Halloween in Miniature: Wicked Witches

Nothing says Halloween better than a boiling cauldron, a secret spellbook and a few witchy women who aren't afraid to cast a spell or two.

The classic Halloween witch with warts, long grey hair, a pointy black hat and her black cat at her side is probably one of the more favorite characters to create in miniature. Witches, though, like people, come in all shapes and sizes. (Note: dollhouse dolls featured here are in the traditional 1" or 1/12th scale where 1" equals 1 foot. Most female dolls average 5.5 inches tall.)


Halloween Fashionista

Take the work of Montana doll artist Gina Gagnon. She brings more than just exquisite design and dressmaking skills to her dolls, as seen in her latest creation, a witch she calls Gladys.

This witch, who is a fashionista of sorts, isn't willing to be seen outside in just anything, of course. Instead, she's wearing a Gagnon original including a suede cloth cloak, a raw silk undress, and don't forget the stylish midnight blue pointy shoes.

Gladys whom Gina hopes someone will buy "and give her the witch house of her dreams," is memorable for more than her wardrobe, though. Gina invariably adds a touch of humor to her dolls to make them memorable.

Consider this view of Gladys, waving goodbye to her friend Myrtle, who's riding off on her broom in the unseen distance. But Gladys isn't just waving goodbye, her creator insists: "She's trying to tell Myrtle that she's forgotten to wear her underwear!"

The Many Faces of Nancy

In the hands of miniature doll artisan Nancy Cronin, the wicked witch has a charm all her own.

Her witches – all hand-sculpted from polymer clay, some are cast in resin as well - are characters that Disney wishes his artists had dreamed up. Her witches are ghostly white, dressed in traditional black and looking a bit matronly, and shades in-between. Look and you'd swear you can almost hear them cackle.



Pretty, they're not. In fact, most of her dolls don't have a pinch of Hollywood beauty about them, which is just the way Nancy (and everyone else) likes them. "I do a lot of people watching," Nancy says. "Most people aren't pretty."


Pretty in Black

The word "witch" usually has one meaning to most people. But Dutch doll maker and collector Christa Chayata had a different view when she made her miniature witch.



The doll, which Crista made using the "Gertie" mold by Cynthia Howe, was inspired by a witch hat from Margriet van der Zee that she won in a contest on the MiniDollList.

The hat was so pretty, that well… "What is such a beautiful hat without a witch?" Christa says. "I mostly don't like ugly witches, so I tried to make one that looks a bit nice."

And she does, doesn't she? In fact, in this case, they all look nice (but don't tell them. Witches must keep their reputations after all.)

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