Thousands of dollars in rare dolls were allegedly stolen from an Oakland woman’s home last week, rocking the online doll community and stumping collectors everywhere.
An “ongoing art project” that she started during the pandemic, educator Kirsten Seymour says that she spent an estimated $18,000 to $20,000 on her family of unique, customized Blythe dolls. She also spent years on their character development and story lines, building elaborate miniature apartments inside suitcases and photographing them for her small but dedicated Instagram following.
Kirsten Seymour creates elaborate scenes in suitcases for her vintage dolls.
Kirsten Seymour
The Guardian says that these dolls were introduced in the U.S. in 1972 but were discontinued after just one year because their enormous, glassy eyes and disproportionately large heads were considered too disturbing for children. However, their scarcity — and distinct appearance — are precisely what gave them a cult following among adults, especially on community photography sites like Flickr.
They’re not cheap, either. Some custom Blythe dolls on Etsy sell for a staggering $10,000, and on Ebay, originals are typically listed between $1,000 and $2,000. But for Seymour, it’s not about their extrinsic value. “People are attracted to them because they can convey a lot of emotion for storytelling,” she says.
When the pandemic took hold of the Bay Area, she used them to create what she calls “photographic novels”: tiny, detailed scenes that she photographs and chronicles on Instagram. Through the app, parents, their kids and other doll enthusiasts follow each character’s story. To date, she has more than 100 photos of them in colorful, baroque apartments complete with staged art and furniture. “It’s sort of like how kids would imagine living on their own,” she continues. “I take it through the mind and eyes of a child.”
Seymour says that a dozen of her dolls disappeared last Thursday when she and her husband were in the process of moving. They had briefly left to get a rental truck, and by the time they returned, things inside their home felt off. When she saw a painting placed mysteriously close to the front entrance, dresser drawers opened and bubble wrap torn off one of her suitcases, that’s when she suspected they had been robbed. “And then I stood back and I counted my suitcases and one was missing,” she says. Shortly after, she realized it was the one full of her dolls. “And that’s when I was super upset.” Later, she says she she discovered her purse and $2,400 in cash were missing, too.
Since then, she says she has gone to the Oakland Police Department and reported the incident, but says they haven’t done anything to help (OPD didn’t answer SFGATE’s questions about whether there’s currently an investigation). As a result, she’s offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who can locate her missing dolls and is continuing to reach out to law enforcement in Berkeley and Oakland.
Though she’s heartbroken over her loss, she says that she’s received an overwhelming response from the community and is even receiving some new tenants at “Suitcase City” in the meantime. “This news of who will be moving into and subletting the apartments is such a thoughtful, kind and generous gift,” she wrote in a post punctuated by heart emojis. “I will share the girls when they arrive.”