If you’ve been watching Feud, I’m sure you are familiar with, and a huge fan of, Mamacita, played to subtle comic perfection by Jackie Hoffman. I originally tuned into the show because of Jackie–I had seen her tweets about it during production, and I was excited to hear she was working on a Ryan Murphy show. Jackie even retweeted my tweet:
I first saw Jackie in the musical “Hairspray,” and I’ve been a fan ever since, seeing all of her Broadway shows, and her starring role in “Once Upon a Mattress” off-Broadway last year. And it’s always a delight when she appears on my TV screen, especially on one of my favorite shows, “Difficult People.” (Read my post on the show here.)
Her most memorable TV role yet, is Feud’s Mamacita. And as a fan favorite, there’s no doubt we’ll see people dressed as her for Halloween this year, but I thought I’d start the “cosplay” trend a little sooner (and smaller).
In the age of fandom, most tv shows and movies seem to have action figures. For characters that haven’t been represented (and for some that are), fans have taken to making their own. Some wonderful examples include a Liz Taylor Funko Pop, Nygmobblepot dolls, and this Living Dead Doll re-purposed into a Dead Snow soldier.
I had thought about trying to make my own Funko POP!, but I don’t sculpt–I sew, so I’ll stick to what I know. I have a list of dolls I want to costume, but I decided to start with Mamacita.
It’s thanks to dolls that I even know how to sew; when I was young I received an American Girl Doll (Kirsten) for Christmas, but since her clothes cost as much as human clothes (at least for a family that primarily outfitted at TJ Maxx), my parents weren’t keen on purchasing any. I soon learned how to make doll clothes, at first recreating the outfits Pleasant Co. was selling for her, and then eventually branching out with my own designs. Although mostly plastic, their torsos were fabric, much like a dress form, making it easy to pin and drape.
I did love my American Girl, but I longed for a Madame Alexander doll. I would “visit” them at a toy store in downtown Concord, MA, and admire them through the glass. Compared to dolls you’d find at KB Toys or Child World, they were expensive. They were really meant to be looked at, not played with.
So it was to my great delight when my aunt took up the tradition of buying me a Madame Alexander doll for special occasions, albeit not until my teens, starting with a Cinderella doll for my holy confirmation. Through the years she helped build my small collection, including a bride doll for my wedding (a much better gift than a blender, in my opinion.)
When it comes to dolls, some things have changed now that I’m an adult…I have an income and access to internet, so the sky’s the limit!
The first MA doll I bought for myself was a Wednesday doll from the “Addams Family” musical. She had the same hair as me (at the time) and came with a tiny cross-bow–how could I resist?! Coincidentally, Jackie Hoffman played Grandma to Krysta Rodriguez’s Wednesday in the original bway cast.
The doll that I dressed as Mamacita, and the ones that I plan to use for other projects, were bought on eBay. I am trying to “rescue” ones that don’t have clothes or have imperfections (I had to reattach the head and limbs on this one), and give them new life.
Tiny clothes may cost less in terms of materials, but seem to take as long to construct as the full size versions, due to the challenges working on a small scale. It’s harder to hem, turn things inside-out, or fit around the sewing machine. I got around that buy using non-fraying material for the collar and cuffs. I ended up redoing the apron three times, and cutting my own ric-rac with pinkingshears since I couldn’t buy any wee enough. On a side note, I know Jackie is a fan of Project Runway, so she may like to know I bought the dress fabric at Mood (Thank you, Mood!) I was worried I’d have use a very PR move and sew her into the dress, but to my surprise I was able to make it so the dress could come on and off properly (should she want to change into streetwear on her day off.)
The doll may not be perfect (the shoes could be better), but I think it’s a good start to my new hobby. One NEEDS hobbies nowadays as a distraction to everything going on in the world. Scrolling Etsy for tiny catseye glasses is better for my mental well-being than scrolling my twitter feed on any given day in Trump’s America. You know what’s also a great escape? Theater!
Feud may be ending, but if you are in NYC you can watch Jackie Hoffman live on stage in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on Broadway. And to nobody’s surprise, she’s hilarious.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory opens on Broadway this Sunday, April 23 at the Lunt-Fontanne
- The “Feud” season finale airs on FX this Sunday, April 23.
earth girls are cheesy 
Love this. I, like you have quite a collection of MA dolls, but I really love how you’ve breathed new life in to them
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Thanks! 🙂
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