ATHOL – The Athol Public Library hosted its second Zombie Barbies event on Oct. 22, giving local teens a chance to tap into their creativity by transforming dolls into undead creations using paint, glue and other craft supplies.

Young Adult Library Technician Emily Boughton, who led the event, said she was thrilled to see the teens’ excitement and unique ideas.

“They really seem to enjoy this event, and I hope to do it again in the coming years, maybe even make it an annual event,” she said.

Among the participants was Haylee Roberts, who crafted a fierce zombie cheerleader Barbie, complete with black tears, an orange uniform splattered with paint, and homemade bloody pom-poms glued to the doll’s hands. Roberts said her design was inspired by her dream of becoming a cheerleader one day and a love of all things scary.

“I love Halloween, and my favorite horror movie is ‘Scream,’” she said.

  • Alyssa Johnson with her “Diner Zombie Barbie” doll. HANNAH MORIN / For the Athol Daily News
  • Raven Woodward, Haylee Roberts and Rowan Goodhue work on their designs at the Zombie Barbie event held at the Athol Library on Oct. 22. HANNAH MORIN / For the Athol Daily News
  • Victoria Ross with her Zombie Barbie. HANNAH MORIN / For the Athol Daily News
  • Raven Woodward’s Zombie Barbie was inspired by the popular zombie series “The Walking Dead.” HANNAH MORIN / For the Athol Daily News
  • Haylee Roberts works on her zombie cheerleader’s pom-poms. HANNAH MORIN / For the Athol Daily News

Raven Woodward based their doll on “The Walking Dead,” blending the show’s gritty look with zombie flair. Woodward added that they and Roberts are planning to dress up together as characters from the anime “Demon Slayer” for Halloween.

Another participant, Victoria Ross, said she’s most excited about dressing up and going trick-or-treating with her friends this year. Alyssa Johnson echoed this, adding that she’s hoping to visit some local haunted house events.

Johnson created a very unique idea for her doll, which she called the “Diner Zombie Barbie.” She painted her Barbie dark green and crafted a red and white striped uniform, covered in streaks of red paint to resemble wounds and infections.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to make for awhile,” Johnson said. “Then I thought, what if my zombie works in a diner?”

Boughton and other library staff collected about 20 dolls for the event from tag sales and thrift stores, offering everything from ballerinas and mermaid Barbies to a vintage Bratz doll. Participants were encouraged to take home leftover dolls to “zombify” later.

To get more information about upcoming youth programs, contact the Athol Public Library or visit https://athollibrary.org/.