Are you tired of new companies every week?

I tend to stick with what I like, and what I don't like about the cheaper dolls is the little details that get missed like the hands. I've noticed that with hands, the tend to be less detailed and proportional than other companies. And the bodies tend to have less detailing.

Akasha: Fairyland is not a new company. It just split off from Luts. But CP, Luts and FL were all together when Luts first started. FL has done the Mini Fees, and the Delf line that is still at Luts. I find their work has always been amazing.

 

When I was much newer to the hobby it was really exiting to see new dolls and new companies pop up. I used to try to memorize them all for my own information and just for fun.
I feel that now, though there are a few I think are really cool, (like Crobidoll & Little Monica) mostly I don't like the style many BJD have evolved into and find myself longing for the older styles.
I don't like anthros, fantasy creatures or really muscular, angular or realistic sculpts. So, for me there are a lot of new dolls coming out that I am just not interested in.
I don't know if it's tiring but I feel that there is a whole component to the hobby that is just fluff for me.
With the kind of competition arising now I am really surprised at how unprofessional some of these newer dolls websites look.

 

The thing with oversaturation or a lot of companies competing with each other with similar products (less expensive dolls, anthros, whatever), is that the market will sort a lot of it out in the end. If there's too many companies to be adequately supported and a company isn't capable of providing a good enough quality product and/or customer service, then those that can't compete will disappear overtime. Others will improve and grow as artists and business people and have great things to offer the hobby. I would expect things like numbers of companies, numbers of hobbyists, prices etc to go up and down over time. What I think is more unhealthy is for things to stay the same and stagnate.

I don't feel any pressure to have to keep up with every company out there. I usually really start looking at companies I'm less familiar with when I'm going through the process of trying to find the right sculpt for someone. I bookmark those companies I like, and just forget the rest--it doesn't have to be horribly overwhelming if you choose not to let it be. Nor do I expect the majority of new companies to produce things that I personally like--lots of hobbyists like different things, so there are always going to be companies that don't suit a person's individual tastes--and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Think of how much worse off your bank accounts would be if every new company produced lots of stuff you wanted, lol. There are lots of dolls I like well enough or can appreciate in some way or other, but that I don't feel strongly enough about to actually want to own them and I'm fine with that. I need to be able to narrow things down.

 

I can never keep up with all the new companies, and I still barely can follow what the old companies are up to, but that's fine. I've been in the hobby long enough to know what I like and if these new companies suit other people's tastes that's fine.

The only thing I am concerned about is a quick buck mentality that these companies, not all of them I'm sure, might have. What this means to me is lowering quality standards in terms of what's considered a good cast, resin consistency, and sculpt detail in order to get a product out. Of course, there's always customer service, or the lack there of that some companies have displayed. If a company works through their issues it will gain a loyal following that enjoys their products and their innovation. Companies like DiM maintained a great level of communication while improving body design, resin quality, and innovation in sculpts and products. Professionalism goes a long way in this hobby.

As far as cost, I figure a lot of us get enough flack from those outside the hobby as it is, there's no reason to get on people within the hobby about the amount of money and time they put into their dolls. It's all preference and that's okay. I think the longer one is in the hobby, the more one tends to figure out what works for them. This might mean that due to limited money and space it just happens that some of us end up only following the few companies that originally sparked our interest while only keeping slight tabs on all the new offerings that keep popping up.

 

^ This. I'm certainly not afraid of anything new, and I love the opportunity for more dolls! I was one of the very first people to buy from Fantasy Doll, when many people were still skeptical because there were no owner pics. I'm so glad I did, because my FDoll hybrid is one of my favorite dolls. (And they have since upped their body price, too).

There are some new companies that don't really interest me, but in that case I just don't buy from them. *shrug* I love the fact that there's a lot of variety out there. I don't really think the new dolls are just "copies of Volks and CP". Most of the new companies seem to have their own aesthetic and style, to me.

 

I know Fairyland is just a split off from Luts...
That's why I put the "" on the word new.
On the other hand, the product line I'm interested in from Fairyland, incidentally, are the Pukipukis, which if I haven't got it wrong, is a new line for Fairyland

 

I love seeing new companies. I always hope they'll make the body I'm looking for for some of my poor floating heads.

 

i like new companies more options. however i don't keep up. in the gallery if i see one that i like, i go seek it out.

 

I will admit I don't keep up, either. I see no point in trying to know every doll out there.

I do think that soon, we will start seeing some companies either thrive or fade away. I like having the variety in sculpts when doll shopping, but I think there will be a point where there are too many and some companies will not be able to keep afloat.

At the same time it is different because a lot of these dolls are made-to-order. I wonder how that effects the business.

 

Oh, I missed the "". There were just a lot of Q's about FL recently, so ya know! But just as a curios question to add to this: Dose it matter if an established company put out a new doll, such as FL with the Pukis or Little Fees, verses a whole new company? Are you more likely to buy a doll you've never seen in person or owner pics if it's from a company you know and trust?

 

As long as the companies aren't actually copying another scultp then I think there's nothing wrong with new companies. I love clicking on sites as seeing all the new dolls that I can add to my wishlist.

 

well i stop wanting new dolls so i am quite unaffected XD

 

Crobidoll is the one debut that stands out most strongly in my mind - both the sculpts are the presentation were simply stunning. I don't even own a Crobidoll (yet), but I just like the company as a whole. They've got style.

SNG and Glorydoll also made a big impression on me.

Other than these, most of the influx of new sculpts/companies just blur together into the background. I'm not sick of seeing them. But the vast majority are not my aesthetic.

I'm more excited about older companies releasing new sculpts after a long silence - Angelregion's Seio, for example.

I wish Hypermaniac would come back with a new 60cm-range mold. And I want Serendipity back period. ;^; I totally regret not getting one of their dolls ages ago... I know they weren't popular but I never thought they'd dissolve altogether (though you can still purchase some of their molds from Doll N Doll).

Maybe I'm nostalgic. More likely I just prefer the older style of bjds - most of the new ones are too mature or fantasy-ish.

 

I was quite surprised when I first saw minifee appearing on the website of FairyLand as well...
But then I found out that it was a company split from Luts.

In my case, I would be more likely to buy a doll from a company/manufacturer that is already established with reputation in quality and customer service.
Perhaps the only exception would be in the event of getting a practice head when I decide to learn to do face-ups for dolls myself. In that case I'd be more likely to choose a head from the new lower-priced company for it's price tag

 

I would say about 90% of the new companies don't interest me at all, but every now and then, there's a new company -- like Rosette's School of Doll -- that really draws me in. I can't wait to see some RSoD owner photos.

 

I love seeing the new ideas that different companies have!

Whily Volks, Iplehouse and SOOM are definately my favourite doll companies, it is fun to see what new sculpts, molds, clothing, and accessories up and coming doll companies come out with!

 

I definatly can't keep up with the new companies. It's more worst when I see a post about a doll and have no clue what or where they got it.
New companies annoy me a little bit when the quality of their dolls are bad. I like the fact that some of these new doll companies are more affordable but expensive dolls like Volks sure haven't lowered their prices in this bad economy.

What I'm really happy about with new doll companies is that their now making dark skinned or just dolls in all colors of the rainbow. Volks didn't jump on this "bandwagon" until iplehouse started making them. After those dolls popped up Volks started making tan dolls.
I remember several years ago that Custom House had made a dark skinned boy who was supposed to be from Japan (can't remember it's name...). Correct me if i'm wrong if anyone knows..but were they the first company to make a dark skinned doll?

 

I couldn't have said it better.

 

On the whole, though, it just becomes an inconvenience of sorts for those who do enjoy researching and memorizing all the companies and sculpts. I can certainly see from that pov that it would be a bit overwhelming and be more disinclined to purchase new dolls. But then, if you're afraid of finding "good" companies, why not stick to what you know? It's kind of a contradiction--you don't want new companies/dolls because you don't know which is "good". There wouldn't be much of a collection if there were still only a few to choose from that had good quality. I'd imagine the hobby becoming pretty boring after a while, unless the established companies came out with the next "wow" factor.

Whether it's admitted or not, at the moment, BJD's are a growing fad. And just like all fads, everyone wants a piece of the high. It's inevitable that there is market saturation, at which point we'll be able to tell who's the strongest company to survive the subsequent downfall. While I was no where near interested in the hobby years ago, I did know enough to realize what a "dollfie" was, which was Volks for the longest time. Seeing any BJD was rare. But over time, more companies meant more dolls, and more sculpts for people to prefer ... resulting in a larger exposure. Now they're seemingly "everywhere" -- and by which I mean at pop culture conventions in much larger numbers.

Really, it's just the nature of retail. It should in no way interfere with your enjoyment of your dolls.

 

I love to go through the news about new companies. But they often look very alike or it's just small dolls they start with.
But it happened before that I found some really good ones which I hope will someday release dolls in the range of Luts, Soom and so on. Just because I can feel their passion. ^^d

Laoky