dolls

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Craft Food

Who Are You Calling Peanut Brain? A Series of Quirky Dolls Imbues Snacks with Enigmatic Personalities

In her ongoing series of delightful fabric dolls, Ukrainian artist Yulia reimagines meals and snacks with playful personalities. Often conceived as families or groups united by a common theme like vegetables, tea bags, or breakfast items, her friendly figures don patterned apparel in a variety of colorful fabrics. Whether their heads are shaped like macaroni, ginger root, or bacon, all of the artist’s characters share beady, wide-set eyes and enigmatically sweet smiles.

Yulia occasionally releases new editions in her Etsy shop, and you can follow updates on Instagram.

 

Craft

Dreamlike Plush Characters by Marina Glebova Inhabit a Safe Haven After an Imagined Apocalypse

Istanbul-based artist Marina Glebova envisions a post-apocalyptic dream world inhabited by enchanting plush characters. Hybrid creatures with both animal and human features are members of the artist’s Northern Forest community, a warm and welcoming refuge amid the chaotic catastrophe of the imagined outside universe. Dressed in layers and whimsical headdresses, the characters are often overly expressive with large, surprised eyes, wide smiles, or sly grins.

Glebova shares with Colossal that she often begins by creating the face or head, which helps to determine the figure’s body and garments. “The narrative, the story, always appears at the end of the interaction with the doll,” she says. “When the doll or series of works are ready, I can look at them in a detached way and translate the feelings that have arisen into a story, thereby connecting them to the rest of the characters already living in this universe.”

Take a peek at Glebova’s Behance for more of the enchanting characters, and see which are available for adoption on Instagram.

 

History

They’re Baaaack: Meet the Creepy Dolls from the History Center of Olmsted County Collection

We’re sorry to introduce you to the cursed cast of the History Center of Olmsted County’s notorious Creepy Doll Contest: there’s the demonic “Miss Abyss” and her glowing portal-like eyes, the conniving criminal mastermind “Professor Moriarty” that will likely convince you to commit some unspeakable atrocity, and “Lizzie Bordon” that, like the infamous ax murderer herself, is sure to chop you to bits.

The center launched the project in 2019 as an innocuous way to explore its collection, although it’s since created an annual event of unleashing the horrors you see here. If you’re in Minnesota, you can attend the creepy doll cocktail party on October 23 (at your own risk, of course), and otherwise, cast your vote for the demonic character most likely to haunt your dreams on Instagram. (via Hyperallergic)

 

Design

A Set of Six Uniquely Textured Toys Engages Children in Processing Their Emotions

A set of six figurines made from wood and silicone are designed to help children process difficult memories and emotions. Created Israeli designer Yaara Nusboim, the “Alma” dolls correlate to different feelings: fear, pain, emptiness, love, anger and safety. The unique textures and colors of fuschia spikes, turquoise shards, and pink petals prompt children to engage with the dolls in different ways.

Nusboim envisions the dolls being used as part of play therapy, wherein a therapist can observe their young patient’s behaviors and choices with the toys to help unpack underlying psychological or emotional concerns. “Playing with a toy provides a safe psychological distance from the child’s private problems and allows them to experience thoughts and emotions in a way that’s suitable for their development,” the designer explained to Dezeen.

Take a peek into the design process in the video below, and explore more of Nusboim’s socially conscious designs on her website. (via Dezeen)

Craft Design

Miniature Interior Decor Elements Crafted With Impeccable Detail by Kiyomi

Japanese miniaturist Kiyomi imitates antiques with a stunning attention to detail, creating worn and clouded glass jars, slightly tarnished silverware, and cases packed with dozens of drawers. The talented craftswoman produces pieces for dollhouses out of paper, wire, wood, and other materials that imitate their larger companions. To give her audience a sense of scale, the artist will present her small works alongside a scaleable object, either placing a miniature chair on the seat of a regularly proportioned seat or dwarfing a set of drawers by putting it on the step of a ladder. You can see more of her antique items and delicious-looking fake pastries on her Instagram and website.  (via My Modern Met)

Art Documentary

Valley of Dolls: A Bizarre Town in Japan Where an Artist is Replacing Departed Residents with Life-Sized Dolls

This is one of those things you might never believe if somebody told you, and yet even when faced with the evidence in photos, video, or Google Maps, you find yourself questioning reality (and maybe shaking off a serious case of the heebie jeebies). Welcome to Nagoro, a small village tucked into the valleys of Shikoku, Japan, a place where old residents are being replaced by life-sized dolls.

The work is part of a project by longtime resident and artist Ayano Tsukimi who returned to the village after an 11-year absence to discover many of her old neighbors and friends had left for larger cities or simply passed away. The town itself is dying with a dwindling population of about 35 people.

While gardening one day, Tsukimi constructed a scarecrow in the image of her father and was suddenly struck with the idea to replace other friends and family members with similar dolls. Over 350 dolls and 10 years later, her work continues. She places each doll in a place she feels is important to the memory of that person, so strolling through the down you might discover these inanimate memorials working in fields, fishing in rivers, or passing time in chairs along the road.

Berlin-based filmmaker Fritz Schumann recently visited with the 64-year-old artist and shot the documentary short above. (via Dan Sinker, The Verge)