Vladonna made her debut yesterday. Who is Vladonna, you ask? She is a DIY alternative fashion doll, the brainchild of RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Pearl (a.k.a. Matthew Lent) and Gina Garan, the woman who single-handedly revived the popularity of Blythe doll. Vladonna is a project that has been two years in the making and is produced by Kidrobot, the creators of customizable collectible figures such as Munny. Vladonna is made of the same white vinyl as Munny, so you can paint her entire body as well as her face. You can choose from blonde, black, or lavender hair colors (no redhead, though). She is fully articulated. Her figure is certainly unconventional compared to other fashion dolls, particularly in the bust and backside. Her exaggerated proportions are evocative of the false busts and padded derrières of drag queens. According to Pearl:
“Our inspiration for Vladonna was to create a fun and fantastical world where you can escape from the reality. Vladonna’s world is only limited to your imagination, where the stresses of life simply don’t exist. Vladonna is for everyone, because she is everyone no matter your sexuality, gender, race, size or talent. There is an unattainable standard to exist in this world; shine but don’t overshadow, be open but protect yourself, tell the truth but stay politically correct. But Vladonna doesn’t even know who the president is! She is the coffee break from life’s pressures full of fun, fashion and glamour. She allows you the chance to show the world what beauty truly means to you with the DIY customizable version. Vladonna is whoever you want her to be!”
-Matthew Lent aka Pearl
Vladonna retails for the surprisingly reasonable price of $39.99 and can be purchased here. In addition to the customizeable Vladonna, Pearl has plans for future editions that will come dressed and made up.
Vladonna’s Instagram account debuted yesterday as well. Check it out at Vladonnaworld to see how others have customized Vladonna, including doll artist Andrew Yang, and makeup artist Mimi Choi.
I purchased the Vladonna with the lavender hair. I’m not great at customizing dolls, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I feel like, with Vladonna, I can be truly outrageous (my apologies to Jem). I’ll update my Vladonna’s progress in a future blog post.
What do you think of Vladonna?
Dollsville, USA 