Zombabes

By Veteran/Actor Russell Hodgkinson

Last year, while attending a horror convention in Boise, Idaho, I met an incredibly interesting couple who sold scary, handcrafted, weird art and taxidermy. They met as circus performers in the 90s and now travel the country attending these type conventions. I was there as a guest artist, signing photos and selling Z Nation memorabilia. We bonded over the 3 day event, at which point, they invited me to join them at the upcoming Oddities and Curiosities Expo in Portland and Seattle. I was hesitant since I had nothing particularly odd or curious to sell, but they encouraged me to get creative and come up with something.

When I told my wife about it, she offered me her Barbie collection. She’d been scouring thrift stores for years, snatching up every $2 dollar Barbie she could find, with the intention of creating some kind of, I don’t know, art installation in the backyard. She did made a pretty cool Barbie rain chain one year, with plans for a Barbie chandelier to hang over the picnic table. Thankfully, she never got around to it. Anyway, it was on this ‘bright day’ that I was inspired to zombify her dolls to sell at the upcoming event.

I started