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BJD or Fashion Doll

Jan 17, 2008

    1. Wow, I guess I haven't really looked at Barbies in years. The proportions are far more distorted than I remember. That said, this is a great comparison photo.
       
    2. I came into this hobby from the Fashion Doll world, and actually, until there were More mature sculpts availible, that didn't have a decided anime/childlike look about them, I had no interest in BJD.

      Clearly the true fashion doll (as shown in Catrina's excellent photo comparison) has a completely unrealistic body and proportions. They are meant to essentially be mannequins for clothing, and they all have basically the same face, so they can't have much of a unique personality. Also, they are not poseable in the way BJD's are.

      As more western owners come into this, that don't have an anime background, or a love for all things Asian, you will see more dolls that are westernized. These dolls are appreciated by Fashion doll people, with their proportions looking good in high fashion, but, they also have distinct personality looks to their facial sculpts, and become characters in a way that a true fashion doll cannot. In addition, these so called "crossover" dolls, have a high range of poseabilty, that you'd never see in a fashion doll.

      I am a huge fan of the Dollmore Model girls, and certainly don't see them as the flat, devoid of personality fashion dolls I had for years. Each face sculpt is truly unique and expressive. They are among the best posers in the BJD world, AND they wear clothes wonderfully. The best of both worlds if you ask me.

      And yes, they have smallish waists, but not as extreme as a Barbie or Tonner. They also have full womanly thighs and hips, and realistic breasts. These girls also photograph beautifully nude, which a Fasion doll doesn't. Again, the best of both worlds in my view.

      As others have said, I think it's great that there is such variety in sculpts of BJD. It's gives us alot of choices, and there is something for everyone.
       
    3. I notice, in particular, how tiny the eyes on my kids' Barbies and other strictly fashion dolls look in comparison to MOST of my bjds. (In addition to all the other comments).

      On the other hand, I'm wildly lin love with the Orientdoll Tae/Il/Hong dolls and my older Serendipity dolls. And I've just discovered how amazing the girls look in clothes made for Tonner Tyler dolls. Excited, much? o you bet. It's the best of both worlds. Nobody would mistake my Sharmin with her long ears for a traditional fashion doll but boy does she look elegant in a long gown.

      And I also have the more anime/fantasy looking dolls with the big eyes and so forth who tend to wear kimono and so forth.

      Like I said, it's the best of both worlds. I love that the bjd are more solid, have a more beautiful "feel" and more expressive faces - but I love being able to make them look sparkly the way I did in the wayback when the choices were Barbie and Tammy dolls ;)
       
    4. I was a fashion doll fan with no knowledge or interest in anime or the "Asian aesthetic", when I accidently discovered these dolls. The posability, the fact that they can be customized, and the beautiful expressive faces attracted me. I also prefer the more mature faces unless I am buying a doll meant to represent a child. I have several friends who would not buy any of the dolls I have because they came to the hobby from an anime background and they probably consider my dolls to be fashion dolls. I don't have a problem with that; I think it just comes down to personal preference. My dolls are fashion dolls in a way, but also much more.
       
    5. Now that I have discovered BJD's, I don't think I could ever go back to barbie's! LOL
       
    6. Personally, I see the difference as the fact that BJDs are designed and intended to be customized. Unless you buy a fullset doll, which is more rare, the common BJD purchase is a nude doll. Usually it has eyes, sometimes a wig, and very rarely a basic item of clothing (Elfdoll's swimsuit for example). The wigs and eyes are easy and simple to change. A faceup will often cost extra, or you can buy the doll blank. The intent is for each user to create their own doll from the ground up. While there are fullsets, it seems they are the minority with BJDs and are almost always limited in release.

      Whereas with fashion dolls such as Barbie etc, they can be customized (rerooting new hair, repainting, etc), but it seems that is not the original intent. The doll usually comes with everything needed right out of the box (hair, eyes, makeup, a full "look", so to speak). The intent is often more to buy the doll "as-is", and change the clothing more often than the doll itself. There are limited editions of fashion dolls as well, but even the "basic doll" seems to come fully ready for play or display. At least, that's how I perceive it, but I'll admit I don't know too much about the fashion doll side of things, so this is a bit of an outsider/layman's point of view.
       
    7. Between barbie and ABJD the differences are huge, the term fashion doll is quite broad. I can however see some similarities between mature body ABJDs and fashion dolls like Tyler, (still a good amount of differences too).

      Tonners are mass produced, but nowdays I would say to an extent so are the dolls of some of the larger ABJD companies. The Tonners are made in another country, while ABJD mostly in the country of their creator. (this is changing too isn't it, as a couple of them have decided to move production from Korea to China, like so many US companies do.)

      Lookswise tonners have smaller eyes, and most ABJD bigger. ABJD can easily have eyes and hair changed, tonner can't as easily. ABJD has more jointing. Both ABJD and fashion dolls can have big boobs and slim waists, but not all do.

      Playwise both are made to be played with by adults, Both ABJD & Tonners have clothes sold seperately and people also sew clothes for them, but the limited editions are still more likely to be left in box, I think more people will play with their limited ABJD? ABJD tends to hold more of its value removed from box than a fashion doll.

      Denfinately different, but not completely, a line is drawn but both sides seem to be crossing into the other at some points.
       
    8. Actually, to be more fair and accurate, here is a more complete variation in body types that Mattel specifically produces for their fashion dolls:

      [​IMG]
      Technically, the one I have listed is more "jointed" than ball jointed. And I don't have the new pivotal body in the mix as this is an older photo.

      But the question was what makes a BJD different from a Fashion doll?

      I think increasingly the lines are becoming blurred. The most straight up answer is that the eyes can be changed out. I can't think of a fashion doll from Barbie up to the Sybarites that have changeable eyes.
      When it comes to character embodyment, I know plenty of people who care for individual vinyl dolls as much as abjd owners care for theirs. The doll is imbibed with a personality.
      Me? I still collect "fashion dolls" and love having them around as much as my resin kids. Having one doesn't take away from the other.
       
    9. Having one hobby should never have to take away from another hobby. I don't like how people seem to take the ABJD vs Other doll debate to be about them being better. The only reason it should even come up is because dolls that aren't ABJDs don't belong on DoA...
       
    10. I never was into barbie, tonner, and gene doll but love watching anime and manga (reason behind why I love my male bjds). My mom is a collecter of those dolls (she buys only female) and one thing we both agree upon is that my all male bjds are way better looking than the male dolls that barbie, tonner or gene make :)
       
    11. This has been an interesting discussion and I agree with what most everyone said. I'd like to provide one perspective that hasn't been discussed: Barbie's boyfriend, Ken, vs. male ABJDs.

      As a child I owned a Ken doll as a companion to my Barbie and I had fond memories of planning the occasional wedding for them. When I purchased my 1/6 scale Little Soul Doll Kimmy, I fell in love when I got him. His aestic, his poseability, and the fact that he's customizable places him light years ahead of Ken.

      The one interesting thing is this: the bodies of Ken and Kimmy are very radically different and I don't mean just in terms of the fact that Kimmy is far more anatomically correct than Ken. I tried putting Ken clothes on my Kimmy doll and he tends to swim in the tops literally. I have to sew darts in the back in order for them to even fit Kimmy.

      When I went to a local toy store I found out the reason why that is. The average Ken doll these days has these huge pecs that makes him look like he may have done some experiments with steroids. Ironically, Ken looks pretty thin compared to the action figures that are marketed to boys--they have such huge pecs, arms, and legs that they look like they have been abusing steroids far worse than what Barry Bonds have been rumored to do.

      Personally I really don't like the overly muscular guys and I don't regret marrying a man who has never touched steroids in his life. I certainly don't like overly muscular male dolls, which is why I like the male ABJDs so much.
       
    12. "Fashion dolls are unrealistic! BJD are more realistic!"

      If your neck were really that tall, your head would fall right off. Sure, they're a bit more realistic than a barbie, but they still have idealized bodies. Real men and women don't look like that, just like real men and women don't look like barbies.
       
    13. I bought a Tonner doll once in my life, after I had been in the BJD hobby for a while. I loved BJDs so much and wanted to expand my doll collection. The Tonner doll was pretty, but I couldn't do anything with her! I was so frustrated by her lack of posing... couldn't even stand on her own. I sold her almost as quickly as I bought her. BJDs are the only doll I could ever imagine loving. BJDs are unique artwork, little creative souls and companions.
       
    14. Wow, them comparison pictures :O
      Although I own neither BJD, or FD, nor have I seen any in real life, I would say BJDs are "grown up's dolls" and Fashion Dolls are "kiddies dolls" tbh.
      Them fashion dolls are out of proportion, what natural person has a massive chest like that,and a tinsy-winsy waist?
      Atleast with BJDs, they are more in proportion [except the gorgeous big eyes :love].
       
    15. I tend to think of ABJD as "Asian fashion dolls", because a majority of buyers get one, give it a character, and dress it in all the hottest/ newest fashions from Asia (or the west).
      It's rare to go through the galleries or the database and see a doll not wearing modern fashions from one country or another....i.e. (most) people dress their dolls fashionably, so (IMO,) most dolls are fashion dolls, no matter where they are made or how different they look.
       
    16. I think as well that fashion dolls are primarily marketed to children under 10.. whereas BJDs are marketed to teenagers and adults. Hense the molded underwear on barbie and lack of nipples.. she's also made out of plastic which is less fragile than BJDs.. which can break a finger just from falling over. You wouldnt give a BJD to a child for this reason and also because their hair, eyes etc come off.. small parts for children to swallow.

      Also because fashion dolls are mass produced, they're less special. If they get damaged it's annoying but at least you're only losing £10 not £200+...

      cant really think of anything else that hasnt already been mentioned.
       
    17. miss lozpie, that is exactly what I was getting at.
      With Barbies, they can be thrown across a room and not get a scratch, but with BJD's, it will shatter and break [I presume-DO NOT TEST :lol].
      BJDs are for people who will look after them, bond with them and just care for them well. Where-as Fashion Dolls seem just like another Barbie and nothing too special.
       
    18. I think one of the differences I have noticed is that the BJD bodies are shaped more like dancers-- they are fairly realistic about where the weight is located and they are built with their chests up and with really good posture (possibly because they are expected to stand, pose, etc.) as if they are poised for movement. Fashion dolls have weird posture-- totally unrealistic-- and not terribly to be desired by a real person-- they are kind of all stiff, sucked in, their shoulders are down-- it's just too weird.
       
    19. While I like Fashion Dolls, I don't collect them anymore, I love BJD's for let's face it they are anatomically correct which is something Ken never really was and Barbie never had real curves like a woman unless you think of the earlier ones from the late 50's -60's. Barbie is for little girls that was the idea of Ruth Handler to begin with, but now adults collect the high end Barbies and there are tons of Barbie conventions all over the world. I rather stick with BJD's since not many people really know about them and the cost tends to keep the majority of the public away.
       
    20. that would make an interesting debate.. why do a lot of people want BJDs to remain exclusive and expencive? maybe that's what the main difference is between fashion dolls and BJDs... fashion doll companies seem to wish everyone would want their dolls, producing them in mass amounts for low cost... I wonder if BJD companies feel differently?