Ruby13 Interview with Creator Don E.

An Email Interview with Don E. Creator of Ruby13

Interview photos are of the original creation.

Kharn: By profession Don, I believe you are an illustration artist if I am correct?

Don: Actually, illustration art has been only a small part of the €œprofession €.. however, it €™s been essential regarding taking the next step into three dimensional projects. My four years with €œEasyRider € magazine supplying a full page drawing of €œBiker Chicks € each month really gave me the push to create Ruby.

Kharn: What first got you interested in art and drawing?

Don: I €™ve dabbled in the arts most of my life, usually starting from scratch and working from rough sketches to detailed renderings to the finished product. Drawing is simply a means to an end.

Kharn: What publications have you worked for and what kind of art are you most associated with?

Don: I €™ve sold only a small percentage of my drawings to a couple of magazines and own the rights to most of my artwork. During my years in Hawaii, I created a line of greeting cards, posters and t-shirts with the artwork I had a accumulated from drawings based on the local girls in the islands. So I suppose my work reflects that period of my life. A few of those drawings were integrated into Ruby €™s website.

Kharn: When did you first think of creating your own life-size doll and what inspired you to create a doll like Ruby13?

Don: Excellent question. Originally I built the very first Ruby to acquaint myself with the art of sculpting. Having built and restored a number of antique automobiles & trucks, I was already aware of the benefits of €œbondo € so it was my first choice of medium. She was a back burner project I started in 1996, however, as the years passed, she became a priority €¦ and ultimately, an obsession. She sat in an antique wicker chair in my Maui based art studio €˜til my son, Jim, (Brash on TDF) asked me if I had seen the silicone sex dolls on the internet €¦ which I had not. It actually took me a while to warm up to the thought, but after seeing them at the Los Angeles Adult Expo, I figured, why not! Then, the real work began. I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into. I will say this €¦ I €™ve gained a tremendous respect for mold makers and the wide range of combined knowledge and skills in creating a life size doll from the original prototype. The entire process has been much more involved than I had imagined.

Kharn: Were there any particular reasons for creating Ruby13 in the form she now is and how long has it taken you to get her from conception to reality?

Don: The Ruby you see here on Cover Doll and on the Ruby 13 website is a melding of several of my favorite female models over the years. Perhaps a little exaggerated, but then, aren €™t most fantasies?! It €™s difficult finding a girl with more than enough of everything and all in the right places. The object was, and is to create a mannequin capable of communicating through different expressions ranging from the €œnaïve little waif € to €œ Naughty and ready for you to make your move. € You asked how long it has taken from conception to reality €¦ the hours have turned into years, and we €™re just getting started!

Kharn: How many models of Ruby do you now offer and what type of silicone is Ruby13 made from?

Don: At present there is only one €œRuby € body with seven different interchangeable heads/expressions. We €™ve just introduced a €œBrazilian Brown € skin tone and I €™m working on a €œB-Cup € version on the same body. It €™s too early to divulge the future plans. They €™re still on the drawing board. The silicone we €™ve chosen is the platinum grade additional cure. It is expensive and requires a little more effort but in the long run, it will be worth it.

Kharn: Can one change the heads on the new Ruby13 doll and if so how many kinds or variations do you offer?

Don: All the dolls from our €œRuby 13 € studio will have interchangeable heads. The skin tones (pigments) are formulated to always match the individual doll. So years later, the purchase of a new head will be the same color.

Kharn: Does Ruby come with a choice of wig and clothing options?

Don: She does have a choice of wigs as seen on our website. It €™s surprising how a change of hairstyle, lip color and clothing will alter her personality. Clothing? At present, she arrives with a fly-away teddy, panties and a pair of four inch pumps. This may change in the future, but it seems to be a good start.

Kharn: Ruby is a very voluptuous doll, are the dolls breasts soft or hard to the touch.

Don: Yes, she certainly is rather voluptuous. The platinum silicone des soften in time, however, the most recent Ruby €™s have noticeably softer breasts than the first few. There will always be innovations €¦ we are listening to the gentlemen and their demands.

Kharn: Will you be producing Ruby13 dolls in a wide variety of ethnic types?

Don: Once I return to the €œsculpting € phase of this project and drift away from the production scene, I fully intend on studying the various cultures and facial features. Every country around the globe has it €™s own special flavor of beauty and each doll maker sees it differently €¦ we €™ll see just where this avenue takes us.

Kharn: There now are many more manufactures of life size dolls than say three years ago when you first thought of building Ruby (correct me if I €™m wrong on the time frame of three years). So how well do you see Ruby doing in this expanding market?

Don: I honestly have no idea how many doll makers there are now. So Ruby has matured without the benefit of copying any other doll maker €™s style or methods. I €™ve had the good fortune to team up Jon Has, a master mold maker with over twenty years of experience in casting urethanes, latex, silicones and more. The seam lines from his molds are truly remarkable as is his attention to detail €¦ so if Ruby isn €™t accepted in the doll market, it won €™t be from a lack of quality or professional craftsmanship.

Kharn: What future innovations do you have planned for Ruby, i.e. do you intend on making her able to stand or are you planning on any form of animatronics like touch and voice response?

Don: Making Ruby stand would be simple €¦ devising a method to keep her balanced is the trick. Some of the greatest minds in science are still fine tuning a robot that has the ability to balance itself without bolting it to the floor. I do find the touch and voice response concept intriguing. If you €™re acquainted with people working in this arena, put us in touch. A voice-activated computer chip has my full interest. Just how cool would it be to have Ruby look up at ya and ask if she €™s doing it right? OK enough for that.

Kharn: Some manufactures are looking at the next generation of doll being nearer to an android. We all understand that this is a long way off for now and a Cherry 2000 type doll isn €™t just around the corner, however do you see Ruby13 evolving one day into this type of doll?

Don: I remember the movie €œCherry 2000 € which was extremely futuristic €¦ and completely based on the fantasy female genre. How about the movies €œFuture world, € Blade Runner, € and €œA-I € and many other films offering us a peek into the future of subservient pleasure units that wake to our voice and cater to our whims?... however, we €™re talking a couple hundred thousand bucks for a cutie like that and she €™d probably hook up with the vacuum cleaner while you were at work! If Ruby evolves into this high tech sort of doll, my great grandchildren will be running the operation.

Kharn: It €™s been over two years now since CoverDoll first did an article on Ruby13 and introduced her to the doll community, as a future market contender. How hard has it been for you and your team to get Ruby13 to the marketable product she now is?

Don: It certainly doesn €™t seem like two years ago you introduced Ruby to the guys as a possible contender in the doll market €¦ but it does feel like it. Any venture of this magnitude is difficult if it €™s taken seriously €¦ and everyone on the Ruby 13 team is quite serious. We €™ll be moving to larger workplace at the end of January €™09 and Ruby has agreed to come with us.

Kharn: Is Ruby13 available internationally and if so have you sold many out side of the US?

Don: Yes, Ruby €™s siblings are already in Germany, England, Wales and Canada.

Kharn: Finally not so much a question to you Don about Ruby13 but more what do you expect to see in the doll market this coming year?

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Don: Hmmm €¦ What do I expect to see in the doll market in 2009? Well, what I €™d like to see is pretty simple. I €™m hoping for a good communication between the doll makers and you guys who put your trust in us not to sell you junk. No one wants a dissatisfied client due to poor craftsmanship €¦ especially us doll makers. I €™d like to see more in depth performance evaluations from you doll owners, informing others through the doll forums as well as Coverdoll, as to how you feel about the girl you brought home. This will give us doll makers a much better idea of what you want and point us in the right direction.

The Doll featured this month in Cover Doll, I €™ve named Brazil. She €™s the first darker complected version of Ruby and I plan on yet an even darker skin tone I the near future. (A B-Cup version is planned in the near future)