How to Turn a Goodwill Baby Doll Into a Scary ‘Doll of the Dead’ for Halloween

My friend Jennifer is one of the quirkiest people I know.  We share passions for Broadway, irreverence, dark senses of humor and Halloween. Recently, she shared Facebook photos of a seemingly harmless baby doll that she turned into an absolutely terrifying demon of terror.  I knew I had to share her tips on how to do it.  So, here goes.  THIS is how you turn a child's baby doll into a sort of Doll of the Dead for Halloween.

STEP ONE

Jennifer's first tip is simple.  She says, "Buy cast off baby dolls from the Goodwill."  And she makes a point right?  If you're going to absolutely destroy a baby doll, why spend a lot of money on it?  The best approach here is cheap.  Save your money for the special effects!

STEP TWO

Take masking tape and mask off their eyes. Now, you may be asking yourself, "Why on Earth you would do this?"  Well, Jennifer provides a rather simple, if not alarming, explanation.  She says, "Because it’s creepier with their normal eyes."

STEP THREE

Undress the dolls and spray paint them black. Completely black. Let them dry overnight.

STEP FOUR

Once the dolls have been painted black and have dried, generously cover the babies in the crackle medium, which you will see in the photo gallery below. Allow that do dry, then roughly brush them with a white or flesh colored acrylic paint (also shown in the gallery below).  Let that dry as well.  Plus, it's important to note that, according to Jennifer, you could stop here and be done. They’re already "creepy and cool".  However, there's more Halloween fun and destruction to be had. So, here you go!

STEP FIVE

Jennifer says, if you're feeling frisky and particularly macabre, you can also "add additional touches such as grey or black paint around the eyes, purples or pinks if you want a more under-worldly looking baby. Or you can add blood if you’d like them to be vampires or well, eating raw chicken perhaps".  LOL!!! 

FINAL STEP

This step is the simplest.  Remove the masking tape to reveal the natural eye, which looks "super creepy."

And, well, Jennifer's right. They are definitely SUPER creepy.  Take a look!

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