Doll Owner's Corner: Bjd Doll Boxes

First of the month, time for another Doll Owner's Corner. When I, the doll owner, talk about whatever I want.

This month's topic:

Doll Boxes

Typically when you order a ball jointed doll it is shipped to you in a shipping box and packed in the company box, a.k.a. the doll box. Some companies use doll carrier bags instead, but it seems to be primarily the box.

Many of them have soft pillowy cushions inside to further protect your doll, which is usually already wrapped up in bubble wrap and foam anyway. Some companies skip the cushion and use plastic "pillows" or foam, that's what happened with Makoto.

Some companies and dealers like to tuck a few gifts and random stuff inside too, or at least the other things you ordered at the same time as your doll. The Junkyspot was always unique about their little gifts.

Of course, after unboxing the dolls and accessories, what do you do with the boxes.

The majority of bjd collectors saved them, as seen on this thread and poll on Den of Angels. They frequently pack them away to use if and when the time comes to sell the doll.

Having the original box or even the original shipping box makes it easier to ship the sold doll to its new owner and to prove authenticity, especially if your doll didn't have a certificate of authenticity. Yes, bjd knockoffs are a thing, but that's a topic for another day.

But if you are like me and can't bear the thought of selling your precious doll family, your choices are either to toss/recycled them or use them for storage.

I used to use them to store the dolls after "playing". I also occasionally used them as a seat for the dolls while playing, as seen in this group photo from when Yuki got his body. That's Usagi's doll box, it can be spotted in a lot of other photos too.

After a while though, the number of boxes increased and I had to devote more and more of my limited space to store them. It didn't help that several of them were getting worn out.

First, I started weeding them out and storing multiple dolls in the same box. Finally, I got rid of them all and replaced them with these storage bins from Ikea. They are stackable, come in several sizes to fit my needs (perfect for other hobbies too), and can fit several dolls even when wrapped in their cushions.

I have one larger bin for Hikaru and the other Msd sized dolls. A smaller, bin for all the Yosds and the animals. Plus, another bin to store clothes and accessories. These are sorted into little bags labeled with the name of the doll.

This system works better for me, but I still kind of miss the doll boxes. There is something fun about opening a box with the name of the doll company and seeing all that lies within. But, I guess that's why we have unboxing posts.

That's all for today. Coming up this month is more unboxings, tutorials, and possibly a fashion show?

Look forward to it.

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Doll Owner's Corner: We're Back!

Welcome to Doll Owner's Corner. When I, the doll owner, get to discuss anything at all.

This month's topic:

Back in the Hobby

It's been years since I (or Hikaru) have posted anything to this blog. I just kind of drifted away from it and focused more on work and other stuff.

It's actually fairly common for bjd collectors to take a break from the hobby for a little bit, or just leave and come back after a few years. There's a thread on the Den of Angels forum talking about it.

It can be a good thing to just take a step back and focus on other hobbies and priorities.  This is true for all hobbies and interests, not just doll collecting. Then you can come back with a fresh eye, maybe be able to focus more on what you truly love about the hobby and less about the other stuff. 

What brought me back? Marie Kondo.

Seriously, I spent a good portion of my summer using the Konmari method to clear out my stuff.  I sold/donated anything that didn't "spark joy".

When it was time to sort through my little doll family, I couldn't part with any of them. I love them all. 

I did sort out some of their clothes and stuff. Some of their shoes were literally disintegrating. I ended up ordering more things for them from Alice's Collections, the first package should arrive in a few more days. More on that later.

So stay tuned for some unboxings, sewing tutorials, a new doll or two, and maybe some makeovers? Should be fun.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: Bjd Events

First of the month, time for another Doll Owner’s Corner (after missing the last few months).  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything I want.

This month’s topic:

Events

The first time some people hear about an event for a doll company or dealer, they may wonder “what is an event?”  The short answer is that it’s a big sale.  We all know what that means when it’s a grocery store or department store.  The prices on some things go down for about a week to get people to come in the door.

The difference is that bjd events tend to last about a month, and sometimes longer.  I’ve seen ones that were extended an extra month.  Giving more time to make your choice.  :)

There are various ways for you to save on dolls during an event.  Some companies will reduce the price by about 10-12% or even more.  That’s how I got both Usagi and Sakura here (in this older photo). 

Mystic Kids was having an event for 10% off all their dolls, so I bought Sakura from the Junky Spot (check out her unboxing).

Doll Family A had an event that included 20% off their msd sized dolls plus a free gift!  So, I ended up ordering Usagi through Alice’s Collections (check out her unboxing).

Events occur throughout the year and usually coincide with holidays and seasons and such. 

For example, Misako was bought at nearly 50% off clearance as part of the Junky Spot’s annual Black Friday sale (check out her unboxing).  Several of my other dolls were purchased during Summer events. 

Other occasions for events include Christmas/Winter, Spring Festival (aka. Chinese New Year), New Year’s, and company anniversaries.

Now, in addition to dolls being “on sale” during events, you do sometimes get freebies with your purchase depending on the company. 

For example, Doll Love regularly has events where their dolls are about 10-15% off with a free face up.  That’s how I got Yuna here (check out her unboxing), with her adorable default face up.

Kids Sky has similar free face up events.  They were having one for Christmas, so I got Momoko (check out her unboxing).

Other things you might get for free are other dolls or doll parts. 

As some of you may remember, Yuki started out as just a floating head I got for free when I bought Usagi (that free gift I mentioned).  Some companies will give you free (or reduced price) jointed hands with a purchase, and some more (relatively) pricier companies will include small sized bjds as a gift.

One fun thing about bjd events is that it isn’t just the doll companies that have them, but also the dealers.  I mentioned before that Junky Spot has their Black Friday sale, but Alice’s Collections regularly has nice events.

For example, I’ve taken advantage several times of events at Alice’s Collections where you can order a pair of their glass dolls eyes for only $1 with qualifying purchases.

And for more fun, Alice’s Collections frequently have events to get cute pet dolls for super low prices with a qualifying purchase.  That’s how I got Shiro.

And the deals can usually be stacked.  For example, if a dealer is having an event where you can buy a cute pet doll for $1 if you buy a SD sized doll, and a particular company on their site is also having an event where you can get a free yosd sized doll with the purchase of a SD sized doll.  Then you can buy your SD doll, get the freebie doll and throw on that cute pet doll.  That’s what I call a great deal.

I’ve mostly been talking about dolls, but all those cute bjd accessories go on sale too.  

I bought all these doll wigs at 10% off with free shipping during an event from Alice’s Collections (man, I buy from them a lot).  They also have similar deals on clothing, usually on new styles.

I got these cute little yosd sized shoes for Sakura and Yuna when they were 10% off, they were shipped for free too.

And that’s just a small sample of the fun of bjd events.  Of course the best part is always after the event has ended.  When your order has shipped, and your package has arrived and is waiting for you to unbox your new doll!

Happy shopping everyone.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: Pros and Cons of Collecting

It’s the first of the month, time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything at all.

This month’s topic:

The Pros and Cons of Collecting Ball Jointed Dolls

Pro - Dolls are so small and easy to collect, they take up so little space.

Con - One doll takes up very little space, but if you have several (plus accessories) they will take up all shelf/closet space in you room/home.

Pro - It’s fun to make and sew things for your dolls.

Con - If you aren’t good at sewing, trying to make doll clothes can be torture.

Pro - If you can’t sew doll clothes very well, there are tons of cute options for bjds from sites like Alice’s Collections and Dollmore.

Con - All those cute doll clothes sold online come with not so cute prices.  Imagine spending as much on your doll’s clothes as your own, and that’s assuming you can find clothes that fit your doll.

Pro - It can be easy and fun to shop for doll props and furniture in toy stores and such.

Con - It’s hard to tell your friends/family that your dolls “are not toys” if you shop for doll props at toy stores.

Pro - By carefully saving up for your doll purchases, you can learn so much about handling money responsibly.

Con - You could try to be responsible with your money, or you could just as easily spend your rent money on that must-have limited edition bjd.

Pro - You can actually earn money on the side selling your own handmade doll clothes or commissioning face ups and customization.

Con - To earn money making doll stuff, you first have to learn how to sew/paint/etc. and actually get good enough to earn something from it.

Pro - Doll collecting is an interesting hobby in general, and collecting bjds is particularly unique.

Con - Interesting hobby or not, it’s hard not to feel like you’re “that weirdo who collects creepy dolls” at times.

Pro - It’s fun to go places with your dolls and there are plenty of places to take them like conventions, meet ups, museums, etc.

Con - To take your dolls anywhere you first have to decide which ones to take, plus you have to pack them carefully to prevent any sort of damage on the way.  And that’s all assuming you are comfortable taking dolls out in public at all.

Pro - By buying from doll companies from other countries, you can learn fun and fascinating things about their culture.

Con - Dealing with language barriers.

Pro - All that time spent waiting for orders to be processed and your dolls to be shipped teaches the importance of patience.

Con - Waiting.  So much waiting.  Waiting for everything! 

Pro - The joy and excitement of receiving a package in the mail.  It’s your new doll and you can’t wait to unbox it.

Con - Getting your new doll in the mail and after wrestling through all the packaging to get the darn box open, suddenly getting hit with the strong smell of new resin (gag).

And that’s just a handful of the many fun and not so fun things about collecting bjds.  Have any more you would like to add?  Leave a comment below.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: When Dolls Take Over Part 2

Beginning of the month, time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything I want.

This month’s topic:

When Dolls Take Over Your Life

Continuing on from this post with more fun.

You know the dolls have taken over when:

• You realize it takes you more time to dress your doll than to dress yourself, but hey, it’s way more fun anyway.
• You plan trips to thrift shops, antique stores, flea markets, yard sales, etc. solely to look for furniture and props for your dolls.
• You regularly receive small items as gifts from friends and family members because they thought you could use them for your dolls.
• Most of the YouTube Channels you subscribe to are about dolls…
• …And so are several of the blogs you follow.
• Your dolls have more toys than your kids do…
• …And they have more clothes than you do.
• You frequently talk to your dolls, and catch your family doing the same.
• Just when you decide you have enough dolls already and it’s no more dolls for you, holiday sales hit.
• You spam your friends on social media with almost non-stop photos of your dolls, and dolls on you wish list, and doll tutorials, etc.
• You’re talking to someone about your new ball jointed doll and tell them it was “only $200”, and then you wonder why they seem so shocked.
• You find yourself learning more about holidays and customs of other countries because doll companies located in those countries have corresponding sales and events.  Happy Spring Festival.

And there will be more of these in the future as my dolls slowly infiltrate every part of my life, whether I like it or not.

Look forward to it.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: Buying Doll Props

This post may contain affiliate links, please check out my disclosures page for more info.  Thanks!

First of the month and the year (wow time flies!), time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about what ever I want.

This month’s topic:

Doll Props

…Or where to buy them.  Doll props are those cute little items you buy or make for your dolls.  Little things that make “playtime” fun and make your doll photos come alive.

These include:

• Food, and tons of it
• Dishes (like Hikaru’s tea set)
• Doll sized furniture
• Toys and plushies :)
• Tools and fantasy weapons

And many other fun things.

The tricky part about them is finding them.  Not everything is easy to make (especially for the non-crafty) and when buying it can be difficult to find what you want in the right scale. 

Not to mention the cost.  Many of the stores that sell ball jointed dolls do carry super cute props for them at not so cute prices.

Luckily, if you look hard enough, and think outside of the box, you can find fun doll props in some pretty interesting places and with great prices. 

Here are a few of my favorites.

Thrift Stores

If the thrift shop posts haven’t already clued you in, thrift shops (like Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.) are a good place to start looking for cheap doll props. 

Check out the toys for small useable items and maybe actual doll stuff, but don’t forget the household items too. 

You can find small dishes and knickknacks, tiny picture frames, jewelry boxes that look like small trunks and doll sized furniture, chairs (meant for teddy bears), even tiny picture frames.

Dollar or Discount Stores

Be it Dollar Tree, Family Dollar or (if you’re lucky to live near one) Daiso, you can find some pretty useful cheap stuff for dolls. 

Browse the toys for small items like figurines, tiny dishes, mini-puzzles and such. 

Also check out the stationary for cute food erasers, hair accessories for tiny clips and such, the party supplies for small items and the rest of the store for small novelties.  I’ve seen reading lights in electronics that look like table and desk lamps.

Oriental Trading Company

Oriental Trading Company is an online store known for selling bulk items for use for parties, classrooms and large families. 

You can find fun novelty key chains shaped like all kinds of useful things, small toys and books, and even holiday items.  I saw small Halloween pumpkin buckets intended for party favors that would be perfect for small dolls.

Party City

Party City and other party supply stores can be a brilliant source for doll sized goodies (see Finding Doll Props: At the Party Store?). 

They sell all kinds of party favors that are the perfect size for dolls, similar to some of the stuff at Oriental Trading Company. 

But unlike Oriental Trading Company, you can buy most of them in smaller amounts, even only one or two pieces for as little as 25 or 50 cents each.

Craft Stores

Joann, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby and the like can have great stuff for dolls. 

Look for doll house miniatures, “doll making” supplies, small wooden drawers and chairs, fun shaped charms and such in with jewelry supplies, small toys (obviously), and even seasonal items. 

And near the checkout at Joann and Michael’s you will find their cheap novelty area that sometimes holds doll sized treasures.

Target

I regularly browse around Target for doll sized props.  It’s my go to place for buying blind bags (see Finding Doll Props: Surprising Blind Bags) and other small toys found in the toy aisle as well as with the trading cards near the checkout. 

I also stop by their “dollar section” by the door.  You can frequently find cute items that would work for dolls like fun shaped erasers and lips glosses, small seasonal novelties, etc. 

But I still mainly check out the toy section for one specific reason…

18 Inch Doll Lines

Yep, I mean those 18 inch tall play dolls, the most well known one is American Girl with their $120 price tag, but others include Target’s own Our Generation dolls, Springfield Collection (available at Michaels and Joann), My Life As..(from Walmart), Journey Girls (from Toys R Us) and many others. 

Many items made for these dolls are the perfect or near perfect size for many ball jointed dolls.  Look out for furniture sets, food sets, instruments (seriously), storage and carrying cases, accessories, sometime even clothes depending on the piece.

Grocery Stores

Technically, most of the stuff you would find at a grocery store you can already find at any other store (like toys, tiny hair accessories, etc.).  This is part of that whole constantly looking out for doll props habit that many ball jointed doll collectors develop.

However, there is one thing that you normally only find at grocery stores.  Tiny toy and candy machines. 

You know, those little machines by the door that you put quarters in to buy little toys and gumballs.  Many of those itty bitty 25 and 50 cent toys are perfect for my dolls.  Which is why I’ve been saving quarters like mad lately.

And if you’re lucky enough to live near an Asian grocery store, see if they have any gachapon machines. 

These are like the Japanese version of the toy machines, only they are much nicer (check out this video about them).  The toys are better quality and super cool.

That’s it for the moment, I hope this has given you a few good resources for finding fun things for your dolls.  Feel free to share your own favorite sources for doll props.

And stay tuned for more fun with the dolls.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: Resin Colors

First of the month, time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything at all.

This month’s topic:

Resin Colors

As mentioned several times before on this blog (see Doll Owner's Corner: What is a Bjd?), ball jointed dolls are made from resin, a beautiful porcelain-like plastic. 

Resin can be made into wide variety of colors by adding pigments to it.  This means that companies can and do produce dolls in several different skin tones.

The more common ones you see are white (like our deer friend, Shiro), “normal” and tan.  The “normal” is frequently split into “normal yellow” and “normal pink”, where the yellow is a sort of beige color and the pink is a pinkish color.

There are also the more fantasy colors like grey, blue, red, etc. sadly produced only by some companies.  And the companies that make dolls in those colors typically charge you more for them.  The same goes for tan dolls.  It’s because of the extra pigments needed to produce resin in those colors as well as extra time and effort.  You get what you pay for. :/

What I think is the beautiful thing about resin colors is the variety you get, and I don’t just mean the choice between pink or tan skin, etc.

Colors tend to vary from company to company due to differences in their resin, so a “normal skin” doll from one will usually look different from a “normal skin” doll from another company.  And differences can occur in dolls from the same company due to the age of the doll (since resin turns yellow as it ages) or variation in the batch of resin produced.

I have several examples of these in my own dolly household.

All my ball jointed dolls (except for Shiro) are “normal pink” or pink skin or whatever wording you prefer.  It’s my favorite resin color because it is so cute and it’s fun to see how different it looks in each company.

Or within the same company as with Sakura and Hikaru here, both are from Mystic Kids and bought about a year apart.

You can see here that Sakura looks pinker than Hikaru does.  In fact, Hikaru is so light in color that there have been days where I wondered if they sent me a white skin doll by mistake.

Here is Yuki and Usagi, both made by Doll Family A and purchased from the same event.  Yuki is lighter than Usagi, who seems slightly more beige to me for a pink skin doll. 

Yuki’s body came separately from Doll Family H, which from what I’ve read is the sister company for Doll Family A.  I had assumed that the resin would match fairly well because of this, but you can see by Yuki’s arm on the left that it is definitely pinker and slightly darker.

Now here’s a fun little twist.  On the left is Yuna made by Doll Love, and on the right is Momoko made by Kids Sky.  Two different doll companies and the resin looks almost identical.

I mean if you look really closely, you might see a slight difference.  It is so slight though that if you were looking to match bodies to make a hybrid doll I would recommend these two companies.

And that’s just what you see in my collection. 

How about your dolls?  How do they compare to each other?  Let me know in the comments, and look forward to more fun with dolls in the future.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: Behind the Scenes Round 7

First of the month, time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything at all.

This month’s topic:

Doll Bloopers

That’s right, it’s round seven of the fun doll photos (check here for the previous set).  The theme for this set is “getting the dolls to cooperate”. 

There are times when taking photos of dolls that you have an idea for a particular pose, but the doll doesn’t want to go that way.  This is especially the case with ball jointed dolls despite how incredibly “poseable” they are supposed to be.

Take this photo, it’s one of the outtakes from this post when Hikaru, Usagi, and Sakura were suppose to give us their “super cute” pose.  You can see that Usagi got it right, but the other two are a different story.

Here’s one when Yuki got his body (see Bjd Unboxing: Doll Family H Body and New Shoes?).  He was just suppose to sit there holding Shiro the deer, something he does constantly. 

Somehow this time the sight of the camera made him topple over knocking poor Shiro’s head off.  Luckily no harm came to either of them.

Here’s another with Yuki from this tea party.  All he had to do was hold on to a plastic cup, but down it went, spilling imaginary tea on Shiro.  That is one patient little deer.

Speaking of deer, remember this post of Shiro flying like a reindeer?  Here’s how it was really shot. 

I first took this photo of me holding Shiro by the antlers….

…And then I took this photo holding Shiro a bit lower.

Then I used this free image editing software to add the top half of the second photo to the first photo. 

Then voila!  Instant flying deer shot.  Because sometimes you have to manipulate some photos to get the shots you want.

That’s it for this time.  Please leave a comment if you have any suggestions for more fun bjd photos.  Otherwise look forward to more doll stuff coming soon.

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Happy Birthday 2017

Today is a special day indeed.  It happens to be Anna’s birthday, though as usual I will not reveal which one.  I will however ask you to join us in wishing her a very happy birthday.  May there be many more to come.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: How the Bjd Hobby has Changed for Me

First of the month, time for Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything I want.

This month’s topic:

How the Hobby has Changed for Me

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how much things have changed over the last couple of years since I started collecting ball jointed dolls.

I mentioned this before in this post, but when I first started I really just wanted to get one and only one doll and focus on collecting/making clothes and props for her.  Hikaru would have loved that so much.  But I also mentioned in that post how many cute and wonderful bjds are out there. 

So next thing you know, I have my second doll, and then another, and another, etc.  Now I have six ball jointed dolls and a ball jointed pet deer, and there may still be one or two in the future.

Another thing, Hikaru was almost larger.  When I first learned about bjds and started to get interested in getting one, I was so sure I wanted a SD or 1/3 scale doll.  What changed?  Partially the price, most dolls that size cost considerably more than 1/4 and 1/6 scale.  Plus, I couldn’t find a doll that size that I really liked, most of them are too “adult” looking for my taste.  Cuter is my thing.

The biggest thing is the blog.  When I started it, I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to be just about bjds or about all sorts of dolls.  I do enjoy other kinds of dolls (I actually own several Barbie dolls that Hikaru doesn’t know about, and several Monster High and vintage porcelain dolls as well).  Which is why the first few clothing tutorials involve taking measurements and/or drafting a pattern.  So that they could be used for just about any kind of doll, not just the ball jointed ones. 

But then I started making more patterns specifically for my bjds, mostly out of necessity.  I had trouble finding patterns for things, so I made my own.  Because if you’ve looked at our Doll Tutorial Directory, you will noticed that several of the tutorials were designed for American Girl, or Barbie, etc.  The same if you search for bjd tutorials on Google or Pinterest.  I mean you get a lot of results, but not as much as for other types dolls.  I wanted to make more for ball jointed dolls, mainly because I had so much trouble finding patterns and thought others did too. 

In other words, the blog has focused mostly on bjds because we needed it to.  There needs to be more out there about these dolls, and not just on forums like Den of Angels (though it is a fantastic place anyway).  There are several great blogs and sites with information about bjds along with patterns and tutorials (see this post for a few), but there still is room for much more.

That’s where I stand today.  I can’t say for certain things will be like this for me and bjd collecting in a few years.  Who knows, I may venture into creating them instead of just buying them, or at the very least start actually painting faceups.  Only time will tell.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: It’s Survey Time!

First of the month, time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything at all without the dolls.

This month’s topic:

Feedback Survey

I know, that’s a strange idea for a topic on a doll blog, but it’s been on my mind.  What do you all think of a blog written by a ball jointed doll?  Specifically what do you want to see her write about?

I have made a quick (3-4 minutes) completely anonymous survey.  Pretty please fill it out for me.  Or if you prefer not to, leave a comment below answering the two most important questions. 

“What do you want to see more of on the blog?” and “Which dolls are your favorite?”

Here's the link to the survey.

Thanks, and the results will be posted later for all to enjoy.  Look forward to it.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: Behind the Scenes Round 6

Beginning of the month, time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything I want.

This month’s topic:

Doll Bloopers!

Another batch of behind the scenes shots.  The theme for this set is “How Does She Do It?”  Photos to demonstrate some of the methods I’ve found to take cute photos, so far anyway.

Lately I’ve been using clear hair elastics to style the dolls hair, but I’ve found them useful for other things.

For instance, here when Hikaru wanted to add some touches to something I drew (see Wordless Wednesday: “It Needs More Lace”).  The elastics helps her grip the pencil, but are discreet enough to hide in photos.

I don’t use doll stands to help the dolls stand since they can do so on their own with a little work (I am eyeing these ones though). 

However they can only stay for so long before losing their balance, hence the “falling down” theme from the previous batch of doll bloopers.  A theme that continues here…

This was when my yosd girls were playing with the head (see Wordless Wednesday: Playing Catch).  Hikaru freaked out and they all came crashing down.

This one is when I made Yuna’s new outfit (see Of Bjd Fashion: Yuna’s First Outfit with Tutorial).  Sakura started to fall over (again) and I attempted to catch her mid-photo.

So close, at least she’s okay.  Yuna seemed a little worried. 

The main reason why Yuna didn’t fall too is because she is leaning against my backdrop.  It’s a tri-fold foam board, and if I place something heavy behind it, it’s strong enough to help support the dolls a little.

I wasn’t fully able to lend a hand for Sakura, but I was able to help Hikaru in the next few photos.

Here’s when Hikaru was doing her hair (see Wordless Wednesday: Fixing Her Hair), you didn’t think she was holding that big mirror by herself, right?

And when she took that selfie of herself (see Wordless Wednesday: Doll Selfies), how do you think she held up that phone?

That’s right, another hand from me.

And when Usagi tried to lift up Sakura (see Wordless Wednesday: Up, Up!), she also had a little help.

These are just a few of the little tricks I’ve found.  Feel free to share any you’ve discovered in the comments below.  I will be sure to share any more I find in the future.  Look forward to it.

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Doll Owner’s Corner: What is a Bjd?

Time for another Doll Owner’s Corner.  When I, the doll owner, talk about anything at all.

This month’s topic:

What is a Bjd?

Hikaru and her friends are all bjds or ball jointed dolls which I think are really super nice dolls.  But, I realized I probably haven’t explained exactly what these dolls are to those who aren’t familiar with them.

First a definition.

According to Wikipedia:

“A ball-jointed doll is any doll that is articulated with ball and socket joints. In contemporary usage when referring to modern dolls, and particularly when using the acronyms BJD or ABJD, it usually refers to modern Asian ball-jointed dolls. These are cast in polyurethane synthetic resin, a hard, dense plastic, and the parts strung together with a thick elastic. They are predominantly produced in Japan, South Korea and China.”

So yes, the name for them comes from their ball joints, but they are not the first dolls made with such joints.  Many antique doll have them too.  However, the joints are just one of the reasons why they are so cool, because they allow the dolls to bend and pose so well.

Ball jointed dolls were first produced by the Japanese company, Volks in 1999 with their line of Super Dollfies or SDs.  Dollfie is short for doll figure.

The abbreviation SD, though actually a Volks thing, is commonly used to refer to ball jointed dolls from other companies in the same size, about 60 cm (24 inches). 

It’s the same with their Mini-Super Dollfies or MSD which are around 40 cm. tall.  Which is why I frequently refer to Hikaru and Usagi as being Msd sized.  Even smaller dolls (about 20-30cm.) are known as YOSD, so Yuna and Sakura are yosd sized dolls.

Another way to refer to these dolls is in terms of scale.  SD is 1/3 scale, Msd is 1/4 scale and Yosd is 1/6 scale. 

What makes these dolls different from most is their ability to be customized to suit their owner’s taste.  They are typically made to order with your choice of head sculpts. 

They usually come without eyes (except for a free random pair) or hair, and you can choose to buy them without any paint on the face (aka a face up).  You can actually buy heads and bodies separately to pair them with parts from other companies if you wish.

Then you chose wigs, clothes, accessories, etc. to create the doll of your dreams.  The downside to all this customization and such is the price tag, which I’ve mentioned before here.  They are after all hand made individually from resin.  A beautiful, porcelain-like but highly expensive material. Sigh.

However, there are other types of dolls out there that are just as customizable and fun, such as Obitsus, Azone dolls, Hujoo etc.  So there are options if bjds just aren’t quite your thing.

That’s some of the basics on these wonderful dolls.  For some more information, and possibly some eye candy, check out these links.

• Den of Angels – The largest English language forum for ball jointed dolls.  Also a goldmine of useful information about these dolls.
• Bjdcollectasy – A bjd news blog with updates on the latest releases from companies, sales and events, and even a few tutorials and such.
• AsenvaBJD – One of the best YouTube channels about ball jointed dolls and related dolls.
• Nicolle's Dreams – Another YouTube channel.  Lots of videos about face ups and other dolly fun.
• Antique Lilac – Features several free bjd clothing tutorials as well a some nice patterns for sale.
• Alice’s Collections – An online bjd store.  They are an official dealer for a large number of bjd companies.  They also sell clothes, wigs, shoes, eyes and just about anything else you need for dolls at great prices.  Their sales are great too.
• Junkyspot – Another online store for bjds and other dolls.  They are based in the USA, so cheap shipping if you are American.  Plus almost everything on the site is in stock, so the wait time is about a week instead of several months.

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Exploring the Design Notebooks

While patiently waiting for Anna to complete things for me, I sometimes like to browse around.

These rather beaten up looking notebooks are Anna’s design books.  For sketching out ideas and plans for all her handy work.

This notebook is for her various crafts and novelties.  This page is full of notes about tote bags and accessories.

This is the fashion notebook.  It is full of beautiful dress and costume designs.  This particular dress design is quite lovely, maybe she could make one doll sized?

Speaking of which, this is the doll notebook.  My personal favorite for obvious reasons.  Anna fills it with her ideas and designs for all our doll clothes and various accessories.

This doll dress design is quite nice, why hasn’t she made it for me yet?

(Actually that was the original design for the pink dress.  Things just didn’t come how right, so I had to tweak it.)

(So why don’t you try again?)

Here are a few sweet designs for yosd sized clothing, perfect for the children.  Yuna is especially in need of more clothing.

“You mean Anna will make pretty clothes like these for me?”

That’s right dear Yuna, she will sew a beautiful new outfit for you.

The question is, when is she finally going to do it?

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