BJDs for short. Have you ever heard of them? I know some of my friends over at the Cloud10 chat have :). The kind I'm talking about are the Korean/Asian BJDs (like the one in my banner). It's a very unique and interesting hobby which is why I'm making this post about them today ^^ Enjoy~
The modern BJD stores that we have today started out with VOLKS' line of Super Dollfie in 1999. This influenced many other companies to start manufacturing these delicate dolls and so the large BJD Community began! Volks.usa's first line of Super Dollfie has resulted in Asian Ball Jointed Dolls to be referred to as 'Dollfies' no matter what company has manufactured them. It's safe to say that these little resin beauties got popular very fast all over the world, today we can find countless companies (both Asian and others) having their unique twist on BJDs. They say that ball jointed dolls started out in Western Europe in the 19th century, so they've been around for awhile just took a little bit to catch on in the different communities.
Dollfie's are most commonly used for artistic purposes, photography a modeling for some drawings. But over-all they're just really nice company to have around when you're all alone. It's very common for people to develope a special bond with a certain doll, it's like a modern version of an imaginary friend :).
These dolls can range from 26 cm to 70.5 cm (holy--) and lo' behold, the smaller ones are less expensive. Prices can vary from website to website, but either way none are cheap, they range from $200-$1000 (very rarely 1000, but I've seen some). So, I'm only going to talk about a few popular Dollfie sites that are reliable and awesome quality, if you would like to know more you can email me at
chibineko@comcast.net.
ELuts:
LUTS is a very popular website to buy Dollfie's from. I would reccommend this site for first-time Dollfie buyers, but feel free to keep looking around other websites for that doll that makes you swoon :).
LUTS's prices range from $55.00 and $546.00.
The $55.00 dollies aren't... neccissarily human xD? Here's a picture of the adorable Minimi Zuzu~
Some anthro love anyone?! *swoon*
Here's a link to LUTS's website, check them out if you're interested in finding out more about the Dollfie hobby~
http://www.eluts.com/index.php
VOLKSusa:
Volks is a bit more on the expensive side, so I wouldn't reccommend buying here first time buyers unless you really find a doll that you love and want to save up the extra cash :). I haven't done much research about VOLKS but here is their website so you can check them out :)~
http://www.volksusa.com/index.html
The last website we'll talk about is Soom Doll Emporium
SOOM:
I LOVE Soom! They're right up there with LUTS on my list :). Soom has a very diverse selection of Dollfies that you can choose from, which makes it even easier to find the one that's just for you! Excellent prices too, ranging from $230.00 to $584.00. Here is their website so you can check them out :)~
http://dollsoom.com/eng/gem.html
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Some Dolly Tips and Precautions!
- Don't buy a dollfie just because the price is low, you'll want to find one that you really feel a connection with, it should be worth the extra bucks!
- When looking for a doll you really love, be sure to not be fooled by the clothes or wig they're wearing. Most of the time they won't come with it unless it is a special offer. Be sure to set aside some money to customize your doll!
- Makeup. You can choose to do your dolls makeup (formally known as Face-up) on your own, which is not reccommended for beginner doll buyers unless you are paitent and have artistics ability, or you can choose to add on an extra 40-50 bucks for the company to do the dolls face up for you. Don't worry, it'll be like in the picture! [ here is a website to buy some tools you'll need for faceup if you're doing it on your own:
http://www.junkyspot.com/obindex.html ]
- These Dollies are COMPLETELY customizable! You can change their eyes, hair, clothes, just about everything expect for the doll's basic mold! ^^
- Be sure to clean your doll, maybe once every two months you can take a Q-Tip and just run it around the joints so they stay in good condition.
- Be delicate with your doll! It can maybe survive a few drops, but they're very delicate! Repairing your doll is expensive :(.
When I think of more, I'll put them here :). I know it was a long post.. xD and I'll make another one later of my personal favorite Dollfies that I'm personally saving up for :). So until then, thanks for reading and have fun exploring the world of Dollfie~!!
