The Story
The Home for Wayward Babydolls is the private residence of Cecil and Bet Ison which they share with uncounted babydolls and creations. It lies in Rowan County, Kentucky near the small town of Elliottville. Established as a refuge for broken abandoned, neglected and abused babydolls several decades ago, it has been fascinating visitors and passersby ever since.
In the 1980s at the beginning of his tenure as Forest Archaeologist for Daniel Boone National Forest, Cecil (Mr. Ison) became aware of the need for better study, resources and curation of found dolls (broken, abandoned, neglected, and abused.) He found an enthusiastic audience and many collaborators among his fellow archaeologists. With their assistance, he began an extensive collection which was housed both at his office and at home.
Office picture
In the early 2000s, at the time of Cecil’s retirement, the remainder of the collection was moved to the family home. There – it has continued to expand through the decades.
In 2022, a new curation facility, the Dollseum was built.
Dollseum
More of the ongoing story can be found at our Facebook Page:
Stories and Pictures by others:
Through the years, photographers, authors, bloggers, filmmakers, random tourists, and passerbys have stopped to visit and wonder. Some of their creations can still be found, while others have dropped into the blackhole of time.
In the end, there is no one story. Our story changes with every visitor. Who is to say which story is more true, or even if one can be truer than any other. What people find here, at the Home for Wayward Babydolls, generally is more about them, than it is about us.
n.d. Spaces Archives, “Home For Wayward Baby Dolls
Home for Wayward Baby Dolls | SPACES Archives
2023 Joy of everything (Joe Andalora) “What is the Home for Wayward Babydolls” Youtube. What is the HWB
2022 Morris, Michael. The Home for Wayward Babydolls (photo book). Available through Blurb at The Home for Wayward Babydolls by Michael Morris | Blurb Books
2020 Carol Highsmith’s America Archive. “Home for Wayward Babydolls” Photographs.
Library of Congress. ((To access, search "Home for Wayward") at Library of Congress online catalog
2020 Bartlett, Marvin. “Home for Wayward Babydolls.” Spirit of the Bluegrass. Fox56 News (Lexington, KY), 19 February 2020, re-aired 30 December 2020.
“Home for Wayward Babydolls” is a quirky, creepy, happy place | FOX 56 News (foxlexington.com)
2019 cen0te [Hoffman, Greg and Gwen Young]. “home for wayward babydolls.” (Music video) YouTube, 23 Nov 2019. Accessible at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEwLzrAyk7A
2019 McDonough, Pat. “Beyond creepy: Kentucky’s Home for Wayward Babydolls will give you chills” Louisville Courier Journal (Louisville, Kentucky). 19 May 2019, p. C1 (Digital edition, published as “Welcome to the Home for Wayward Babydolls, a creepy resting place for discarded toys.” 14 May 2019, updated 10 July 2019; Abbreviated version published as “There’s a resting place in eastern Ky. for discarded toys.” The Cincinnati Enquirer (Cincinnati, OH) 24 May 2019, p. A14; and in other newspapers across the nation under similar titles.)
2018 Reed, Andrew. “The Home for Wayward Babydolls.” (Documentary film) Pikeville, Ky: Pikeville University, (Available at Amazon Prime Video) Watch The Home for Wayward Babydolls | Prime Video (amazon.com)
