Things That Annoy Me, But Shouldn't

Mine, unfortunately.

This is an absurd conversation. Not once in my life have I ever even tried to take off my socks with my teeth.

 

Juggalo for life!

 

Often people compartmentalize—online they try to be edgy and hip, or they follow the trend of the week, but in real life many of them are pretty darn normal. I would venture to say a lot of people posting about creepy dolls have given dolls to their daughters.

 

It's partly the uncanny valley effect. Dolls that look too human creep us out because we subconsciously expect them be human but we know they're not.

I mean, this is not creepy:


But this?


You're alone in a half-darkened room with this on a shelf. I know I'd be thinking it's watching me.

 

Or Valerie Lukyanova, the woman who had shit-tons of plastic surgery to turn her into a living Barbie doll:



That's one of the safer-for-work images, she seems to prefer a bit less clothing for most of her photoshoots.

 

Oh dear. That's a lovely doll, and similar to one I had when I was a child. (Mine was a ballerina doll with a similar face.) I did not find her the least bit creepy. Seriously. This kind of attitude is new. We didn't have dolls that looked exactly like human beings like these new 'reborn' dolls aimed at adults ...which might have been creepy ...dunno. In other words, we didn't have dolls you couldn't tell from a human being.

But these were dolls we played with as if they were our friends. And were fun to dress and pretend with. I guess if you don't understand, you don't understand. But Christmas catalogues were filled to the brim with dolls like this that were advertised as 'lifelike' and that was what we wanted, as children. The one you've pictured on top is what I would call a 'cartoony' doll ...bland, boring, without much scope for pretend play, and not one I would have wanted.

I think the 'creepy' notion—as applied to just about every doll these days—can be traced to movies and TV horror shows, to be honest (Chucky, etc)—and the attitude has been passed on to the next generation of children by parents who buy in to this nonsense. That notion that dolls are malignant, and 'come to life' when your back is turned, or you're asleep, etc? That's new. And that angers me. A lot.

I bet you'll find very few people my age, who were children in the 1950s, who feel this way about dolls of the era. To be honest, we are baffled by this attitude. Some of us also own dolls that belonged to our mothers and grandmothers ...and we love them too. It was an important kind of toy for so many generations. Now ...just not—unless the dolls look like a popsicle with a cutesy face pasted on, apparently. And trust me, somebody is, sooner or later, going to make a commercially successful horror movie out of that kind as well. Could be easily done.

Cujo is a horror story about a malignant dog. Does this mean everybody should be scared of dogs? I think there is also a horror movie or two out there about malignant cars. So we shouldn't have cars any more ...oooh, they might be out to get us? And of course NEVER go swimming, because, you know, sharks....

The interesting thing about these three examples is that these things all DO kill, occasionally, so caution is warranted. On the other hand, I've never ever heard of any actual situation where somebody was killed by a malignant doll. Sorry, but I still maintain this 'creepy doll' attitude is faddy foolishness. And what's next, eh? Oooh ...shoes? Malignant footwear, that creeps up your leg and engulfs you? So we can't have SHOES any more....

But I guess I've said my piece, so I'll let this go. But it does annoy me. And probably shouldn't!

Just ran across this. A story I remember well. Yeah, we did want our dolls to come alive. How cool would that have been! https://www.gutenberg.org/files/54477/54477-h/54477-h.htm?fbclid=IwAR1Qwnslthgv5PdK-ewfvrzQeRGXoLA22dXzscHqPEEHkEzwOP4ALJ4fxYU

 

I'm not convinced, but let's agree to disagree.

Perhaps it's new in the west, but cursed dolls have been part of Japanese folklore for some time:
https://www.odditycentral.com/news/okiku-the-creepy-doll-that-allegedly-grows-human-hair.html

 

Do you really think that doll looks creepy though? I mean, if you had never heard of the uncanny valley or seen all those horrible CG movies would you think that? To me that's a beautiful doll, and there's nothing remotely creepy about it. It's stylized in a very artistic way, not meant to completely imitate realism—people's faces aren't really shaped like that, nor are eyes or noses etc. I agree with @jannert —there are some pretty creepy dolls that are meant to look totally real, but that one doesn't fall into that camp for me.

This does:

It's one of those Reborn dolls jannert mentioned. Imagine walking into somebody's house and they have this in a crib in the living room, and after a while you realize it isn't moving or breathing...

And it sounds like those Japanese cursed dolls are a specific type of doll, they weren't saying that all or most dolls are creepy.

 

The thing about the reborn dolls is that they are NOT meant as playthings for children. They come into the same category, in my mind, as the life-sized robotic dolls that men and women take on as substitute lovers. They are meant to replace something the adult doesn't have in real life. That's creepy, in my opinion. But it's not the doll that's creepy, its the purpose of the doll ...and probably the adult who can't get enough of it.

Pretendy play is natural for children to do. To take that pleasure away from them, by making them frightened of their toys? I find that a bit awful.

 

I was going to say the same thing actually. Yes, if you see this baby lying in a crib in somebody's house and realize they aren't tending to it (or maybe worse, if they are), what would mostly creep you out is the people and why they need this bizarre thing.

But there's also something extremely creepy about seeing it made of soft silicone, with all the realistic detailing of transparent skin with colored mottling under the surface, and all the totally realistic skin folds etc. And those dead glass eyes staring at you. It's worse because they're looking out from a totally realistic rubber face.

Comparing this with the doll pictured above it's clear how stylized that one is. It's almost proportioned more like a little adult really, and all the shapes are very simplified, almost cartoonish. But I think only trained artists can really tell, most people see it and think it's realistic (except for the eyes of course). But also the fact that it's made of a hard substance and doesn't have the creepy transparent skin with the colors under the surface, like something from a waxworks. When it gets that realistic and doesn't breathe or move, you invoke the idea of a dead thing lying there. Hmmm... would that by lying or laying?

 

Lying.

 

Yeah, that rabbit hole is a bit more disturbing than one would think.
Though it might be positive in some ways for women who do have them?
IDK, it's just kinda weird.
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2020/feb/26/reborn-doll-baby-lifelike-collecting-women

 

I'm thinking a dog or cat might be better. Something alive and responsive. But maybe if they're really devastated they might need a sort of religions fetish or icon like this.

 

Yes, I do - but I find most things with realistic looking (as opposed to cartoon) eyes creepy.

Most types of Japanese dolls have some kind of spooky legend associated with them.

I think the reputation of dolls also comes from the fact that they are a depiction of the human form, something which has often been taboo in various religions at various times. I think Child's Play just built on that old superstition.

 

Some years ago, this craze swept Thailand:
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/05/big-inthailand-fake-children/476400/

 

I have read somewhere a few years back, so I don't really remember where, that the reborn dolls were initially conceptualized for people grieving a lost newborn. Then people began collecting them, and others I guess just like them. I find them less creepy than the average doll, so what can I say, I don't really mind them. I do find fascinating though how people may use life-size dolls (of babies or adults) to create a connection that somehow they cannot create with humans, or who at least need that extra connection with a doll to be able to function better in connecting with other humans. I think it gives an extra meaning to "objects", especially in the realm of the unconscious.

 

I have some very evil Halloween ideas involving one of those reborn dolls.

 

Will there be melting involved? Just curious.

 

Gross Cough Syrup

 

Try the Pineapple flavored cough syrup, it is the worst.

 

Punt
verb (3)
punted; punting; punts
Definition of punt (Entry 4 of 8)

transitive verb

: to kick (something, such as a football or soccer ball) with the top of the foot before the ball which is dropped from the hands hits the ground
intransitive verb

: to punt a ball

 

When I have to write a chapter where the action is basically just a backdrop for character development.

I am aware of the fact that character development is an essential element for successful stories, but it's a part I struggle with and often find boring, so it annoys me.

It also slows me down, which makes it annoy me even more.

 

I don't think I want too