Gothic doll puts Ipswich on the map

Tuesday, August 14, 2007
4:30 PM

A MYSTERIOUS and gothic doll has been brought to life today in Ipswich.

Evangeline Ghastly is one of a new breed of dolls with her very own history, personality, and even internet blog space.

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A MYSTERIOUS and gothic doll has been brought to life today in Ipswich.

Evangeline Ghastly is one of a new breed of dolls with her very own history, personality, and even internet blog space.

And to add to her allure her American creators decided to make her place of birth Ipswich.

Joe Petrollese, design director at the Tonner Doll company, said: “I thought that the small towns depicted in English murder mystery shows seemed to have a lot of history as well as mystery and might be an interesting place to set her story.

“I then went online and did a little research and came up with Ipswich. I read that it was one of the oldest places in England and that made it seem even more interesting. I pictured it with large manor houses and that the town could possibly be haunted.

“Being from Ipswich made it very easy to give her a very old family history.

“Since the town is extremely old she could have a family tree in Ipswich that went back to the 1500s.

“Myself and Evangeline feel honoured to be part of Ipswich.”

Once the place of birth had been decided Evangeline's story continued to expand and the 19inc doll even talks about the town on her blog spot where she said: “I was born on April 24, 1924, in the attic of Barkley Manor in the town of Ipswich, England.

“I've heard that the night of my birth was as expected. The wind was howling, the moon was full, and the doctor was unavailable. I'm not sure what it all means.”

And she adds when talking about her hobbies: “I love to sew and create many of my own fashions - my favourite is called Cemetery Chic, which I like to wear while walking through the Ipswich cemetery.”

Now the company behind Evangeline, Wilde Imagination, hopes her Ipswich tale will help sell her around the globe as she is officially launched this weekend.

For more information on Evangeline Ghastly visit www.EvangelineGhastly.com or www.MySpace.com/EvangelineGhastly.

What do you think of the new style of dolls? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk>