Dolls Alive: The Art of Ayakadoll

In a culture inspired by the belief that both the animate as well as the inanimate possess power, dolls in Japan are more than mere toys or objects of beauty. Consequently, it's not strange at all that, in Japan, dolls are believed to have a soul, even more so when we consider that the word "ningyō" translates to "having human form".

This idea could not be more evident than in the amazing work of Ayakadoll by Tanaka Hisae. A veteran of the doll making profession, Tanaka learned her art after working with an expert who created doll heads for Hina, geisha, and Kabuki dolls employing the more than 200-year old method of using gofun (seashell powder) and nikawa (a type of glue made from animal skin).

A time-consuming process, this form of doll sculpting yields - in the gifted hands of Tanaka- countenances of recognizable familiarity and undeniable depth of spirit. In other words, these dolls are alive with their sensitively sculpted eyes with inset glass orbs, nose, and expressive mouths. It's amazing to see how well Tanaka conveys emotion and mood. As it is to be expected, each doll head is an original one-of-a-kind work of art.

Tanaka's idea for creating dolls is also influenced by the desire to allow them to come out of the rarefied realm of the decorative object and become a 21st century fashion doll, one that will convey movement via the use of the highly poseable Obitsu 1:6th scale body. The result if pure genius. Dressed in one of Tanaka's handmade and richly accessorized fashions, an Ayakadoll is both a fashion doll gem and an engrossing lesson in Japanese culture. But the enjoyment of the Ayakadoll does not stop there, for these fashionable dolls are happy to redress in current styles too! From Momoko to Francie to Petwork's Eight and Nine, the Ayakadoll time travels with amazing ease, as our photo portfolio illustrates.

Tanaka's Etsy store, Ayakadoll, is a treat to any dollector looking to enhance their fashion doll family with a soulful new member. For more information, visit Ayakadoll (there's a great photo slide presentation showing how Tanaka makes the gofun heads). Ayakadoll is also on Instagram.

Dolldom is honored to profile the work of doll artist Tanaka Hisae of Ayakadoll.

Time traveling begins...

Ayakadoll on Etsy

Ayakadoll on Instagram.

Who's That Girl?

Doll play has 1001 manifestations as it goes beyond the mere act of a wardrobe change. Dollectors of all ages engage in an instantaneous storytelling journey, be it by adding a pair of sunglasses or repositioning the protagonist of the narrative.  Creative and revealing, doll play is, to many of us at Dolldom, as much a balsam for the soul as a shot of gin.  

Enter Joey Versaw's Meadow, lead singer of the band The Daffodollies. A tribute to the art of French illustrator Kiraz, Meadow combines the latest in technology with painstaking hand painting of face up and body blushing. Sculpted digitally and then 3-D printed, Meadow is the apotheosis of digital magic, but it is the way in she's brought to life in the hands of Versaw, that Meadow truly becomes a character; a perfect heroine for many an adventure. 

Designed to wear wigs and to fit into couture created for slim dolls, Meadow invites us to engage with her. As this entry proves, Meadow truly is 100 dolls in one, as with just the change of wig, a new character is born. Add Mod styles borrowed from Francie, Momoko, even Poppy Parker, and suddenly, we all ask: "Who's that girl?"

OOAK Meadow in a dress by Versaw.

Dress by Squishtish.

Meadow borrows Miss Mary's ponytail wig and dons a cute beaded mini by Marirose. 

Francie's "Kitty Corner" mini, designed by Robert Best, is even more audacious on Meadow. Monique beehive wig. 

Designed for Francie by Julia of ThinkBarbie, this darling set uses "Swirly Cue's" fabric print. Monique wig. 

The raspberry color of her human hair wig adds even more punch to Francie's "Style Setter's". 

Cocktail party time in a golden mini with hand beaded details. 

OOAK Meadow in her Fanta Uva 3-D printed wig. Dress by Versaw. 

The fashion show closes with a 60s classic - Francie's "Silver Cage". Pink and purple magic. 

Go visit Meadow at her boutique!

Credits:

LizRetros

Marirose

Squishtish

ThinkBarbie by Julia

Francie's Groovy Day

 Mattel's recent reproduction of the Black Francie doll reignites Dolldom's passion for the styles of the late 1960s. And "Floatin' In" Francie is the perfect model muse to star in a little adventure into the world of Crest of the Hill Knits' (formerly Hill Crest Barbies) hand crafted fashions.

Associated with the homemade, knitted garments are often overlooked and under appreciated by collectors of fashion dolls. But Dolldom is sure that this Black Francie and Crest of the Hill Knits combo will surely whet your appetite for a little yarn. Knitted specifically for the slender silhouette of Barbie doll's MODern cousin, the looks reference Flower Power, YSL and Emma Peel. Isn't that groovy?

Crest of the Hill Knits on Etsy

A Flower a Day...

This saturated marigold yellow dress features a single cornflower blue blossom producing undeniable graphic impact. 

Museum Piece...Not!

The reference to YSL's famous Mondrian dress is there but with a glittered driving cap by Maryann Roy and her swinging attitude, Francie takes the look out of the museum and into the streets of Swinging London. 

The Emmapeeler

Cause a gal needs to have a black catsuit! Knitted to fit like a glove, Francie's jumpsuit features shot-with-silver-thread black yarn for extra glam. 

Credits:

All fashions by Crest of the Hill Knits on Etsy

Driving cap and "apostrophe" chair by Maryann Roy

Table by Darren Cole for LizRetros

Note: Francie's hair was restyled for these photos. The restyling consisted of washing, hot water straightening and then careful trimming of the ends.