CUTE OR CREEPY? Mama Jo’s House of Dolls Captivates Media

Do you think dolls are cute or creepy? Most people fall in one camp or the other. Yet every culture has dolls. Why? My theory is they go back to when a cave woman made one to amuse her kid while she rubbed two sticks together to make a fire. Or perhaps she lost a child and it comforted her. As time went on, dolls became a way for girls to practice being a mommy. The Japanese have Hinamatsuri, Doll Festival (aka Girl’s Day) on March 3rd. Girls set up their dolls in a precisely formatted display and visit each other. Do you ever watch the TV crime show “Castle”? The tough boss – a woman they call “Sir” – is a doll nut! There’s Chuckie, the evil doll. Marie Osmond the doll maker. Reborn babies – dolls that look and feel exactly like an infant – are now the rage and go for sky-high dollars.

No matter how high tech we get, dolls will never disappear.

I feel like an insider/outsider in the doll world. I totally get it and can go gaga for a doll. I can also be detached (the writer in me). I’m still a little heartbroken that my black Scootles has departed for Kapiti, New Zealand, or that an adorable Kathe Kruse is in Germany. I also love that they’re there; how the dolls have opened up the world for me. It’s fascinating to see what captures someone’s fancy to the degree they’ll pay for it. It always comes back to a story. There is one I wished I’d kept, though. My little Japanese geisha doll with six different wigs. Click here to read my doll story in the News & Record’s feature article. Click here for what Yes! Weekly wrote along with 25 color photos. My New York Times essay is here. And this PINTEREST page shows all the dolls up for adoption.