Writing
Erick DuPree’s blog explores the intersections of anthropology, literature, and material culture to illuminate how identity, ritual, and meaning take shape across time and tradition. Blending scholarship with storytelling, these essays invite readers to engage critically and imaginatively with the cultural forces that shape both personal and collective experience.
The Art Doll Movement: From Counterculture to Collectible Treasure
Discover the rise, fall, and revival of the Art Doll Movement—from its 1970s origins to today's niche renaissance. Explore one-of-a-kind dolls as sculpture, identity, and storytelling, featuring icons like McKinley, Wiley, Bychkova, and celebrity collectors like Demi Moore.
Fading Figures: Understanding the Decline in Artist-Made Art Doll Value
Explore the decline in value of artist-made art dolls, the difference between worth and value, and how memory shapes collecting. Why dolls once sold for thousands now struggle in today’s market—and how cultural amnesia plays a role.
Rebuilding Manhood: How Collecting GI Joe Helped Me Reclaim a Lost Identity
Exploring the cultural legacy of 1980s G.I. Joe and He-Man, this essay reveals how adult collectors reclaim these toys to redefine masculinity—shifting from domination to resilience, kindness, and vulnerability through the ritual of restoring childhood heroes.
The Rise and Fall of Collectible Dolls: Art, Marketing, and the Great Collectible Collapse
Explore the boom and bust of the mass-produced collectible doll industry from the 1980s to 2000s. From Ashton-Drake to Franklin Mint, discover how limited editions, TV hype, and artist branding created a market bubble—and what it means for doll collectors today.