Krypt
Kiddies - Children of the Night!
Recently,
I had the pleasure of discovering a new kind of art genre in
the customizing hobby. Doll reworking…but with a darker
twist. Think horns and pointed teeth. Cat’s eyes and sharp
nails. Definitely not Holly Hobby or Barbie!
Welcome to
the world of Ed and Rita Uhl. They are the founders and
owners of “Krypt Kiddies”, custom made “baby” and “kid”
dolls with the emphasis being on “Krypt”. They recently
accepted our request for an interview. Below
are the responses to 13 specific questions that we asked of
them. Did I say 13? :)
GS: How did you become interested in doll remaking?
Rita:
I used to collect dolls. I started making "reborns". This
is taking an already existing doll, and turning it into a
real looking baby. One day Ed told me that he thought he
could do this, and I said, "Why should you? You are a
horror artist? Why don't you make a Rosemary's Baby type
doll, and see what happens?" He did. We put it on
eBay,
and they just took off.
GS:
What
made you decide to design Gothic/horror dolls?
What
motivates you?
Rita:
I figured since Ed was a horror and fantasy artist already,
(I had been a portrait artist), he might as well stick to
what he was good at. We are both really into the horror
genre, and love how the babies turn out. They even freaked
me out a little at first, but I love 'em all, now.
GS: How long
does it normally take to create one doll?
Ed:
Approximately 3-6 hours, depending.....
GS:
Approximately how many dolls have you created?
Ed:
Probably around two hundred.
GS: Is there a
message that you are trying to convey in your art?
Rita:
Nothing special. There is something about turning a plain
doll into something unique, that is very cool. The fact
that they scare the crap out of some people amuses us. To
us they are just Kiddies with lots of personality.
GS: Is there a
team that creates each doll, or is there only one artist?
Rita:
It is just Ed and I. He has most of the ideas, and does
most of the intricate artwork, sculpting, etc. I think he
is a genius. I was good at the "real" looking babies (we
used to call "angels"), but he is the demented, dark
one......I also make some, and do some of the less scary
ones.....lol
GS: Are there
any more dolls coming up for sale in the near future?
Ed:
Always, and forever. But we have some customs to do first,
and we will be very busy trying to get a ton of dolls ready
for a big convention.
GS: Where do you
sell your dolls? Are they available publicly?
Ed:
We sell on
eBay,
and on our site at
www.kryptkiddies.com.
We also do conventions, where they have been well received.
You can look forward to seeing a line of our Krypt Kiddies
in Spencer's Gifts in late April, or early May. They will
be a much less expensive line of collectible Krypt Kiddies.
We believe everyone should own one (or more), of course.
GS:
On
average, what is the cost of a doll?
Rita:
The average cost of a hand made 17" baby is $125.00.
Unfortunately, due to the cost of the base doll rising, this
will probably go up a bit.
GS: Have you
considered designing other less expensive creations that a
wider audience might be able to afford?Rita:
See our line in Spencer's Gifts!
GS: Do you have
a website that folks can visit? Does it have a gallery of
photos of your creations?
Rita:
Visit
www.kryptkiddies.com
to see a nice variety of our work. Don't forget to visit
the dungeon, but only if you are not easily offended. We
try to warn!!!
GS:
Which doll was your favorite one to make?
Ed:
I think my favorite doll had to be Adrian. He was my first,
and I guess there is always something about your
firstborn. He is the one in the bassinet.
GS: What would
you say to those who think that you’re promoting evil?
Rita
and Ed:
These people need to lighten up, and not take things so
seriously. Not everything in the world that is "off" is
evil, or promoting it. These dolls put a smile on many
people's faces, and if you heard some of the thank yous we
have received from customers, who are quite normal, I assure
you, you would agree!
Ed and Rita’s work has also
inspired other up and coming “gothic/horror doll” artists.
Truly this is the latest craze in doll collecting, and
knowing how popular the horror genre is among fans, this
certainly seems like it’s here to stay.
Thank you again
to Ed and Rita for graciously consenting to this interview!
You can view their babies at
www.kryptkiddies.com.
Write them at:
ritauhl@ptd.net
Written by Jim &
Jackie - staff writers for Ghoststudy.com
.
