Pageant News Bureau

Collecting beauty queens used to be a pastime only for rich eccentrics. Secretive billionaire Howard Hughes, who started his collection in the late 1940s, had to furnish each of his queens with an apartment and a movie contract. And he had to be vigilant that one of them didn't elope with the chauffeur — or tell the world that her wealthy benefactor had 10-inch fingernails and hair that reached to his knees. (Who could have disputed her?)

Today, things are much less stressful, not to mention more respectable. Now there are beauty queens made just for the collector.

They never pout, they never sweat. They would never think of talking to reporters or hiring lawyers. In short, they are real dolls, and they fit neatly on a shelf.

The creators of these synthetic sirens are Nik Moronese and Marie LeBreton, partners in the design company known as NiniMomo Creations.

The name of the company sounds exotic to some ears, like an extinct bird of Polynesia, but its origin is more prosaic. "I'm Nini and she's Momo," says Moronese. "We got the names in our college days."

Every NiniMomo creation is a custom-altered version of Barbie, the flawless, shapely doll by Mattel. NiniMomo has no connection to Mattel, and it includes a disclaimer to that effect with every refurbished doll. But the young company's very existence is a kind of homage to Barbie, surely the most collectible and socially influential doll in human history.

The design of each NiniMomo doll is unique, says Moronese, who is also a fashion photographer. Gowns, accessories, hair and eyebrows are all done in meticulous detail, by hand. "Nothing is mass-produced," he says.

Some dolls are originals, representing cities, states and countries. These queens have been known to compete against one another — with flesh-and-blood beauty queens doing the judging. One such contest had 205 contestants, with the winner appearing as a model at a Barbie convention.

Others dolls are replicas, representing real-life stars of the pageant world, in tiny versions of their real-life gowns. For the past two years, NiniMomo has created a doll for the reigning Miss Universe and the reigning Miss USA. The first recipient was Brook Lee, who held both titles.

NiniMomo's creators are unabashed pageant fans. Moronese is a Miss Universe buff, and Ms. LeBreton is a former pageant competitor. (That's how the two met.) In addition to their work with artificial beauties, they also are involved in pageant coaching and judging.

For those who find pageants strange, the world of NiniMomo must seem as if it belongs in another galaxy. Moronese and LeBreton jokingly admit as much. But the success of these two very down-to-earth people is evidence of the appeal of pageants to lovers of beauty everywhere.

NiniMomo's Web site is at www.ninimomo.com.

For coverage of this year's Miss Universe Pageant, look for PNB's 1999 Miss Universe page, coming soon.

Isn't she a doll? Precisely

All photos courtesy of NiniMomo, except Benjamin Gibbs / PNB photo of Shawnae Jebbia from Miss USA 1998