Are you tired of new companies every week?

I love seeing new companies that bring something new to the table, but I roll my eyes and close the browser tab when the new company is producing things that are visibly sub-par.

I'm tired of seeing the things already mentioned--unrefined sculpts that were rushed to casting, tubular limbs, noticeable mistakes, and photos made to hide the problems. It seems like they're happy to ride on the bandwagon, but not put forward the work that charging hundreds of dollars for a doll requires.

I also wish established companies would stop fragmenting and re-naming. It's hard to keep up with, and in a few cases kind of shady.

 

It's cool to see a lot of new companies, but also sometimes disappointing since I haven't seen any recently whose dolls I really like. XP But overall I hope new companies continue to enter the business so there's more variety, even if I end up buying mostly from older favorites. ^.^

 

I think it's pretty elitist to say that you don't like new companies and prefer the "big, old companies" on principle.
But on the other hand, with all the new ones it's hard to tell between genuine new companies and scammers.

 

I remember a time when it was really exciting when a new doll was released. It was so fun chatting to others about it and feeling so happy when the doll was exactly what you wanted and you had just enough money to get it.
That doesn't happen any more. There are new dolls and new companies out all the time. It's really hard to keep up with all of them. It sort of takes the edge off it... like too much of a good thing.

 

I'm not tired of it but I have to say I lost track months ago with which mould where from where and who is making what. When I go in the gallery I don't know any of the dolls anymore lol

 

Like a few others have said... not tired so much as overwhelmed! Because of real life, I've been out of the loop for quite a while... I come back and the number of companies, and even the dolls produced by companies I knew, has exploded.

It's exciting that this hobby is growing, but from what I've looked at so far... a lot of new companies have the same look. I know that there are owners out there who are breathing life into the molds, but it's a bit...bizarre to browse through so many sites and be like "Wait, have I looked at this one before? Yes? No?" @_@ I feel like the unique molds should then be standing out more, but I sometimes wonder if I just miss them in all of it.

 

It would be nice to see many companies since it will give you a variety of dolls to choose from.
I'm quite picky too.
btw I don't have a bjd yet, i'm still searching for the right one.

 

I'm pretty sure that No company has entered the market with the goal of annoying me. Just guessing here, but I think I'm right.

Yes, I can be overwhelmed, but then I 'step away from the computer'.

Heck, I can be ovewhelmed by the dolls I have already at home, particularly when they are are all demanding clothes at once. Come to think of it, that's most of the time. Must sew and crochet more efficiently.


And every now & again, a really great new company pops up. I am very happy with my Bobobie dolls, Dennis's great service, and the casting he's done for other companies. Love tinybear's dolls.

Ann in CT

 

eh i can't help but get the feeling they're trying to cash in on something popular. its kinda lame. but i dont know them or their intentions so i can't say. my wishlist is pretty stern so none of them interest me anywho

also fairyland isnt really a newer company. there were feeple before Pukis for ages, they just arent/werent popular

 

I'm still so fascinated with dolls and sculpts that I have no problem with new companies every other week or so. They're artists, and deserve a chance to show what they can do. Though, as said in the first couple of pages, it'd be nice to have a name without the words "angel", "doll", "soul", or "heart" in the title, just because there are a lot of them.

Besides, without "new blood" in any fandom or hobby, it gets stagnant and loses steam pretty quickly. I like that this hobby grows and evolves; not that they aren't gorgeous, but I'm just not into Volks molds. They don't appeal to me. So if my choices were limited to that, I wouldn't be in this hobby at all.

 

I view it in a more positive light, as in there's more options and varieties for everyone to consider. I believe there are people just waiting for the right sculpt to turn up one day and also there's more style in the market than just from the big companies.

 

Sometimes, yes. But then again, if the new companies don't literally copy old molds, then it means variety.
It's like art, no matter how much art there is, there will always pop up something original and delightful every now and again n_n
So...yes, I like seeing new companies.

 

I am for new companies if they offer something new and fresh. 'Cos I'm fed up with the same-looking molds.

 

I feel the same (as the first post). I miss just having the 'ol reliable companies. Now it feels so cluttered.
Especially since all the "new" molds don't feel as special to me as the old ones.
Also, I trust all the old companies. The new ones being, well... new, I feel wary doing business with them, with all those scammers out there!

 

yup exactly.
it's not like everyone can make their own doll company just because they can use some clay ann give it a shape. it takes experience, interesting molds and talent, wich that lacks in almost 80% of the new companies.
mostly, the interesting molds part. honestly, i'm tired of luts dolls look-a-likes and molds and bodies so plain and simple i wouldn't even use them as mannequins for scrap clothes. thus: boring, uninteresting pieces of crap. or should i say pieces of resin?

 

I too am tired of the flood of newer companies having dolls that look bland with sub-par presentation (like undetailed photos of the dolls with no regard to lighting/composition and using the same broken e-commerce website templates). Bodies are all starting to look the same and faces offer nothing new with some IMHO looking ugly. I've only been in the hobby for 2.5 years but I can sort of recall a time when doll company debuts would be far and few in-between. Now it seems there's a new company every month or so.

I would love to see a new doll that is unique and has it's own beauty, not looking like a derivative of Volks or CP/Luts. How about something like a 30-year old guy, or a curvier doll?

 

Did you not read what I wrote at all? I said just because you don't like the new stuff that's coming out does not mean that it isn't exactly what some else is looking for. Personally I don't really like any of Soom's Monthly Dolls. To me they all look strikingly similar and aside from very pretty outfits, not worth the price that people pay for them. But does that mean they are uninteresting pieces of crap? Obviously not, seeing just how much other people fawn over them. Yes, to me they are uninteresting, but pieces of crap they are not, not matter how little I care for them. The same can be said for these newer companies. Yes, uninteresting to you, but pieces of crap? Once again, throwing away the potential they have for all other owners out there who could really work with it to make it into something fantastic. I'm not saying all of them will turn into gorgeous works of art, but then, are all Volks dolls gorgoues peices of art? A ton of the doll's true potential really lies in the hand of the owner, something may start out as hideous but I'm of the firm mind that almost anything can be worked with to make something, at the very least, interesting.

 

I am wondering why the onus is thrust on new companies to come up with innovative ideas. Wouldn't the experience, expertise and proven following of established companies make them more likely to succeed with a challenging new concept?

When starting out new, it would seem to me the lower-risk premise to work with is offering a slight variation on a proven model, with an improved price point - and that's exactly what most are doing. Anything more radical to start with, and they run the risk of design failure or being rejected by the established consumer base as being 'too different'.

You never know, some of those new companies that are being dismissed as 'too basic' or 'too deritave' may have something truly astonishing in prototyping, waiting for the moment when the design is perfect and the market is ready. Soom, for example, didn't start with those crazy zodiac dolls, did they?