefarious Plot To Win Barbie Back

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:45:00 EST

Ken and Barbie split in 2004, but now he's mounting a campaign to win her back by Valentine's Day. While some hope they'll give love another chance, insiders suggest their relationship is just a sham designed to sell dolls. More »

"Bad Barbie" Stars In Bloody Photoshoot

Sadie Stein — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:57:00 EST

We've seen Barbie used as a medium of social critique before, of course. But never has she been this violently, alarmingly psychopathic. Note: if seeing Ken killed, mutilated and dismembered in creative ways disturbs you, you've been warned. More »

How To Turn A Doll Into An Action Figure

Lisa Wade, Ph.D. — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:30:00 EST

"Action figures" and "dolls" tend to be pose-able and non-pose-able, respectively, reflecting the idea that boys are encouraged to be active agents and girls passive objects. So j_l_larson devised a way to make girl toys that can do things. More »

Will My Gift Be My Daughter's "Favorite Present Of All Time"?

Mike Adamick — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST

In our Daddy Issues series, a father of a young daughter seeks guidance, hoping to raise a strong woman. He looks to our readers for insight. More »

Tom Ford Thinks A Lot About Fat Women And Their Rolls Of Fatty Fat

Jenna Sauers — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 11:39:00 EST

Tom Ford, a man who immobilized his forehead with Botox, thinks people should go naked. Especially, well... "Fat women almost always look better without the constraint and lumpy pinching of clothes, all the straps and elastic squeezing and sucking." [ContactMusic]

See Marie Antoinette's Piano-Playing LadyRobot

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 11:58:00 EDT

Right now, at Versailles, as part of the "Sciences and Curiosities at the Court of Versailles" exhibit, one can view the tiny piano-playing automaton/android — with which Marie Antoinette entertained her court. She's gorgeous, talented, and gives serious side-eye. More »

Ken Gets An Online Reality Series

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:23:00 EDT

In Genuine Ken: The Search for the Great American Boyfriend, which will air on Hulu, eight dudes will compete to prove that they possess Ken's qualities in order to be "the ultimate boyfriend for every occasion." So: Smooth crotches, yes? More »

Bratz Enroll At Forks High School

Jessica Coen — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 16:08:00 EDT

[London, October 27: Here we have the "Monster High Collection" as displayed at the Toy Retailers Association's annual Dream Toys Fair. Dreams, nightmares — really, what the difference anymore? Image via Getty.]

Video: Most Expensive Barbie Ever Auctions For $300,000

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 10:03:00 EDT

Yesterday a Barbie doll designed by Stefano Canturi was auctioned for $302,500, with the proceeds going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Christie's billed the doll as an "investment" because she's wearing a choker featuring a one-carat pink diamond. More »

An Online University For The American-Girl Doll Empire

Sadie Stein — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:35:00 EDT

We can't help it: our fascination with the ever-growing American Girl empire continues into adulthood. And when we heard they were colonizing the 'net with something called InnerStar University, we had to take a tour. More »

Why Strawberry Shortcake Was A Progressive Pioneer

Sadie Stein — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 17:35:00 EDT

On the occasion of Shortcake's 30th birthday, Jeanne Sager over at CafeMom makes a strong case for the sweetly-scented patch-dweller as a champion of diversity. More »

Michaele Salahi Has Herself Made Into An Action Figure

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:22:00 EDT

HeroBuilders.com has released a Michaele Salahi action figure, perfect for crashing your kids' tea parties. According to the company's founder, the doll wasn't their idea — "We actually got a call from her agent." More »

Return Of The Bratz

Hortense Smith — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 17:40:00 EDT

With the apocalypse just around the bend in 2012 and all, it makes sense that Bratz dolls are making a comeback. Only this time, their signature look is "more preppy than sexy." To which Barbie replied, "Boo, you whore." [LATimes] More »

I Carried A Large Doll To Fashion Week, And We Wore Matching Dresses.

Sadie Stein — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:42:00 EDT

At a recent meeting, we tried to come up with ideas for fashion week stunts. Bear costumes were suggested. So were shepherdess outfits, and paper bags, a la Buckethead. (All these suggestions were mine.) We went with the doll. More »