Here's what I think: When I first saw the button eyes in the trailer, it gave me the uncanny feeling like the other mother and other inhabitants were like playthings come to life from a little girl's imagination. When the other parents insisted on Coraline sewing buttons on her eyes, it felt like their intention was to make her THEIR plaything That! Is why the button eyes scared me...
one of the best theories i've seen for coraline is the way the other mother consumes her victims is the same way she takes apart the doll at the beginning. mannerisms for her art of creating dolls would make sense to translate into her mealtime. She would rip the clothes, take out the hair, the eyes, the mouth, before "getting rid/eating" the insides of the doll and then turning it inside out. She'd eat a child in the same way, it's like a preference of eating veggies from your plate first and leaving the best stuff for last, except much more morbid
true, dollneedles are curved and just from a prakticability standpoint, a curved one would make way more sense. I feel like they really did not think all to close about how it would work, but straight needles are the ones everyone knowes . . .
So ... I am a dollmaker, and I can confirm that sewing the buttons is the most exciting thing in the whole process ... Yes, it's like the doll comes alive
And there I was, sewing up the sleeves on my ten year old hoodie, when a notification arrived. The content? A video about sewing buttons on to eyes. *looks at buttons in the box with the rest of my sewing supplies and violently closes lid* All is well with the world.
I've recently started reading Coraline's book and all I can think of is how agonizing it would be for the kids. Imagine they gave their souls to the other mother, and she begins the... process. They'd be sitting there, screaming, crying, begging for her to stop and she'd just keep on sewing...
But I don’t know if any of the kids actually did that, I mean perhaps they had to for her to get their souls. But it makes more sense that they got stuck there and she took their souls over time. It just doesn’t sound like any of them would happily agree to have buttons sewn onto their eyes. If she did take their eyes I feel they were probably already dead by that point
@@shirin9452 As much as I know, the tall ghost girl looks so terrified bc that was the last face she made while getting the buttons on. If I remember correctly, the kids allowed her to do so. Being allowed to sew the buttons on was the premise that she (the Beldam) would give them even more of what they wanted.
@@DANIELLE_BREANNA_LACY in a story I read about the pioneer girl’s backstory, she suffered for a while behind the mirror while she was still alive and she got weaker and weaker as if something (the Beldam) was draining her life
@@ju2545 Where did you read it? Because that sounds really interesting If the pioneer girl is the tall ghost girl, then I think it's interesting that in the original book, she had wings, as a fae does, and in the dream Coraline has after she escapes the other world, they (Coraline and the ghost children) have a picnic before they warn her, and when they do, the fae girl eats like flowers and stuff It's really interesting :]
I distinctly remember the reasoning given in the narration for how Coraline knew that they were lying when they said the sewing of the buttons "won't hurt." She's heard that line before, and it's never true. I always liked to imagine she was thinking of all the times that she went to the doctor's office to get her jabs.
Licensed funeral director here! The spiky plastic that holds eyes shut during viewings/services are called eye caps. They are the flesh and white coloured discs that you showed. Some times they fail when the skin is too dry from improper moisturizing post embalming and the eye will open. Depending on the funeral home, they will still glue the eye shut to prevent the eye accidentally opening slightly. They are cut down to size most of the time because they are used for everyone from children to the elderly. The clear plastic with spikes shown at 5:28 is actually a mouth former. It will help keep the mouth closed and push out the lips to make them look less sunken in post embalming. They will also use cotton to fill out the cheeks to help form the face better. The lips also get glued shut to help achieve a more natural position. These are usually inserted during the dressing/cosmetize process before casketing.
A quick little theory of mine: The reason the buttons are an opaque black is that it is meant to hide the real world. To stop you from seeing the light and or truth. When done, you will be blinded from the real world, locking yourself into a world of darkness. It's not the best and I know it was kind of talked about in the video... And also would that mean that clear glass or plastic buttons might be a loophole?
Does anybody else remember those La La Loopsy dolls that came out around the same time as the Coraline movie, as in within a few years? The commercials for those gave me shivers.
Oh my gosh those stuck around a while after 09 then because I remember those from elementary school (I turned 4 at the end of 09) and yeah they're super creepy
I have never actually seen Coraline but I knew enough about it that I've been making the link before I ever read the book. They're cute in a way, but yikes, way too close to horror territory.
Cross my heart and hope to die Stick a needle in my eye Buttons go on tight all around Free will removed without a sound SPOOKS TIME IS ALMOST HERE YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
I start celebrating when winter ends and stop when it starts because of how much I love the winter. Besides that and St. Patrick's Day (I'm a ginger so no surprise there) I celebrate Halloween all year round 💜
I don’t know what this “thing” was, but when I was very young (before kindergarten) I used to see a little ghost w/ black button eyes. Had no previous exposure to scary things because my parents didn’t let me watch horror movies. The ghost was child-sized, a floating sheet, like in the Charlie Brown Halloween tv show. The sheet had a pattern like a real bed sheet would, but I have never seen the pattern before or since. No mouth or nose and of course black button eyes. I have a memory of it approaching me quickly and I could see the sheet bottom floating rapidly like fabric in the wind. Wonder if it was really a Gray Alien and my brain changed it to something less scary...?
I'm very thankful I'm not the only one who thought of that. Her talking about button eyes while having button-like eyes was a very weird experience. I can't stop looking at her then back to the buttons, over and over again throughout the entire video. 😭 Like, ma'am are you referring to yourself???
"The pear drum" was one of neil gaiman's sources of inspiration for coraline. In "the pear drum" two girls are abandoned by their mother and a new one comes to them, one who has glass orbs for eyes. I always figured the button eyes in coraline may be, atleast in part, a nod to this story element. Having inhuman, artifical eyes really plays up the unnerving nature of their presence in both stories.
You know, I've been thinking about the Beldam-spider thing. Just like a spider, she makes a web that is barely visible for her victims, it looks like a clear space(at first, coraline gets to choose whether she goes to the other world or not), but when they get inside the web(decide to stay and sew the buttons) there is no way out and the spider devours their victim
People who think buttons are cute:AWWWW THEY'RE SO PRECIOUS People who are scared of buttons probably due to coraline:get them AWAY from me Me when I see buttons:*immediately thinks of coraline*NOICE (Also I'd definitely go with pink buttons)
Probably been said but I believe that the other mother chose buttons because like you said, dolls would sometimes have button eyes. This could mean that the others that have button eyes are just her playthings, they move and follow her will, what she wants them to do they do. This however brings up another question, why does the other mother have button eyes then? Was she herself made to follow another's whims and wishes? If not was she made/born with button eyes or did she sew them on herself? What would be the point of this and why is the other mother's true form metal, deformed, and so tall?
I believe you are correct about Coraline only being able to see when the other mother wants her to see. Buttons are the perfect example, because coins are solid but buttons have holes. That way Coraline wouldn't be completely blind but she would have a harder time seeing things for what they are. The buttons would narrow her vision
Everything with the branding and sealing one's fate I agree with, but what also makes buttons (on dolls specifically) creepy is that they are in "the horror of wrongness" field. They look like eyes, but they're perfectly shaped and their single color makes them look soulless and emotionless, a lot like the "black eyed children" in ghost stories. In addition, knowing what buttons are, and using them not for that purpose (to hold fabric together), gives off the feeling that their owner isn't really what it looks like; it's all fake but it tries to mimic something real, but it obviously isn't (much like the uncanny valley). So, like, the Other World is mimicking the Real World, but it's all fake (in a sense).
Eyes are truly the windows to the soul. I know for a fact that I make immediate eye contact with people and I can usually tell how they are feeling through eyes. I feel like other mother found and took over this other world. I believe all of the people she has control over in the world really are in pain. She has found children are the easiest catch but she knows that they tell how they are in pain and are very open about how they feel even without their eyes. So she sewed Wybies mouth shut so he couldn't tell Coraline anything. All of the people she does have are trapped in this hell scape I believe may be her family. Like her children and her husband who were always eager to follow mother.
in the sewing world, there is in fact a 'penny button' where you take a coin and wrap it in a round cloth (typically made of the same material the outfit its going to don is made of) and cinch the cloth closed to then sew onto garments. so having 'buttons' on the eyes may be a more modern telling of coins. it also isn't very hard to turn actual coins into buttons for garb and fashion. either by drilling holes or affixing a loop on the back.
If no one's mentioned it, Buttons would also hold the threads, in place, inside her eyes. Meaning the actual substance of the Other Mother, was woven -into- the eyes,and held in place, meaning a part of her was always inside the child's eyes, held in place, secured with finality. Instead of just sewing the eyes shut, both replacing the eyes with new "windows to the soul", that have the thread biting into the eye,through it, and holding the buttons in place.
The doll was her eyes into coralines world, my theory is that what she creates she can see through and control but when she kills she has no need to see through their eyes or control them so she just forgets about them
Honestly this is now one of my new favorite channels. Spooky subjects, an amazing relaxing voice, what’s not to love! Happy to have subscribed and I plan to binge watch as many of this channels videos as possible!
Fun fact. Around the 13th century of medieval Europe, buttons became such a popular symbol of "luxury" that some sumptuary laws were passed. Nevertheless, down the ages, the popularity and value of button's continued to grow with countries proceeding to make them out of bone/jewels/gold/silver/ceramics/etc. So in a way it makes even more sense of the theory of connecting the practice of putting coins on a dead's eyes, to putting buttons instead. Throughout several points in history, buttons became so valuable that they were held around the same level as actual currency.
Omg I discovered you with one of your coraline videos, I'm so glad you're making some again! Yeah pointless comment but I just wanted to show my support lol
It made me pay more attention to the song of the other dad because he describes her as a peach, meaning sweet, maybe for eating? Not describing her sweet for her personality.
When you mentioned the idea of seeing through others eyes I'm reminded of how Hurin in JRR Tolkien's The Silmarillion is cursed by Morgoth to watch the downfall of his family through Morgoth's eyes.
I freaking love this movie, I literally spent $100 on a doll that is a replica of the actual Coraline doll. Also, I'd pick black cause it right reflects light nicely.
I'm picking Emerald Green if I had to. I've always wanted "Emerald Eyes" and when I saw coraline, when the button scene came on and they showed the green, I said, AND I QUOTE REGRETTINGLY. "I would accept that! Beautiful color AND a fun world!"
You've brought up some interesting points that I've known about (sewing the eyes shut, coins on eyes to keep them closed), and made connections in my brain that I never would have considered or put together (buttons vs death/limbo), and even taught me a few things I didn't know about (the "ghost coins")! :D I love your videos and all your content! Thanks so much for the video, and excellent work as always 👌
When she started talking about the Greek mythology stuff I knew exactly what she meant and already guessed what she was gonna talk about. And this is when my knowledge of Greek mythology comes in handy
I remember playing with dolls and my grandma had an old button collection she gave up on and I pretended the buttons were currency, making the more holes in the button, the more the value. Soo nostalgic
Love your voice and drawings. Buttons on the eyes are creepy but I like large jars of buttons (usually older people have them) because they are all different and interesting to look at. I also like the button isle of a craft store. But in an old antique shop, buttons can be cool or creepy. And definitely creepy for doll eyes, usually. So I guess I'm on the fence about buttons. Wow, I didn't think this video would make me go in to deep thought about buttons, but I'm not mad at it. 😊
All (live) animal eyes have this weird shine to them that are almost impossible to recreate. That odd shine is what I think makes us appear to be alive. It's also why it's a common thing for artists to draw dead eyes (or a person possessed) without that shine, because the shine in a dead person is eerily not there. There's still a shine, but it's not the same in an undescribable way. Buttons and certain other round objects also have a similar shine to live eyes, making a doll with button eyes eerie to some people
Her section on closed eyes during viewings is a little off, lots of the time eyes can be closed with little trouble but in cases where eyelids are stubborn they will be closed with the aid of a contact lense or other aids. The death industry has many ways of making the bodies ready and pleasant for the viewings and there are many different options for you to choose from before you die. The way your body is prepared after death is slightly different from funeral home to funeral home but they all use similar practices and follow almost all the same procedures. There is nothing scary or strange about how they prepare bodies their job is to make sure this person looks just as they are remembered, and their job should not label them as creepy or strange peoples just as much as their practices should be not be called gross and scary. Death is a wonderful thing and the people who prepare our dead are doing a great service
Honestly I never subscribe after only seeing just one video from someone, but your voice is so soothing and your art is so intriguing that I just feel so compelled to subscribe
When I was 2 or 3 I had a teddy bear with button eyes. Our cat would sneak into my room at night and pull them off, so my mom would repeatedly have to sew them back on.
Idk how I found you but I am so glad I did. I love the way you tell your theories and stories, your edits. The whole lot! Its so good and honestly, one of my new favourite channels! Keep up the amazing work
I know this is obvious but your voice is so amazing. I've never even watched Coraline, but I kept watching just to listen to your voice! And this concept was very interesting. Anyway, Have a nice day.
I believe it really leans on metaphor, which I think is that the eyes are like a lock, the threads a chain holding the soul and keeping it from freedom, all signified by a lock in the face, or in this case a button because it's cute, fitting irony.
Haron's coins was my first thout. ;-) I never consider OtherWorld as afterlife, but now it looks kind of obvious. My eyes are gray, but my favourite colour is green, so I'll choose one of those. Fun fact: sari, traditional dress of woman in India, is made with one huge piece of fabric, but there are no buttons whatsoever. Or zippers or safety pins or anything. The fabric is tie in knots to hold in it proper places.
This made me think of a cool idea for a Game Master monster: Give them 20 sided dice for eyes! It would look creepy as heck, and could also symbolize tabletop gaming’s reliance on chance.
I feel like the concept of "taking" Coraline's eyes is just another way she wants control. Just like in the rest of the movie and book, besides the buttons, the other mother shows all the traits of being manipulative and dependent on her child's love. She can get it just by Coraline giving her attention, sure, but the buttons could basically just be a way to seal the deal and make sure she never leaves her.
