sometimes deader is better
» what are they?
Living Dead Dolls began their (after)life as handmade art dolls, first entering the market in 1998. 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.
At one of these conventions the founder of Mezco Toyz - Mike "Mez" Markowitz - took an interest in the dolls and subsequently contacted Long and Glonek about commercially producing and selling the dolls to a larger, possibly even international, market.
» the rise of the living dead
Living Dead Dolls Series 1 premiered in the US in early 2000, with a production run of 40,000 sets. Apart from Damien, all of the dolls in Series 1 were based on the original handmade designs like Eggzorcist, who was originally created for Long's ex-girlfriend.From 2000 to 2004 it was possible to commission Long and Glonek to create one-of-a-kind handmade dolls - originally priced at $666, then increasing to $800.
The dolls faced backlash in Ireland and Greece - the Greek government going as far as to ban them and release a statement claiming "[the dolls are] serious threat to the smooth formation and development of the child's personality and mental health." as well as almost being banned in Singapore. Despite this, their popularity rose - especially with the help of the mid 2000s emo boom.
» autopsy
Living Dead Dolls are ten inches tall, made of plastic, with fabric clothing, and come packed in coffin-shaped boxes with death certificates. Each doll has a different cause of death, which is usually described in doggerel verse on the certificate.Dolls are released in series, and extremely sought after dolls are often rereleased and redesigned in Resurrection series. The Resurrection dolls are of a higher quality and are limited in number, either released as a series or solo. They have glass-like eyes and different outfits to their 'normal' counterparts.
Resurrection dolls also have variant versions, and it's a surprise as to which version you have until you open their coffin (if buying first-hand). Variants, naturally, are incredibly sought after with second-hand prices beginning in the hundreds.
» specimens
There have been 34 series of original Living Dead Dolls. This isn't including Resurrections (of which there have been 11), Fashion Victims, blind box figures, plushies, Scary Tales, or the Living Dead Dolls Presents collections.Most of the LDD series follow a loose theme or have a storyline, like Series 34 (a collapsed coal mine), 22 (zombies), and 5 (the golden age of Hollywood) just to name a few. There are five or six* dolls to a set, and some series (but not all, or even most) have variant versions that come in alternate colourways, like 5's black-and-white colour scheme or 28's glow-in-the-dark.
To encourage collecting entire series, some dolls come with an accessory that will form an item or set (Series 13 dolls each have part of an amulet, series 15 have parts of a Ouija board)
*with the exception of Series 7, which has 7 dolls for 7 sins
» trivia
- There are a few dolls that reference real-world people, either explicitly by name or with their outfits and backstories: Lizzie Borden, Elizabeth Short¹ (aka The Black Dahlia), Countess Elizabeth Bathory², Holle Katrina (a fan who won the 13th anniversary contest to have a doll created in her likeness), Jack the Ripper, Edgar Allan Poe, and Captain (Anne) Bonney.
- Both Series 3 & Series 12 are the only series to have all their dolls resurrected.
- Series 5 is the only series to have its death certificates emulate real-world forensic death certificates.
- Isaac is the only doll to be stuffed.
¹ this is, of course, in incredibly bad taste and I do not condone making dolls of actual murder victims but, as you will see with some of the series I haven't mentioned poor taste is sometimes the name of the game (and also it was the late 90s and early/mid 2000s in the goth & emo subculture so people were really trying to hit below the belt constantly)
² what is it with all the elizabeths?