FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Due to the widely shared and successful Barcroft TV Truly documentary we have decided to clear up a few misconceptions and answer some common questions.

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Do you really think of the dolls as your children?

No! No! No! We aren't crazy or confused - we love staging elaborate photographs and video productions. If the photos we are working on require us to take the dolls out in public, we take them out in public, otherwise they get left at home. The dolls are not a substitute for children, and it would be absurd if we lavished the kind of time and attention on them that actual children deserve and require.

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Did you choose to do this because you cannot have children?

We have made a thoughtful decision not to have children due to many reasons.  We do not dislike children, nor have any fertility problems, someday we may even change our minds.  However we have no plans to have children, and our hobby is not an indication that we are compensating for unmet maternal/paternal instincts.

Is your house overflowing with dolls?

No, if you were to walk in during the midst of one of our projects you might see them everywhere, but they have their own room that they spend their free time in (we don't recommend going in there if you have a doll phobia).

How do you sleep with all the dolls staring at you at night?

The dolls sleep in their own room, we sleep in ours.  However, as we don't find the concept of dolls disturbing, it would be no more difficult than sleeping in a room full of photographs.  

Are any of your dolls haunted?

Not that we have noticed.  Our house is over 116 years old and we live surrounded by antiques and vintage objects.  Despite this conducive environment, none of the dolls have exhibited any signs of the supernatural.  This includes a supposedly haunted Japanese ichimatsu gofun doll that was gifted to us - we assume that if she was indeed haunted that she is now so happy living with us that she feels no need to announce her presence.  You can learn more about her here.

Where can I find similar dolls to those in your photos?

Most of our large dolls are 50-60 years old and are no longer being produced, thus they must be purchased from the secondary market.  They are available from many sources including Ebay, online classifieds , thrift & antique stores, doll shows and Facebook collector groups. The easiest search terms to use are "playpal" or "companion doll."​

Crediting Photographs:

We love it when people share our photos on social media.  We just ask that you please credit us (Madeline & Malachi Dressel) or our Instagram Account @all.my.plastic.children.  The easiest way to share photos is to share them directly from our Instagram Account which  embeds all the information directly.