Getting to know Chatchai from Kasinee Voodoo Dolls
This month we catch up with Chatchai Padthayanan from Kasinee Voodoo Dolls to find out how the business started, where their inspiration comes from and whether or not people confuse them with other types of voodoo dolls.
Can you tell me about Kasinee Voodoo Dolls and how it started?
We’re a small family-run business – mother and son actually! We’ve been up and running since 2013. Originally, we were doing blow glass in animals and Chinese zodiac shaped figures with gold and colours, but they were too fragile. We needed to look for something more sustainable and voodoo dolls were starting to get attention, so we decided to give them a go. Initially, we made everything just between the two of us, but as time went on and our collections got much larger, we required help producing them. All dolls are still made by hand.
How long does it take to make a doll?
Currently, the character range we have is averaged at 20 minutes per doll, while the simpler ones take from 5 to 10 mins depending on the size.
Are you always adding to your collections? How do collections come about?
Generally we receive requests from customers and fans and we keep up to date with what’s trending within the gaming industry, pop culture and movies/TV series. We’ve attend conventions over the years, notably OZ Comic Con, where we met a lot of fans and pop-culture enthusiasts that provided inspiration.
What are your most popular voodoo dolls?
The best-selling dolls at the moment are Jack Skullington, Dead Pool, the Naruto series and Wonder Woman collections.
Do you do custom orders?
Unfortunately, given our production runs quarterly, we can’t really do this, but, we do take suggestions and do our best to create dolls and release them if we can. The most recent dolls we created based on a suggestion are the Rick & Morty and Marvel’s range.
Do people get confused about voodoo dolls and how they work/have been perceived for many years?
Yes, essentially people tend to freak out until we have to explain that the dolls are based on humanoid concepts rather than the actual Caribbean’s witch doctor voodoo. Every now and then I get phone calls or emails asking if I do sell the actual Voodoo Spell!
