Thanks to All Who Contributed to Marwencol

Mark Hogancamp was the happy recipient of a very large box filled with dolls, tool and accessories for his fantasy world, Marwencol. His executor delivered the goods to him and reported that he loved it all.
Perhaps one day there will be a follow-up to the film and we will see the different contributions in place according to Mark's desires.

 A note from Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu:
Any communication with Mark should be mediated through his executor, Janet, who can be reached through us at tonnersocialmedia@gmail.com.

Tonner Convention - Last Day and Much More News

The table doll was this adorable Tiny Betsy. I will try to find out more about her but I love the little airplane and her outfit. Really CUTE!!!

It looks like it was a fun convention with tons of dolls to choose from .

I got lucky and two dear girls have purchased Raven for me. Yay.
There will be dolls available next week sometime but I hate that mad rush to shop on-line. I like knowing that I'm getting my favorite doll from the event. It may cost me a few dollars more because the tax there is higher than tax here - shocking, I know. Or maybe not.

The bird dolls were $195. for those who wish to know.

Carol of Dreamcastle Dolls has a wonderful page with pictures of not only the dolls but the people and the competition OOAKs as well. She's a great doll dealer, too!

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In other news...we've started some serious packing in preparation to move to our new home in Pennsylvania, just outside of Allentown. We are truly blessed to have found lovely buyers for our own home in this terrible real estate market.

I will continue blogging but I'm going to be packing up my studio and things are going to be a little different for a while. I really can't wait to move out of this forest. It was wonderful for 15 years but it's time to move a little closer to civilization.

It's really hard to believe how many dolls and related items I have now that I've begun to put everything in cartons. That will make an interesting photo.

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My new Ficon, Leonie, arrived yesterday amidst the flurry of activity and all I could do was take some quick snapshots. I will fully review her next week but suffice it to say that I was not pleased with the difficulty of closing the boots - I couldn't figure them out! I put her in a different outfit.
She has a gorgeous body and poses beautifully. I think I actually like her better than the Sybarite body but we'll see as I play with her more.

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I took all the Marwencol donations over to the Tonner Company Store yesterday. Noreen and I arranged everything on a table in the back room. I think Mark is going to be overwhelmed when he sees all of this.
You can't really tell from the photo what is included here. It's unbelievable. People were very generous.

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No visit to the Tonner Store would be complete without gazing lovingly upon the dolls.

Marwencol Project - Join Us!

 On March 24, 2012 I blogged about the movie Marwencol having been very moved by it. I chatted back and forth with Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu, director of social media at Tonner Doll, and made the comment that I wanted to give Mark stuff - a doll or some art supplies.

And that's how it started.

Kevin thought that it was a great idea and we discussed offering other doll collectors the opportunity to join us in supporting Mark and Marwencol, his 1/6 scale town.

Below is Kevin's Tonner Blog post about our project.
We hope that you will participate. All donations will be tracked and acknowledged.

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Helping Mark Hogancamp – Donate Dolls and Materials for the Doll Town of “Marwencol”

Photo: copyright Mark Hogancamp

A Helping Hand – Donating to the World of Marwencol

Last week we wrote a post on the magnificent doll-aided world of Mark Hogancamp, the town of Marwencol as captured in the complex and movie of that name. In Twitter #dollchat and in emails those of us that saw the film could not help but be moved, and the fact that he was an artist local to Kingston New York where Tonner Doll has been for 25 years made us all think that this is a person would we could reach out and touch, personally.
You will not know completely what Mark does with his dolls unless you watch the film (which is available on Netflix streaming), but it is enough to say that with great imagination and pathos he has built a parallel world in which he acts out his own rehabilitation and freedom in a way that only art and play seem able to bring. Living on the limited funds of a disability check – having been brutally attacked years ago outside of a bar and suffering among other things permanent loss of memory – he brings his doll world to life for others through his careful photography of its events.
Several of us in chat and elsewhere have come together to organize a donation drive so that Mark can have even more materials from which to create is remarkable 1/6 scale town. The most active of collectors in this has been Terri Gold of Collecting Fashion Dolls by Terri Gold who has been kind enough to volunteer to receive, catalog and then deliver the care package. Our Tonner Doll Company store in Kingston will be the nexus point between our package and Mark.

Two Weeks of Giving – Helping Imagination and Art

So, for the next two weeks – mailed up until Saturday April 21 – Terri Gold will be receiving and organize any donation you might like to make to Mark’s world. We hope to be covering the donation process on this blog and on Terri’s – as well as other doll blogs. We hope also to get updates and photos of what becomes of our donations. One of the things that struck me when watching Marwencol was how much the doll collecting community is a natural support system and audience for what Mark is doing. Sending a doll or some doll clothes or furniture or even tools is a way to concretely make an impact on Mark’s world.

 So What Can I Give?

Terri came up with a fantastic list of possible donations for Mark and we also asked Mark what he would like. Between the two we produced a master list, out of which one of the few negatives was “no Barbies”. Remember, Mark’s world is 1/6 scale. Some links are included in case you are not familiar with the figures or companies:

12” Fully Articulated “GI Joe type” 1/6 scale dolls
12” Female fully articulated dolls & clothes for these dolls:
—Cy Girls by Blue Box International (BBI) ebay results for cy girls
—ZC Girl, TTL (True to Life) Girls,
—DML (Dragon Models Limited) Females

(No Barbies, please!)

Militaria in 1/6 scale (Helmets, weapons, mines, walkie talkies, canteen bag, gas mask, dog tags, maps, combat boots, tent. There are thousands of inexpensive items in this scale. some ebay results

Furniture…anything one would find in a military setting or a WWII village.
Props such as Barbie scale appliances (fan, radio, washer/dryer, toilet, fridge, etc.)
Horses and other farm animals.
Vehicles.: jeeps, motorcycles, bicycles and parts thereof.
Wood, wire, mini tubing, cork, twine

Hobby paint brushes and paint.
Sketch books and media (pencils, charcoal, etc.)
Small circuit boards for the time machine.
“Gorilla” Glue (strong glue.)

Terri’s note: Please remember that scale is important. We are looking for 1/6 scale to fit in with Marwencol. Figures are 12”. If you are looking on eBay be careful to verify the scale/size before you purchase anything. There are several different sized GI Joe dolls and accessories. Some sellers think you will know the scale and don’t include the info in their listings.

Photo: copyright Mark Hogancamp

There is a lot of stuff you can find at flea markets, yard sales and possibly in your own home that will be useful. I found many inexpensive clothing items on eBay for the Cy Girls.
Finally, watching Marwencol is the best way to see what Mark uses and might want more of. His small list of desires is incorporated into the list above.

Where Do I Send It?
Items should be mailed to Terri at:
Marwencol
c/o Terri Gold
1748 Glasco Turnpike
Woodstock, NY 12498

Donors should make sure that their full name in included inside the package. If they wish to remain anonymous after the fact, they should include that information. They should include an email address to which Terri will send confirmation of receipt of the donation.

If you have a question about something you wish to donate that’s not on or implied by the list, you can contact Terri Gold at huntdolls-mark@yahoo.com or me, Kevin, at tonnersocialmedia@gmail.com.

I want to thank Terri for her generous response and help in making the idea of donating to Mark a reality. And also all of those who have been discussing Marwencol on #dollchat and in private. The movie is very stirring and raises all kinds of questions about the power of art and play. If you have not seen the film I urge you to find it and give a viewing. Everyone from repaint artists to collectors have told me that they would love to give something to Mark. It is great to see a film and then realize that you can reach out and touch that life and creativity. We’ll keep you posted on developments so that even if you do not wish to, or can’t donate the story will live. In fact, I am wondering if we could post updates on the events in Marwencol here on our blog…

Photo: copyright Mark Hogancamp

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I will photograph and bring everything donated to the Tonner store in Kingston which is just a few miles from my home. Mark's representative will deliver it to him personally.

 Charlie Cecil Riley blogged about Marwencol and the project. Click HERE to read her post.

Marwencol

Kevin von Duuglas-Ittu, director of social media at Tonner Doll, suggested a documentary movie called Marwencol to me yesterday.  It features a man who survived a severe beating who has created an alternate world using 1/6 scale dolls. It is not about dolls, but it moved both myself and my husband who watched it along with me last night.

Click on the image below to get more information.

On this page, LINK, there are several short clips. But..I recommend watching the entire film.

I'm adding some of the comments I sent to Kevin after seeing the film.

My husband, Bob, and I watched Marwencol last night. OMG!
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I experienced many feelings while watching. First of all I was near tears a few times. Next I was in awe of Mark's innate artistic vision. I also realized that he's not in reality all the time. He goes back and forth between being himself to being a figure in his town. It's tragic that he was cut off from therapy but amazing that he continues to create.
It's an amazing story and I loved it on so many levels.
This was definitely not about dolls nor do I see him as a doll photographer. He is capturing moments of his own life and making them 'concrete.' It keeps him anchored in whatever world he is inhabiting at the moment.
I felt pain during the segments of the art show in NY when he was talking to people who weren't at all connecting with him. When he talks about 'arming' himself before going out of his house I felt terrible. He has so much fear.
This movie is a treasure and should be marketed to therapists and rehabs. It's a perfect movie for recovering alcoholics to view...not that it's about alcoholism, but it's one of the tragic results of drinking...inappropriate talk under the influence. He knew exactly why those guys beat him up.
The funniest part of the movie was his perception of Greenwich Village and what he thought he'd see there.
I was a little shocked with the revelation of his cross-dressing penchant but it tied in when he talked about what he said in the bar that caused the beating.
I feel like I want to give him things and I may put together a package of art materials and doll stuff and bring it over to that hobby shop so they can give it to him. I have tons of stuff he might be able to use.
I was happy to see that half way through the movie he got a digital camera. I actually have that same film Pentax he was using in the beginning! It's a great camera. 

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I agree that although it's not about dolls specifically, the part in which he talks about forgetting everything else and just being involved with the dolls is very relevant and I identified with that.
I've heard many collectors say that their cares and worries disappear when they're playing with their dolls.
I sometimes feel like that myself but on the dark side of that concept is that so many treat their dolls better than they treat themselves and their families and they also spend money that should be used otherwise.

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If you have seen this film, please add your comments below.