Dolls. Action figures, if you must. We generally consider them the domain of small children, especially little girls who are playing out their fantasies. They have been a part of early childhood for centuries in various forms. In some ways, dolls reflect what the society values, and the ideals it wants for its children.

Dolls are a billion dollar enterprise, as well. Where would the Mattel company be without its wide-ranging collection? Even the knock-off companies do well because children rarely care about the finer points of things like earrings and hair style. They care about playing, and that doesn’t need a brand name.

Collectors are a significant segment of the market, but one looks at their collection of never-opened, mint-conditioned collectibles and feel sorry that those toys have never known the joy of being held in a child’s small hand. Granted, some of the more rare editions are worth thousands of dollars, but they exist as nothing more than museum pieces.

Many little girls collect several dolls over their childhood. Different hair color, different wardrobes, different accessories and different posing options all lead to boxes full of dolls and their accouterments. The question inevitably comes of what to do with everything once the child has moved on to other playthings. Some people pass them on to others or to charity. Some save them for their own children. Some have garage sales. And some, to gasps and horror, are thrown away. We’ve all seen Toy Story, haven’t we?

Yet, we are never really too old to be playing with dolls. What changes, is exactly what we do with them. We see them less as objects of our fantasies and more as a reflection of a dysfunctional society that could probably use a bit more therapy.

So, we took a set of dolls and took a look around. We have an out-of-work model being hit on by a psuedo-photographer (generally known as a GWC … guy with camera). We have a sparkling vampire, with his girl friend and werewolf nemesis. We have zombies devouring a Ken doll who couldn’t keep his head. And we have an episode of The Bachelor, that doesn’t end with a rose.

Not exactly child’s play, but a whole lot of fun.