How It All Started… With Steve

I like to tell people that it all started with Steve.

Now, Steve isn’t just any doll—he’s a 1/6 scale seamless figure, complete with a steel skeleton and silicone skin. Fancy, right? I thought he’d be the perfect subject for sight drawing, a skill I honed back in my college art classes.

If you’ve ever taken a life drawing class, you know the drill—a brave (and broke) model stands center stage while a room full of awkward students tries to act like they’re not staring directly at their junk. Strangely, by the end of the quarter, the model sort of blends in with the apples in the bowl we also have to draw.

But during lockdown, I needed something to do that didn’t involve drawing a fully naked human. That’s when I found Steve—advertised as an “art doll.” Perfect.

Or so I thought.

The Package Arrives… With a Surprise

When Steve finally arrived, he came with something unexpected. A package of male parts.👀

Not just one.

Multiple.

In various stages of being.

Why I would need an assortment of detachable anatomies is still beyond me. But there they were.

Anyway, the plan was to draw him and practice sketching male anatomy—mainly muscle structure. What actually happened was completely different.

From Art to Comedy to Instagram

Instead of drawing Steve, I started photographing him, adding ridiculous captions, and sending them to my friends for laughs.

Turns out, Steve wasn’t just an art doll. He was a muse for miniature storytelling and unintentional comedy.

Eventually, I discovered that I could buy him clothes, props, and all kinds of 1/6 scale accessories—and suddenly, he wasn’t alone. By that time, I had stolen my daughter’s old Barbies and started staging little play scenarios with them.

One of my friends suggested I put the images on Instagram, and I did. That’s when PamsPlayPals was born—because I’m Pam, playing and putting on little plays with my little pals.

That was the start of my Instagram journey.

However, my obsession with dolls and miniatures?

That started much further back…

To Be Continued…