Creepy Dolls

All right. So I'm talking about creepy dolls. Yep, dolls really freak me out. And like all things, stuff that is creepy is often times inexplicable. There is a certain inexplicable quality about creepy dolls. But here are a few elements of dolls that make them scary at times.

When the Familiar is Unfamiliar:
There's nothing more comforting to us when we're children than our favorite playthings. And often, playthings come to us in the form of dolls. Most of the women and girls I know played with dolls. Heck, my wife still has some of her old dolls from back when she was a kid. When these very familiar and comforting object are suddenly made unfamiliar, it's very upsetting to our psyche.

It's the same reason why creepy little kids also provide us with a scare. Which brings me to an interesting point - if you make your doll or kid too unfamiliar, it's not scary anymore. The zipper on the monster's rubber suit begins to show. That's why Chucky has never been very scary for me. He looks too unlike a doll. (By the way, did you know there was a Chucky fansite? Crazy.)

The All-Knowing Quality of Dolls:
There's something like a doll's eyes that really creepy us out. First of all, a doll's eyes are unblinking. They are always watching. And there's something almost knowing about them. There's also the fact that on a creepy, porcelain doll, most of their eyes lack any sort of emotion. So there's the lack of humanity or soul that makes us uneasy. There's also the fact that eyes are supposedly the windows to the soul. Yet, a doll has not soul so their eyes are a window to nothing. All of that combines to make for some really creepy elements.

Did That Thing Just Move?
A friend of mine used to own a pair of Thai dancing dolls that were kept up in his parent's closet. He hated opening his parent's closet because whenever he did, he could swear that he saw those dolls freeze back into position from whatever it was doing. Obviously, this is because of the dolls' fluid dancing poses, which is designed to make them look like they are in motion.

But still....

Most dolls are naturally designed to look like they are animated, lifelike, or vibrant. For example, think of a typical Barbie doll with its big smile, wide eyes, and uplifted hands. Those are all designed to make Barbie look like she's doing something. After all, who wants to play with a doll that has it's eyes blank, it's hands down by it's side, with a blank expression on its face. But the problem is...that dolls aren't animated. So the very thing that makes dolls look friendly to us can look disturbing if it's the right context. The idea that something that has no life could suddenly get up and have a life of its own is pretty freaky.

Cool Sites
Creepy Dolls: A blog with tons and tons of creepy dolls on it.

New Age Dolls:A site for collecting creepy dolls.

Susan Custom Creepy Dolls: Yes, another site for your own custom creepy doll.

Giant Photo Set: Big set on Flickr on creepy dolls.