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Category: Fantasy & Popular Culture

Halloween Spirits: Marguerite Noschese’s Dolls Combine Whimsy, Scariness, Humor

I came to the business of creating art dolls along a very circuitous path — I had been a dealer in antique dolls, children’s toys, and antique baby clothes. I was also an avid quilter and creator of fabric dolls, while later I worked as a child portrait artist. While I loved all these different artistic pursuits, it all came together for me artistically when I began making art dolls. My passion for fabrics, design, and portrait painting were now all incorporated in one discipline: art dolls!

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Pumpkins on Parade: Jennie Hepler Takens Carves Out a Career in Halloween Art

Years ago, a group of friends and I had to go to one of the friends’ houses for something. When we entered his parents’ home, I was immediately enchanted. His mother, Sue Shroyer, had the most delicious collection of antique German Halloween pieces I’d ever seen. She had artisan-made pieces, antiquities, and work by famed artists the world over. I just couldn’t believe my eyes! At that moment, I began my home-grown education into dollmaking and Halloween art.

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Curious Collector: 1934 Ideal Shirley Temple

Q: I am an avid Shirley Temple collector, and when I had the chance to buy this mint 22-inch composition Shirley Temple doll in the original box, I was just thrilled. I got her for a very good price because she needed to be restrung, which was easy. Any more information would be greatly appreciated.

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Ghoulies & Ghosties: Linda Lyons Specializes in Haunting OOAK Creations

My inspiration for most of my dolls come from ghosts and animals. When I was young, I always loved the old black-and-white horror movies like “The Mummy,” “House on Haunted Hill,” “Frankenstein,” “Wolfman,” etc. I’m also a big animal lover, so many times I will create anthropomorphic dolls.

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World of EPI Pioneers New Techniques to Make Authentic ‘Black Panther’ Dolls

Doll and toy manufacturer World of EPI is set to release Series 1 of its Fresh Dolls Fierce collection Oct. 1. The dolls depict the powerful characters Shuri, Okoye, and Nakia from the upcoming movie Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, arriving in theaters Nov. 11. Dr. Lisa Williams, the company’s founder, said that working with Marvel Studios to create the licensed dolls is “truly almost unbelievable. Even though we’ve been working with them for about a year, it’s still one of those ‘pinchable moments’ — you want to pinch yourself to make sure this is real, that I didn’t dream this.

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Cast of Characters: Esther Manso Sculpts Heroes, Villains of Time-Honored Tales

A catastrophic illness — one that kept her in a medical facility on a respirator for four months — changed Esther Manso’s life and career path in 2010. At the time, she was married, raising a large family, and had been working as a comptroller for a large Miami car dealership — a job she described as rewarding but stressful. Her 30-year career came to an end with her illness.
“It is hard to believe that because of that, I am now able to enjoy my later years in complete happiness and bliss, doing what I was meant to do and what I love the most,” Manso said. “When I became disabled, I taught myself how to sew and make cloth dolls, until I found polymer clay and fell in love. I love how the clay allows me to express myself easier.”

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