Copy Cats! - does it bother you if someone tries to copy your doll's style/looks?

Yes. It bothers me because my dolls are my characters. And they're part of who I am.

 

Yes, it bothers me. It is good to see other dolls' pictures and try to improve your photo. But I will never copy the exactly outfit or gesture, my doll has his own way to express his feeling.

 

I think copying another person's doll is a little silly to be quite frank, and I still don't understand why a person would feel the need to do so in the first place? Especially in a hobby based almost entirely on personal customization.
I have stumbled on quite a few dolls with not only the same look as my own doll(s) on the same mold, but also the same story concepts, and while it does aggravate me a little, I can't say I loose sleep over it. I simply tsk and look away, loosing all respect I once had for the owner.

I do believe there is a difference between imitation and inspiration though.
I don't have a problem with someone drawing inspiration from my faceups for example, as I draw inspiration from other sources for my work as well, and another person's vision of something might help someone better understand or even discover their own visions. Imitation on the other hand leads me to believe that the person did not have their own vision at all and they are trying too hard to be accepted or be unique (especially if they are bragging about it being their own concept), and this I disagree with.

 

I believe that in this world there is no copy. Simply because the dolls are numebred, the wigs are numbered, the clothes are numebred and basically everything is very limited. Sure you can buy a custom made wig, but it will resemmble some other wig, unless you have created the most original wig in the world and a totally new colour. As far clothing goes, well a lot of people make clothes , with diffrent fabric and diffrent shape, but they all resemmble some other piece of clothing.

Finally when you have a character in my mind and suddenly you find out that the name is already taken, or another doll is styled in the same way, what you should do?? Should you not make the doll?? Will you be considerred a copy cat?

Example: My Lahoo. I named him Sorren (maybe I wrote the name incorrectly but I wanted to write with double rr anyway) I bet that there are plenty of Sorrens around doa and also not to mention that he walks around in his original wig, face up and eyes. As you know he has a lot of idendical brothers.

Another example: I have ordered a Narae 43 tanning. She will have red hair with bangs, green eyes, red/orange lips.. (that is what I have in mind so far, but I will also try other combinations, like freckles, blue eyes diffrent eye shadow etc..) Does the above description ring a bell to you? I have seen a quite simiral one. Not to mention that there are a lot of red haired doll with green eyes and red plips

 

This is a really interesting question because until recently, I would ABSOLUTELY have said I'd be flattered to see someone attempt a copy of my boys....and then I did see one....and it was actually VERY weird and rather creeped me out! I'm not saying it was intentional at all, but to see a doll that was SO similar in looks and STYLE EVEN to Trys that even my husband asked "what's your doll doing with that other lady?" was really ODD!

All in, I have to say a great big resounding YES it bothered the hell outta me and I'm still not even sure why lol

 

i'm glad Lulu posted, simply because i'm a huge Shiwoo fan (especially her boy Trys AND Xredderz Belial) when mine arrives later on in the year he is going to be similar to them.

i say SIMILAR, i am trying to be careful not to tread on peoples toes, i have chosen a name i can't find on any of the forums and (hopefully) a style of clothing different to what i have seen, and i hope that they will be ok with being an inspiration. i am working out a backstory for him too. i am working hard to get the balance right between what i like about Trys n Belial and part of the personality that is me.

does this mean i am a copier?
i'm not sure.

would i be annoyed if someone copied him exactly?
well, yeah, i'm trying to put a lot of thought into this.

 

Well, there are a lot of dolls that look a like on this board. You can't help it unless you make everything yourself. I know that my doll looks like some others but I didn't copy, it's just how his character is suppose to be. Back before I modded the heck out of my dolls he looked very similar to other dolls of his same mold. After I took some time and customized him, he now looks like a whole different mold from what he was orginaly. Because I wanted a doll that people would wonder what he was XD My first BJD was going to be an El, but he was so popular that I just knew mine would end up looking like another one >_> Since he'd have black hair with dark make-up O_o It's just how he character is suppose to be. I mean, not many Domuya Zens are floating around >_> I've yet to see one actuealy O_o?

I would care if somebody bought the same mold, modded him & did his face-up exactly like my dolls and named him the same. That would bother me >_> Since I worked really hard on making my BJD my own.

It depends on how you view the subject. Some people just don't want their dolls copied or imitated.

 

Either they completely lack creativity, or they want to cause drama and entertain themselves by annoying other people by copying their dolls' looks and personalities?

I agree that there will be some similarities because there really are only so many combinations that can be done. I think it's obvious when someone is unwittingly making their doll similar to someone else's, and someone who is blatantly copying another person's doll or dolls. It's the latter that's really irritating, IMHO.

 

True, we have a limited number of wigs/clothes/eyes/dolls to work with, but they are so customizable that there could be thousands and thousands of different dolls.

As for someone copying my dolls, I'd probably raise hell. I have to think that they're pretty distinctive characters.

 

I usually find it flattering if some one copies me. I VERY rarely happens but I really don't mind.

 

Actually, my friend's doll has a default face-up. But she is a sewer and makes custom clothes with a lot of brodery (spelling?). The wig is no more produced and she customized it. Her doll also has unique eyes made for her by another friend.

What is surprising, to the least, is the fact the thief actually asked her to sew her the exact same clothes. My friend answered saying they would be similar but not identical. She feared that a definitive 'no' would lead her 'fan' to another sewer who's used to copy clothes. The copycat couldn't get the same wig without sending a picture of my friend's doll to the original maker. My friend put the wig on a side, which was not on the original wig, and she removed a braid. How can the copycat get the exact same wig, put on the same side and all if she didn't ask for a "custom" wig like my friend's? As for the eyes, the copycat won't have them because the make refused to redo them.

But there, you see it's really not hazardous and the copycat doesn't empathize at all with my friend's feelings. As long as she has the same doll - because she can't buy it from my friend - she doesn't care about the rest.

I also think copying is sad sad sad. There is no creativity, no personal thought, nothing. These people - I talk about intentional copycats - must have serious troubles in general. How do they do in real life? Do they copy their colleague's work too?

 

You see, I personally think you answered your own question there, for the simple reason you ARE putting all the thought into your boy, you're NOT copying anyone else It's the really flagrant nature of the deliberate copying that irks me

 

I doubt anyone would copy any of my dolls . . . (O-o) so. . . er. . .
BUT in the odd occurrence that it did happen, I would need a lot of proof, jumping to conclusions is disrespectful and could hurt the other owner. If it turns out it was absolutely 100% (owner even admited it) copy, then, Yes. I would be annoyed.

keeping in mind coincidences do happen!
I think that most of the dolls that are similar on DoA (and elsewhere) are unintentional. . . if not it's a sad world out there.
repeating what people have said there is only so much you can do with limited eyes/clothes/wigs/etc. Especially if you share the same aesthetic taste with another doll owner. (and I doubt thats a rare occurrence)

 

As a matter of fact, Ophelia IS a copycat of someone in real life, so no, it doesn't bother me xD
Though, untill now no-one has ever tried to copy her.

 

I've had people email me and ask where I've bought some outfits for my dolls and I don't mind pointing them in the right direction.

However if someone is going to copy a face-up/wig comb from another collector.. it would be better to ask if the mind.

 

Good thread!
Well I think it's a difficult one to answer.....I'm a Cosplayer myself, and it's the same question, but I think that even if you go for the same character/outfit, there's always something that will make it a little different( unless of course you are trying to copy someone's doll in every exact detail down to the same mold,outfit, eyes and wig.....which I don't really see the point of, but if you think of it in the terms that it's like a tribute to how lovely your doll is...then maybe it makes it a little easier?

 

I think I would mind it. Really, the dolls are very versitile and you can customize your doll into being their very own personality. If you have spent a lot of time making you dolls clothes and creating their personal look, like heavy modding, then it stands to reason that you would be really upset at someone stealing your dolls identity. Really, that is what it would be. I am talking about the personalities and individual quirks at this point. That is what really sets dolls apart besides the physical attributes. That and accesories. My dolls are , thus far, not very customized via modding, but they are every inch their own person. So when I see another Ani or Nikki, I don't think they are similar beyond the face model. After I finish Malic, my next project, however, he will be quite easy to recognize. He is the main character for one of my novels that I am working on, so I will take personal, and legal, offense to people who atempt to copy my idea. There is no reason for someone to copy anothers doll in the first place. Everyone can be creative~! Try harder if you must, but I strongly dissagree with copycats.

Kit

 

Sorry to bump this back up, but I think this is pretty much crock. Yes there are a lot of dolls with smokey eyes, red lips, black eye brows and so on but it's HOW the artists pulled off that look with their own style that makes the doll look unique.

For instance, with red or orange lips one artist might paint the full lips, others might paint the full upper lip and only the middle of the bottom lip, while still others will only paint the centers or corners of the lips with color.
With eye brows one artist might have a distinctive arch they paint with one swoop, another might paint individual stands, while still another might paint individual strands with multitudes of colors.

With all of these different attribute possibilities there's no reason that one doll should look just like someone elses unless said dolls were painted by the same artist. At least that's how I see it.

 

I don't know.... there are times when I see a doll, and I say "I want that for myself" sometimes I feel bad, but I want to do it because I like the doll's looks so well.
if someone copied my dolls' looks (not hard, ren is is practically all default. ) I'd prolly be flattered that someone liked it so much that they wanted it for themselves. or shrug a shoulder and go "meh" and go on with my life and more important things.

I mean seriously, we're such an incestious group that it's in evitable that someone might copy someone's else's face up or style by accident, or even just because they saw it and liked it. you have to say, there is a certain astetic trend among the community.

 

i think, if anyone somehow were to directly copy any of my dolls and/or characters
i would freak out in the ' uh, okay D: ;_; wtf is going on ? ' way and then freak out in the ' OH HELL NO ' way

my characters and dolls are all a part of me, they change and grow as i grow, and sometimes i let go some characters that i dont feel a need for anymore

i wouldnt take kindly if someone were to take a part of me and then claim it as their own, s'how i feel about the dolls c__c ( i have massive issues about this kind of thing )

i wouldnt mind if someone took refrance/inspiration from any of my characters, i do it all the time, i see clothes/hairstyle i like and i want to try and do my own version >: ( this is the point where im going to admit that the idea for attics' style AND my character blues' hair came from morbid's foster, and his awesome wig >< /lame )

its gonna happen that somewhere, out there, theres gonna be another doll/character with the same hair or eyes or face or name or character quirk or even a similar backstory
but its the whole puzzle that makes a character an individual D:

though i have to say, my dolls arnt exactly all that original ( lots of gay emos, wow )
but my drawn characters are definately highly developed, and i dare anyone to steal slash or pangaea and live to tell about it >_> <_<