Q: First, I have to ask you what exactly is a Zombuki, and more importantly, should we all be afraid?
B: "Zombuki" is what I call my customized dolls, they started out as Pullips, Blythe, and Dal (all types of Japanese fashion dolls), but now include urban vinyl and kokeshi dolls as well. The name "Zombuki" comes from a hybrid of the words "zombie" and "kabuki" - the name definitely lets you know what you're in for. Oh, and they're benevolent figures, I assure you.
Q: Having been featured in hobby magazines across the globe and pronounced a "master doll customizer" by a popular Japanese publication, why do you continue to reside in Palm Harbor, Florida?
B: My family is a big reason I stay in the area, plus I love that I can go outside, walk 20 ft, and take photos of the dolls outside. The area I live in is only pseudo-developed, so it's a drive to get anywhere where things "happen," but on the up side I'm super close to nature all the time. I would consider moving, but it would have to be for a really great reason!
Q: I love the playfulness and whimsy in the handmade jewelry you produce. What inspires you to make them?
B: I actually make the jewelry for much the same reason I make the Zombuki: because there wasn't anything out there that I wanted to wear. Plus, when you put toxic chemicals and rhinestones together
you've pretty much got something that I can't say no to!
Q: One of my favorite bits of literature is the short story The Birthmark by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which tells the tale of a man obsessed with his wife's tiniest of imperfections only to lose her in the process of removing her flaws. Barbie dolls have been perceived by many as a symbol of our society's obsession with an ideal, in what ways are Zombuki dolls different or the same?
B: The dolls given to young girls (Barbie, baby dolls, Bratz, etc) are "aspiration figures." Read symbolically they show little girls options for what they "should be" within the confines of acceptable society. I find them somewhere between fairly harmless and destructive, depending on my mood, but a lot of people don't fit into those standards, nor do they need to. The Zombuki are ... inside out in a way, the kind of quirky beauty that unique people have, extremely exaggerated, and then made external. People can identify with them on the same very personal level as more conventional looking dolls because of this.
It's funny that you'd mention literature because I actually identify the dolls with Freud's essay "The Uncanny," which discusses the E.T.A. Hoffmann work "The Sandman," which is about (in part) a too-realistic doll.
Q: What is a kokeshi doll, and what makes them special?
B: Kokeshi are traditional Japanese wooden dolls with a head proportionally larger than the body (like the Japanese fashion dolls I work with) and which conventionally don't have any arms or legs. I
find them wonderfully charming, something in between artisan craft and urban vinyl figure (except they're made of wood). Imagine my joy when wooden urban vinyl started being produced recently, I could have jumped for joy!
Q: There is definitely a strong Japanese influence in many facets of your work. Are there any particular Japanese artists or art-forms that you pay particular attention to?
B: I love the work of Yoshitomo Nara and Junko Mizuno, but the list of artists that I love is pretty international. I love all folk/fairy tales and Japanese ones are no exception, the Crane Wife is one
Japanese fairy tale which inspired a specific doll (Idyll). Japanese fashion, both traditional and modern, as well as traditional toys (like kokeshi and daruma), and festivals are probably my main pull.
Q: I am also impressed by how nice a job you do customizing vinyl toys, the paint and clear coat applications meriting particular notice. Do you have any interest in doing your own line of vinyl toys?
B: Thank you! I would love to have a toy line of my own produced some day. I remember thinking when I was a teenager that being a toy maker would be the coolest job in the world, then I was like, "Nah! That could never happen!" Ha! What could be better?
Q: I am told on Saturday night you will be bringing some tasty baked goods, but what other goodies might we expect to see at this weekend's Zombuki Invades Super7 pop up shop?
B: Yes! Amongst my eclectic skill set I list baking (with the help of a lovely assistant)! I'll be bringing Zombuki jewelry, magnets, postcards, and photo prints to the pop up shop alongside original kokeshi dolls. Plus you'll get a chance to view my personal Zombuki doll collection in person, which is a first! Oh, and you'll get my company of course! I'm looking forward to it.
You can read more about Brigitte on her website at , on her blog at and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Zombuki.
Thank you to everyone who came out for the Zombuki Invades Super7 opening. Amazing toys, sweet bites, cold beer and good times were all around. Masterful toy photography was the topic of the evening, and there was even a Monstrehero sighting! All remaining Zombuki handpaints, prints and jewelry are now available at the Super7 Florida Online Shop.
The Zombuki pop up shop is tomorrow at Super7 Florida, featuring the works of artist Brigitte Coovert. The opening night reception will begin at 7 p.m. with complimentary snacks and beverages provided. The exhibit will remain at the store through February 6th, and all sale items will be made available for sale both in store and online at the Super7 Florida Online Shop.
Q: First, I have to ask you what exactly is a Zombuki, and more importantly, should we all be afraid?
