Happy New Year!

Peace and prosperity in 2019!

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: First Ever Virtual Doll Convention

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: First Ever Virtual Doll Convention:   In the words of our own "Doll Uncles" and Rachel Hoffman, the First ever Virtual Doll Convention is here!    We've prov...

Frozen retells the Snow Queen, an Allegory for Erzebet

Watching the "Frozen" Christmas special tonight, it struck me that this Disney retelling of the Snow Queen has a lot in common with the quest to find and tell the truth about Erzebet Bathory.  The original Snow Queen was an evil creature that brought death and devastation.  She is reinvented and given a chance at redemption in the Disney story; she actually reminds me of Rowan Mayfair in the Mayfair Witches stories by Anne Rice.  In The Witching Hour, Rowan has murderous powers she can't seem to control, just like the heroine of Frozen.

My book based on Erzebet, painting is not of her, though often
attributed as her portrait

Erzebet's history is also being revisited by Tony Thorne, K. Craft, and even me.  I've actually written YA book retelling her story and making her more accessible and explicable to posterity.


Time reveals all after a while, but femme fatales, murderous queens, and the Morgan Le Fey's of literature and myth will always attract us.  Lilith will always be more interesting than Eve.


Medusa will always have her followers, and Kali her worshippers.  Akasha will always be beloved by some.





This holiday season, may you all find peace, and I'd love to hear your take on Erzebet and women of the 17th century.


Merry Christmas!!

Public Domain

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Guest Blogger: Dr. David Levy, Skyward

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Guest Blogger: Dr. David Levy, Skyward: Once again, it is our pleasure to feature Dr. David Levy as our guest blogger. Skyward December 2018     Inner Starlight  ...

Dark Paradise

I recently picked up another Tami Hoag thriller; love her books when I want to immerse myself in escapist horror and mystery!  She is a friend of my friend, Kim Ostrum Bush, also a romance writer.  Kim was my mom’s student, and a doll collector.  I ran into her one time at the old Masonic Temple Women’s Club Antique Show where Ralph’s Antique Dolls used to set up.  Now, the MT is Terror at Skellington Manor, my favorite haunt, with great animatronics and an extensive doll collection.

 

The novel I’m reading is Dark Paradise, and it takes place in New Eden, Montana.  There is an attorney who is also a collector of many things, including toys.  His name is Miller Daggrepont.  Here are his thoughts on collecting:

 

This is where I keep my collections . .. I collect everything  Signs, toys, farm equipment you name it.  Never know when the next big rage will hit.  I made a killing on Indian artifacts when all the Hollywood types started moving in.  They think they’re going native when they hang an old horse blanket on the wall.  Damned fools, I say—not because of the collecting.  Nothing wrong with collecting.  They’re just damned fools in general!(95)

 

 

Here are some more links if you enjoy large toy collections.  Don’t forget the Strong National Museum of Play. http://www.museumofplay.org/

 

Jerry Greene world’ largest toy collection. https://rockandrolljunkie.com/2015/02/26/4109/

 

 

World’s largest toy museum Branson. https://www.bransonshows.com/activity/WorldsLargestToyMuseum.cfm

 

Toy soldiers: https://www.metro.news/worlds-largest-toy-soldier-collection-makes-a-killing/1038350/

 

 

 

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Halloween a Doll Museum Scream

Dr. E's Doll Museum Blog: Halloween a Doll Museum Scream: Please enjoy thee photos of dolls from Terror at Skellington Manor and Dolls from our Museum ...

Happy Halloween 2018!

Some haunting bytes for this year:


Secrets of the Dead talked of vampires and their history. They did not mention Erzebet, but did talk of other strange and unorthodox burials and histories of Vlad Tepes.


Below are images of Halloween Dolls from my own collection, as well as dolls and animatronics from the Terror at Skellington Manor Collection; enjoy!

Dolls at Skellington Manor; the two china heads on the left are like one in my collection.  This model
was also used in Little House on the Prairie.

Bathed in Halloween twilight, Sally Rags was a Halloween 2018 gift.

Halloween Landscape

A dapper felt Skelly from my collectio

Calavera Catrina from my collection. Her eyes light up.

Kulak's Witch's Revels

Marge Simpson; behind her is a small De Grazia painting.  My collection.

Spooky animation; Skellington Manor, home of Wapsi Willie

Victim; nicely modeled, reminiscent of the Wax Venus, e.g, the blog Morbid Anatomy

Skellington Manor; an Erzebet look a like

Dolls, Skellington Manor

Skellington Manor

Doll Collection, Skellington Manor

Dolls, Skellington Manor

More Skellington

Skellington Haunted Doll House

Skellington; note German Bisque head, left center

,

Corn Dollie; Elizabeth, IL

Statue, Elizabeth, IL

Dolly Wreathe I did

My largest doll; over 8' tall!!

Haunted Fairy Garden

Pumpkin for the teacher

My collection

Harvest Angel

Inspired by Bethany Lowe

My collection

Vintage Halloween

"Living on the Edge"

These dolls traveled to Antarctica, Planetary Studies Foundation, Elizabeth, IL