Cora
Cobbled together from four different dolls I plucked from a thrift shop bin, Cora came to life as Cyndi’s chimerical companion. Her notorious behavior begat legends throughout the game neighborhood of a living doll that would give Chucky cause to blush.
The game concluded over a decade ago, and I still have Cora. This is her, sitting on a jar of broken glass…..
Cora fancied scuttling about on her spindly legs at alarming speeds, arms flailing about behind her. If the sight of her grotesque form flitting around in the shadows wasn’t enough to deter nosy kids, she could blast her face open in a terrifying, slobbery shriek and grab a hold of them with her prehensile tongue. That would usually do the trick, and soil some drawers in the process.
The memories of muffled cackling and sudden shifts in Cyndi’s backpack when Cora was stuffed in there are still crystalline in my mind. More often than not though, Cora would just hang limply from Cyndi’s hand with her feet dragging along in the dirt, a miniature reflection of the stringy girl who shared her spirit.
Having created an actual game prop of the doll accentuated gameplay moments more than I can even describe. Whenever you can, work to bring substance to the imagination. Cora was Cyndi’s friend, and guardian, and confidant, and by far the best dollar I’ve ever spent.