Dollshe

Dollshe was one of the first Korean companies to produce BJD. Dollshe's first offering in late 2003, Bermann, was the first 70cm doll and presented a new visual aesthetic - a thin, elongated body with disproportionately long limbs and a gaunt, sentient face. The new aesthetic presented shaped all future 70cm dolls from other companies; it has only been recently that other body shapes have become available in that size category. Though the Bermann originally had a lukewarm reception, Bermann is one of the rarest, most expensive dolls on the second-hand market.

Dollshe dolls were available through LUTS for a short time, then moved their sales to Tensiya under the care of artist/seamstress Anu. For a time, Dollshe dolls could also be purchased through Dollmore.

After a painful scandal with Dollmore, Dollshe dolls disappeared from the market as their sculptor, Kim Ki-Yong, created a new body.

The new Dollshe dolls are now available through the Dollstown website. Dollshe Craft, the casting company formed around Dollshe, does the molding and casting for Dollstown and several other companies.

Lines

Dollshe bodies were also unique in that they were the first to experiment with non-traditional jointing structures. The original-body Bermann had joints with extra shells and pieces to create added posability. The second release of the 70cm male body was simplified, but still had double-joints.

The most recent release of Dollshe male bodies has an unprecedented number of pieces and joints for an extensive range of motion.

70cm (original body)

• Male
  • Bermann
• Female
  • April Agaci

60cm female body

• Salubia

Tiny

• Ru

70cm (second body)

Many of the male heads also came in an "SA" version ("slack afternoon") which had half-closed eyes. Some also came in an "IM" version, which had a furrowed brow.

• Male:
  • Bermann
  • Hound
  • Husky
  • Saint
  • Bernard
  • Van

• Female:
  • Afghan
  • Afghana
  • Afgha

74cm (current body)

There are three body options (all male) in the current body, the DSAM35 (which has the most joints), the DSAM32 (which has a slightly less skeletal build and 3 fewer joints than the DSAM35, but is otherwise almost identical), and the DSAM18 (which is the closest to the second body).

Most of the heads come in an open eyed ("OE") version and an "SA" ("slack afternoon") version which has closed or half-closed eyes.

• Male
  • Orijean
  • Saint
  • Rosen
  • Bernard

Dollmore versus Dollshe

In November of 2006, Dollmore released Kyle Reese, the first of the 70cm male Dollmore Model line. Dollshe alleged that Dollmore modified the 70cm Dollshe body (which Dollmore was also selling at the time) to create this new doll. Dollshe provided comparative photos, including images of the inside of the pieces, which showed identical proportions and in some cases, identical tool marks. Hound and Kyle Reese could interchange pieces flawlessly.

Within a short time, Dollmore released a second version of the Model body that looked less similar to Hound. Dollshe pledged to fight it out legally, but the actual outcome of any court proceedings is unknown.

Dollshe and Handsculpting

Dollshe Craft has strong feelings about originality, piracy, and hand-sculpting and will not work with sculptors or companies that do not meet their standards of artistry and ethics. A post by Anjonghak of Dollstown sums up the philosophy of both Dollshe and Dollstown.

Dollshe dolls are all sculpted by hand with photographic proof of originality freely provided.

Links

• Dollstown website, where Dollshe dolls are sold
• Dollmore/Dollshe Controversy thread on Den of Angels