An Ode to an Obsession: Living Dead Dolls

As horror fans, we all have our favorite little piece of the horror pie that we obsess over more than the others. For me, that little piece is scary dolls. Since I was 15, I have been collection any kind of doll that "normal" people think are strange, unusual, creepy, or just plain scary (they actually called me Mary Shaw in highschool). My first horror dolls were the Chucky family that I had gotten when I was 15 for Christmas.
My first living dead dolls came almost 6 months later, a week before I had turned 16. They were Jubilee and Killbaby (The two in the center), two dolls that I still have in my collection to this day (albeit their boxes and accessories have long since been lost).

Over the years, I would say I've owned over 40 different dolls, but sadly I had to sell a lot of them when the economy went into the shiter and we needed bill money. I now have some sort of day job and have been working on reclaiming my collection (I'm back up to around 28 dolls including 8 minis).

A lot of my friends ask me the same questions...Why on earth would you collect those things? Isn't it creepy sleeping with all those dolls in your room? Well the second one is easy...no. I'm more afraid of Barbies than I am of a doll whose skull is split wide open and blood is oozing out (I'm a strange one I guess). The first one is a bit more complicated. I love horror of course, but my obsession with horror dolls is...well I don't exactly know. All I know is I love them and Living Dead Dolls is my all time favorite type or brand to collect. There's just something about the creativity and effort put into making each doll its own character that makes having a bunch of them exciting. Any collector of anything will tell you there's some kind of thrill that comes along with getting a new item and adding it to their collection. Be it horror movies, stamps, pennies, or dolls that make it impossible for friends to come over, collecting is an addiction and Living Dead Dolls are my drug of choice.

Let me tell you a bit about them so you can see how they've endured through the years and what makes them the top dog of the spooky doll world. The first living dead dolls sold in the US were all handmade by the creators, Ed Long and Damien Glonek (I would literally kill to have a handmade eggzorcist...that's the one in the middle). They were exclusive to Glonek's company Unearthly Possessions and at horror conventions along the East Coast. At one of these conventions, Mike "Mez" Markowitz, the founder of Mezco Toyz, bought one and Mezco contacted the two about manufacturing and distributing the dolls commercially (info from Wiki and the LDD site).

Image from google, I wish they were mine!

The first commercial line of dolls were sold in 2001 and the dolls have been going strong ever since. Each doll comes with its own coffin and death certificate, which tells the story of how each one died. This seemingly small touch is why I love this company to death! It makes each and every doll an individual with its own story to tell. Each one has a name and for some reason, having an identity makes you love them each even more. And even among the readers of DBH, I'm not alone! Reader Queenie Thayer-Tirone sent in a few pics of her little babies too!

These are the new figurines...which I still need to get some!

The company also offers dolls themed from horror films and pop culture (most recently, Frankenstein and his Bride, which I have in the photos above and are probably my favorite dolls beside Eggzorcist). Brand new, the dolls are around $25 to $35 (for special ones) per doll (which compared to a lot of horror collectibles is a steal). The dolls can also be found on Ebay, but be warned that when a doll becomes rare and sells out in the stores, they can fetch a real pretty penny...
Maybe it's just me, but I like to think every horror fan should have at least one doll (two is better, twenty is don't give me your address or I'm jacking you). I seriously could ramble on even more, but this post is long enough so I shall leave you with a few places you MUST check out to get a better feel for these magnificent creatures of disgust and delight.

The Official website - http://www.livingdeaddolls.com/
Were you can get some at Mezco - www.mezcotoyz.com/brands/living-dead-dolls

Seriously, go check them out!!! Like NOW!

ALSO If the LDD creators ever read this, I have ONE small suggestion...Nazgul doll!!!!! That's all I'm sayin...