Celebrities and BJDs: Good Publicity or Bad Publicity, or It Depends?

I really wouldn't care. It wouldn't make me love Sorcha any less. It wouldn't make me feel any kind of superior. It wouldn't disgust me.

As far as I'm concerned any celebrity (and I mean any) has as much right to own one as I do and what he/she chooses to do with it is their business. Not mine.

 

Hmm. I don't think it's likely. I think doll collecting is considered a tad bit weird by the general public, so I can't see someone who is mainstream famous making a big deal out of BJDs, even if they had them. BJDs are a little too peculiar to be embraced by the I'm-buying-that-bag-because-Lindsay-Lohan-has-one crowd. Dolls, collector toys, and figures are still seen as a geek thing (I mean that in a positive way).
An underground celebrity, though? I can see it. Or someone who already has a reputation for being weird. People like Emilie Autumn, Tim Burton, Marilyn Manson. I can totally envision the ladies of Rasputina having a BJD onstage, can't you? Something like that might make BJDs more popular, but still within that goth/anime/fantasy subculture.

My honest initial impulse is that it's cool for celebs I like and uncool for those I don't, but that's not really very fair. I guess I should say, I wouldn't like to see a celebrity exploiting BJDs as a stunt, but I wouldn't be bugged if they seemed genuinely into it. If I saw the much maligned Paris Hilton toting a BJD around at a trendy club, that would annoy me. However, if I found out Paris had a whole stash of BJDs that she'd done the faceups for herself, I'd probably find that rather sweet.

 

I think like all everything when something is excepted as a mainstream part of life there are positive and negative side affects. On the one hand it would be nice to pop down to the high-street and visit your local BJD stuff, to be able to buy dolls like any other popular product.

Another benefit is that whilst the most desired doll-makes would probably become expensive, other cheaper ones would become available, and for those of us who live in the UK this could be good, as there could even be companies in the UK that would make dolls so we no longer would have to angst over customs and ordering from Asia and the US. This too would drive down the costs, imagine how wonderful it would be to just go and buy your doll and not have to worry about shipping.

This would of mean that the age old dolly ritual of the box opening may become a thing of the past, without having to worry about packaging the dollies up for transport, the boxing would probably become simpler meaning there was less of a ritual to receiving dolls.

The popularity of something would also mean that the technology to make them would advance, meaning a new generation of dolls, possibly more detailed or (again) much cheaper.

However this could have an effect on the quality of the dolls, at the moment the construction requires a certain amount of human attention, if the technology became that they could be mass marketed and produced it could mean that the number of knock offs would increase, for dolls and clothes and accessories.

It could also have a duel affect on the community. On the one hand it would mean that people could make more connections locally to those who were like minded. However if you did not feel the need to expand your group of dolly friends you might have never bothered going to that forum where you met so and so from London, and would therefore be less likely to make connections on a national or international scale.

Personally I would relish the opportunity for the dolly community to 'come out of the closet' as it were. However I have already made my connections to doll friends nationally and I have the doll that I wanted most in the world, for me it would mean easier access to products to clothe her with ect, although i think I would miss the way I have to trawl through charity chops for props, and the scrap bin in Fabric-land to make her clothes. Although I would not miss the arduous task of hand sewing everything I wished to make, although if dollies were cheaper maybe I would invest in a sewing machine.

When I am rich an famous we shall see

 

I think, it would be terrible if BJDs became some mainstream fad. I mean, it's good that BJDs earn some popularity, but only in the right audience. For instance, if some celebrity made a BJD popular and they went down in price or something, then it'd be easier to get them and everyone would have them and it wouldn't be that special anymore... Not to mention, they'd lose a lot of their value and meaning.
However, this hobby is very self-maintaining, because so many people find them "creepy" or weird, and they're so expensive that it'd be less likely for people to buy them because of a fad.
I actually wouldn't mind BJDs becoming popular, moreso than they already are, as long as they don't become mainstream or faddy. I'm only afraid of a bunch of pop-culture kiddies catching on and making them into like Bratz dolls or something. Like what happened to vampires. I used to adore vampires, and I still secretly do, but then Twilight came along and made them something all the little preppy girls loved and it just got really annoying to be lumped together with them.

Also, this may be O/T but someone mentioned Kerli. Does anyone know what molds her dolls are? I'm a little curious... Celebrities like Kerli that are well known but not super popular and have that kind of "out-of-the-norm" style to begin with, draw in the right kinds of fans.

 

I wouldn't care one way or another. It wouldn't make my dolls any less special to me if it became something popular.

Fads come and go. And when the fad left popularity, I would still love my dolls. So who cares?

A plus side would be maybe it would be easier to find doll-sized things. I would love that.

 

I can really see Paris Hilton falling in love with one of those smaller BJD's that look like animals.... Luts calls them Zuzu's I think (Sorry I dont know the name still newish to the hobby and I havent looked into those bjd's to much)

 

I think that in a universe with no limitations, celebrities and bjds would very possibly become bad publicity. But this is a world of many limitations, and so I don't think it could ever get to a point where the whole hobby is "damaged". Price is one of those big limitations... it's just not possible for bjds to become a run of the mill fad.

 

The only "bad" publicity is no publicity!

If BJD's become part of the wider consciousness or show up on the radar of hoi polloi, it's not going to affect my interest in them one bit. I'm not into dolls because I "want" to be 'weird' or whatever; I'm into dolls because I'm into dolls.

The upside is that people would (hopefully) be less confused when they saw BJD's in public.

 

The thing I worry about is companies making poorer quality dolls to keep up with new demand.

 

I could totally see Rasputina with a doll, I would love to actually make a doll that looks like Melorna! I don't think that price is really an issue for the masses, if they are swayed by something then they will pursue it. Plus, people already buy really expensive purses. I just wanted to see what it would cost to purchase a coach purse, the purses on the front page of their site range between 298 and 1000. I could purchase a doll for even the tiniest purse there. I think that when you are in this hobby, you cut out things like expensive purses (not that I would ever buy a coach), jewelry, shoes, and clothes.
With the rise of the nerd culture, I can imagine a world where everyone knows what a BJD is, after all 5 years ago how many people could tell you what Iron Man's real name was, let alone a villain of his.

 

I highly disagree.
Some celibertys would only really shed a bad light on the hobby, I dont do things because their odd either, and it annoys me when people stop liking something when it becomes popular, but Ive already seen a news cast where they had a pretty unhappy view of the dolls and talked about how the owners obsess over them and how expensive they are and how they can suck up the lives of the people into the hobby and send them into financial ruin because their "addicted" if that news cast becomes viral so to speak then it give speople the bad example of BJD's and then people will have a bad view of the owners so if go out with one its ilike "Oh your one of those willing to spend thousands and thousands on those dolls even if you have a family or school to get through first?" thats just an example but there is defiantly such a thing as bad press.

Sorry but that saying just urks me to no end. This coming from some one who has had to deal with "bad press" especially in one of my other hobbies (theater, I work as a stage manager and once some one did a review of how on edge our show was for a high school production so we had to deal with a LOT of teachers getting on our case and challenging our play and not wanting us to keep the show running, when it wasnt that on edge the article just made it seem that way)

 

The OP Question is whether Celebrity Interest in BJD's would be positive or negative publicity. I don't believe that Celebrity Interest could, in any way, have a negative affect on this hobby. Xichilbapa mentions a concern about diminished quality, & while I understand that concern, I don't think it would really be an issue. The reputable companies seem to be very invested in protecting their reputation--note that "wait times" for at least a couple of popular companies seem to be getting longer as interest in their dolls increases. They'd rather deal w/a backlog & continue to produce quality dolls than 'rush' to reduce wait time & send out shoddy dolls. I could see cheaper "knockoff" type companies popping up to assuage the demand, maybe even w/an increased interest in less costly dolls that share similarities w/BJD's, like some Tonner dolls or Evangeline Ghastly or even Dollfie Dream or what have you.

The newscast you mention sounds unfortunate & heavily biased, but it's also an example of why I don't watch local news--there's more interest in sensationalism than in reporting facts. At the same time, I guarantee you (guarantee!!!) that at least a few people who saw that newscast will be intrigued enough about these dolls that their search for "more information" on them will result in purchasing a doll & joining the hobby. Also, let's be honest with ourselves: there are things that are commonplace in this hobby that are downright weird if you're not "into it". Examples: it's commonplace for BJD keepers to 'sexualise' their dolls to some extent, the talk of "bonding", the idea of creating an extensive 'backstory' for your doll... (I could go on). While these are things that make this hobby different from so many others & may be just what one likes about the hobby, to 'outsiders' they just seem freakish. That's ok.

 

I agree it probably did perk interest at least in the area, and you make very very valid points I'm in agreement with.

I apologize it was more or less my over reaction to a phrase I'm very not fond of xD

and as far as the celebrity aspect goes I'm pretty sure theres good and bad sides to it, some one mentioned earlier that then the cost would be a well known thin gif the dolls became so popular because of celebrity's toting around them around, and that they would be concerned for their collection and being targets to thievery, I can defiantly seeing that happen as well if they become so widly known that the company s start to make cheaper dolls for the masses to have easier access to. I think its all a matter of perspective, the hobby going main stream would have definite ups and downs to the whole thing, I think for me the ups wouldnt be so important so I'm having a harder time seeing the "brighter" side of this one, but thats just me. I think it would be cool if more people knew about the hobby but I would be more or less erked to have the more Paris Hilton followers at my school start asking me about the dolls and if they could by one second hand from me or one of my friends or when the fad fades showing a general "Your still into that? Its so yesterday!" thing because I dont care that its "yesterday" I still like it but yeah words can hurt sometimes if they come in large stinging amounts. And it isnt always pleasant to be lumped into a group like that.

and yeah there are defiantly some odd aspects in this hobby, or at least to me, so I can see why people already have a general skeptic look at it.

 

Keirli has dolls in her videos and I've heard from a girl online that she even sells BJD-esque dolls at her concerts. They're apparently really large and have interchangable eyes and hair, and even are jointed. I'm pretty sure they're made of plastic (if they even exist at all-I'm currently trying to find proof). The girl who has the alleged doll said her brother dropped a lot of money on it at a concert. She said she only sells them in Estonia however, which is her home country.

I think that kind of situation is highly unlikely however. And the odds of something like that taking flight in America are slim to none. I agree a fad is something that comes and goes. I am a teenager myself and purpously avoid mainstream things because I think they're positively ludicrous. I'm not going to go spend 50 dollars on an Ambercrombie and Fitch top just because it'll make me popular. But people do have limits as to what they'll buy to fit in. Like others have said, I'm pretty sure no one is going to whip out 500 dollars or so to become popular for just a few months; before the phase ends.

However...what if one of us became famous? If you had collected BJDs prior to becomming a celebrity, would you stop taking it out for fear of being photographed with it? That would be a difficult decision to make IMO.

 

Honestly, if they became too well known then people would want to join in on our unique hobby. Too mainstream for me, but I think most people would say "Whfjedhbve why would you pay that much for a doll?!" The usual crap you get from people who don't know zilch about the hobby.

Anyways, celebrities I'd like to see with a BJD? None (except for Oprah. Nahh, jk xD) The main ones I wouldn't want to see having one? Lindsay Lohan (oh please, nuff said lol), Disney Channel stars, basically all lol.

Yeah... let's keep our unique hobby to the people who would care ;D

 

When Kerli's "Walking on Air" came out it featured a D.I.M. Flora with custom faceup by PepStar and a Violet Fern (Illusion Lake) outfit.

I saw the images of the doll on her facebook. I read the comments and was just "*facepalm*" Some people thought the doll was "Creepy but cool" others liked it, and a few more commented that "They should sell that doll in Hot Topic! I would totally buy it!"
I honestly doubt that those people would consider getting the doll after seeing the pricetag, but people will do crazy things as a fan.

[O/T I'm saving $400 to get a tattoo of a band's logo and some lyrics, like I stated^ people do crazy things as fans]

I wouldn't be too thrilled with the JUMP of popularity (if there were one) but I wouldn't mind more clothes to come to the market and the price of said clothes to be lower.

Edit: And according to her myspace the dolls used in her "Tea Party (Almost Alice)" video are Goodreau

 

I don't think I would hate it, but I don't think I would like it if dolls became a fad, mainly because people always think you're part of the fad and start acting weird. It takes away the fun a bit.
But I'm not against dolls becoming more popular because of a celebrity, as long they become popular with people who care. It's the same thing as someone already said earlier: What if one us becomes famous? If BJDs become popular because of a celebrity who is actually into them it would be cool. As long as dolls aren't treated as a designer bag (which I don't actually see happening)
And I think it would be really cool if some famous fashion designer, or something like that, turned out to be a huge BJD lover. In Japan people like H.Naoto already make outfits for Volks on special occassions, it wouldn't be too weird if he had a whole collection at home, would it?

 

I am pretty sure I would not even notice when that would happen... I am not really into knowing what is going on in "celebrity land" and I do not really care either :P

I would care a little if everyone else starting dubbing BJDs as "this" or "that" celebrity thing and that without that celebrity it is nothing and whadyawhadyawhadya....

The only problem celebrities having dolls would bring is the lack of information it will give to the population...

 

It depends on how the dolls are portrayed. What if a celeb goes on and on about fetish outfits they have for their doll(s), the "optional parts", and certain "O" face-plates? The general population will then associate this limited view with all BJDs and your decently clad little girl is then "OMG, one of those sex dolls!"
Even though there are people within this hobby who like the "mature" stuff, not all of them want everybody to know you can get erect boy parts for the dolls you collect. I wouldn't want anyone to ask me how many of those parts I have and if they can see them. I'm sure I'd disappoint them.

I'd worry more about possible bothersome skewed perception than finding cheap BJD alternatives in toy stores everywhere.

 

I doubt it would work anyway. If a celebrity started walking around with BJD's someone like Mattel would instantly jump on the idea and produce a new version of Barbie or something, producing a cheap more accessable version that would likely make us all go WTH?! No thanks XD I'll stick to the real thing thank you very much. ^^