Zab's Dolls and History

Zab, 30, genderfluid. He/they Massive history and music dork. My first doll was Samantha back in 1998. I follow from z-isnobody

[marzipanandminutiae]

horror movie where the protagonists assume the creepy, slightly goth woman with the antique doll collection is the killer-

-only to learn that she's completely normal, she's actually married to the woman who owns the spooky bookstore full of Exposition, and the killer is the true crime vlogger who "tipped them off" about her in the first place. he ran out of interesting murders to mine for content, so he decided to create the perfect crime spree with the perfect killer

(she is also either happily childfree OR pregnant with the couple's first baby, but either way it must be stated onscreen. too often in movies- and real life! -doll collecting has been assumed to relate somehow to children or lack thereof, for women)

[marzipanandminutiae]

they first start questioning things when they see photos of her with her friends at a doll show

she's been sold to them as this Creepy LonerTM with no human connections, but here she is laughing and having fun in a group of equally doll-obsessed people? they discover that she's married- HOW did they miss that? they're all very embarrassed -and the suspicion just grows

because if it's not her...who is it?

[sam-started-it]

Happy Halloween!

It's snowing here, but that won't stop this squad!

Not pictured: the Midwestern tradition of a full winter coat over your costume

[shakespearefreak]

I finally got all the pieces of Virginia's "Meet Outfit" and did a little photoshoot! (The indoor photos were taken at the historic Hotel Ruby Marie here in Madison WI, where they very kindly allow cosplayers and other photographers to use their beautiful vintage decor as a backdrop!)

Oh, and because I'm super proud of her jewelry, some closeups and info on each:

This is the pendant on her necklace; it was inspired by Victorian-era mourning jewelry, which often contained hair or other parts of the deceased loved one. If you look closely, you may notice her father's photo is actually Jim Beaver as Carter Cushing in Crimson Peak (Edith Cushing was one of my main inspirations for Virginia). I edited the photo for that "vintage" feel. The hair, which is meant to be from her father's beard, was actually taken from Captain's tail! 😅

I made her ring using a blank DIY ring from Etsy and a skull charm intended for nail art

Her bracelet is made from real Jet beads (I made it by taking apart a human-sized bracelet and restringing part of it). Jet was a very popular stone for mourning jewelry in the Victorian era.

[werewiire]

obsessed with the era of historical fashion between the 1860s and 1870s where aniline dyes kept being invented. you can find some absolute fucking eyesores of dresses that were only made that way because “acid magenta” was invented last month and it was trendy.

like this iconic gown:

or this one from the 1870s in aniline purple and aniline black:

or a trendy yellow and black gown from c. 1865, perhaps?

feel free to reblog with additional eyesores (affectionate) that i might have missed

[werewiire]

tags via @toytulini :

At the time I made this post I couldn’t find any historical clothing in acid magenta. However, this dress (via the Philadelphia Museum of Art) is probably close, as it’s also an aniline magenta.

[vrumblr]

I literally went to find this dress specifically to post it, damn it!

[omgthatdress]

You're really gonna do this to me, aren't ya?

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Victoria & Albert Museum

The FIDM Museum

Collection Galleira de la Mode de la Ville de Paris

Augusta Auctions

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

There are many, many more. This is just the my ass is being lazy version.

[travistoys]

It's so wild to me when people get angry that I unbox my dolls. Like they are mine, I simply do not care how rare or expensive they are or will be. I'm not investing in them to resell. I'm buying them to play with. And it's ALWAYS non collectors saying this.

[egberts]

got a dollhouse from a lady on facebook marketplace and she said "hope your little ones enjoy it" 😳 it's me. i'm the little one and yes, i will be enjoying it

[egberts]

[desertdollranch]

When the end finally comes for the terrible yellow fever epidemic that swept through New Orleans in 1853, Cécile and Marie-Grace help put together la célébration of the end of the sad times and the return of normal life. The two girls get to work making paper flowers to decorate the theater and give to the audience! 

For the happy occasion, I made this dress for ma fille précieuse Cécile, based on the book illustration! I spent a long time looking for the right fabric, until I finally found this green floral print at JoAnn Fabrics. For the smaller details (since I’m overflowing on fabric and notions), I tried to stick to using stuff that I already had in my sewing stash, including this green silk ribbon, lace trim, tiny buttons, and antique cherub charm that I used instead of what looks like a cameo brooch. 

Cécile’s green dress actually makes only one appearance in her series, but it also shows up in some promo images. For the first illustration, the one that shows the majority of her dress, I think it was meant to be a half-page book illustration, but at some point the decision was made for the books to have only a few full-page illustrations instead. 

This is one of my favorite of Cecile’s dresses, even with just a small glimpse of it. Unfortunately, like most of the clothes seen in her series, very few of them were actually produced by American Girl. 

[dolls-and-cats-deactivated20250]

gorgeous!!!

[haverdee]

boys will go through hundreds of archived magazines to look for inspo for their doll’s wardrobe and be surprised when they find the inspo for official outfits

[mydollsaregay]

WHY is it literally the worst part of the process T_T

[desertdollranch]

Me, every time I re-stuff: how did you contain five gallons of stuffing??? WHERE am I supposed to put all of this????

My dolls:  ¯\_(☉‿☉✿)_/¯

[veiligplekje]

The Mouse Mansion - Build your own mouse mansion

[doll-collecting-aerialist]

Super Secret Snack Trade

[queer-kit-kittredge]

hi i gave addy bangs

[kirsteninthesun]

The criticism of the twins is starting to get to me a bit.

There’s an air of negativity on AGblr right now that to me, feels driven by a desire to one up each other’s criticisms and find the worst thing about this release.

Do I have criticisms? Yes. But I’m seeing a trend towards not just criticism but taking frustrations at AG and extrapolating them into exaggerated versions of fandom caricatures of AG’s behavior as a brand, like a game of fandom telephone.

These dolls will make a lot of kids very happy. They’re unique. They incorporate new storylines, add diversity (and I’m seeing a lot of collectors interpret diversity as physical attributes when it’s really not), and bring back classic traits that AG hasn’t used in a while. They’re from an interfaith household. They have a loving relationship with each other. They have awesome bedroom accessories and adorable illustrations. They’re Jewish girls whose story does not fixate on that as a core tenet of their identity, whose story integrates their faith into the broader tapestry of American culture, and I wish AG had included that in their segment on why they’re important.

And most importantly, they’ve been around for one full day. Give them a break. Wait and see, read their books, take it slow. I would describe myself as 50/50 on this release, but a lot of that comes down to personal taste. When I look at these dolls objectively- for what they represent, for how they’ll appeal to kids- I’m a lot more pleased.

[desertdollranch]

Prayer circle for those of us over the age of 33 who are now officially older than an AG historical character

[sam-started-it]

The twins are only a year older than me. Is this how our parents felt when Julie happened?

[in-pleasant-company]

I know a lot of people have strong feelings about the twins but please be careful that your strong feelings don't become antisemitic. iamexcessivelydollverted has had some great posts on Instagram recently about this and I recommend reading them.

[luciana-vega]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Rebekkah (@iamexcessivelydollverted)

Yes, I just saw this one! (I believe clicking the image will bring you to the post caption).

[timetravelingcourtney]

Lots of thoughts and feelings…my parents’ best friends were Jewish, my first boyfriend was from a family that was Jewish by choice, my college dorm mates were Jewish and invited me to rush their Jewish sorority, my first husband was Jewish/Interfaith (and also a twin), and my stepchildren are ethnically Jewish. My only wish here is that AG meets these characters with the same care they take with other storylines.

[girlsofmanylands]

I know I'm reblogging a lot of Nicki and Isabel and yes I will be buying but the fact that they reused both these names? The fact that they've had two Isabels already? Disgrace.

[luciana-vega]

Hoffman twins from rainbowdolldreams, karaleels, 5hensandacockatiel, and mary.potts92