Are ball joints ugly?

um i kinda like the joints. most dolls are so well made these days that the joints are not really much of an issue. they only bother me like where the arm joint connects to the top of the torso. because they remind me like barbie dolls....which are prolly the creepiest dolls i have ever seen.

 

I actually love the joints!
I love the way they look, I love the way they move!
I can just sit there for hours moving their joints.
IMHO, they just wouldn't be the same without them, you know?
Though it just means I'm picky about my joints! XD
I would much rather have showing joints than not, really.

 

Back when I first started looking at dolls, I didn't like the looks of the joints at all, so I was looking at the small vinyl Volks dolls with no visible joints (can't remember which line that is right now), but I hated all the heads for those... So I didn't get anything for a long time (plus, at the time, I didn't know of any companies beyond Volks anyway).

Eventually, though, I not only learned to like the look of the joints, but also discovered the other companies, too, and finally found head molds I like. I no longer have any problem with the joints showing, and if and when I do make some smaller (vinyl) dolls, I'll probably go with one of the models with visible joints unless I have a very good reason to use the other one.

 

Haha that's a silly point for him to argue, I think! Dolls are dolls and they have joints and they always will. End of story.

I personally love the look of bjds! I find the joints to be very aesthetically pleasing, always have, and I think that the visibility of the joints is a totally ingrained aspect of these dolls. They wouldn't be bjds if they didn't have their joints they way they do

 

I don't find the joints to be ugly at all. At first they were hard to get used to, but once you get used to them, you EASILY look past them and forget they are there.

He is entitled to his opinion, but his opinion is WRONG! XD

 

No, joints aren't ugly.

 

I think the joints are half the attraction I have with them. It proves they're not human. They have their own unique appearance. And perhaps, it keeps them from being perfect. In my eyes, imperfections can make something even more beautiful.

And... *shutters* I found the popping legs on Barbies to be just plain sick.

 

It's really personal preference. I personally think the joints are really interesting. I like to see how different bodies are constructed and view them as part of the charm of bjds. Consequently I don't bother to try and hide them.

 

Those popping barbie knees would be a worst case scenario for me. Just no. It sounds like someone messily cracking their knuckles- no thanks.

The ball joints don't really bug me, except sometimes the peanut type ones in the knees and elbows. That's just annoying, though, not creepy. They aren't human- and making them look so too much would only enhance the uncanny valley...

 

I thought they were -- distressing, I guess would be a good word -- when I first encountered them. Now I don't even NOTICE.

I think the initial reaction comes from being used to Barbie dolls with odd legs. The ones that had actual *joints* were no more attractive than the ball joints, and the squishy plastic things with wires in them are... gross. Ball joints look very different from mass-market dolls, and so take a bit of getting comfortable with. After that? It's just part of the doll, like any other part ...

 

Like others have said, ball jointed limbs covered with soft material would put me off. *is reminded of those freaky Real Dolls*

 

I think it'd be kind of scary if the joints looked totally realistic o___o I love the joints how they are now 8D

 

Technology? What the heck? These are still dolls, based on 19th century design and engineering... Doll and technology should just not mix. Seriously.

Soft silicon dolls suck, if their skeleton breaks, you have to slice up the body to fix it and even then, it's stupid. You have to be all gentle and display them and BLAH. Definitely not something I would call playing.

I LOVE doll joints and love the fact you can see them. I tend to be repulsed by less joints on dolls, as to me, you can't really do much with an unmovable piece of plastic. I am indeed attracted to three part torsos for the very fact you can pose more with them.

The beauty of these dolls, to me, is the joints. Without them, these dolls lose that magical quality to them and just become something like a porecelein doll and definitely not playable.

Yeah, as a ex collector of barbies and TRYING to use them for photostories, BJDs are definitely a surreal level of awesomeness.

 

I think the ball joints give the dolls an innocent antique look. I prefer the obvious joints. Without them they'd look too real for my liking. D:

 

I love BJD, and am getting one in less than a week, however the joints do bother me.
I'm not sure why, but they just do.

but don't get me wrong, I still love pictures even though joints show !!

 

Are ball joints ugly?? NO. I think if I found the joints to be really unattractive, I wouldn't have gotten into the ball jointed doll obsession. XD As for your friend...UM...WOW...that's pretty narrow minded to think that a Barbie doll is more appealing than a BJD just because a Barbie has fewer joints. It's his opinion of course...but Barbie's can't even move...@__@ Our '19th century' bodies [whatever the hell that means] can hold various poses, from simple standing..to crossing their legs...some can even move each individual finger. What more do you want??? It's a doll...Doll's need joints...unless he thinks there's some company that can build them an inner skeleton too. :P

 

I like the joints; I think they've got a certain aesthetic appeal. Round ones are prettiest imo, but the newer shapes can look nice, too.

 

I LOVE MY DOLL's JOINTS!

 

i like doll joints. especially elbow joints. sometimes i want to cover them up or edit them out, but only if i am trying to make the picture more human-like. aside from that, i think they add to the appeal of dolls.

 

Hahaha!

I adore the joints on my doll. Before I got her I thought joints on dolls looked a little awkward, but once I received her I knew it just added to her beauty and, well ... her dollishness!

To the OP: have you given your friend your doll to play with? Maybe he would be able to see the beauty once he's played about with it a little

Oh, tell him it's more polite to say "retro" rather than "so 19th Century", lol.