Gabriella The Ghoul- Living Dead Dolls: Series 18

I love the fact that the folks behind the Living Dead Dolls decided to bring out another series of "Vintage Style Halloween Costumed Dolls" I have a thing about dolls wearing masks!

Like the last series of Halloween costume LDD (Series 16) I'm not keen on all of them... 

The three I like from Series 18 are Ingrid (the Vampire), Ember (The Witch) and Gabriella (The Ghoul), so far I've only managed to get my hands on Gabriella, but maybe I'll get lucky with the other two at some point.

Gabriella came to me sealed, with her "normal" face on display, she's cute but honestly I much prefer her and the others with their masks in place.

I have to admit, I panicked at first as I expected her accessories to be visible inside her coffin, this meant I had to unseal her to find them hidden behind her - which I really didn't want to do but I just had to get at that mask and pumpkin pail!

And here she is in her cute little "ghoul" mask, I much prefer her with it on!

I haven't been able to get her hand around her pumpkin pail yet, but never mind it's cute enough where it is...

One thing I loved about this little lady is her outfit, the style of it puts me in mind of those weird cheap plastic outfits that you used to be able to buy with matching flimsy easy breakable mask...

 I guess that's why I had a horrible suspicion that her mask would be flimsy but yay it isn't at all.

Another great thing about it is that it has a Zombie rising from it's grave on the front.

 I'm pretty sure by now you know how much I love Zombies, so of course it was another reason to get this little lady for my collection.

Another thing her mask reminds me of is Boris Karloff's makeup in The Ghoul - 1933 film about an Egyptology who returns from the grave to reak vengeance.

But the  very best thing about her mask is that when the lights go out, it glows in the dark...

In case you don't know, Glow-in-the-dark anything is another of my vices, especially dolls and doll accessories! 

Of course another accessory she has which I absolutely love about Living Dead Dolls, is her "Death Certificate" apparently she died in 1933... 

So what was so significant about Halloween 1933? 

Quite a lot it turns out, Halloween that year became known as "Black Halloween" after the traditional night of innocent Tricks got out of hand and ended up closer to a riot than a children's holiday.. 

Cars were turned over, telephone poles were chopped down, windows were broken, houses and other properties were vandalised and several arson's took place.

This led to America coming up with the soon to become tradition of knocking on doors and coming away with candy, after trying several other child orientated ways to pass the time it seemed bribery with sugar was the most popular with the younger generation and so instead of wanton vandalism and setting fires Trick or Treating was born!

And yeah I know Gabriella's death date is 23rd November not 31st October and it would make sense that if she were to die that year it would of been on Halloween given how dangerous it must have been out on the streets that year but 23rd November is not the date given by Damien Glonek and Ed Long on her certificate, but that was the day she was eaten alive!

While I was waiting for her to arrive, I was checking Amazon and various other places to see if she did come with the little Pumpkin Pail as all the sales pictures I'd seen of her don't show her holding one...

 I couldn't believe how much Amazon wanted for her - more than 4 times the price I paid!!

Follow