Do Minimee dolls of celebrities/real people ever seem weird or creepy?

I do kind of wonder if a doll manufacturer might run into trouble over it? It's one thing for fans to make a doll resembling someone, but if it's a company profiting of someone's likeness by deliberately making dolls of that person, it could be trickier for them (I think most celebrities reserve the right to license their likeness?). It only occurred to me because of the Dollshe celebrity dolls...

 

Not to me: I have lots. But if I was role playing or characterising them, then I think it would be. I just collect them as a craft thing tbh and view them as no different to action figures. All the people I have BJDs of are probably aware they exist in toy form, as most of them have been made in other toy/figure form. I dress them in character or in normal clothes, give normal face ups and that's about it. I don't do any naked or other pics like that, I don't role play and I don't treat the dolls as if they're real or in anyway connected to real people. They're just dolls of characters I like or people whose faces I like, in much the same way as liking any other head sculpt.

So no, not creepy to me but I can see how it could be if people used them in certain ways, as mentioned in other posts! I don't do photos, photo stories or fanfic. I don't undress the dolls except to change their clothes. I'm not interested in that side of things, I just like toys and treat my BJDs as (very expensive, very artistic) toys.

 

It depends on how well the likeness is carried out. If the dolls' head is in proportion to the body and the faceup is well done and looks like the character he's supposed to portray, I generally like them. If it's wonky or off somehow then it can be a bit creepy because they just don't look right.

 

The Minimees based off of real people are very uncomfortable from both a privacy and Uncanny Valley standpoint in my eyes. Doesn't matter how they're being used.

 

I love them! A friend of mine owns many minimees and the more character they show, the more I like them. I own a Spock minimee she has designed.

I am currently hosting a minimee project and this morning she sent me pictures of her digital 3D design and this one looked a bit creepy to me at first because it's basically a picture of a grey head with no eyes and no head cap in the back. And it's a guy in his late fifties . But the more I look at the pictures, the more he grows on me . Besides, the finished result will look way better .

 

Definitely not! I'd like to have sculpts of several famous actors/characters. With right realistic faceup doll will look great. It's like having a 1/6 figure but little bigger, about 70+.

 

They definitely fall into the uncanny valley for me, but I do understand their appeal to people.

 

To each their own, but it isn't really my thing. I don't intend to have any in my collection. Those closest I'd get would be to take an existing sculpt and style it after a fictional character I like (for example: Ahiru from Princess Tutu or Sakuya from Servamp).

 

While it is amazing how they are sculpted and how well they are done, I do find it kind of odd that celebrities are available...Like how do you make a character out of that? haha

 

I find them sorta creepy, personally. But they're pretty much just like an action figure, I suppose... though with action figures at least there's a facade of consent from the replicated individual. Like I have to imagine they sign a contract or something before Mattel starts selling their likeness in doll form

It IS mega creepy when people make NSFW content with their Minimees, though. I haven't seen it often, but the little I've seen has already been too much lol

 

If you guys know Noel Cruz , a famous face up artist for barbies , celebrities that he uses to model his dolls for seems really impress and even take photos with his dolls

I don’t think it would be the same reaction for all celebrities but most of them seems to appreciate the existence of dolls that looks just like them
..

Btw what companies does minimees? I want a Cha Eun woo made one day ahahaha

 

*snaps fingers*
NAMONAKI WORKSHOP!!! Thank you! I was trying to make a mental list of (doll) sculptors who might be able to sculpt me a Carlos head (as in: the one from the Resident Evil movies) so I can get a Carlos for my Alice! I've seen pics of their work on Facebook (got them subscribed) but it never occurred to me they might be doing custom minimee heads.

As far as minimees go, I do have two head, a ScarJo minimee and a Zachary Quinto minimee, both by DIM. The former rests in a box and doesn't look a lot like herself without face-up. The latter is a "Zachary Quinto as Spock" minimee that had its closed eyes opened and that I'm using for an original elf character of mine. It's kinda like Zachary Quinto doing his job as an actor and playing my character.

Currently working on turning a Raccoon Doll Nina into an Alice (Resident Evil Alice) look-alike. Embarrassed when searching for pics online to compare the likeness? Nope, but what did feel kinda strange was that Google search for "Milla Jovovich eyes" because I needed good pics of her eye colour for the custom eyes I need for her. *lol*

 

Have you guys seen the BTS (kpop group) lookalike bjds on instagram? They're uncanny. I really don't like lookalike bjds, mostly bc ive only seen people using them to fetishize Asian men, but as long as someone's being respectful i don't see any harm in it.

 

I think it sort of depends. For me, the thing that sort of weirds me out is when I see people getting dolls made of really bad people, like maybe they have other reasons but it almost seems like they're glamorizing them.

 

Thanks for mentioning Nomonaki workshop , I messaged them and they responded , from what I understood it’s $1000 for 10 heads total, that’s cheaper than the other ones I’ve asked so far there’s some artist on Etsy as well but it’ll be more expensive!

my husband said he wanted a doll of him when he was like in high school so it also sounds like a good bday present for next year! Haha

 

Oh yes the distant memory dolls , I actually stayed buying Asian bjd sculpts lately and own a cookie from Rosen garden (I’m
Asian too) I’m heading towards kpop bjd (not the biggest fan of kpop but into kdrama) unfortunately it’s mainly kpop guys .. I suddenly wanted male bjds cause while playing with my current male dolls and stalking male bjds I can’t help but adore owner photos ..

Not to fetishized them or anything but their fashion is so good and the way their style them so I want to have super fashionable dolls myself haha .. I feel like male dolls are more challenging than my minifees

 

I mean you can't fetishize them if you are also Asian, I don't think, but I'm white so definitely don't take my word as law. I'm guilty of low key wanting this doll by a youtuber who sculpted him to look somewhat like min yoongi from BTS, but he's different enough that I don't get creeped out by the similarities.

 

To me they have the same enjoyment as 1:6 scale action figures. Trying to capture a likeness of a favorite character can be fun However, because they're stylized people I can get why they creep people out sometimes by hitting uncanny valley. But I enjoy them, I like the artistry and work that goes into capturing a character accurately so that I can recognize them. It's not easy!

 

Don’t worry too much about being guilty about it , how’s this I’m giving you the Asian card to buy one ( I have a korean/ black friend and he randomly told me hey I’m giving you the N card so you can call me that and I won’t ever consider it racist, I haven’t called him that even if he said so though hehe , it wasn’t necessary idk why he told me to do so I guess to show we’re really comfortable like family) so I’m giving you the Asian Card and don’t be guilty that your fetishizing it..

It’s just a doll at the end of the day , as long as you don’t use the dolls to make fun of us we would actually be happy cause someone appreciates us ❤️