Adorable amigurumi 'Doctor Who' dolls charm fans
Exterminknit! Artist Allison Hoffman crafts dolls not only of Time Lords, but also of their companions, villains, and the Tardis itself.
Austin-based artist Allison Hoffman makes crafty tributes to pop culture icons such as Pee-Wee Herman, Conan O'Brien, Carl Sagan, Willie Nelson, and Questlove, but it's her new crocheted amigurumi dolls of "Doctor Who" Time Lords that seem to be getting a lot of attention online lately.
"When someone approached me with the idea to make a set of 'Doctor Who' dolls and a Tardis, I didn't know that much of the show, but I was definitely up for the challenge," Hoffman told Crave. "I knew the David Tennant 10th Doctor and the Tom Baker 4th Doctor were going to be really popular. I had so much fun making David's hair, and the scarf for Tom Baker is actually a scaled-down version of the real scarf he wore. I used the same colors and pattern of striping so it's really long and as close to authentic as I could get it."
In addition to the 12 Time Lords from William Hartnell to the newest Doctor played by Peter Capaldi, Hoffman also created an amigurumi doll of the War Doctor played by John Hurt in "The Day of the Doctor."
"I've gotten requests for the War Doctor ever since his episode aired last fall," Hoffman said. "The same person that purchased the first set of Doctors was already in line for a set of companions and villains, so I wrote her asking if she wanted to include the War Doctor. She wholeheartedly agreed that he had to be part of the set, and since the 12th Doctor Peter Capaldi's outfit hadn't been released yet, I started him first."
After the War Doctor and Capaldi's Time Lord are complete, Hoffman will tackle the companions and villains of "Doctor Who," including Sarah Jane, K-9, Rose, Captain Jack, Donna, Rory (in his Roman Centurion outfit), Amy, River, Clara, the Ood, The Master, a Weeping Angel, a Cyberman, and even a Dalek.
"I've already sketched them all out and have bought the yarn to make most of them," Hoffman said. "I can already tell that I'm going to love making Sarah Jane, from the classic series, a companion of the 3rd Doctor and 4th Doctor Tom Baker, because of the crazy outfit she is wearing in the episode I chose to use as a reference. A lot of cosplayers dress up as her in these red and white striped 'Andy Pandy' pajama-looking overalls with red stars, and it's such a silly look that I can't wait to make her. Outfits like that make the dolls really recognizable too, which is always good."
For fans wanting to own their own set of "Doctor Who" dolls, Hoffman is available to hire for custom orders at $250 per standard size doll. Or fans can make their own versions using her patterns available on Ravelry.com.
Hoffman also has a new book out featuring her creations called "AmiguruME: Make Cute Crochet People." "'AmiguruME' has lots of hidden characters inside," Hoffman said. "While the book is really a 'create your own' or 'choose your own adventure' guide to making anything you want, readers will find lots of recognizable dolls inside, like Mr. T, Marilyn Monroe, Princess Leia, Indiana Jones, Frida Kahlo, Lucille Ball, and lots of others. Instead of naming each character, it just gives these dolls as examples in photos of each body part. It's the reader's job to look through and see who they recognize."
Crafty fans can also learn more about Hoffman's latest projects on her site Crafty Is Cool.
