Doll Customizers and Redesigners: (List will be updated as we continue to interview people for this category.)
- Laurie Lenz, from the USA, doll customizer, repainter, owner of Angels Doll Studio
- Hextian (a.k.a. Christian), from the USA, doll customizer, repainter, YouTube content creator
- Servando Hernández, from the Mexico, doll customizer, owner of Livin' Plastic Dolls
- Stacelina Monique, from the USA, doll customizer
- Lisa Jameson (aka Pepstar), from the USA, doll customizer
- Andrea Collum, from the USA, doll customizer
Andrea Collum, Doll Customizer
INTERVIEW: To hear the In The Doll World, doll podcast and doll YouTube interview, visit,
- our Buzzsprout page
- our Apple Podcast page
- our podcasts page
"I was a Barbie girl from 1959 when my Aunt Mary gave me my first Barbie for Christmas. She was a brunette pony in the stewardess outfit. My favorite part of that whole set was the zippered bag. I was a weird kid... For years, every penny of my allowance went to Barbies and their clothes. I lived and died by my dolls! By the time I reached my teens, I decided I was too old for dolls and gave them ALL to a little girl I babysat. 'Til this day, I'm kicking my own behind! I didn't have anything to do with dolls for years, until I reached my late 30's. That's when my husband gave me a beautiful porcelain doll for Christmas, and the passion was renewed.
I purchased a ton of porcelain. At one point in 1994, my husband suggested I could make them cheaper than buying them; so, I started taking classes and made many award-winning dolls purely from scratch. I also sculpted a couple, including a bust of my grandson, who was 2 at the time, and a 20" fashion doll. I eventually had to give it up because the silica and porcelain dust were affecting my eyes and making me cough.
What brought me back to Barbie, oddly enough, was lung cancer. In 2013, I was diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer. I was told I would lose my hair from chemo. Oddly, the thought of having a Fashion Queen Barbie to wear wigs with me became an obsession, and I scoured eBay for the perfect doll. I was lucky in that removal of the superior lobe of my right lung got the cancer. I never had chemo or lost my hair. While all of this was going on, and I was really sick and recovering, my wonderful husband, Ricky, recreated to the best of his ability, my childhood collection of Barbies. That ignited the collecting bug in me, but I missed making my own OOAKs. I discovered the wonderful online world of doll enthusiasts and found people as crazy as I am, and it's wonderful!
I was also able to get back into the OOAKs by getting poor beat up dolls and using some of the skills I had developed to restore and remake them. From there I formed my FB group, Magical Misfits, dedicated to helping other doll artists and collectors renew their dolls.
When I discovered Integrity Toys, I felt I found my true calling. The quality of the sculpts and styling is unsurpassed, except in the very pricey dolls, and Poppy Parker has been my absolute favorite. Her storyline coincides with my teen years, so I'm reliving those times through her. I have a partner that I'm able to get blank rooted heads from, and I can put my own spin on her with the help of several talented dressmakers! Here are a few of my favorites!
I find so much joy in painting these girls, and it seems like each doll tells me who she wants to be. I hope to be making them as long as my hands and eyes are able!"
Bio written by Andrea Collum.
INTERVIEW: To hear the In The Doll World, doll podcast and doll YouTube interview, visit,
- our Buzzsprout page
- our Apple Podcast page
- our podcasts page
"I was a Barbie girl from 1959 when my Aunt Mary gave me my first Barbie for Christmas. She was a brunette pony in the stewardess outfit. My favorite part of that whole set was the zippered bag. I was a weird kid... For years, every penny of my allowance went to Barbies and their clothes. I lived and died by my dolls! By the time I reached my teens, I decided I was too old for dolls and gave them ALL to a little girl I babysat. 'Til this day, I'm kicking my own behind! I didn't have anything to do with dolls for years, until I reached my late 30's. That's when my husband gave me a beautiful porcelain doll for Christmas, and the passion was renewed.
I purchased a ton of porcelain. At one point in 1994, my husband suggested I could make them cheaper than buying them; so, I started taking classes and made many award-winning dolls purely from scratch. I also sculpted a couple, including a bust of my grandson, who was 2 at the time, and a 20" fashion doll. I eventually had to give it up because the silica and porcelain dust were affecting my eyes and making me cough.
What brought me back to Barbie, oddly enough, was lung cancer. In 2013, I was diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer. I was told I would lose my hair from chemo. Oddly, the thought of having a Fashion Queen Barbie to wear wigs with me became an obsession, and I scoured eBay for the perfect doll. I was lucky in that removal of the superior lobe of my right lung got the cancer. I never had chemo or lost my hair. While all of this was going on, and I was really sick and recovering, my wonderful husband, Ricky, recreated to the best of his ability, my childhood collection of Barbies. That ignited the collecting bug in me, but I missed making my own OOAKs. I discovered the wonderful online world of doll enthusiasts and found people as crazy as I am, and it's wonderful!
I was also able to get back into the OOAKs by getting poor beat up dolls and using some of the skills I had developed to restore and remake them. From there I formed my FB group, Magical Misfits, dedicated to helping other doll artists and collectors renew their dolls.
When I discovered Integrity Toys, I felt I found my true calling. The quality of the sculpts and styling is unsurpassed, except in the very pricey dolls, and Poppy Parker has been my absolute favorite. Her storyline coincides with my teen years, so I'm reliving those times through her. I have a partner that I'm able to get blank rooted heads from, and I can put my own spin on her with the help of several talented dressmakers! Here are a few of my favorites!
I find so much joy in painting these girls, and it seems like each doll tells me who she wants to be. I hope to be making them as long as my hands and eyes are able!"
Bio written by Andrea Collum.
Lisa Jameson, aka Pepstar
INTERVIEW: To hear the In The Doll World, doll podcast and doll YouTube interview, visit,
- our Buzzsprout page
- our Apple Podcast page
- our podcasts page
"I am a product of the 60's; born in Montreal to English parents. We did a lot of moving around until we migrated and settled in The Bay Area in 1971. I come from a very artistic family; mostly self taught. Originally I started doing pencil and ink portraits. I've always been fascinated with faces. I've also been an avid doll collector, starting with Barbies in my youth and then evolving to the Tonner Fashion Dolls in the late 90's. This began my doll repaint obsession.
I worked on Tonner doll repaints up until about 2006. By that time I had already discovered the ball joint dolls and basically switched over to them as they were resin and I enjoyed working with that medium over vinyl. I found they were much more customizable.
I've been doing BJD face-ups since then and only recently have I stepped back to include some of the Tonner repaints once again now that I can apply more skill to them. I currently reside in Northern Arizona where I've been living since 2007. " Bio written by Lisa
To learn more about Lisa and her dolls, visit her at:
INTERVIEW: To hear the In The Doll World, doll podcast and doll YouTube interview, visit,
- our Buzzsprout page
- our Apple Podcast page
- our podcasts page
"I am a product of the 60's; born in Montreal to English parents. We did a lot of moving around until we migrated and settled in The Bay Area in 1971. I come from a very artistic family; mostly self taught. Originally I started doing pencil and ink portraits. I've always been fascinated with faces. I've also been an avid doll collector, starting with Barbies in my youth and then evolving to the Tonner Fashion Dolls in the late 90's. This began my doll repaint obsession.
I worked on Tonner doll repaints up until about 2006. By that time I had already discovered the ball joint dolls and basically switched over to them as they were resin and I enjoyed working with that medium over vinyl. I found they were much more customizable.
I've been doing BJD face-ups since then and only recently have I stepped back to include some of the Tonner repaints once again now that I can apply more skill to them. I currently reside in Northern Arizona where I've been living since 2007. " Bio written by Lisa
To learn more about Lisa and her dolls, visit her at:
- Website: www.pepstarsworld.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/pepstar
- Instagram: instagram.com/pepstarsworld
Stacelina Monique
INTERVIEW: To hear the In The Doll World, doll podcast and doll YouTube interview, visit,
- our Buzzsprout page
- our Apple Podcast page
- our podcasts page
"Stacy is a wife and a mother of two children and resides in the Bay Area. She is currently an active member of the African American Black Beauty Doll Artists of Oakland, CA .
Stacy came up with the name Stacelina Monique when she joined Facebook in 2015. She wanted a whimsical name for her doll page that would separate her from her personal life.
"Stacelina Monique has been designing dolls since the early age of six. She started off drawing round face paper dolls, crocheting, painting, crafting and now customizing Barbie dolls creating a culture scene in a diorama format that is mounted to a doll stand which makes her dolls unique. They are ready to be displayed on a shelf as a piece of artwork that has always been a wonderful conversation piece as her customers would say.
"Stacelina, also customizes "Look a Like" dolls that bear a remarkable likeness to her client, she enjoys the challenge of being creative which en-tells a lot of detailed craft work by re-rooting, repainting and designing a miniature "Look a Like" outfit from a photo. These dolls are not recommended for children.
"You have to have the passion and some awareness to the culture to make relatable art that one can relate to. Her custom dolls are for adult doll collectors or someone who is looking for an extraordinary One Of A Kind gift.
Stacelina Monique finds inspiration through friends’ conversation, stories she hears or something that catches her eye. She is a positive influence on young girls in the creativeness of her dolls." Bio written by Stacelina
To learn more about Stacelina and her dolls, visit her Etsy, Instagram, FaceBook, and TikTok. Stacy's etsy site is: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StacelinaMonique
INTERVIEW: To hear the In The Doll World, doll podcast and doll YouTube interview, visit,
- our Buzzsprout page
- our Apple Podcast page
- our podcasts page
"Stacy is a wife and a mother of two children and resides in the Bay Area. She is currently an active member of the African American Black Beauty Doll Artists of Oakland, CA .
Stacy came up with the name Stacelina Monique when she joined Facebook in 2015. She wanted a whimsical name for her doll page that would separate her from her personal life.
"Stacelina Monique has been designing dolls since the early age of six. She started off drawing round face paper dolls, crocheting, painting, crafting and now customizing Barbie dolls creating a culture scene in a diorama format that is mounted to a doll stand which makes her dolls unique. They are ready to be displayed on a shelf as a piece of artwork that has always been a wonderful conversation piece as her customers would say.
"Stacelina, also customizes "Look a Like" dolls that bear a remarkable likeness to her client, she enjoys the challenge of being creative which en-tells a lot of detailed craft work by re-rooting, repainting and designing a miniature "Look a Like" outfit from a photo. These dolls are not recommended for children.
"You have to have the passion and some awareness to the culture to make relatable art that one can relate to. Her custom dolls are for adult doll collectors or someone who is looking for an extraordinary One Of A Kind gift.
Stacelina Monique finds inspiration through friends’ conversation, stories she hears or something that catches her eye. She is a positive influence on young girls in the creativeness of her dolls." Bio written by Stacelina
To learn more about Stacelina and her dolls, visit her Etsy, Instagram, FaceBook, and TikTok. Stacy's etsy site is: https://www.etsy.com/shop/StacelinaMonique
Servando Hernández (PODCAST: To hear the interview, visit our podcast page. )
Servando Hernández, Mexican industrial designer and plastic artist, was born in 1991. He discovered his vocation at a very young age. Even a s a child, he would occupy himself by making beautiful drawings. It was very common to see him with sheets of paper and colored pencils. His parents encouraged his artistic passion by giving him free-reign to express himself through art. Some of his most outstanding pieces were silhouettes and faces of beautiful women.
When he was a bit older, Servando was taken care of by his maternal grandmother, a talented seamstress. Under her tutelage, Servando learned to bring to reality the outfits he had dreamed of and had seen only in his imagination and drawings.
In 2012, Servando began to collect Barbie dolls. He said that he liked the "aesthetics and emotional charge" that Barbie represents.
Servando's education includes bases of Industrial Design, Photography, Pattern Making, and Visual Arts.
To learn more about Servando and his dolls, visit:
Servando Hernández, Mexican industrial designer and plastic artist, was born in 1991. He discovered his vocation at a very young age. Even a s a child, he would occupy himself by making beautiful drawings. It was very common to see him with sheets of paper and colored pencils. His parents encouraged his artistic passion by giving him free-reign to express himself through art. Some of his most outstanding pieces were silhouettes and faces of beautiful women.
When he was a bit older, Servando was taken care of by his maternal grandmother, a talented seamstress. Under her tutelage, Servando learned to bring to reality the outfits he had dreamed of and had seen only in his imagination and drawings.
In 2012, Servando began to collect Barbie dolls. He said that he liked the "aesthetics and emotional charge" that Barbie represents.
Servando's education includes bases of Industrial Design, Photography, Pattern Making, and Visual Arts.
To learn more about Servando and his dolls, visit:
- His Face Book page: https://www.facebook.com/livinplasticdolls/
- His Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LivinPlasticDolls
HeXtian (PODCAST: To hear the interview, visit our podcast page. )
HeXtian (a.k.a. , Christian) is a Doll Customizer, Repainter, and YouTube content creator. He finds inspiration for his artistry in his favorite childhood shows, the LGBTQ+ community, and celebrities.
HeXtian began his career as a YouTube content creator. As a channel owner, he tried many different subjects before almost accidentally landing on doll customization. One day, he posted a video of himself repainting a doll and was surprised to see a spike in the number of viewers! He continued repainting and customizing dolls and his viewer numbers continued to rise! He realized, he had stumbled upon his niche'!
HeXtian is now a YouTube sensation, with almost 1M subscribers! He makes a living with his YouTube channel. He is a sensitive young man who speaks honestly about his art, being queer, and being a young person during 2020--a time of fear, revolution, and hope.
To learn more about HeXtian and his dolls, visit him on:
HeXtian (a.k.a. , Christian) is a Doll Customizer, Repainter, and YouTube content creator. He finds inspiration for his artistry in his favorite childhood shows, the LGBTQ+ community, and celebrities.
HeXtian began his career as a YouTube content creator. As a channel owner, he tried many different subjects before almost accidentally landing on doll customization. One day, he posted a video of himself repainting a doll and was surprised to see a spike in the number of viewers! He continued repainting and customizing dolls and his viewer numbers continued to rise! He realized, he had stumbled upon his niche'!
HeXtian is now a YouTube sensation, with almost 1M subscribers! He makes a living with his YouTube channel. He is a sensitive young man who speaks honestly about his art, being queer, and being a young person during 2020--a time of fear, revolution, and hope.
To learn more about HeXtian and his dolls, visit him on:
- YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/user/HeXtian
- Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/hextian/
Laurie Lenz (PODCAST: To hear the interview, visit our podcast page. )
Laurie Lenz, from the describes herself as "a blessed wife, and a mother of five amazing children that she happily homeschools". She teaches middle school and high school art, and has a dream job of creating one-of-a-kind dolls! She received her Bachelor degree in Graphics and Photography, and was trained at Drexel University, and Moore College of Art & Design. After college, Laurie worked in the music business as an artist who created album cover designs, photography, t-shirts, promotional packages, and portraits. She also worked as an Art Director and Graphic Artist for Tyco Toys, in the Product Graphics Department. While at Tyco, Laurie was "ecstatic" to work on doll-related projects.
Laurie has the joy and privilege of painting, creating hairstyles (either rerooted or wigged), designing and creating fashions & jewelry, and photographing dolls. She loves to work on a variation of dolls—from 12” dolls up to 28” tall. She works with a variety of doll body types including vinyl and resin as well as ball-jointed dolls (bjd).
Laurie is a member of Metrodolls and The Repaint Society. Laurie describes herself as "being so blessed to be friends with, and a member of The Repaint Society". Laurie also says she " has had the blessing of being spotlighted in several international doll magazines". The magazines include: Haute Doll, FDQ, Stand, Dolls Magazine, and Doll Customizer.
To learn more about Laurie and her dolls, visit her site: Laurie Lenz, Angels Doll Studio https://www.laurielenzdollstudio.com/
Laurie Lenz, from the describes herself as "a blessed wife, and a mother of five amazing children that she happily homeschools". She teaches middle school and high school art, and has a dream job of creating one-of-a-kind dolls! She received her Bachelor degree in Graphics and Photography, and was trained at Drexel University, and Moore College of Art & Design. After college, Laurie worked in the music business as an artist who created album cover designs, photography, t-shirts, promotional packages, and portraits. She also worked as an Art Director and Graphic Artist for Tyco Toys, in the Product Graphics Department. While at Tyco, Laurie was "ecstatic" to work on doll-related projects.
Laurie has the joy and privilege of painting, creating hairstyles (either rerooted or wigged), designing and creating fashions & jewelry, and photographing dolls. She loves to work on a variation of dolls—from 12” dolls up to 28” tall. She works with a variety of doll body types including vinyl and resin as well as ball-jointed dolls (bjd).
Laurie is a member of Metrodolls and The Repaint Society. Laurie describes herself as "being so blessed to be friends with, and a member of The Repaint Society". Laurie also says she " has had the blessing of being spotlighted in several international doll magazines". The magazines include: Haute Doll, FDQ, Stand, Dolls Magazine, and Doll Customizer.
To learn more about Laurie and her dolls, visit her site: Laurie Lenz, Angels Doll Studio https://www.laurielenzdollstudio.com/
