Here is a bit of info about this hobby before I start blogging about mine. For further information there are many other places to research BJDs.
BJDs are Ball jointed dolls which are dolls that have ball and socket type joints. Usually they have jointed neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. There is even the option of buying jointed hands for your doll for further abilities to pose the doll.
The most common (and the ones I own and know) are “ABJD” or Asia Ball Jointed Doll. When referring to the ABJD they are usually created in Japan, Korea, and China. There are American made ball jointed dolls, but they are less talked about and I don’t know much about those.
Common Asian brands you will most likely come across are…
1) Volks (people usually recognize their trademark “Dollfie” derived from the word doll combined with the word figure) {Japan}
2) Obitsu {Japan}
3) Hujoo {Korea}
4) Elfdoll {Korea}
5)Doll In Mind {Korea}
6) Dream of Doll {Korea}
7) Dollzone {China}
There are many other brands and types, but these are a few that I come across most often when dealing with BJDs and BJD forums.
There are two popular types of ball jointed dolls. One has a hard plastic “Skeletal” system (Volks and Obitsu supply some dolls with these) and the other (more common) is an elastic stringing system.
They come in a variety of sizes, ranging from baby/tiny 11-16CM, 20-26CM, 40-47CM, Mini-SD (MSD) 60CM, and Super (SD) 70CM doll.
BJDs usually wear wigs, but they can be hand-rooted with hair (depending on what your doll is made of.) Each size doll wears a different size wig. There are also many types of wigs. People do make handmade wigs from anything from yarn to mohair to “furs”. I personally have used a wig tape to help hold the wig in place on some of my dolls (sometimes wigs do slip.) There are many different tutorials online for creating your own doll wig if you are interested in being extra crafty!
BJDs usually have interchangeable eyes. The eyes are usually held in with “eye putty” but some people do glue the eyes in if they don’t plan on ever changing them. Hujoo has an eye system that allows you to keep the eyes inside the dolls head without putty or glue and allows you to move the eyes once you open the head. There are different types of eyes for the dolls also. Glass and acrylic are the primary materials. They have anything from realistic eyes, animetic eyes, animal looking eyes, even just a solid color. Some dolls do not need eyes as they are created with closed eyes, and really all that is needed is a little paint (to draw the eye lids and eye brows) and some eye lashes.
It is important to note the size eyes your doll will need, much like the wigs each doll has a different size eye they will need to use. Eyes range in sizes from 6MM-22MM (they go up in size by two mm increments.) Some dolls also use decal eyes. Many dolls created to look like anime/manga characters use a decal eye system (sometimes they are painted on by hand by the owner.) It is just another way to customize your doll to your taste.
BJDs are also known for their interchangeable heads, hands, and feet. Interchangeable hands give you the ability to change your doll’s hand from a fist to pointing. Also some collectors also make shoes for their dolls, but take off their feet to make it easier to fit a shoe onto their doll without worry of the foot becoming stuck in the shoe. Also if you install a magnet into the shoe it makes it possible to pose your doll easier. Some dolls come with the option of putting on feet with magnets in them already. But having the ability to take off the magnetic feel makes it safe to keep your doll around those electronics too! The ability to switch heads between your dolls and sometimes brands allows for ultimate customization. When the collectors do use a different head and body brand the doll is called a “hybrid.” (Example an Obitsu head on a Dollfie Plus body would be an “obitsu-volks” hybred.)
The dolls are generally made of a resin, there are also dolls made from plastics, such as some Volks, Obitsu, Hujoo, and more. Sadly some people refuse to acknowledge any doll that isn’t resin. My personal opinion is that they are (for lack of a better word) racist against other dolls. I believe it doesn’t really matter what the doll is made of, it is the feeling you get when you find that doll that calls to you. The resin dolls and the plastic dolls both have the ball and socket joints, they both bend and pose much like a human body, both wear wigs and have interchangeable eyes. The realities of the differences are price and body material. People may refuse to acknowledge the plastic dolls but in reality with today’s economy the plastic (more affordable) dolls are easier to acquire for some people.
My advice? Buy that doll that you can afford and calls out to you! Recently I have been looking into the resin dolls (oh I drool over the beauties) but in honesty the ones I wanted to own…plastic. And I am happier than ever with those!
When referring to the faces of the dolls the details done are called a “face-up”. The face-ups consist of usually hand painted or drawn eyebrows, lip colors, eye lids, blush, bottom eye lashes, and even tattoos. Some dolls come with the option of buying them with a face-up already done. A lot of people decide to do their own face-ups on their dolls, that way they can give their doll the feeling they get from it, and create their own character from their doll. Also when the face-ups are hand done they can be easier to remove to do a new face-up at a later date. Others like the “factory” face-ups because they give the doll that character that sometimes is the reason people are drawn to that specific doll to begin with. Also with a factory face-up the doll is more “ready to go” when they receive it.
A few hobbies to do with your BJD…
1) Posing for photos – BJD Photography is a big thing and fun too!
2) Making clothing for them – The crafter in all of us knows this is fun to do! And the possibilities are endless! I personally like to crochet my dolls clothing.
3) Making items/furniture for them – Again the crafters are happy! It is also an endless adventure to create their homes and lives!
4) Giving them a character – For that writer in us, BJDs give us the perfect embodiment of our characters and let us “act” out our stories. Giving your doll a history (and name) makes them that much more alive. Some dolls are even the reason some characters in stories are born!
5) Doing face-ups
But really, do you need a reason to love these dolls? I know I don’t “need” a reason, though I do all the above reasons!
The reality with BJD collecting is you need to keep a few things in mind…
1) It’s addictive to collect these dolls (once you buy one, you dream of buying more)
2) This isn’t a cheap hobby, even though some dolls are affordable for every price range
3) There are many types of BJD, researching the ones you like will help you out in the long run.
And always remember… Find "your" doll, relax, and enjoy!
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| Iliana, my Hujoo Berry BJD |
