We’re Moving!

We have been remiss in our correspondence as of late but with good reason!

Darlings, Miss Havisham’s Tea is dipping our toe into new waters.

Firstly, we are moving our blog to www.MissHavishamsCuriosities.com.

Because we’re really more of a lifestyle movement after all, aren’t we dearies? Why limit ourselves to tea and gossip?

All of our content, social media, and discussion forums will now be in one lovely little hub.

Secondly, and this is a big one, we will be adding an online store in the near future.

So many of those trinkets we’ve showcased will eventually be available to you online. How else can a lady support her weekend flea market addiction?

And so it is out with the old and in with the new including our fancy new logo courtesy of Mr. Havisham (Thank you, Tim).

So please visit us at our new home, subscribe to our newsletter, and look out for more exciting announcements soon.

xoxo

Miss Havisham’s Curiosities

We’re getting curiouser and curiouser…

Freaky Friday

Welcome to Freaky Fridays where I post links to the odd and the fantastic. Thank you to my friends, especially Sally and Susan, who provided me with pure gold this week. Have a weird news story? Send it to dearmisshavisham@gmail.com

Cameos carved from Oreos by artist, Judith G. Klausner. Delicious.

Mugshots of female criminals of the Edwardian period as found on Dangerous Minds. These ladies will cut you.

Want to sleep in the Paris Catacombs? I mean, who doesn’t? It was listed on AirBnB as a contest (I didn’t win).

A pony dressed like a unicorn leads police on a wild chase near Fresno. I love everything about this story.

Then there are people bending over and filming themselves as creepy round creatures. I hate everything about this story.

Folk art from the golden age of secret societies? Yes. On display at the American Folk Art Museum in Manhattan until May 8.

18 rare catbreeds you’ve maybe never heard of. I like cats, shut up.

Who hasn’t done a thing or two out of spite? Would you build a house just to infuriate your neighbors? Explore the concept of the spite house as found on Hyperallergic.

You just have to love the British. Giant walking porcelain dolls spotted all over London. Brilliant.

Likewise, a pack of Miss Havishams took to the streets and subways to promote the BBC’s version of Great Expectations. Flattering, dearies, flattering.

May your weekend be filled with mirth. xoxo

Happy Birthday, Barbie.

So Barbie and I have the same birthday. Yep.

The Barbie doll made her debut on March 9, 1959 and she has gone on to be the most successful doll in the world.

I made my debut on March 9…many many years later and have gone on to be…decidedly not Barbie.

If you didn’t know, the original Barbie doll was based off of a German novelty toy for men, Lilli. Read all about it on the fantastic  Messy Nessy Chic. They are identical. Today there would be an intellectual property lawsuit but not back then, nope. Lilli was just Barbie’s naughty older sister…or evil European twin?

Honestly, you either love Barbie or you hate her. But if you love her, sometimes you really really love her. Meet real life Barbie doll, Valeria Lukyanova, who just happens to also claim to be a being from another planet. Watch Vice’s piece on this unicorn of a woman. It’s aptly titled Space Barbie. You must see it to believe it.

I have a complicated relationship with Barbie. While I had plenty of Barbie dolls as a young girl, I also can’t help but enjoy a bit of schadenfreude when she falls from grace. Here are some of my favorite non-Barbies found on the internet:

Tramp Stamp Barbie (This one actually was on the market for awhile). You can imagine the parental outrage.

Nun and Muslim Barbie. See? Religion isn’t all bad.

Minimum Wage/ Single Mom Barbie. This one made me sad.

Serial Killer Barbie. Enough said.

Vampire Barbies

Daenerys Targaryen Barbie

Elvira Barbie

Classic Horror Barbies

Rockabilly Barbie

Japanese Pop Culture Barbie

Hardcore Barbies

Zombie Barbie and Day of the Dead Barbies

Mad Men Barbies (and Kens)

Barbarella and Furiosa Barbies

And my personal favorite, The Birds Barbie.

And this was my favorite Barbie growing up. Golden Dreams Barbie. She really liked the nightlife, she liked to boogie. In fact, we need to hear that song right now.

Ok, I’m going to jump in my corvette, drive to my dream house, and celebrate my birthday with my Ken. xoxo