 Posted June 28th, 2006 12:22 PM IP
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Recently, over coffee and internet buzzing noises, Dark Obsessions sat down cyber-style with Holly, the maker, mind and creator of Hollys Gothic Ragdolls, and talked with her about her work, her life and her passions. Here is that interview in it's entirity! 
Hi Holly, thanks for taking the time to do this for D~O. To those people reading this who might not know of your work, how would you introduce it to them?
Well, I am a 27 year old woman from Windber, Pennsylvania, USA, and I make handmade dark and creepy rag dolls, with an occasional "voodoo" doll thrown in for good measure! My work has been described by many as "the lighter side of Goth," or "the perfect blend of creepy/cute."
My dolls, generally speaking, will appeal to fans of horror, Halloween, and the Goth culture, without causing you to have nightmares if you keep them in your bedroom!
How long does it take you roughly, to create one of your ragdolls?
From the time I sketch out the body shape onto the fabric, until the time you see it on eBay, about 8 hours a piece. I make 4-5 new dolls each week, plus my custom orders!
Have you ever had any unusual requests for ragdolls in the past?
I have made a LOT of ex-boyfriend "voodoo" dolls! The most unusual rag doll request I had was to make a set of cute, normal dolls. That's highly unusual for me! 
How did you get into the gothic ragdoll making thing? What inspired you to take this route into art?
Way back in the year 2000, I was searching eBay for dolls to add to my own creepy collection. I couldn't find anything that really tickled my fancy, so I thought, "Why not MAKE what I like?" That's how it all began...
I have my favourites of your work, though I do find it hard to pick. Do you have a favourite ragdoll of all your creations?
One of my favorites is the Stitch Fairy. I made her a few months ago, and she is the one image I always go back to when people ask for a favorite lately. But it changes as I create new dolls. I'm fickle that way! LOL!
(Here is the Stich Fairy, Hollys current favourite of her work)
Are you interested in goth or horror culture?
OH YES! It is my passion and has been since I was a 13 year old girl taking photos of tombstones, and even as far back as watching horror movies when I was 7 and 8 years old. HAHA! I collect all things Goth and Horror, and I am inspired - completely - by all things Goth and Horror.
Visual art and media influences alot of doll makers, movies and music in particular influence alot of dark or horror style dolls. What kind of music and movies are you into, which are your favourites and do they influence you?
For movies, I would have to say just about anything Tim Burton does, and anything Clive Barker does will inspire me. I am a HUGE fan of Burton and Barker! For music, I love it so passionately that it's hard to narrow it down to just one inspiration. But when I am making dolls, music that gets heavy rotation in my CD player is Disturbed, Type O Negative, and Killswitch Engage.
I heard through the grapevine that Mezco had approached you about your ragdolls in the past, is that right? If so, what ever came of that?
Technically, I approached them. It took them four weeks and several meetings to come to a decision, but in the end, they turned me down, only because my dolls are considered an "unlicensed" product. This means, simply put, that they are not based off of any pre-existing movie, comic book, or cartoon character, etc. But they already carry one unlicensed product - The Living Dead Dolls - and they feared there would be too much internal competition between us. Stores will only offer up so much space for unlicensed products, after all. When everything was said and done, the president of the company was VERY kind, open, and honest with me - plus he was super impressed with my work. That's gotta count for something, I suppose. So, if an interested toy company is out there reading this, send me an e-mail!
I'd love to be able to own pieces of your work as I'm sure many other people would too, where do we go to look and order or find out more about the dolls you make?
You can find me on http://www.ebay.com under my seller name: jazzy1453. Or do a search there for the two art groups I am a member of. The terms to use are in quotes, but omit the quotation marks when doing a search: "SDHA" and "ODEYZ." My main art website is: http://www.creepydoll.com, and please do send me a friend request at: http://www.myspace.com/creepydolls.
I heard something about "Weird NJ magazine" running a story on you and your work, how was that?
What kind of effect has it had on you since?
Yes, "Weird NJ Magazine" did a story on me with full color pictures of my dolls for their May 2006 edition, and it was wonderful! I was so flattered and it looked better than I could have ever imagined. Since then, I noticed that loads of new bidders are popping into my auctions, several of whom are from New Jersey!
A few "this or that" questions if you please?
SURE!
Scary or Funny?
Scary all the way! (I do enjoy comedies, though.)
Rue Morgue or Fangoria?
To be fair to Fangoria, I don't have a subscription to them, so I'll have to go with Rue Morgue, since I do have one with them!
Leatherface or Freddy?
Leatherface.
Originals or Remakes?
Don't kill me, people, but I have liked SOME of the remakes. And the movie "The Thing" from John Carpenter is a remake, though I have never seen the original, I cannot imagine it being better than Carpenter's version. But in general, the original movies are better and more nostalgic, so I will go with Originals.
Ok, this has been an honour.
It's been MY honor, seriously!
On behalf of everyone at Dark Obsessions and myself, thankyou so much for doing this interview with us.
Thank you for wanting to interview me. I am beyond flattered! This was my first full length interview, so it will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Would you like to finish with any words or favourite quotes?
The quote I always use and have always loved is this: "In My Emptiness, I Am Somehow Fulfilled."
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Again, thankyou so much Holly, it was a great interview to do, your're a great person, and I wish you ALL the luck in the future with your work and everything else! 
Cheers!!!
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