A chat with artists Rita and Ed on their "cuter than hell" creations! The interest in HORROR is at an all time high. Just take the 1978 retake of "Dawn of the Dead" that just hit theaters. It's shocking audiences and box office sales alike. Tack on last years "Freddy vs. Jason" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and you'll see a common trend: Horror sells.
Artists Rita and Ed Uhl, founders of UHL House, didn't need a trend or rush in popularity to get where they are at. They took an idea, their love of horror, and ran with it. Their result - Krypt Kiddies - freakishly real looking baby dolls with a sinister twist.
Figures.com recently caught up with the couple to get a little gory... err...story on their clever endeavour. Read on...
Figures.com: When and how did you come up with this creepy new collectible concept?
Rita: Around May of 2002, I had been “reborning” dolls. This is a procedure to make a regular baby doll look and feel real. I guess Ed got a little jealous and told me he, too, could make them. I asked why he would want to. I told him that he was a horror artist and he should try to make a 'Rosemary’s Baby'. He did. We put 'Adrian' on eBay and the first Krypt Kiddie was sold!
Figures.com: Being a horror fan and collector myself, I can't help but see a hint of "Living Dead Dolls" in "Krypt Kiddies." Was LDD any influence on your creations?
Rita: We had seen our first LDDs around a year or so prior. I wanted to buy one then, but didn’t. Dumb move. I do love them, but I can honestly say they were not on our minds when we started our dolls. We are compared to them often, probably because there are not many other scary dolls on the market, but we believe the two lines are very different. After the success of our 'Kiddies' on eBay, we realized there was a niche in the horror toy world that was not filled yet. I will say, though, that the success of the LDDs has made us quite happy, knowing that there is a market for horror dolls.
Figures.com: Gotta say, "cuter than hell" is a great tag line discription for these fiendish figures. Can you describe your collectibles in more detail - size, packaging, personalities...
Ed: Thanks. I came up with that one. We threw around a few, but “cuter than hell” just seemed to fit. The line that will be carried by Spencer’s are 14 inch vinyl dolls. They have the same evil, but endearing look that we have tried to establish, (after all, they are babies) with all the personality of our customs, as well. The box art was designed by the art director of Rue Morgue magazine, Gary Pullin, so you can expect a great box! Certificates inside were designed by our webmaster, Robin Bartky at Everlasting Impressions, and look similar to the ones that we use now (on our customs).
Figures.com: Will any other retailers be carrying Krypt Kiddies?
Rita: Nope. They are Spencer’s exclusives. Fans can still buy custom dolls from our website.
Figures.com: When can we expect these to arrive and how much will they retail for?
Ed: On May 17th, the first two will be arriving at Spencer Gifts stores across the nation, with two to follow every few months. They are retailing for $29.99.
Figures.com: Thanks for your time! Any last comments for our loyal readers?
Rita and Ed: You are very welcome. To all you doll and scary toy artists out there: If you got something that you think rocks, GO FOR IT!
Collectors can read and view more of Rita and Ed's horror handiwork on their official website www.kryptkiddies.com.
