Poor Xandy. I was so excited about getting her, but she has just lain around in pieces since arriving in January. I decided back then to make her into a merry-go-round mecha mannequin, but I never got farther than removing her legs, setting aside her purple cape for part of her outfit and purchasing some stars to attach chain clasps to.

However, now that I have pretty much finished up Polly and need to wait for cooler weather to hack up Yamarrah’s torso, my thoughts now turn to the neglected Xandy. At first, I thought she would be a magician/ringmaster merry-go-round mecha mannequin with a circus theme. Then I wandered off into thoughts of automatons, brass winding keys and top hats. I now entertain the idea of Xandy as the ringmaster of a creepy carnival, probably because my last creepy doll, the dead version of Isabel, came out so well.

As ringmaster of the creepy carnival, Xandy now veers more in the direction of Halloween. I still like the idea of her having a tailcoat, white gloves and a wand to represent her magicianship, but I also want to make dark, voluminous, sparkly skirts out of my purple sequined fabric and black velvet. I can make her a pointy hat and give her a bit of a repaint for a stitched-up Glasgow smile.

The greatest challenge would be the procurement of a Halloweeny carousel for underneath her skirts. Department 56, manufacturers of miniature themed villages, used to make a Ghostly Carousel that would be perfect, but it’s out of print and probably ridiculously expensive. As an alternative, Lemax makes a Scary-Go-Round [har!] for its Spooky Town line, and that item is new this year, so sure to be in print. Unfortunately, it just appears to be a regular carousel with costumed kids on it. Boooo. I want Halloweeny animals to ride!

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