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More doll avs: Victorian and Grimm
By Choice Sliter | October 27, 2006
Zoe Llewelyn has added a second doll avatar to her new collection, Heart of a Doll, named Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a pretty, Victorian doll who comes dressed in a rich, burgundy dress and pointy-toed boots, and is accessorized with a period hat and umbrella. Elizabeth has a paler, porcelain skin and beautifully detailed face.
Zoe hints that her next doll av is going to be a a gothic-style rag doll. But her biggest sneak peak news is quoted, below:
I placed an order for Dolltopia last week. Dolltopia will be a new sim entirely devoted to my dolls and the fun ideas they inspire. I have some special people in mind to help me with Dolltopia, and hope that once the sim opens and The Heart of a Doll and our other doll stores move in people will enjoy the fun, off-beat, and child-like atmosphere that we hope to give it. The entire Dolltopia team is very excited and eagerly awaiting delivery of the island so we can start playing… erm…building.
In other doll news, Grim Misfit and his team have felt the call of the doll for a while, introducing series after series of macabre playthings in their Grim Babies line. This week they have officially launched, what I feel is the inevitable progression of the line: Gim Dolls, the living doll avatar. Canimal Zephyr gave a sneak peak on PxP last week and has a short interview Grim Misfit about the line.
I popped by the build yesterday after seeing a post in New Products. It is an absolute delight. Even if you are not into this doll thing (and I have no idea why not), you should definitely come see this build. The scale and the detail are perfect. every turn reveals another image of childhood’s past. From the button path to the crayon drawing cut outs. It feels very much like you have stumbled into the playhouse of a mischievous, little child, full of angst and a ton of imagination.
Grim Dolls are not, well, pretty doll avs. They are for those of us who feel like we belong on the Island of Misfit Toys. They are those dolls we didn’t show our friends, the ones we cut with scissors and drew on. The collection looks very much like the best thrift store finds: not the pristine dolls that no one ever played with, but the dolls that some little girl loved (or hated) a bit too much. The collection includes not just avs, but doll furniture and clothing.
While I was there, two adorable wind-up dolls were shopping for new dresses. Seeing them in this venue felt surreal and yet completely appropriate. It made me wish their was a Caledon for dolls, a whole island filled with doll avatars, doll shops, and crayon trees. And we’d live in little doll houses, and drink from doll tea sets… I’m not sure what Dolltopia is going to be, but I am sure hoping that’s it.
Topics: Skins |
Heya, Choice…Just wanted to say that it sounds like we both have a similar idea about Dolltopia, so I hope you and others will enjoy it when it is opened.
Dolls are such a rich and imagination-deep area to explore in Second Life that I am still amazed it hasn’t been done more thouroughly already. And I kick myself for shalving the idea in the back of my cob-webbed brain for so many months.
I got word today that Dolltopia is pending now, so it should be online soon for us to start on. There is a lot to do, and I don’t expect it to be open fast. Right now it’s just a vision in my head. But what a fun vision it will be to bring to life. A doll castle with a doll queen who holds court over the kingdom, tin soldiers with their little rifles pop-guns on the walls, and bright coloured trees and pastel dollhouses dotting the hillsides. Shoppes filled with doll clothes and furniture, oversized tea sets and baby carriages…everything we remember from our childhoods and more. Even the Isle of Misfit Toys which I have planned to bring to life off the coast of Dolltopia. A place where my more unusual, strange and sad dolls will reside. There are so many ideas to play with.
I have my business in second life already, and it’s how I support myself and my kids, true. But Dolltopia and The Heart of a doll is something else. Yes, it will be a business. But for me it is more about bringing my childhood to life again…more about rethinking and reliving that journey of discovery and wonder that so many of us had to give up or were stripped of far to early in our lives. This is about something deeper, and I think you, and many others know what I mean by that. I can’t wait…
Posted by: Zoe Llewelyn on October 27th, 2006 at 2:10 pmI really have to say this and I hope it doesn’t offend. First of Zoe’s stuff is great, I really like her ideas and it’s original.
What bothers me is the Grim stuff. For instance in Sleepy Hollow, all the sounds in the haunted house are ripped from the pc game Alice without permissions. I think this is wrong. These guys can’t create they just take. It’s not right and I hope you can allow this to be posted. The Grim Babies are just a rip-off of the Living Dead Dolls toy line. most of their work is taken from other games (sounds, textures themes). I filed a copyright issue thanks to a friend in Sl informing me on this, as I worked on Alice back with Rogue before we went under. I think it’s wrong, and a lot of work, immense work and money went into that project, and now some people in second life take it and use it as their own. I had found 89 individiual copyright infringements and noted them, and reported to Linden as well as getting Mcgee in on this and my friend who reported it that had briefly worked on the game with us. I mean no disrespect by this post but it’s just wrong what’s going on, taking one product someone else spent a lot of their real life time and effort on, and then stealing it and using it for their own, as if they think they have rights too it. We never released an editor for Alice, the sounds and textures as well as other textures from other games used by these guys, was not allowed or meant to be taken.
Again, Zoe did great work, I have nothing against her stuff. I think it’s beautiful and she did something original. The Grim babies are just Living dead Doll clones, even the boxes are somewhat similar. it’s sad, and maybe a lot of people aren’t informed on that end, but most of the grim stuff has been taken from other games literally or in concept. It’s more the literal theft of assets that is what I’m working with Linden Labs to correct. There’s also some NDA I can’t talk about related to Alice. That franchise is not dead, and this stuff Grim guys are doing i will fight, with American Mcgee and the rest of the Rogue team that I have brought the attention of this matter to.
5 stars for Zoe though. Looking forward to it. You have some real talent.
Posted by: John Turner on October 27th, 2006 at 3:02 pmNimrod
Let us all understand a few things here. FIRT off, Grim Babies look NOTHING like living dead dolls! We used a coffin box for Halloween, and that is the only comparison in the 2. Living Dead Dolls are Goth Teen dolls, Grim Babies are BABIES! We have a bat Babie….. A Babie being eaten by a snake, a Babie mooning the holder….. Have you ever seen a Living Dead Doll do any of these things? No. Why? Because they don’t, and Grim babies are original in make and concept. Don’t be a hater because you didn’t think of the idea first.
Number 2 why on earth If you were John Turner, would you post on some no name blog? I mean wouldn’t John Turner have a lawyer, or spokesperson? And if he did would he not have been advised to not be talking about the issue at hand without his attorney present? I’m sure all the World of Warcraft people are playing second life, and posting on our bogs… nah it’s doubtful.
3 what part of our build in not original? The Haunted House? Is that part of some game I am not aware? Or maybe the shopping row of FAKE houses? Hmmmm not in any games I know about either. We do However have a pumpkin patch, that’s been done a million times, shame on us!
Just because I banned your girlfriend from my sim a few mins before you posted this, doesn’t make us any more or less original then Zoe. The textures we used through out the sim, MOST were bought at Textures R Us, and Bobo Boxer made ALL of the external haunted house textures….. we also uploaded allot of free web based texture sites. We do not sell our textures or secrets as to where we got them, and the “alice” textures you have commented on here, are not even owned by ::Grim Babies:: We never claimed the sounds were ours, nor do we sell those either, as many creators I have seen do sell sounds from various movies, and cartoons, we do not, and we used them for an overall feel of our haunted house. That falls under that fair use act.
I do not feel that ::Grim Babies:: has been involved with any wrong doings, and like I told you when this issue came up on PxP 2 months ago, you lawyer is more then welcome to contact me, in any legal forum.
Being famous on the internet opens you up to some real psychos, mostly the ones that cannot handle that you are doing better then they are, but it has not detoured us in anyway, and will continue our great service, our original content, and the babies you have come to know and love.
For anyone that has not seen a Living Dead Doll please visit their link
Posted by: Grim Misfit on October 27th, 2006 at 8:23 pmhttp://www.livingdeaddolls.com/lddsite.html
I fully agree with everything Grim said. They were the first, and remain the only, morbid toy line.
I have personally been a player in SecondLife for nearly 2 years. Most of the texture used in SleepyHallow are textures not owned or created by their team (as Grim said above), and I’ve seen in many other sites. The McGee’s Alice sounds and textures have also been ripped before. So if that is your issue, then perhaps you should inquire as to the original “theif”.
If your mixed-issue however lies in their originality then you should take note that livingdeaddolls site link. A vast majority of the babies are completely original concepts that come from true and fun intentions. Over the past 6months they’ve been shaped and molded into what you see today. Shame on you for discreditting their work so blindly.
If you’re looking for someone to shout at for being unoriginal in concept and design, perhaps you should start off with something unoriginal. Nearly every designer in secondlife has atleast a few clothing pieces that were ripped directly from pictures of big name brand stores. You could also start with the literally hundreds of poeple who sell spiked bracers. Matter of fact, if you stand at one end of a mall and take look straight down to the other side, everything you find is going to be copy of something you’ll find in every reality. Even the big names that you’ll find in secondlife that are one of a kind in our virtual world such as, luskwood, darklife, techwars, holoball have plenty of relatives in games or RL.
The only thing that would make you chose ::Grim Babies:: as a target of your campaign against fraud is that they stand out. Last time I checked, standing out is a testimate to originality.
On a lighter note, ::Grim Babies:: and all dolls are alot of fun. It’s a great atmoshpere to be in because you get to be something you spent countless hours pretending to be as a child. I can wait till the new island comes out, being in a place like that would make anyone smile. I highly respect anyone who can think up a concept like a living doll in secondlife, and then make it happen. It takes a unique, clever, and imaginative mind, and far more will power and abilty than most poeple have to take it from and idea to the biggest toy in SL.
Sincere~
Fatal Raine
Keep up the good work Grim and Zoe!
Posted by: Fatal Raine on October 27th, 2006 at 11:53 pmRogue that made Alice disbanded, some of us are friends still but that’s about it. I don’t have any girlfriend playing the game, i just was told by a friend that sounds and textures and an avatar was there, i went and I saw it all. Cheshire talking etc. It doesn’t matter, I already filed with a few other developers. Best you contact EA games at this point though they have already contact Linden labs. I just came in to check out the theft, I don’t play second life.
Posted by: John Turner on October 28th, 2006 at 12:05 amI already recorded it all on fraps, ill be sure to put a page up linking to the actual game content from alice that was stolen that is seen in the video as I explored your area in the game.
Posted by: John Turner on October 28th, 2006 at 12:08 amI kind of agree with the Alice debate. I loved that game, one of my favorites of all time. It’s like an extremely beautiful unique game. Taking clips from the cutscenes and using them in SL is like someone remaking a classic movie that doesn’t need to be remade. My heart sort of sank when I went and check on John’s claims. I don’t see how using anyones stuff makes your stuff original. it negates it completely. I’m not saying everything is copied and I DO like some of the Grim stuff but it’s not as appealing to me as Zoe’s work. Hopefully you don’t throw a tantrum over that. I love her work, it’s got the polished feel to it I look for when spending money is concerned, plus it seems more for the girls. Not to say Grim stuff is bad, just it’s a matter of personal taste.
Alice is a classic though, it’s just weird, sad a bit seeing parts of a game I sort of grew up on, being manhandled in SL. Not proper really. I hope you don’t ban me from your sim too for having an opinion.
Posted by: Sophia on October 28th, 2006 at 2:20 amJohn and Grim, I ask that you continue this fight privately. Whether any of the allegations made here are true remains a private matter between the two parties. We are on no way interested in being the hosts to someone’s flame war. There is a difference between having an open discussion about the quality (or lack there of) of a designer’s creation and using a post about said creation to make a personal attack. There are many blogs and forums out there that specialize in that kind of engagement. This is not one of those blogs.
Posted by: Choice Sliter on October 28th, 2006 at 9:11 am