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Barbie® brings out the worst in me, sometimes.
This is a good example.
She’s not quite Toy Story, but she certainly is strange.
I started with a new Barbie doll, bought at a store, specifically for this art project.
First, I replaced her torso with a cloth body, and reinforced the (cloth) neck to hold her head up.
Her arms and legs are jointed, and attached at the hips and shoulders with antique buttons. Her knees are bendable, too.
The reinforcement in her neck makes it possible for you to angle her head how you’d like, as well.
Around her neck I’ve hung a “fetish”-type necklace that I made from glass and wooden beads, bits of fabric, and feathers.
I added a few (removable) “Voodoo” pins in place. The next owner could decide what to do about that.
(I mean no disrespect to those who practice Voodoo, Hoodoo, Vodun, or any related spirituality. She’s more closely related to the tourist-y “Voodoo” dolls sold in very commercial shops in New Orleans & Salem, MA.)
Mostly, Voodoo Barbie was made for every mom who’s spent two frustrating weeks visiting every toy store and website, looking for the exact Barbie doll a little girl asked for, for Christmas.
(Not that I ever did that, mind you. Ahem.)
Designing this doll, I chose to make Barbie’s cloth torso is a “normal” size and shape. In other words, the chick has hips.
It makes her look just a little off-balance and dangerous, and perhaps more normal... whatever that is.
She now lives in the home of a doll collector who appreciates this kind of art.
I have three more Barbies that I view with a slightly deranged look, on days when whimsy and mischief seem very tempting!
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