The indie scene and the independent spirit don’t just thrive in movies, music and comics.  Toys can slide under the mega-corp. radar as well.  And here at FEARnet we’re bringing you right into the process by which creepy, freaky, weird-out low budget toys are made!  Join us as we unravel the fabric of the companies behind these delights, and find the dedicated few who make Indie Toys!

This week we spoke with Mare, a custom baby doll creator and the mastermind behind Demon Kidz, her own line of gothic dolls.  We spoke to Mare about how her line of dolls came about, what her inspirations were, and where the company is headed.

Mare was raised on the horror films of the ‘70s, soaking in the Saturday creature features and reading anything and everything horror related.  When we asked how her love of gothic dolls came about, she explained, “I never liked baby dolls, but my parents often gifted me with them; I always ended up converting them into mummy dolls wrapped in old fabric strips and painting their eyes to look like werewolves or vampires. I thought if I must have a doll, it would be the type of doll I wanted it to be.”

Around 2000, Mare came in contact with a new group of friends who were customizing their own dolls, “They encouraged me to try my hand at making my own.”  From there, the response was overwhelming.  Her first doll was a little mortician, and the positive feedback really got the ball rolling. “I started making the 'Kidz as a full-time hobby, offering them to online friends or family for a few bucks to cover the cost of supplies. After a while, my technique grew better and I more confidant, and I started receiving online requests for dolls, as well as offering one or two every week on Ebay.”

So just what type of dolls does Mare like to make?  “I am greatly influenced by the horror world. When I first started making the 'Kidz, the vision I had of a certain doll would be gory or demonic. As I created more and more characters, I started thinking about haunted houses of the movies, and the ghosts that lived in them...what they would look like as children. The dolls started taking on a Victorian 'haunted doll' feel to them, with an occasional misfit vampire or ghoul in the mix.”  Mare also takes inspiration from the literary horror world, “Books always bring out the little demons, it seems. The two authors that have really influenced my work are Stephen King and Anne Rice. Both have such unique views about the world we live in and the worlds in our minds, and seem to create such an atmosphere from their written words.”  She told us about how Stephen King often brought out the devil in her dolls, while Anne Rice’s work attributed to their gothic and Victorian feel.  Not a bad balancing act, if you ask us.

We asked Mare what she uses to get through tough spots or creative blocks while working, “When I am working on the hardest part of a doll, or get blocked from an idea, I do turn to music in the doll studio. Currently, Midnight Syndicate and instrumental theme songs from early 1980s horror flicks are high on the list. It just seems so fitting, hearing those creepy music-box tunes.”

But creating a creepy doll isn’t all fun and games – there’s a process to the madness!  We asked Mare how she goes about creating her dolls. “The concept of a certain character usually comes with a very simple idea of what I want...a vampire? Innocent demon?... I always start out with a blank child's baby doll toy. The skin tone on these is a very garish orange color, so I use stains to wash out the orange and give the doll the first skin color… I may do just a couple of stain-baths, up to six or seven.  After the doll is prepared with the underlying color, I handroot the head using synthetic hair if a long style is needed, or natural mohair if a more realistic doll is created. This is a pretty tedious process, as the hair goes in one strand at a time.  When the hair is complete, I detail color into the creases and folds of the doll, to bring out shadowing effects. It can take many coats of color to do this, as the vinyl of the doll soaks in the color and can fade out or chip away if not applied correctly. This is my favorite part, as it truly does seem to make a big difference in the character of the doll, and takes it to a more 'real' level.”  Mare says she’s often asked, due to the high level of detail, if she airbrushes her dolls, to which she answers, “No airbrush. Just lots of time and ordered chaos!”  She says that all of the dolls accesorries are handmade.  As for the clothes, “Clothing is picked out as the character is being colored as well – I tend to clothe the doll on what the character 'feels' like to me. I usually use antique or vintage style clothing, sometimes making my own simple designs from aged fabric.”

The reception of these ‘Kidz, by both the horror and gothic community, has been strong.  There have been people who didn’t understand the dolls, “Of course, I have had a few run-ins with folks who think the dolls are portraying dead babies, satanic objects or just items created by a completely deranged mind. One thing I always try to stress to everyone [is] the 'Kidz are not evil – they are just painted that way.”

After years of creating these dolls, her reputation and business has continued to grow, but she always remains true to her initial promise.  “I've been asked about mass production on the dolls a few times and have had a couple of offers, but I'm not sure about that idea. Each doll that I have created has been one of a kind, and that's a promise I made when I first started creating these little monsters.”

That wraps up our conversation with Mare, creator and founder of Demon Kidz.  To see all of the ‘Kidz in action, as well as ordering info, check out The Official Demon Kidz Site.  And tune in next time when we talk to another independent toy creator.  Remember, sometimes the smaller the company, the freakier the product!