BJDs (ball jointed dolls)

IdahoRose · Posted: Fri Jun 05, 2009 1:11 am Post subject:

This is a new special interest of mine and I was wondering if anyboidy else was into it too.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, BJDs (ball jointed dolls) are "art and fashion" dolls that originated in Asia. They are highly customizable; you get to decide the kind of body, head, hair and eyes you want for your doll, though some assembly is required; especially the eyes and sometimes the hair depending on if you chose to buy a rooted or plain head. And since the dolls are jointed, you can pose them in a variety of different ways to photograph and "play" with.

The problem a lot of people have with these dolls is that some brands are highly expensive, the most notorious example being the Dollfies. However, there is a much cheaper, yet still high-quality brand called Obitsu, which I stumbled upon accidentally one day while surfing the web. Whereas the assembly of a Dollfie can cost hundreds of dollars, The assembly of an Obitsu costs less than a single hundred (based on my calculations).

There is a whole "subculture" (I don't know if you can call it that) of people who love BJDs, whether they are Dollfies, Obitsus or others. These people love to dress up and photograph their dolls, sometimes using a sequence of pictures and added captions to make "photo stories". Many people also give names to their dolls and create biographies for them. Some people, ("Wet users", I believe they're called?) even make an emotional investment and talk to their dolls as though they were real.

Well, that about covers the basics, I think. I'll add links for more info later. For now... Let the discussion begin! ^-^