Back then and now...(Nostalgia Thread)

Funny that this thread is actually TEACHING me what has happened in the hobby since I left it (around 2008). Re-entering it now, the MP seems like hieroglyphs to me! I am constantly going "What company is that? ...ARE THOSE HOOVES?!"

 

I remember Penis..There was a thread on another forum where everyone was cracking up about it.

 

The Gigglegeek site! I must have spent hours there looking at the listed sculpts, some of which weren't available by the time I got into the hobby. I remember being intimidated by the ordering/paying process of emailing and bank transfers. I much prefer the ease of ordering today!

I remember regretting not getting a Phantomdoll Siamese, although the bodies turned out to be slightly modded recasts of the Happy Doll body. Remember that drama? When she resurfaced as Glorydoll, I was thrilled to be able to get a Noel, basically the same sculpt as Siamese.

 

Crap, I've been in this hobby for 7 years now!

I remember thinking DoD was the epitome of BJD beauty.
I remember wanting Lishe as my first doll. Yes, everyone had an El. And those who didn't had either a Moon or a Lishe.
I remember when Spinel was totally new and one of the buffest dolls out there. The Super Gem line had only just been released and it was nearly impossible to find clothes for him.
I remember posting the first Dia on the board, and getting her at half price because I had bought a Spinel.
I remember bouncing off the walls when I realised Beryl had hooves.
I remember expectantly waiting for pictures of that colossal EID man to be released. And then waiting for owner pictures from pioneers who had bravely entered that uncharted giant territory.
I remember Unidoll.
I remember Customhouse.

And now that I have looked it up....yes, I do remember "press papilla good feel"!

 

When Volks Yukinojo was first released, one of the complaints I heard was that he was 'too masculine'. When I'm seeing pictures of him now, I'm thinking: "really??" It's a shame they only created one head for that body.

 

i remember when i thought volks is the only one company that sells BJD and couldn't understand from where ppl get those beautiful ones (colourful wigs, ghotic make ups etc ^^') when on volks pages they all look similar - i mean company make ups. i also thought bjd closing eyes bcs couldn't understand there are sleeping heads hahaha omg what noob i was. remember staring at gigglegeek site searching for my perfect dolls - it helped i bought my first and i still have it -bf kyle. luts was something in the past and i do still love this company, so pity they parted with cp and now i got delfs here and mnf there. i remember i was in love with dollmore kyle - ah i still like this doll. i still keep in my heart that cheerful naivety of being a newbie. i could write also about things that went bad during years but imo is better to smile. so let's all keep in mind nobilitydoll

 

So many things to remember, I do remember a lot of the things that people have written

and also
- DoD being the 'cheap starter doll company' and them releasing the first three Teens (end of 2005)
- drama with the iplehouse tan, which turned true green
- the Customhouse insane sales; 2 for 1, 2 for ridiculously low price (and the century long wait times that those resulted in)
- the first appearance of mini fee's, I think I had one of the first ones (maybe third or so on DoA) a Soo, not long after they where released
- the slap in the face some of the earlier Dollzone owners got when it was proven their dolls where recasts
- Unoa sales and everyone freaking out over them, while they are just as irregular today it's not as much of a craze for them

 

OMG, "Press papilla good feel" -- that brings back memories!!

I joined DoA in 2005, after my friend Arkady got into BJDs (Obitsus, at the time) -- I had found a Japanese-language magazine at the comic store a couple of years before that, which showed customizable dolls which I now know to be 1/6 Dollfie and Obitsu . . . I had no idea what they were, but I loved them and I wanted them. When 1/3 dolls started popping up in the Western market, I was hooked.

My first doll was a CP Lishe, who I bought secondhand from VioletFern (and, yes, I still have her!) I know that one of my early dolls was bought through Liria, and that I had to do a bank transfer, but the details are lost to the mists of time.

I remember being thrilled to bits when the eLuts English-language store opened, and being FLOORED when they promo'ed Dollshe Hound -- he was like nothing I had seen before, and I *needed* him in my life. (Didn't hurt that he rather closely resembles someone near and dear to me!)

Uhmmm . . . more later, I have too many tabs open!

-- A

 

I just read through this entire thread and it was wonderful! I remember a lot of the things you guys have mentioned like the El Army, Caress of Venus faceups, the pukipuki release (I was just thinking about how popular pukipuki were when they first came out), Iplehouse furniture... ah so many memories.

I've always been more interested in the mini sized dolls, so I remember things like Luts Minifee and searching desperately for other dolls that fit into the "mature mini" category. There is so much more available now than there was! It's really incredible how much that area of the hobby has expanded.

 

I go so far back with this hobby that I remember when the Yahoo Den of Angels had only 3 MODs and they were the founding members. I remember the formation of the CustomHouse Yahoo group.
My first doll was one I saw in Janne's photos and I had to have it. Mr. Masamichi ordered the doll for me, as the Unoss had to be ordered. Volks would wait until they got several orders before they do a pour for the doll. Back in those days all the new Volks dolls had to have a Japanese buyer, especially if you wantd one of the limited Dolpa dolls.

I remember seeing the most amazing photos of 4 dolls at one of the early Dolpa's. They had the most unusual and beautiful outfits I'd ever seen. I remember searching to find out what they were. I found that they were the first dolls produced by the CustomHouse doll group, and that they were unique. One in black, one in blue, one in white and one in red; and they were to represent the Compass Spirits or San-Shin.

I remember the love every one had for the El, and Lishe. They were beautiful. I also remember when people found Bermann, or rather when Anu and her group of friends introduced the doll. Wow, it was fun to see how the first 77 were sold and I kept wondering what all the fuss was about....lol. And the owner photos were great. I really did enjoy seeing him, and his beautiful hands... I'd love to know who has one of the first 77....needless to say they are classic.

 

Wow, that old Luts site really is full of nostalgia.

 

I got into the hobby in 2007, but didn't buy a doll and join DOA until 2008.

I guess what sticks out in my memory is how much ownership of what shifted.

Before Fairyland puki pukis came out, the tiny to have was a Blue Fairy Pocket Fairy... Do you guys remember everyone having one of those? And then there was the puki explosion! And the gradual swapping out of single joints for double joints... I remember when hardly anyone had a tiny, and now they are popular.

Hmm... I seem to remember having relatively few companies to choose from when I was looking for my first doll. Blue Fairy, Dream of Doll, Fairyland, Luts, and Volks were the big ones back then, if I remember correctly. You don't really see so many Dream of Doll dolls around, these days. It made things simpler, but I like the variety we have now.

And man, we have so much more access to clothing these days! I remember being limited to buying outfits and accessories from just the companies and a handful of people on this forum. Now we have etsy, and so many talented people offer their wares through their own websites.

Also, nowadays, it seems like companies are offering much more variety within the company. Companies don't just have SDs and MSDs now, they have four different SD heights, MSDs on five different types of bodies, and about a bajillion tiny sizes. I love the variety, but it's getting hard to dress some of these in between sizes, lol!

Also, it seems like fairly recently we have a lot of non Asian BJDs, and man have I enjoyed following them. So many new ideas and aesthetics...! It's been a nice surge of vitality.

 

This was so interesting to read as a (relatively) newcomer to this hobby! So much change in such a short period of time--thanks for taking the time to write this up

 

This is actually what kept me OUT of the hobby for so long. Everywhere I was reading at the time had that attitude and I just felt... like a grubby little kid for considering anything else. So I looked but didn't join in and didn't buy anything for YEARS. It took another friend at the end of last year talking to me about how open minded everyone was to finally change my mind and 'get me in the game' so to speak. So I remember that.. and I like now better.

 

I haven't been in the hobby nearly as long as many others so I probably sound like a massive noob... Discovered BJDs in 2008 which is when I started saving up and began slowly researching as much as I could but I didn't know a lot about what was going on in the hobby and what activities the companies had... I didn't join DoA and really know my stuff until I had placed the order for my first BJD 2 years later in 2010 and the hobby had already "exploded" by then and wasn't terribly different from how things are now... Still there is quite a bit of difference in just the last 4 years. I imagine if I had stayed in the hobby from 2010 until now the gradual change wouldn't seem substantial at all, but after taking a 4 year hiatus and coming back it seems there's a TON more companies and sculpts and artists in different places; prices, popularity, and availability of things that I knew well in 2010 changed a lot... From 2008 to 2010 I became really savvy and recognized a big majority of the companies and even most of their sculpts that were around... I do recognize many of the names and events that have been mentioned in this thread that were "before my time" just because of all the research I did.

However I somehow had totally never heard of the "press papilla good feel" thing, looked it up just now and had a GREAT laugh over the concept and some of the comments I read and... now have the weirdest urge to work that NobilityDoll Emotional Boy body into my wishlist somewhere... Because I found that you can still buy them in all their swivel junk, weird jointed neck, "nipple movement" glory... I dunno I just... really enjoy that sort of novelty... Purely for amusement purposes, I don't think pressable nipples would make a doll any more or less "good feel" for me.

 

THAT OLD LUTS WEBSITE! Man, I never thought I'd see those stock pictures of Tan Lishe again. Or those of Elf El for that matter. Too bad, the old Woosoo photos are gone though.

Btw, have you seen how much the price of their dolls have lowered? A Delf in 2006 would cost you $550, where the same doll is now $490.

 

It varies with what their money is compared to the USD . They've gone up and down.

 

Wow! I remember the old Luts site. That picture of Shiwoo sure brings back a lot of memories.

I forgot that Luts use to sell so many other dolls, like Dollshe, Elfdoll, and Iple House.

Those were exciting times.

 

Yeah, Iplehouse Be Yearn. Their style really has come a long way.