Just when you thought movie merch began and ended at clothing and posters, now movie and TV lovers are able to see their favorite characters be transformed into recognizable clay dolls online.
TikTok user and artist Arielle goes by @fauxshmoe online and regularly goes viral for her creations of some of the internet's most loved on screen characters. The clay dolls take on a Tim Burton-esque look with large eyes and out of proportion heads.
The designs tend to focus on fan favorites but range from universally recognized characters including Harley Quinn and Tonya Harding from I, Tonya, to those of a more niche area including her latest work of TV show Fleabag.
Arielle's most recent TikTok, which can be seen here, gained over 100,000 views in 15 hours and saw her transform Phoebe Waller-Bridge from the hit show Fleabag into a doll.
@fauxshmoe “i love you.” “it’ll pass.” (sculpture of phoebe waller-bridge in fleabag!!)
♬ fleabag x antichrist - arielle
But hundreds of thousands of views is small fry in comparison to some of her other dolls which have taken over TikTok. Arielle's recreations of TikTok-loved show Euphoria were particularly loved by users, with her accurate version of main character Rue gaining over 7 million views, while love interest Jules in her Romeo and Juliet costume gained over 5.9 million.
Her take on seemingly homicidal and rebellious, respectively, teenagers James and Alysa from show The End of the F***ing World earned her a collective 3 million views after she made the pair together in their iconic costumes from the series.
Inspiration comes in the form of comments, with users suggesting their favorite characters to be created next—American Horror Story's Tate and Violet are in huge demand.
Thinking of and deciding who to make is one mission, but actually making them is another process, which is only slightly documented in the clips. According to Arielle's YouTube channel, the dolls are made from 12 gauge aluminum wire to make a structure which is then built on using aluminum foil, masking tape and polymer clay.
Details are added using acrylic paints and watercolor pencils, bringing the characters to life with their iconic costumes.
@fauxshmoe “every time i feel good, i think it’ll last forever, but it doesn’t.” (sculpture of rue from euphoria!) #sculpture #polymerclay #art
♬ All For Us - Labrinth
Gaining millions of views means the dolls are clearly well received, made only more clear by the approval of one of Gen Z's trendsetters, Emma Chamberlain. The YouTuber, who is able to sell out anything she touches almost instantly, even commissioned Arielle to create a doll version of herself.
In a Variety interview, Chamberlain cited Arielle as one of her favorite TikTok creators, saying: "There's this girl who's an artist. Her name is Faux Shmoe and she makes these little movie characters out of clay. Amazing."
Just like Chamberlain, TikTok users rush to applaud Arielle's creations, including her most recent Fleabag work.
"Your account is literally amazing," wrote one user.
"I cannot express how much I need this in my life," added another.
Newsweek has contacted Arielle for comment.
@fauxshmoe “i am a god” (sculpture of megan fox in jennifer’s body) #art #polymerclay #painting #artist #sculpture
♬ Nice Guy - GRLwood
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
