Do you have a bjd ambassador?

I usually show Lief off - just because most people are already familiar with Lief as a character from my writing, and it enables them to see the connection between 'doll' and 'character' that often gets established by BJD collectors. It also helps them to understand why I'd want the doll in the first place because Lief in their eyes becomes 'more than' a doll - he is a physical representation of a character I own.

Lief is an SD which I think helps a bit as well - people are more likely to see the size as a reason for a lot of the expense, even if that's not strictly true. (He's actually my cheapest doll!!) Some people are intimidated by his size because 71cm is a lot, but most of the time they also see him as something beautiful that means a lot to me. ^_^

 

This is supposing my dolls are all put together ^^;

Honestly, it would most likely be my Dollmore Thinking Larme and my Dollzone Hong. My Larme because he's perfectly normal (ie - no major modifications), and my Hong for the exact opposite reason. If I'm going to be seriously introducing someone to BJDs, I want to show them both sides of the fence of personalizing your doll.

 

Honestly, i find that people tend to understand the bigger dolls better. Whenever people ask me about my dolls, they usually gravitate towards Shandel (EID Ashanti) Or Joby (EID Sword Dance Kamau). The others are noticed by them, but they look then usually move to the bigger dolls. Tends to be my experience. So whenever i show my dolls to people who are not doll people, i tend to show Joby. But no, i don't really have any sort of 'ambassador'

 

The first dolls I show to people are my favorite tinies, Stella and Pip. Cute little girl is what they expect from a doll, and Stella's mods showcase the customizing side of this hobby rather well (Though I say it meself, ehehehe...). People who are adverse to dolls in general can rarely resist a Fairyland face and harmless cuteness of the little darlings.

If I need them to think of me more seriously than "Girl who collects squee little girly dolls" I show them Lir or Kevya, my best dressed and most photogenic SD+ sized guys, who are clearly not little children's toys.

 

I like to show them Mihika, because we have the strongest bond, and if people are going to be interested in the dolls as anything besides a display piece, they pick up on that. Then again, I only have two...but I think this would apply no matter how many I owned.

 

I don't understand how an msd is most comparable to Barbie...they're much taller, bigger, heavier, and generally still childlike or immature in frame. I don't have a doll ambassador. My dolls are all dressed well and look pretty normal, so whichever one I happen to have on me works. The only exception was before I got Peyton eyes to replace his red defaults. The reds were unsettling. The part people tend to squee over most is the level of detail in the shoes.

 

Thinking about it the doll I'm showing the most is Elide (Soom Yrie) but that's mostly because its a nice portable size...

 

I usually show new people my cutest, less threatening doll. Usually a Yo or something. Especially if they are regular doll collectors. I think they bridge the gap nicely.

 

I always show a mnf, usually my Woosoo. People go nuts for her little fangs and pose-ability of her body. She's always a hit. Mnf are such great examples of bjd, and it was Fairyland that sucked me in to the hobby (even if my first girl was an Iple ).

 

I only have one doll so he is by default my "ambassador" xD
But, if I had options, I would probably show him off - he is a minifee. I find minifees accessable and fun to play with for the size, so I kind of imagine my peers may think so as well xD A tiny would work well for that too, I think. Also, I think I'm more comfortable giving a tiny or mini to a stranger to hold since they're easier to manage...does that make sense? haha.

But then again, I personally find SDs or bigger rather intimidating, so I can't imagine using one of those for that purpose XD

 

Sadly, none of my dolls would make good ambassadors for BJD-dom, because all of them are so damn freaky-looking. Even if a person didn't usually think dolls were creepy, they would almost certainly think MINE were creepy. I have two possible dolls to show people who aren't used to them, but even they look pretty weird. One of them is a Selkie, so while he's unutterably pretty, he does have webbed fingers, dark-skinned... extremities, and spots on his throat, shoulder, back and stomach. And he's mostly naked. The other is a deathrock witch boy who wears the SD equivalent of six inch heels and has some of the ugliest tattoos ever drawn. Sooo... I'd have to show someone pictures of other people's dolls ^^;

 

If my 2010 Juri were together I would pick him, as he's got a unique look and a cute outfit. But up until now it has been my SOOM Sphaler. He's got a lovely faceup and a awesome wig and eye match, so he often appeals people.
When my NS Euclase.. or even when one of my GS Euclases come in, I will probably count on him, as he is my favourite sculpt and is the most appealing to me.
The way I see it, if it appeals to you , it's what matters, though I wouldn't exactly be putting talons on my Sphaler to meet someone who has no idea what a BJD is. Y'know..

 

I agree with the idea of using my most 'normal' dolls. For other doll collectors I might bring out one of my MiniFee due to them being able to admire the posing, but for non-collectors I think either one of my Yo-SD size tinies or my SD girl. The tinies run the risk of being seen as a children's toy due to their size, but are also the cutest and easiest for people to 'get' the idea of collecting. With my SD girl, they can really see that she's more of an 'adult' collector's item than a toy.

Plus I tend to make historical clothing for her, and people really seem to be able to understand the idea of her being FOR something, if they can't understand the idea of just collecting to collect.

 

The doll that I always showed to my friends/other people first was my first doll, my CP El. He's not face-upped in an extreme manner, he dresses casually, and I think that makes them more approachable in a sense to people. I chose him continually even over my minis, because I think it's easier to imagine smaller than it is larger - at least to me anyway. I think 60cm is a good top height, because I think 80cm dolls might intimidate people with their heft and scale upon a first meeting haha.

 

I tend to take a variety, to better show off the possibilities in the hobby. So, for example, I might take Kichirou, my Soom Covell, as an SD to show, Icarus as an msd and a different "skintone" since he's tanned - he also has optional fantasy parts so I can bring those along to show as well, and Suzy as a tiny. Let them gravitate to whichever size they find most appealing, and talk about how they're all different. That's just me though - and, well, I'm used to lugging multiple dolls around ^^;;

 

I used to always show people my male dolls, they had a masculine dress sense and were handsome but also a little ethereal looking too, I like showing people there are male dolls and as a male myself it was good to show other guys them, they could see that theyre not just 'pretty girly dolls', they can be creepy, handsome, artistic objects. I think they encompassed everything I love a bout dolls.
Now I only own two female dolls, so when I show people I tend to show my Soom Dia as shes very androgenous looking and has that waifness and ethereal look, so I still have a 'handsome ethereal' doll I guess.

 

It depends on the person. I usually only have the Puki with me, so if it's unplanned - she's it, and I show photos of the others. I had one co-worker who requested my oddest dolls, so I brought Devon who is an SD with an odd faceup, my gray skin Withdoll boy, and an A-line Minifee just because they are really the best in sculpting and posing. For anyone I suspect might be easily freaked out, I bring Kestrel... he's my most normal, wears t-shirts and khaki cargo shorts with sneakers, has a faceup I painted, and is a Minifee Seorin (though a B-line, so not as great a poser but still well-sculpted). He's the most obviously a boy, and looks accessible rather than odd. In future I might bring Rowan - he's SD size, a Shiwoo, with a faceup I did and is a fairly normal dresser, though he does have long hair.

So I don't have one specific one I bring, though I like it to be one I've painted and often choose a Minifee just because they're so awesome at posing and are so well sculpted.