Barbie goes postal!

January 16, 2011 6:36 AM

Extreme violence with a vapid smile Some NSFW for tiny Barbie sized adult toys and situations. It was really the attention to detail in these dioramas that caught my eye. After the subject matter, of course...
posted by Redhush (39 comments total)

That was horrendous, and wonderful.
posted by two or three cars parked under the stars at 7:11 AM on January 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

That was horrendous, and wonderful.

This.
posted by Fizz at 7:22 AM on January 16, 2011

Some of these are disturbing, some hilarious, and some manage to be both at once. I found one of Barbie giving birth and the baby squirting away funny. You know, kind of sinister, but funny.
posted by chatongriffes at 7:38 AM on January 16, 2011

I often wonder if there's a fine line between creating art and needing therapy. For example: if you cut off Barbie heads and make them look gory, you get looks of concern for your wellbeing and those around you. But give it framing, lighting, and a lot more detail...and it's praised.

I guess that's what separates geniuses from madmen....the geniuses put in a little extra effort.
posted by samsara at 7:54 AM on January 16, 2011 [4 favorites]

But give it framing, lighting, and a lot more detail...and it's praised.
The difference between porn and erotica?
Lighting.
posted by Thorzdad at 7:59 AM on January 16, 2011 [5 favorites]

Another awful photographer's website interface.

Had to turn off AdBlock to see anything, but I couldn't navigate. Turned off FlashBlock, and it got weirder (and still unnavigable).

What little I saw looked good. Sigh.
posted by IAmBroom at 8:03 AM on January 16, 2011 [4 favorites]

But give it framing, lighting, and a lot more detail...and it's praised.

My beef with most modern art.
posted by lunatoic at 8:24 AM on January 16, 2011

More dildos less dismemberment please.
posted by Big_B at 8:27 AM on January 16, 2011

Reminds me of the Beatles' butcher cover.
posted by twoleftfeet at 8:34 AM on January 16, 2011

One day, when I get around to learning more about ActionScript, I'm going to make some kind of generic, flexible, customizable-for-your-incomprehensible-UI-preferences Flash image gallery for artistes. It would be like the WordPress of image galleries. I will make modules for it like noir and IWantTheUserToBeFrustrated and chocolate-confusion and ThisIsDeeperIfViewersAreDisoriented. And I will release it to the public, gratis.

And it will have a backdoor wherein anyone who clicks on the window and types justgimmedapiccies will see that gallery secretly transform into a boring, navigable interface with obvious links and reasonable thumbnails will appear, after signing a EULA agreeing to never let the art world know of this secret.
posted by adipocere at 8:37 AM on January 16, 2011 [20 favorites]

That was really enjoyable, especially the bathtub suicide scene. Loved the attention to detail in that one.

I'm running Chrome, and the Flash interface wasn't a big deal to me. I get why it's done, especially when it comes to photography.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 8:46 AM on January 16, 2011

"Sam's Battered Sausage." There should be some law that you're not allowed to have an opinion about this set until you've looked at "Sam's Battered Sausage."

The attention to detail is chillingly brilliant. This person is a motherfucking genius.
posted by FAMOUS MONSTER at 8:50 AM on January 16, 2011

The Chapman Brothers' Hell is much better.
posted by Paul Slade at 9:00 AM on January 16, 2011

I get why it's done, especially when it comes to photography.

Because they hate us?
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 9:18 AM on January 16, 2011 [2 favorites]

I found one of Barbie giving birth and the baby squirting away funny.

I didn't see this. Can you (or someone else) let me know what section it was in or link to it?
posted by andoatnp at 9:31 AM on January 16, 2011

Because they hate us?

Because they don't want people to right-click save-as (not that you can't screenshot it, but it'd still be lo-res).

I realize a lot of people don't care for Flash-driven sites, but they've been around for so long now that I guess I've gotten used to them.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 9:44 AM on January 16, 2011

The interface is delightfully simple: the pictures will automatically transition. You don't have to sit there taking in every detail of one image, the show will go on!

Even better, the things that look like links *don't do anything* so you don't get confused by those pesky "website" things. It's just a webpage!

And, best of all, you don't have to be confused by linking to individual images. If you want to see the bathtub murder scene you get to see all the images before it plus the transitions between said slides!
posted by 47triple2 at 9:47 AM on January 16, 2011 [3 favorites]

aww. Takes me back to the Barbie DeathCamp & Wine Bistro.

*wipes tear from eye*
posted by mannequito at 9:50 AM on January 16, 2011

Can you (or someone else) let me know what section it was in or link to it?

Here you go, andoatnp.

More dildos less dismemberment please.

You might instead/also enjoy "I Got a Woody" [some NSFW] - especially as the series progresses.
posted by arm's-length at 10:07 AM on January 16, 2011 [2 favorites]

This looks familiar to another artist's work, I think her name was "Every teenage fat girl in 1995 with a Johnny The Homicidal Maniac shirt"
posted by Uther Bentrazor at 10:23 AM on January 16, 2011

Wait, wait, wait - Barbie has knees and elbows now!?
posted by you're a kitty! at 10:25 AM on January 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

this is delightfully disturbing.

@adipocere: have you looked at the HTML source for this page? it's...suspiciously not flash based. you can easily download all the images in one go if you want (in e.g. opera).
posted by asymptotic at 11:13 AM on January 16, 2011

The interface is delightfully simple: the pictures will automatically transition.

A note on the main page telling me that would have spared me a good deal of frustration.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:32 AM on January 16, 2011

*sigh*

I had an art class where we made "What the Butler Saw" dioramas using Barbie dolls. In 1982.
posted by dhartung at 11:56 AM on January 16, 2011

I love this. Thanks.
posted by Lutoslawski at 12:07 PM on January 16, 2011

the pictures will automatically transition.

Oh, fuck. Really? It took me a while to find those gray navigation arrows.
[todo: flash photo site rant here]

The whole thing with barbies doing crude things was funny exactly once. Hasn't it been done to death by now?
posted by DarkForest at 2:21 PM on January 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

This is shocking, gory, witty, outrageous, very well done, with wonderful details, excellent.
Love it.
posted by bru at 2:28 PM on January 16, 2011

Wait, you mean not every child did this with their Barbie and Johnny West dolls? Huh.
posted by happyroach at 2:57 PM on January 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

I realize a lot of people don't care for Flash-driven sites, but they've been around for so long now that I guess I've gotten used to them.

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing, that wouldn't be a problem if the site was USABLE. We're not objecting to the use of flash, per se, but the STUPID use of flash.
posted by IAmBroom at 3:57 PM on January 16, 2011

I got the part where people thought it was stupid.
posted by Marisa Stole the Precious Thing at 4:01 PM on January 16, 2011

I am worried about people who can't figure out how the site interface, because it was pretty simple and I think you might have carbon monoxide poisoning or something.
posted by hermitosis at 7:15 PM on January 16, 2011

It's not that we can't figure it out. It's that we shouldn't have to.
posted by John Kenneth Fisher at 7:20 PM on January 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Website snarkery aside, this stuff is exquisite. Thanks for posting, redhush!
posted by Jezebella at 9:01 PM on January 16, 2011

Baaaaah! I secretly like these on some weird levels. On the surface I can't abide by them. They're very compelling, though. I love miniature anything. I think "Elizabeth" is my favorite, even though it's not overtly gory. I'm also fond of "Barbie, The Final Chapter". The faux wee puke is fabulous. The colors in that entire photograph are fabulous as well.

I will admit that when my husband walked up behind me to rub my shoulders, it was difficult to explain what I was looking at and why - I didn't even add that it was my sixth or seventh time through the rotation.
posted by PuppyCat at 9:15 PM on January 16, 2011

Wait, wait, wait - Barbie has knees and elbows now!?

Yup. Many of the newer "action figure" Barbies are multi-jointed. And very creepy in their own right, I might add. I don't care if they can "really ride the bike", as my five year-old exclaimed - they're just WRONG.
posted by PuppyCat at 9:27 PM on January 16, 2011

You might instead/also enjoy "I Got a Woody" [some NSFW] - especially as the series progresses.

Brilliant!
posted by sebastienbailard at 1:02 AM on January 17, 2011

I liked the details. Hated the site interface, though I figured it all out. The first several were pretty awesomely disturbing, and I love the miniature cookie jars the most. But after a few it got kinda lame. Same thing over and over again. LOLgaysex, LOLcannibalism, LOLfamily-style cannibalism. Hmm.
posted by IvoShandor at 2:51 AM on January 17, 2011

This is witty and shocking and also I am 12 years old and haven't thought of contrasting the perfect image of barbie with degradation and violence yet.
posted by rusty at 10:34 AM on January 17, 2011 [1 favorite]

Some of these are brilliant, and others are just "let's add more blood. The bloodier, the edgier." It's blood with no point, other than to just be gory.

Agreed that the site interface is stupid. There are several different galleries, some of which are only obtainable if you're already viewing a different gallery.
posted by shesaysgo at 7:31 PM on January 17, 2011 [1 favorite]