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"What the heck
is a ball-joint doll?" 
A ball joint doll is exactly what it sounds like: a doll that has
ball joints where humans have joints; (knees, elbow, waist, etc.).
This makes them very flexible and able to pose in very lifelike
ways. Other dolls, even ones with flexible wire skeletons are not as
articulated as a ball joint doll. Because of their unique design,
ball joint dolls (or BJD's) can sit and stand unaided, and hold a
variety of very human poses. Unlike a porcelain doll or Barbie,
BJD's
do not need a stand, but they are available. Ball joint dolls are also unique in another very significant way: they are designed to be fully customizable! With other dolls, you can only change their clothes or shoes. With a BJD, you can change everything about it, from the shape of the face to the color of the eyes. You can change the hands so that they can hold things, form a fist or present the peace sign. Everything about them can be changed: the length of the legs or the entire body can be swapped out. You aren't limited to one hair style or color either. A BJD is usually shipped bald so that you can choose it's wig and because of the way that they are designed, you can continue to change it's hair everyday, or leave it the same for as long as you'd like. Their faces are just as interesting, with the ability to swap heads between dolls, or change their makeup. There is no pre-set limit to anything about a BJD, only your imagination. You can even change one doll into many different dolls, simply by changing the head, wig, eyes, makeup or the entire body. The very best thing about a BJD is that it can look exactly how its owner wants it to, not what some doll designer far away thinks a doll should look like. A ball joint doll can truly be a one of a kind because you can change so many things about it. Imagine being the only person in the whole world with a doll like yours! Here is a presentation given by a collector and enthusiast of Ball Jointed Dolls herself Peg Stroud.
All About Ball Jointed Dolls For those of you who have no familiarity with this type of doll....I’d like to talk about their history and the things about them that make them unique in the doll world...
You may have heard of this type of doll
referred to as a dollfie, it’s a contraction of the two words doll and
figure...dollfie The common term for this type of doll is BJD or Ball joint doll....and their design is modeled after antique ball jointed strung dolls... Volks Co of Japan is credited with the introduction of the modern ball joint doll, they have been in business manufacturing model and figure kits primarily for the male oriented model kit market for over 30 yrs...They 1st entered the world of doll manufacturing around 1998 when the wife of the company’s owner suggested that they develop a product line that would appeal to females...the common term dollfie is actually the brand name for dolls from Volks co The 1st dollfie were approx 12' in ht...about the size of Barbie...made of vinyl and intended to be customizable...They are sold in a wide range of body styles and head types… some realistic...some in Japanese anime style....some with rooted hair...some bald so that you can wig or root them yourself...and in male and female versions. From the beginning idea of these small jointed dolls...Volks developed the resin strung doll that came to be known as Super Dollfie... The soaring popularity of these dolls not only in Asia ...but around the world have led to many other companies designing and manufacturing ball jointed dolls as well... The modern ball joint doll is typically made in Japan or Korea...and the primary types are made of cast resin but some others are also available in vinyl. They are designed to be fully poseable with articulation at the ankle, knee, hips, waistline, wrist, elbow, shoulder and where the head joins the neck. They are made in a variety of sizes ranging from 4 inches to ..over 2 ft... The dolls also vary in their age representation ..You will find them intended to be a small child as young as 3 or 4....up to young adults of around 18 to 21and the majority of them are anatomically correct....
Most company’s offer their basic doll
with or with out the face already painted on. This is called a face
up.... like I said before...one of the main attraction of this type of
doll is the invitation to customize and make the doll your own one of a
kind...but for anyone who doesn’t feel like their artistic abilities are
up to the challenge...You can pay an extra fee and the factory will have
one of their many talented in house artists paint your dolls face to
your specification! There is large community of doll artists active in the forums and groups online who offer their services to face up your doll and also offer body customization such as body sanding, blushing, wiring, suedeing. Wiring a suedeing are techniques to help the doll retain a pose without stressing the joints. Another interesting feature of these dolls ..is that they have glass eyes...with a removable head cap so that you can change them to match an outfit or a mood... many different styles are available.... even in metallics or unusual colors like red or orange or purple..or with fantasy style iris like those of a cat...for instance.... They are bald...designed to wear wigs....
change the wig...change the
clothes...change the eyes....and it’s like having a completely new doll! Some companies offer additional face plates...for instances you can remove the dolls face...snap in another...and now your doll is sleeping...or angry...or serious...or smiling. There are also interchangeable bust plates to change the look of the dolls physique....and hands sculpted in different positions
The modern ball joint doll is intended
for the adult collector....particularly in Asia where they have great
popularity among young adults male and female... Their clothing tends to reflect current trends in this age group and is often gothic or punk or taking its cues from the cosplay movement….a popular hobby in Asia where large gatherings of people in costumes based on video game and comic book characters…..come together and admire each other and take picture and have costume contests. One of the major things that first attracted me to this type of doll is the edgy and fantastic clothing and shoes available for them....and the creativity they inspire because they are designed to reflect whatever the owner wants them to be.... There are basic sizes in the BJD world…but they do vary quite a bit from one company to another they range from the biggest.. commonly referred to for sizing purposes as SD or super dollfie…again that’s about 60cm or 23 inches.. For the most part these dolls are designed to look like young adults… Next come what is referred to as MSD or mini super dollfie…. they are generally around 16 inches tall…about the size of Tyler….they have a much younger appearance than the SD…more like a 10 to 12 yr old child…with several exceptions that have a mature body like the SD… At the bottom of the spectrum are what are known as Tinys…this is anything under 10 inches tall…some of the smallest being the Elfdolls…who are about 5 inches tall… Fairly recent..in the already rather new world of resin. This doll is really special to me and is known as a Sybarite…they are made in China for Superdoll company of England…They were 1st produced in England by hand by the company founders as one of a kinds…This is Sureal…produced in a limited edition of 100 dolls as an exclusive for haute doll magazine…She was the 1st of the mass production dolls made in china.
They are available by clicking HERE.
Last but not least will be Evangaline
Ghastly produced by Wilde Imagination…the same company who brought use
Ellowyne Wilde…..and like Ellowyne she is sculpted by Robert Tonner
She will be a bit bigger than the Angels and Sybarites ..at 19 inches tall..and is designed as a Goth type girl…if the popularity of Ellowyne is any indication…I think this doll is going to be a big hit.
Coming this year (2008) there will be new
16 Ball jointed dolls from Tonner Dolls, Fashion Royalty, and many new
manufacturers I am sure, as the doll market seems to be moving more and
more towards the direction of these lovely dolls every day. |
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