Being that my obsession with Swan Brooner (the loose-toothed center of my favorite documentary, Living Dolls) is unrelenting, I think it's only appropriate to post updates whenever they occur. Today, a reader named Jayne sent me a link to a newspaper based in Alaska (where Swan supposedly moved to live with her father after her mom died of cancer) that last year named Swan as a runner up in some essay contest. I blew the picture up above, but here's a slightly cropped version of the original:
In the caption in the link above, you can see that Swan is named the second in from the right in the back row (despite the fact that the girl all the way to the right has the sharp, gaunt face Swan's mother was rocking in the documentary). If that's really Swan, I have to get corny and admit that it warms my heart to see her smiling. It's nice to know that she's out there, even if it's via a cameo. (And hopefully this isn't another one of those bogus updates.)
(Swan, for the record, is still No. 1 on my interview wishlist. If you're out there, girl, call me! You can make like Thomas Pynchon and show up blurry in group shots and do the mystique thing and make 'em say uhh or whatever, but understand that it doesn't have to be that way!)
I guess the smile is similar, but I just can't see it in the rest of the face! If you'd have said she was far-righty I'd have believed it.
Having said that, if there was one thing swan knew how to do it was mugging for the camera, so i'll mark this under 'probable'.
THANK YOU for bringing Living Dolls into my life!
Posted by: Cam | May 02, 2008 at 06:18 PM
I think a side by side comparison is in order!
(Side note: Loved seeing you and Winston over on Jezebel earlier)
Posted by: brendahamLincoln | May 02, 2008 at 06:33 PM
Upper right. I'd bet my life on it. It's all in the chin.
Posted by: lindsay | May 02, 2008 at 06:38 PM
Pretty chin, that is! That was not a negative comment.
Posted by: lindsay | May 02, 2008 at 06:41 PM
I can't believe I researched this, buuut...
The newspaper has labled the names wrong- The blonde girl who looks like swan (far-righty) is labelled as "Olivia Bowen" but here is a pic of the real Olivia
http://www.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/staff/sohail/swimming/Profiles/Class%20of%202011/Olivia%20Bowen.htm
Brunette! and definately the tall brunette in the middle.
That blonde girl on the far right is sooooo Swan Brooner
Posted by: Cam | May 02, 2008 at 06:58 PM
The girl on the right is what I imagine Swan would be like today. Hot and bitchy.
Posted by: mer | May 02, 2008 at 09:07 PM
For the love of God, I really wish they would release Living Dolls on DVD...especially if it had a 3 hour "where are they now?" bonus feature. I watched Living Dolls every single time it was on HBO, and I always worried that Swan would end up having a difficult life. I also want to know what happened to Leslie and her two dads. Ugh, these mysteries are going to haunt me for life!
Posted by: Jessica | May 03, 2008 at 12:07 AM
Rich,
This. Is. Amazing.
Jules
House of Jules
Posted by: houseofjules | May 03, 2008 at 03:23 AM
thank you so much for putting up a swan brooner update, i fell in love with living dolls when i read about it in ew and recorded it on tivo, but she has to be the chick on the far right, i love bitchy hot chicks
Posted by: John | May 03, 2008 at 01:41 PM
It's stupid, but I sincerely hope she doesn't (didn't) turn out bitchy.
Posted by: miss girl | May 03, 2008 at 04:09 PM
Look at the size of young Swans forehead (or fivehead as Ms. Banks would put it), it is definitely the chick second from the right. She's giving us her best pageant smile and was suppressing a finger wave to the photographer.
Posted by: pattyhearst'sgat | May 03, 2008 at 10:14 PM
Ya'll FOUND her?! Holy crap, you found her??!!!!
I'm so geeked to see her again, it kinda made me teary eyed. Whichever one she is. I hope she's happy up there. And I hope one day, you get to interview her, too. Rich, somebody needs to let that little girl know she has a legion of fans out there. Okay, maybe fans is a little strong... people that want to know she's okay and happy. :)
Posted by: Maleficent | May 03, 2008 at 10:28 PM
The guy standing next to the flag is totally Nicholas from Eight is Enough.
Say, Rich - did you ever read that book "Swan's Song"? It's a bit like "The Stand", but the heroine is a young blonde girl from a broken home.
Posted by: spazmo | May 03, 2008 at 10:35 PM
Could you send a Four Four link to the newspaper that printed the photograph? Maybe they will follow up.
Or should she just be left alone to finish her childhood out of the spotlight?
Posted by: Joan | May 04, 2008 at 11:21 AM
If that is Swan, good for her. Hopefully she sees there are better things to be recognized for than being a living doll.
Seriously though, I loved her in the movie. I hope she's grown to be pretty well adjusted.
Posted by: Crazy Lizzy | May 04, 2008 at 11:40 AM
I bet my mother the scowler on the far right is Swan!
Can we get a copy of the essay????
Cam, I admire your research skills.
Posted by: Ramsey | May 04, 2008 at 12:59 PM
The girl on the far right does kind of look like Swan's mother. And the other girl kind of looks like Swan's older sister (I'm not remembering her name right now but it was something weird and I liked it). Either of those girls could be Swan, but I think it's the second one to the right. What was that sister's name??
Posted by: Gillian | May 04, 2008 at 04:47 PM
her older sister was silva, right? i thought that too, gillian!
Posted by: | May 05, 2008 at 11:10 AM
The girl on the right looks like the most recent pic of Swan I've seen. Smiling girl, my ass rich. You know Swan's gonna be the prettiest, scowliest one.
Posted by: Kitten | May 05, 2008 at 12:09 PM
I'm votin' with the peanut gallery and saying Swan's all the way on the far right. Regardless of the smile she has the same shaped face, although I was dismayed to see the plain blonde locks. Was hoping for essence of pageant hair in there somewhere.
I hope she doesn't stumble on this website and think we're freaks. Swan, it's cause we care that we talk about you!!!
Rich, now you just need to find out what happened to the two gay makeup guys, although I know from my own research (pathetic I know) they've separated and now do hair/makeup separately.
Posted by: scorzi | May 05, 2008 at 01:15 PM
Please, please, please put back up the Swan Brooner banner!!!! I need it!
Posted by: PerkyJerky | May 05, 2008 at 04:32 PM
For some reason I feel that neither of them is Swan and that instead, Swan is the girl with long hair in the front row looking off to the side and laughing.
Posted by: Tiff | May 05, 2008 at 11:40 PM
So, I just did some stalker research of my own. Apparently Swan's BFF Mariah has a youtube account. Here's the link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/miahrox13
Maybe you could get in contact with Swan through her? Or would that be too creepy?
Posted by: Sutton | May 06, 2008 at 12:28 AM
eyebrows UP!
Posted by: Esther | May 06, 2008 at 12:55 PM
Rich, you need to check her Myspace page. www.myspace.com/swanbrooner.
Posted by: Cris | May 07, 2008 at 02:08 PM