Babes in Toyland were a riot grrl band, formed in Minneapolis in 1988. The band was comprised of Kat B'jelland (guitar and vocals), Lori Barbero (drums), and Michelle Leon (bass), who was replaced by Maureen Herman in 1992; Herman left the group in 1996.
The band achieved notoriety through the "baby doll" (kinderwhore) image of Kat Bjelland, dramatically contrasted by the raw power of her singing voice and the aggressive nature of the lyrics. Their fame peaked in 1993 when they took part in Lollapalooza. Their song "Bruise Violet", from the album Fontanelle, is an attack on Courtney Love of Hole.
The band split and reformed throughout the 1990s. Bjelland went on to form Katastrophy Wife in 2000 and later Angelica.
Spanking Machine (1989, Twin Tone Records)
To Mother EP (1991, Twin Tone Records)
Fontanelle (1992, Southern Records / Reprise Records)
Painkillers EP (1993, Reprise Records)
Nemesisters (1995, Reprise Records)
A number of live albums have also been released.
The Jungle Train
The band achieved notoriety through the "baby doll" (kinderwhore) image of Kat Bjelland, dramatically contrasted by the raw power of her singing voice and the aggressive nature of the lyrics. Their fame peaked in 1993 when they took part in Lollapalooza. Their song "Bruise Violet", from the album Fontanelle, is an attack on Courtney Love of Hole.
The band split and reformed throughout the 1990s. Bjelland went on to form Katastrophy Wife in 2000 and later Angelica.