Interview with a Collector - A ggsdolls blog Series
A monthly series on my blog where I feature some of the most amazing collectors, sellers, and content creators that have become really good friends of mine and what they collect and why?
For the month of February, my blog interview is with a talented artist and Tiktoker who was raised thrifting all his life. The 70s style fashionista, Cole of kitschyflower on Instagram!
His name is Cole Eugine and he hails from the suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. At a tender of 25, he has definitely made a name for himself. Now on to the interview...
Where were you originally from Cole? "I am originally from a small town about 13 hours outside Moscow Russia! Now, I live in the suburbs of Atlanta Georgia."
What do you do for a living? "I’ve dabbled in many of things over the years but currently, I'm full-time vintage reseller!"
When did you first encounter a Rushton or rubber faced plushie and do you collect anything else?
"Well for starters, I absolutely adore this question! It
all goes back for me originally to the first rubber face plush, I ever saw
was in the antique store my parents had while growing up! I think I
picked up my first one when I was around 14 or 15! Then around the same
time, I found one of my absolute favorite artists of all time the
wonderful Mark Ryden! I’m sure everyone knows he has a huge collection and inspiration of the vintage rubber face plush, so the rest was history!"
How would you describe your relationship with your collection, what is the magical thing about your collection that keeps you wanting more?
"I’ve always been a fan of all the things cute and kitschy, it definitely runs in my family, I have always collected vintage toys, anything from 60s! Troll dolls to big eyed pose dolls anything that evokes sweetness and joy, I like to pick up! I think it’s awesome anyone can start collecting or recollecting at any point! Many moons ago I ended up selling all of the rubber face plush I owned when I was around 17, and then recently started recollecting in the past two-years."
What is it about the kitsch aesthetic that distinguishes it from other things of the same era?
"In my opinion certainly the expressions and faces on some of
the vintage kitsch, there just certainly isn’t anything like it! With
the large round eyes with wispy feathered lashes to the rosy cheeks just
the emphasis on cute!!
Tell me a bit about your collection, how it started, your first item and how it has grown?
"I’ve
always been a collector of sorts like, both of my parents growing up had
antique stores, so from an early age I developed a taste for Kitsch!
I’ve always been super big into big eyed Art. The ones done by Margaret Keane. Who happens to be one of my favorites! So
I really started collecting anything with big eyes from the 60s! Once I
discovered Blythe dolls when I was around 13 that’s when the floodgates
surely opened!"
"From there, I really got into vintage fashion dolls from the 60s. I’ve always been super into vintage clothing so being able to see tiny versions on these tiny plastic ladies were always such a cool treat for me! And honestly over the years it just snowballed, where honestly I wanted everything I own to be vintage! I certainly collect a little bit of this and a little bit of that anything from my vintage ceramic mermaid bathroom to my full wardrobe of vintage clothing from the 60s and 70s, to antique wardrobe where they currently reside! Obviously, vintage toys are my sweet spot of happiness! There’s something so magical about a vintage toy being 50+ years old still being around and being able to be enjoyed for years to come! I typically only collect vintage toys from the 70s and earlier I would certainly say my favorite sweet spot of vintage toys would be from the 50s through 70s!"
What has been the reaction to your collection from family, friends, etc.? "It’s been nothing but wonderful. Both my parents really enjoy the fact that I carry on the tradition of loving vintage! And honestly, I’ve even gotten my mom into becoming a Kitsch lover herself!"
Tell me about your favorite item in your collection and why is it so special to you? "Oh that’s a really hard one, haha, definitely any rubber faced bunnies always has a huge tug on my heartstrings, But I think that who might go on the top spot is my rubber face Gund Devil! Which just so happens to be my logo! He was the first one that got me into collecting them again about two years ago! A close second would be my Kamar doll collection"
I see you run a shop as well, when did that start and how have your experiences in selling been? Any surprises?
"I have off and on sold vintage throughout the years since high school and it was certainly a different market for rubber face plush. Throughout the years they’ve definitely grown in popularity which honestly I really love! Granted they might’ve gone up in price a bit, but the fact that there are so many people who really love and enjoy these old guys bring me a lot of happiness! And I’ve certainly come across lots of surprises, especially when fixing old rubber face plush. I’m not gonna lie you never know what you’re going to find inside of one. As for letting them go it depends, it can definitely be a little bit harder and pull on your heartstrings. When I find a new one at home, but I’m also super happy that I get to share the love of vintage plush with someone else. So it really makes up for it in the end!"
If someone didn't have internet to see your online shop, how would you describe it? "I would definitely say the items I sell are full of sweetness that evoke happiness! No old forgotten toy left behind!"
How do you source and what are the characteristics that help you to find the items for your shop? "I honestly find them all over! Whether that’s online, estate sales, antique stores and even sometimes thrift stores! At this point, I have made a lot of great friends who have also help keep an eye on vintage items, I might be interested in! And of course I am always looking for anything Kitschy! I mean it is in my name after all, Haha!"
Describe some of your best selling items in your shop? "Hands-down are going to be some of my rubber face plush especially the Rushtons and I actually have a pretty decent following of vintage 60s Barbie collectors. Who always seem to grab them as soon as I make them available!"
Tell me about the most unique and unusual items you have come across? "Oh my goodness this is quite the loaded question anything from shrunken heads to 'one of a kind' prototype dolls!! My little piece of advice is always be open to learn something new and do some research! That’s why I think I’ve always just been such a fan of being on the hunt for Vintage is it’s truly like a treasure hunt!"
Have you notice an increase in popularity over vintage rubber faced plush and the kitsch aesthetic? Why do you think that is so? "I’ve certainly seen an influx of popularity towards the rubber face plush, especially the Rushtons in the last few years! Like I had mentioned when I started picking them up here and there in my teens, people really just didn’t know too much about them, and you could really pick them up for 10 bucks randomly! That is a little bit harder nowadays.
When you do find them out in the wild at least in antique stores and such, they can certainly be marked up! Like in the recent years, I know the artist Melanie Martinez has been a big fan of the Rushton dolls and have even featured them in music videos and such which has definitely skyrocketed their popularity to different levels! I really love seeing the younger generations become fans of vintage, it keeps the legacy alive and it makes me quite happy!"
Would you like to add anything else? "I am very very fortunate to have been able to meet so many wonderful people through the community, such as yourself GG! I've been able to make some truly wonderful friends throughout the world over the love of vintage and everything Kitschy cute things and I will always be grateful for that!!"
Thank you so much Cole for sharing your collection with us and your story! We truly enjoyed learning more about you and your love of vintage!
Thank you all for reading my latest interview with Kitschyflower! You can find him on Youtube, Tiktok, Whatnot, and on Etsy! Until next month, "Same time, same 'bat' channel!" LOL
Thank you for stopping by! ~ ggsdolls
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