I Pity the Dolls

This book features the largest collection of Mr. T memorabilia in the world, including over 150 homemade soft sculpture dolls collected and documented over the past 25 years. The dolls were made from a pattern book by Miss Martha Originals from Gadsden, Alabama, that in 1983 could be bought at thousands of craft stores in the country including Wal-Mart. Inspired by the Cabbage Patch Kid craze of the 1980s, the dolls were made in an unknown amount but probably exist in the thousands. Each doll is a labour of love and represents the skill level of each artisan. As modern-day folk art they have been recognised as such by the American Folk Art Museum in NYC, and they have toured the world in art exhibitions, including in NYC, San Francisco, Toronto, and Paris, France.

Book features :

• A collection of Mr. T memorabilia from the 1980s including a collection of handmade Mr. T dolls that have become modern day Folk Art.
• This book comprises a collection over 25 years in the making.
• The dolls in this book have toured the world with exhibitions in NYC, Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Paris, France!

About the Authors

Greg Rivera is an artist, collector, and co-owner of Streetwear Brand MISHKA NYC. He has been collecting everything Mr. T for over 25 years and has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows, as well as in magazines.

Quang's Le's passion for collecting, photography, art and entrepreneurship has taken him around the world to almost every continent on our planet, albeit Antarctica remains ever elusive. With over 15 years of experience behind the camera, Quang has had the opportunity to shot with countless celebrities, clothing brands and renowned publications. While Le currently resides in sunny Southern California, he often wonders why this is so... as he doesn't like walks on the beach, isn't particularly fond of sunsets and is completely indifferent to the idea of owning a pet.

Mike Essl is a graphic designer, educator, and Mr. T memorabilia collector. With over twenty years in the field, Essl’s bold approach has earned him equal acclaim for his elevation of comic books with DC Comics and Rizzoli as for websites with Wikipedia and San Francisco Opera. Essl is presently the Dean of the Cooper Union School of Art, where he has been an Associate Professor of graphic design since 2003.