Meet Kizzy by Kor January

As mentioned in this week's previous post, Kizzy is my 2015 WLBD Anew Club doll by Kor January. It did not take long for me to determine that I wanted an African name for this little one since her artist is from Liberia, a country in West Africa. The name Kizzy was my first and final choice.

The name, Kizzy, became popular in the United States after the TV miniseries based on the book, Roots, aired in 1977 in which the author, the late Alex Haley, traces his roots back to his African ancestor, Kunta Kinte. While enslaved, Kunta and his wife Bell gave birth to one child that he named Kizzy.

In searching for the meaning of Kizzy, I found the following text: Kunta Kinte was born in Gambia and belonged to the Mandinka/Mandinke tribe. The Mandinka language, sometimes referred to as Mandingo, is a Mandé language spoken by millions of Mandinka people in Mali, Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Chad; it is the main language of The Gambia… In keeping with family tradition, Kunta Kinte gave his daughter an African "Christian" name, Kizzy (Keisa in Mandinka/ Mandingo), which in Kunta's native tongue means to "stay put."

Kizzy's hand-carved wooden stoop by Kor January

Staying put on her stoop is what Kizzy enjoys doing. She is a thinker who loves to read. She also loves her dog, Sam, and has aspirations of becoming a veterinarian when she grows up.

Kizzy is currently reading the book she holds, Ruby and the Booker Boys by Derrick Barnes. It is about a sweet and sassy yet tough girl named Ruby who is the exact same age as Kizzy, 8. (According to the book, Ruby plans to “become the most famous woman animal doctor on the planet.”) Kizzy also holds a copy of her favorite children’s magazine, Highlights.

I made ribbons for Kizzy’s two ponytails using green braiding cord (the type used to make bracelets).

She wears a wooden beaded bracelet fashioned from an earring. Kizzy took several additional photos and wanted to share them all with you. She hopes you enjoy them.

Kizzy loves the outdoors.  Her trusty dog, Sam, does too and finds comfort in her lap.

Looking in deep thought, Kizzy sits underneath a shade tree, yet still enjoys the rays of the sun.

Her legs bend and twist at the knees and lock in place to hold various poses.

With her toes perpetually pointed downward, when seated as shown here, Kizzy looks very prim and proper.

I love my little girl.

dbg

Check out my eBay listings here.

The Making of Club Doll Sisters by Kor January

In April 2015 my online doll group commissioned doll artist, Kor January, to make our 2015 group doll. Normally, our dolls are identical, but because Kor is a master wood carver who hand carves all his pieces, our dolls are one-of-a-kind with similar faces, dressed identically by the artist.

We were given several head style choices from which to choose, as shown in the first image.  As a group we decided on the shape we wanted for the dolls' face, eyebrows, eyes, nose, and mouth as well as the wood color for the complexion, hair and shoe style.  A survey was created based on the provided choices with the final results of the survey shown next:




Kor began working on our dolls shortly after the above-described features were selected.  During the doll-making process, he kept us updated by sharing photos of the completed steps.  Some of his photos are shown below.

From mahogany wood, he carved the faces and heads.

The heads and cute faces

Face and bodies painted and attached to poplar wood necks, hair of head carved and painted; arms and thighs added

Lower hinged legs added, socks and shoes carved and painted

Another photo of the previous completed process

Side ponytails of three twisted braids added and dresses made but not sewn on yet

The approximately 8-inch girls with hinged arms, hips, and knees are seated on chairs and wooden stoops. After seeing this photo, a couple of group members wanted to know the cost of the chairs and stoops.

With the costs for the chairs and stoops shared, a few of us had Kor make hand-carved stoops, which were offered in two sizes, shown here.

 One of the member's dolls is shown seated on one of the taller carved stoops.

Before the end of December 2015, all members who purchased a club doll had received their dolls and stoops.  In honor of Kor, many members named their dolls using a portion of his name, such as Kora and Korynne.

I named my doll, Kizzy, first shown here modeling a dress my friend made for her for Christmas. Kizzy will formally introduce herself in my next post.


dbg
Check out my eBay listings here.