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Archive for the ‘commodification’ Category

The Virginia Woolf Barbie doll that was not to be

Posted in commodification, doll, Virginia Woolf, tagged , , , , on Friday 11 October 2024| 1 Comment »

Imagine, if you will, a Barbie doll made to represent Virginia Woolf. Well, Mattel did more than imagine it. Mattel was ready to produce one. Luckily, Woolf’s estate objected.

“We all agreed, over our dead bodies,” said Woolf’s great niece, Virginia Nicholson, who spoke at the recent Cheltenham literature festival, according to The Guardian.

The doll was prim, dressed in Victorian garb, with hair in a bun and a tiny copy of Mrs. Dalloway in her hand.

One might think that the Virginia Woolf Barbie would have been among good company. Mattel has produced and sold commemorative Barbies of Maya Angelou, Billie Jean King, Helen Keller, Ida B. Wells, Dr. Jane Goodall and Queen Camilla. And just last week, Mattel announced the first Diwali Barbie.

This is not the first time Virginia Woolf has been connected to Barbie. When Greta Gerwig’s film named after the iconic doll came out in 2023, I wrote a post detailing what I saw as “The connections between Barbie and Virginia Woolf” — from Gerwig herself to NPR.

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Solving the puzzle(s) of Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway

Posted in commodification, tagged , , , on Saturday 21 January 2023| 1 Comment »

There seems to be an endless supply of jigsaw puzzles that include a connection to Virginia Woolf.

Well, the supply is probably not endless. But every time I think I have exhausted all avenues in my Woolf puzzle search, a new puzzle appears.

This go-round, I found two. And both connect to Woolf’s 1925 novel Mrs. Dalloway.

Mrs. Dalloway 1

I discovered the first thanks to a Facebook post by Ben Hagen, president of the International Virginia Woolf Society.

It featured a panoramic puzzle from the New York Puzzle Company that measures  39″ x 13″ and depicts an imaginary street scene populated by characters from the novel. The cost of the 1,000-piece “Mrs. Dalloway” is $25.99 on Amazon. But you can buy it for $16.50 on the puzzle company’s website.

Mrs. Dalloway 2

The second “Mrs. Dalloway” is a lithograph and looks much more difficult to complete, as it is made up of words — the words of the novel.

The only image is the profile of a woman’s face superimposed over the text. It comes in two versions: 500 pieces and 1,000 pieces and a variety of colors. The cost of each is $39.

However if puzzling is not your gig, you can purchase the same image — words and all — as a tote, a T-shirt, a blanket, a scarf, a pillow, and more from Litographs.

More Woolf puzzles

For more on Woolf puzzles, visit these posts:

  • “Doing jigsaw puzzles with Virginia Woolf,” which Includes

    “Jane Austen’s Book Club” puzzle by eeBoo

  • “A puzzling question: Why is Woolf depicted as a blue-eyed blonde?,” which includes a link to eeBoo’s “Jane Austen’s Book Club” puzzle.
  • “Two more to add to your stash of Virginia Woolf puzzles, which includes
    • A take-off on the iconic 2008 Barack Obama “Hope” poster featuring Woolf. However, it is no longer available. I was able to obtain the puzzle before it went off-market and completed it this week. It is pictured below.
    • Edward Gorey Book Covers.  It includes the cover of From Beowulf to Virginia Woolf by Robert Manson Myers. It has 1,000 pieces, 20″ x 27″ and is priced at $22.95.
  • “Two more for your Virginia Woolf puzzle stash,” which includes:
    • The Re-marks Famous Authors Postage Stamp Collage Puzzle. 1,000 pieces, 26 5/8″ L x 19 1/4″. $17.99. Features a full-color portrait of Woolf as a stamp.
    • Essential Book Covers Puzzle. 1,000 pieces, 27.5″L x 19.7″. $25.99. Features the Vanessa Bell cover of To the Lighthouse. The puzzle is described as including the covers of the “50 Best Classic Books.”

      A Woolf puzzle no longer available that mimics the look and theme of the iconic Barack Obama poster from his 2008 presidential campaign.

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Polish your nails with colors inspired by Virginia Woolf

Posted in commodification, tagged , , , on Friday 6 January 2023| Leave a Comment »

Just a bit of whimsy today — a collection of nail polish colors inspired by Virginia Woolf.

One is called “The London Scene” and is described as “rich medium grey with a distinct urban feel revived by a multi-chromatic blazing hologram.”

The description for the vegan polish, which is part of A England’s Moments with Virginia Woolf collection, quotes Woolf’s The London Scene:

The grey stone, ancient as it is, changes like a live thing under the incessant ripple of changing light

Another polish is simply named after the author and is described as “dark garnet red bursting with blazing hologram.”

More about the Woolf collection

The website describes Woolf’s interest in color this way: “Colour was central to Woolf’s writing, allowing her to seamlessly enhance imagery and represent characters and settings.”

Here are the other colors in the Woolf collection.

  • Mrs. Dalloway
  • Orlando
  • The Waves
  • To the Lighthouse
  • Shakespeare’s Sister

Of the six Woolf-inspired nail polish colors listed on the company website, only two seem to be available for purchase. “The London Scene” is priced at £5 and “Virginia Woolf” at £11.50.

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Two more for your Virginia Woolf puzzle stash

Posted in commodification, tagged , , on Monday 5 December 2022| Leave a Comment »

Even though I wasn’t looking for puzzles that include Virginia Woolf, my search for a Christmas puzzle led me to two more puzzles that do.

Years ago, Cecil Woolf sent me an envelope with this canceled Virginia Woolf stamp.

As readers of this blog know, I have written about Woolf puzzle finds several times before — in May of 2020,in September of that year, and  just last month.

Today I share a puzzle that features a Woolf stamp, although I cannot find any evidence that the stamp of Vanessa Bell’s portrait of Woolf, was actually produced. The other puzzle features Bell’s cover of To the Lighthouse.

Two latest finds

Woolf puzzles from the past

The Woolf stamp is in the second row from the bottom, third from the left.

To the Lighthouse is the book cover in the top row, second from right.

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Two more to add to your stash of Virginia Woolf puzzles

Posted in commodification, pandemic, Woolf sightings, tagged , on Thursday 17 November 2022| 1 Comment »

Today I have two more Virginia Woolf puzzles for you — just in time for the holidays. This news may be welcomed by members of the VWoolf Listserv, as one recent discussion thread focused on Woolf puzzles.

But first some background on my search.

Woolf puzzling background

In the spring of 2020, when many of us found our outings and activities limited due to the Coronavirus pandemic, I wrote about two jigsaw puzzles that included Virginia Woolf or her novels and another that featured her.

By September, I had discovered a 1,000-piece eeBoo puzzle titled “Jane Austen’s Book Club” that included Woolf. She, along with Austen, Mary Shelley, George Eliot, and Zora Neale Huston, are pictured sipping tea, alongside some of their famous titles. I wrote about that, too.

Today I share my two new puzzle discoveries.

From HOPE to WOOLF

The first, a take-off on the iconic 2008 Barack Obama “Hope” poster, depicts Woolf in the same way Obama was shown, but with her last name, “Woolf,” replacing the word “Hope.” It comes in two sizes.

11/19/22 Note: The above two puzzles are no longer available.

Among Edward Gorey covers

The second features Edward Gorey book covers, including From Beowulf to Virginia Woolf by Robert Manson Myers. It is 1,000 pieces, measures 20″ x 27″ and is priced at $22.95.

 

This puzzle features Edward Gorey book cover illustrations. The one related to Woolf is at the far right in the third row from the top.

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