Production history
The first commercial series of Living Dead Dolls, Series 1, was released early in the United States in 2000, with a production run of 40,000 sets; and a second edition in Japan.[1] Apart from the boy doll, Damien, the dolls were all based on original handmade designs, such as Eggzorcist, a doll wearing a bunny suit had originally been made for Long's former girlfriend.[4] From 2001, after the dolls went into production, it was possible to request custom handmades directly from the creators. These custom handmades originally cost $666 each, later increased to $800. In 2004, Long & Glonek announced on the Mezco message boards that they would no longer accept commissions or make handmades to order, but would instead occasionally offer handmade dolls on eBay to the highest bidder.
Since their commercial launch by Mezco in 2000, variations have been produced such as miniature dolls,[5] ragdolls and baby dolls,[6] large 18-inch tall porcelain dolls and 13-inch tall fashion dolls called 'Fashion Victims.'[7] A separate line called "Living Dead Dolls Presents" offers dolls based on contemporary and classic movie characters such as Annabelle and the Creature of the Black Lagoon.[8] In addition to dolls, the brand has produced a wide range of spin-off merchandise including stationery sets, pencil sharpeners, and party lights.[7]
Since 2001, a wide range of exclusive special edition dolls have been manufactured too. One of the first of these sets was a 2001 bride and groom set called Died and Doom made as a Tower Records exclusive,[9] while others, such as the Blue Eggzorcist (2003), were only available from specific conventions.[10] Some dolls were only released in specific countries such as the 2003 UK exclusive Jack The Ripper, and others, like Abigail Crane & Mr. Graves, were exclusive only to members of Mezco's club.[11]
By 2017, the thirty-fourth series of the dolls had been produced. [12]
In 2022 it was announced that Mezco Toyz would be releasing a Wednesday Living Dead Doll based on the popular Netflix series, Wednesday. [13]
