Lingering Questions

The last doll I “made” was a “Pigasus” for my boyfriend. This “Pigasus” was inspired by a Pegasus Legacy computer program thingy that my boyfriend was working on.

I glued some tiny wings on an ugly piggy bank and stuck a plastic knife through the coin slot. The red paint streaks looked like blood but symbolized the amount of time my boyfriend wasted on the program.

When I made this thing, I did not have to worry about everyone questioning if the pig had a soul or the ramifications of shoving a knife in the pig’s back. When the boyfriend unveiled the “Pigasus” at his office, its presence seemed to create a wave of delight. I believe there was a line outside of his office; all of his coworkers wanted to catch a glimpse of the defunct mythical creature.

But lingering questions continue to swirl around this new voodoo doll – both the Hello Kitty personality and the Shitty Kitty personality. We may not be able to answer these questions but we could postulate and theorize until we have something that sounds good.

Doesn’t this doll have a soul?
I am not sure. She is extremely adorable and profitable which seems to fit nicely into the “has a soul” category.

On the flip side, the eyes are windows to the soul. This doll clearly does not have eyes. She may have pupils but the absence of eyes could imply that she does not have a soul…and that she has a severe drug problem.

Also, she’s not alive. Believe me, I have a lot of these kitties stored in plastic bags and not one has scratched a breathing hole through the plastic.

Obviously, I could talk about this for ever. For brevity’s sake, I will assume that this doll at least maintains some sort of essence or being. She has to for the sake of her perfume line.

What happens when I pierce this doll? Won’t she feel pain?
I don’t think so. She has essence and she is adorable but she is not alive. Luckily, the absence of life does not equal the absence of pain.

Hello Kitty was created in Japan but this doll was made in China. I believe Japan, like the Unites States, has a trade deficit with China. The corporate headquarters for Hello Kitty is also outsourcing the production for these dolls to China...so someone in Japan is definitely hurting…probably. But this kind of pain existed before you stabbed the doll with a straight pin.

We also have to consider all of the young Chinese factory workers who put their heart and soul into making each doll. You may visualize hurting some twit while saying a phrase and stabbing the doll but you’re really piercing the heart of a Chinese child.

So no, Hello Kitty feels no pain.