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Living Dead Dolls

January 01, 1970

Living Dead Dolls is a line of horror dolls first produced as handmades in 1998 in the United States by Ed Long and Damien Glonek, and commercially manufactured by Mezco Toyz since 2000.

Living Dead Dolls
TypeHorror dolls
InventorEd Long and Damien Glonek
Inception1998
ManufacturerMezco Toyz
AvailableYes
Websitehttps://www.livingdeaddolls.com/

Concept edit

Living Dead Dolls are ten inches tall, made of plastic, with fabric clothing, and come packed in coffin-shaped boxes with death certificates.[1] Each doll has a different cause of death, which is usually described in doggerel verse on the certificate.[2] While the dolls are occasionally inspired by real people such as Lizzie Borden, they are described explicitly as dolls, not representations of actual dead children, and are aimed at an adult audience aged upwards of 15 years.[2]

Origins edit

The first Living Dead Dolls appeared for sale in the USA in 1998.[3] They were originally craft dolls individually customised by either Ed Long or Damien Glonek and described as "handmades."[4] These original handmade dolls were sold exclusively through Glonek's mail order company Unearthly Possessions, as well as at horror conventions along the East Coast.[1][4] At one of these conventions, Mike "Mez" Markowitz, the founder of Mezco Toyz noticed the dolls, and subsequently contacted Long and Glonek about manufacturing and distributing the dolls commercially.[1]

At the time of their introduction in 1998, the Living Dead Dolls tapped into the business trend for "witty repackaging of Gothic themes for a teen/twenty-something audience" that emerged after the success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which had premiered the previous year.[2] One commentator noted in 2006 that the Living Dead Dolls were unusual among Gothic themed products in that they fell outside the theme of clothing and music that typically defined merchandise aimed towards this market.[2] In addition, the dolls were distinct in that they were generally not obviously connected to pre-existing popular culture such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings, although were often sold alongside merchandise for these franchises.[2]

Production history edit

The first commercial series of Living Dead Dolls, Series 1, was released early in the United States in 2000, with a production run of 40,000 sets; and a second edition in Japan.[1] Apart from the boy doll, Damien, the dolls were all based on original handmade designs, such as Eggzorcist, a doll wearing a bunny suit that had originally been made for Long's former girlfriend.[4] From 2001, after the dolls went into production, it was possible to request custom handmades directly from the creators. These custom handmades originally cost $666 each, later increased to $800. In 2004, Long & Glonek announced on the Mezco message boards that they would no longer accept commissions or make handmades to order, but would instead occasionally offer handmade dolls on eBay to the highest bidder.

Since their commercial launch by Mezco in 2000, variations have been produced such as miniature dolls,[5] ragdolls and baby dolls,[6] large 18-inch tall porcelain dolls and 13-inch tall fashion dolls called 'Fashion Victims.'[7] A separate line called "Living Dead Dolls Presents" offers dolls based on contemporary and classic movie characters such as Annabelle and the Creature of the Black Lagoon.[8] In addition to dolls, the brand has produced a wide range of spin-off merchandise including stationery sets, pencil sharpeners, and party lights.[7]

Since 2001, a wide range of exclusive special edition dolls have been manufactured too. One of the first of these sets was a 2001 bride and groom set called Died and Doom made as a Tower Records exclusive,[9] while others, such as the Blue Eggzorcist (2003), were only available from specific conventions.[10] Some dolls were only released in specific countries such as the 2003 UK exclusive Jack The Ripper, and others, like Abigail Crane & Mr. Graves, were exclusive only to members of Mezco's club.[11]

By 2017, the thirty-fourth series of the dolls had been produced. [12]

In 2022 it was announced that Mezco Toyz would be releasing a Wednesday Living Dead Doll based on the popular Netflix series, Wednesday. [13]

Critical response edit

In 2002, the Greek government banned the dolls, releasing a statement which described them as a "serious threat to the smooth formation and development of the child's personality and mental health."[14][15] Two of the dolls singled out were Inferno, a bat-winged doll with fiery eyes, and Sybil, wearing a collar and chains.[14] In response, the Irish government also looked into banning the dolls, with the Minister of State for Children, Brian Lenihan describing it as a question of "public morality."[16] The dolls were also "nearly banned" in Singapore.[17]

Products edit

There have been over 34 series of Living Dead Dolls. [18][19]

Current Living Dead Dolls series edit

  • The Return of the Living Dead Dolls: Damien
  • The Return of the Living Dead Dolls: Eggzorcist
  • The Return of The Living Dead Dolls: Sadie
  • Resurrection Frozen Charlotte Variant
  • Resurrection Talking Chloe Variant
  • Resurrection Talking Chloe
  • Resurrection Maggot Variant
  • Resurrection Maggot
  • Vesper
  • 20th Anniversary Series - Mystery Collection
  • 20th anniversary series
  • Ride of Valentine Pencil Sharpener
  • Blindbox figures: Resurrection Series 1[citation needed]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d Staff writer (February 2002). . Raving Toy Maniac. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e Spooner, Catherine (2006). Contemporary Gothic. London: Reaktion. pp. 146–153. ISBN 9781861893017.
  3. ^ Leng, Tan Hui (9 June 2003). "When dead is truly better". Today (Singapore). Mediacorp Press. p. 1. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Smith, Cindy (2002). . Hauntfreaks.com. Archived from the original on 20 February 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  5. ^ Staff writer (13 January 2002). . Raving Toy Maniac. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  6. ^ Staff writer (May 2004). . Raving Toy Maniac. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  7. ^ a b Staff writer (2003). . Raving Toy Maniac. Archived from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  8. ^ Hanley, Ken W. (14 January 2015). . Fangoria. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Raving Toy Maniac - the Latest News and Pictures from the World of Toys". www.toymania.com. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
  10. ^ "Raving Toy Maniac - the Latest News and Pictures from the World of Toys". www.toymania.com. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
  11. ^ "Mr. Graves & Abigail Crane - Living Dead Dolls - Mezco - RTM Spotlight". www.toymania.com. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
  12. ^ "Living Dead Dolls". www.livingdeaddolls.com. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  13. ^ Silver, Curtis. "On Heels Of Netflix's Wednesday, Mezco Reveals Wednesday Living Dead Doll". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-10-25.
  14. ^ a b Staff writer (20 November 2002). "Goodbye Barbie, hello Inferno the 'dead doll'". Independent Online. Independent Media (PTY) Ltd. from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  15. ^ Staff writer (21 November 2002). . The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 16 September 2015. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  16. ^ O'Brien, Tim (22 November 2002). "Macabre 'dead dolls' test rules on bad taste". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  17. ^ Lance, Chance (December 2011). "Untoward Toys". Rue Morgue (118): 36. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  18. ^ Squires, John (2017-05-04). "Series 34 'Living Dead Dolls' Emerge from the Grave". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  19. ^ "Living Dead Dolls". www.livingdeaddolls.com. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
Bibliography
External links
  • The Living Dead Dolls Network – Community Fansite
  • . Icons of Fright. October 2004. Archived from the original on 4 September 2013.

January 01, 1970
living, dead, dolls, line, horror, dolls, first, produced, handmades, 1998, united, states, long, damien, glonek, commercially, manufactured, mezco, toyz, since, 2000, typehorror, dollsinventored, long, damien, glonekinception1998manufacturermezco, toyzavailab. Living Dead Dolls is a line of horror dolls first produced as handmades in 1998 in the United States by Ed Long and Damien Glonek and commercially manufactured by Mezco Toyz since 2000 Living Dead DollsTypeHorror dollsInventorEd Long and Damien GlonekInception1998ManufacturerMezco ToyzAvailableYesWebsitehttps www livingdeaddolls com Contents 1 Concept 2 Origins 3 Production history 4 Critical response 5 Products 5 1 Current Living Dead Dolls series 6 ReferencesConcept editLiving Dead Dolls are ten inches tall made of plastic with fabric clothing and come packed in coffin shaped boxes with death certificates 1 Each doll has a different cause of death which is usually described in doggerel verse on the certificate 2 While the dolls are occasionally inspired by real people such as Lizzie Borden they are described explicitly as dolls not representations of actual dead children and are aimed at an adult audience aged upwards of 15 years 2 Origins editThe first Living Dead Dolls appeared for sale in the USA in 1998 3 They were originally craft dolls individually customised by either Ed Long or Damien Glonek and described as handmades 4 These original handmade dolls were sold exclusively through Glonek s mail order company Unearthly Possessions as well as at horror conventions along the East Coast 1 4 At one of these conventions Mike Mez Markowitz the founder of Mezco Toyz noticed the dolls and subsequently contacted Long and Glonek about manufacturing and distributing the dolls commercially 1 At the time of their introduction in 1998 the Living Dead Dolls tapped into the business trend for witty repackaging of Gothic themes for a teen twenty something audience that emerged after the success of Buffy the Vampire Slayer which had premiered the previous year 2 One commentator noted in 2006 that the Living Dead Dolls were unusual among Gothic themed products in that they fell outside the theme of clothing and music that typically defined merchandise aimed towards this market 2 In addition the dolls were distinct in that they were generally not obviously connected to pre existing popular culture such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer Star Wars or The Lord of the Rings although were often sold alongside merchandise for these franchises 2 Production history editThe first commercial series of Living Dead Dolls Series 1 was released early in the United States in 2000 with a production run of 40 000 sets and a second edition in Japan 1 Apart from the boy doll Damien the dolls were all based on original handmade designs such as Eggzorcist a doll wearing a bunny suit that had originally been made for Long s former girlfriend 4 From 2001 after the dolls went into production it was possible to request custom handmades directly from the creators These custom handmades originally cost 666 each later increased to 800 In 2004 Long amp Glonek announced on the Mezco message boards that they would no longer accept commissions or make handmades to order but would instead occasionally offer handmade dolls on eBay to the highest bidder Since their commercial launch by Mezco in 2000 variations have been produced such as miniature dolls 5 ragdolls and baby dolls 6 large 18 inch tall porcelain dolls and 13 inch tall fashion dolls called Fashion Victims 7 A separate line called Living Dead Dolls Presents offers dolls based on contemporary and classic movie characters such as Annabelle and the Creature of the Black Lagoon 8 In addition to dolls the brand has produced a wide range of spin off merchandise including stationery sets pencil sharpeners and party lights 7 Since 2001 a wide range of exclusive special edition dolls have been manufactured too One of the first of these sets was a 2001 bride and groom set called Died and Doom made as a Tower Records exclusive 9 while others such as the Blue Eggzorcist 2003 were only available from specific conventions 10 Some dolls were only released in specific countries such as the 2003 UK exclusive Jack The Ripper and others like Abigail Crane amp Mr Graves were exclusive only to members of Mezco s club 11 By 2017 the thirty fourth series of the dolls had been produced 12 In 2022 it was announced that Mezco Toyz would be releasing a Wednesday Living Dead Doll based on the popular Netflix series Wednesday 13 Critical response editIn 2002 the Greek government banned the dolls releasing a statement which described them as a serious threat to the smooth formation and development of the child s personality and mental health 14 15 Two of the dolls singled out were Inferno a bat winged doll with fiery eyes and Sybil wearing a collar and chains 14 In response the Irish government also looked into banning the dolls with the Minister of State for Children Brian Lenihan describing it as a question of public morality 16 The dolls were also nearly banned in Singapore 17 Products editThere have been over 34 series of Living Dead Dolls 18 19 Current Living Dead Dolls series edit The Return of the Living Dead Dolls Damien The Return of the Living Dead Dolls Eggzorcist The Return of The Living Dead Dolls Sadie Resurrection Frozen Charlotte Variant Resurrection Talking Chloe Variant Resurrection Talking Chloe Resurrection Maggot Variant Resurrection Maggot Vesper 20th Anniversary Series Mystery Collection 20th anniversary series Ride of Valentine Pencil Sharpener Blindbox figures Resurrection Series 1 citation needed References edit a b c d Staff writer February 2002 RTM Spotlight on Living Dead Dolls Raving Toy Maniac Archived from the original on 27 April 2014 Retrieved 16 September 2015 a b c d e Spooner Catherine 2006 Contemporary Gothic London Reaktion pp 146 153 ISBN 9781861893017 Leng Tan Hui 9 June 2003 When dead is truly better Today Singapore Mediacorp Press p 1 Retrieved 16 September 2015 a b c Smith Cindy 2002 Interview with Ed and Damien the creators of the Living Dead Dolls Hauntfreaks com Archived from the original on 20 February 2012 Retrieved 16 September 2015 Staff writer 13 January 2002 Series 2 Mini Living Dead Dolls Raving Toy Maniac Archived from the original on 14 February 2012 Retrieved 16 September 2015 Staff writer May 2004 Living Dead Dollies amp Ragdolls Raving Toy Maniac Archived from the original on 14 February 2012 Retrieved 16 September 2015 a b Staff writer 2003 Mezco Living Dead Dolls at the Toy Fair 2003 Raving Toy Maniac Archived from the original on 20 October 2013 Retrieved 16 September 2015 Hanley Ken W 14 January 2015 Toys of Terror 37 5 The ANNABELLE Living Dead Doll Fangoria Archived from the original on 5 September 2015 Retrieved 18 September 2015 Raving Toy Maniac the Latest News and Pictures from the World of Toys www toymania com Retrieved 2010 02 23 Raving Toy Maniac the Latest News and Pictures from the World of Toys www toymania com Retrieved 2010 02 23 Mr Graves amp Abigail Crane Living Dead Dolls Mezco RTM Spotlight www toymania com Retrieved 2010 02 23 Living Dead Dolls www livingdeaddolls com Retrieved 2023 10 25 Silver Curtis On Heels Of Netflix s Wednesday Mezco Reveals Wednesday Living Dead Doll Forbes Retrieved 2023 10 25 a b Staff writer 20 November 2002 Goodbye Barbie hello Inferno the dead doll Independent Online Independent Media PTY Ltd Archived from the original on 16 September 2015 Retrieved 12 December 2016 Staff writer 21 November 2002 News in brief Greece bans dead dolls The Telegraph Archived from the original on 16 September 2015 Retrieved 16 September 2015 O Brien Tim 22 November 2002 Macabre dead dolls test rules on bad taste The Irish Times Retrieved 16 September 2015 Lance Chance December 2011 Untoward Toys Rue Morgue 118 36 Retrieved 16 September 2015 Squires John 2017 05 04 Series 34 Living Dead Dolls Emerge from the Grave Bloody Disgusting Retrieved 2023 10 30 Living Dead Dolls www livingdeaddolls com Retrieved 2023 10 30 Bibliography Moore Robin Living Dead Dolls Value amp Reference Guide to Collecting 2005 ISBN 978 0 7643 2293 8 External links The Living Dead Dolls Official Archive The Living Dead Dolls Network Community Fansite Fright Exclusive Interview Icons of Fright October 2004 Archived from the original on 4 September 2013 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Living Dead Dolls amp oldid 1218762128, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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