Inside the Eerie World of Living Dead Dolls with Co-Creator Damien Glonek
The chilling niche of undead doll collecting.
Upon the arrival of October 1, orange pumpkins are carved into grimacing jack-o'-lanterns, as white bedsheets get spirited into ghosts. And anything can become bespelled once a pointed black witch's hat is placed upon it.
Within this trend, haunted dolls are having a moment. Usually, these rosy-cheeked, cherub-like dolls, appearing innocent in their dresses and suits, sit on a shelf ready to play with their friend. But haunted dolls have something more sinister about them; they are believed to be possessed by ghostly spirits. And to amp up the fear, not only do they carry the soul of a life past, but they can also appear a little off as well: cracked with age, missing limbs, and staring with unsettling eyes that never quite close.
Collectors are especially buying up dolls online, which are often sold with a backstory explaining how these once children's friends have become trapped spirits. For more on haunted dolls, read our October 2025 print issue article, Possessed Playthings.
But not all spooky doll collectors are interested in inviting a ghost into their home. This is where retailers like the American-based horror doll line Living Dead Dolls fill the void. Owned by Mezco Toyz, they create and sell dolls inspired by haunted tales, often described with detailed stories about their origins and scary behavior. But very important to note is that a haunted spirit is not included.
Some recent pieces available for sale at Living Dead Dolls’ online store include a devilish fallen angel named Lou Sapphire dressed in a red satin suit and equipped with five interchangeable hands, and Sadie, the first doll from the brand, who is dressed a la Wednesday Adams in a black velveteen dress with white satin collar and cuffs and Mary Janes. This hauntingly scary little girl comes with interchangeable "Death Mask" face plates, five interchangeable hands, evil eyes that move via controls in her head, and, among her many spooky accessories, a meat cleaver.
To better understand this "spirit-less" trend in doll collecting, Kovels Antique Trader spoke with the Co-Creator of Living Dead Dolls, Damien Glonek, about the creation of the brand and who seeks these dolls of nightmares.
Kovels Antique Trader: What inspired the creation of Living Dead Dolls?
Damien Glonek: Living Dead Dolls were created by the simple love of the macabre and all things spooky. We created the line based on something we thought would look cool and wondered if maybe someone else did too. It was just a case of do what you love. As it turned out, a lot of other people seemed to like these as much as we did, and we were able to greatly expand on our creation.
KAT: Where do you source your dolls? Do you make them in-house?
DG: All dolls are designed in-house by the original creators since day one. Ultimately, the final product is made in China.
KAT: What are customers drawn to? What do they like?
DG: We have found out that there is no Living Dead Dolls customer that can be pigeon-holed into a stereotype. They come from all walks of life, age groups, and sexes. Everyone seems to be gravitating towards them for different reasons, and with the vast amount of different characters we have created, there seems to be a little something for everyone. Some people like the more elegant dolls, some people like the scarier ones, some people like the gorier ones. But in the end, first we need to be happy with the characters we create and hope other people are too. We don't create characters just to appease certain people.
KAT: What inspires the dolls' backstories?
DG: The dolls' backstories are inspired by everything around us. From watching too many horror movies to reading too many books. Everything around us becomes an inspiration to take and twist into a macabre little tale that brings life to these characters.
Visit mezcotoyz.com for more information.
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