Does your grail doll change, or can you have more than one?

For me a grail doll is a hard-to-find doll that you just want so badly. The quest to find your grail doll and bring it home is part of what makes it a grail doll for me.
I think it's entirely possible to get your grail then find another. It make the first doll your former grail but it doesn't mean that it suddenly isn't as special as it was when it was your grail.

I used to have grail dolls but my tastes have changed over the 7 years I've been in the hobby. I still love my former grails but honestly, if I somehow got them, I wouldn't know what to do with them.

 

It hasn't really changed that much for me. I remember when I started the hobby I had about 2 - 3 dolls I'd consider "grails" because they had something special to them and seemed completely unobtainable to me. Only one of those remained that I would still call that, even though I own him now.
There are still many dolls I love and want, some limited and hard to get, but it's not quite the same. Maybe I'll find a different doll one day that gives me the same "grail vibes", but for now, nope.

Concerning resin color, I indeed got said doll in a different skin tone that I had originally planned to, because it was easier and less expensive, but honestly, I'd buy this kid in every color available if I had the money, so it didn't make that much of a difference, even though this is normally a factor I'm very, very nitpicky about when choosing new dolls to buy.

 

I consider a grail doll to be one that I really love and want but haven't been able to buy either because of price or because of rarity. I also think people can have many grail dolls over time when their tastes change

 

Venetica asked: "Is it possible to obtain your grail doll, then later find another one? Or, in that case, is that first doll no longer the grail and that status is transferred to another doll?"

For me, the answer is yes...as I'm blessed with the good fortune to obtain a "grail" doll, that status then shifts to the next nearly impossible to find doll that speaks to my heart. This isn't to say that my original "grail" doll is less special because I now have it, only that the title changes in my head to something like "former grail doll" vs. "current grail doll".

"I don't think the term "grail doll" means exactly the same thing to everyone, so this is what my idea of it is. I feel I would only use it to describe a doll that I saw and instantly fell in love with, and was going to buy it no matter the size or price..."

This is exactly how I felt about my first "grail" doll, Volks SD13 Madoka Japanese version.

"Since I tend to "shut out" dolls that are out of my price range, and I refuse to buy anything larger than MSD size, I can't say I've experienced this. I'd say the closest is my SoulDoll Arina, whom I did instantly fall in love with but didn't consider purchasing her until I realized she wasn't nearly as expensive as I assumed her to be. Would you consider this a "grail" experience? She is very special to me, but it may because she was my first real wait-until-she-is-cast doll."

I think the real answer to whether or not the aquisition of your SoulDoll Arina is a "grail" experience or not, is up to you to answer, and not for anyone to judge. That said, if feel you were obsessed by this doll enough to feel like you would move Heaven and earth to get her, then it sounds indeed like this was a "grail" doll for you, no matter that she was still in production when you bought her.

"Here's another curiosity...how many people factor things like resin color (or even a default face up) into their grail doll? So let's say you find someone selling your grail doll, but you want her in NS and the one available is in WS. Or she's blank, and you can't have her unless she has that flawless face up by Estebebe!"

Yes and no. Skintone has been non-negotiable to me so far, as is body type, if I want a particular doll with the SD GOU body in Shadow skintone, then the same character in Pure Skin, on an SD17 body. will not work for me.

Now, here's where I've tripped myself up in the past! I loved Volks SD16 Ruby when she was issued, but passed up getting her repeatedly all because of her bright red lips that one of my best friends described as looking "like they'd be able to suck the chrome off a trailer hitch!" LOL! Then I became completely obsessed and consumed with the idea of getting the prototype version of Ruby that appeared in the Volks book Another Yourself 2. I started a petition, I wrote to Volks serveral times, all to get this Ruby issued. But as a couple of years passed without this doll being released, I came to the conclusion that I could've and should've gotten the original with the red lips, because I could always change her face-up! Luckily when I had this revelation and came to my senses, another great friend of mine was downsizing his collection last Summer and sold his pristine Ruby to me!

You posed interesting questions, and I hope my answers make sense to you.

Juli DC

 

I may have once called her a grail doll, but my opinion on the concept may have changed over the years. I considered my Kun a "dream doll" when I saw her, and it was a big deal to order her, because she was the most expensive and largest doll I'd wanted at the time. She isn't hard to get (Volks didn't have their US store at the time when I first saw her, and I was terrified of trying to order overseas, but I heard they'd have a store and online shop in the US so I saved and waited), and she's not limited. All the same, at the time it was a big deal to me. The closest thing to a grail for my collection now would be Dollshe Salubia, because I don't think I'll ever find one, but I've wanted one for years. She's the only doll I've continued to want since I first saw her, nearly any other doll has fallen off the radar over the years.

 

Is it possible to obtain your grail doll, then later find another one?
I would think so... Although the idea of THE ONE seems like it should play a part, too, since the Grail is a unique item... But the idea could probably be expanded to include one unique item... and then another!

Some people enjoy hunting down dolls, and often that takes a lot of motivation and effort, so they have to really, really want that doll. These dolls may or may not be Grail dolls... but that could just be up to how different people define the term.

At first I thought I NEVER had any Grail dolls. But now I think I've had a series of dolls that could qualify... maybe!

Or, in that case, is that first doll no longer the grail and that status is transferred to another doll?
I suppose that some people only have one major grail doll. Others might have a series of grails... Or several at a time!

I've never been sure about Grail dolls, myself. I never really thought I had just one. If I've had any at all, it's more like a series of dolls that I just HAD to have. And sometimes that descriptions applies to nearly every doll I've bought!

Most of my dolls are dolls I've really HAD to have. But I have a few that were more "impulse" buys, or some I were not so sure about, and a few that were gifts and prizes--so they weren't chosen by me.

I know I don't have any dolls that absolutely complete my collection. I have a few that have come close, but I have still bought more dolls after that--mostly because I could and I wanted to... but if I had to, I could have been content with them. I think they somewhat qualify as Grails.

But ONE doll that is everything... I can't quite see that happening for me.

How many people factor things like resin color (or even a default face up) into their grail doll? So let's say you find someone selling your grail doll, but you want her in NS and the one available is in WS. Or she's blank, and you can't have her unless she has that flawless face up by Estebebe!
I would think the color and faceup would be important... but it would depend on how much compromise the person allowed themselves. It's possible that only the exact right resin color and faceup would be acceptable in a Grail doll.

I have a sort of out there dream of some day finding a doll done by certain faceup artists... it would have to be the right doll and the right artist... but I haven't figured it out yet, I will have to see it on the market to actually know. This is a sort of Grail for me.

 

Something I have noticed about myself concerning Grail dolls...several dolls I have really, really wanted, I mean for years, when I've finally gotten them...they lose their appeal for me. Three dolls in the last ten years that I longed for, yearned for, that finally got into my hands now sit almost completely ignored on a shelf. (None of these are actually BJDs, so don't feel too sorry for them.) So when I start pining for a particular BJD, I try to remind myself what happened to these other dolls, and I don't feel so bad.

Conversely, the dolls I love the most are dolls that I simply happened upon, rather than pining for them and saving for them for months.

 

In the vinyl world I had grail artists. It was my goal to own a repaint by some specific artists. When I first started collecting in 1999, my income was more limited so I had to just admire their work. Later on I was lucky to get a number of coveted artist dolls by commission and on the secondary market. Patience was the key for me. So I have one from every artist I really admired.

The resin world is very different. I find my tastes change and I really covet many of them but have tried not to fall in love with every sculpt. It is just to expensive. The one doll that does come to mind was the Zaol Pharoah Luv. I did not see her until months after she was sold out. I really think she is breath-taking but am not sure she would now fit in with the dolls I do have.

I think I have also matured in my collecting. I now realize that there will always be another special doll out there. All I have to do is be ready with $$ for him or her when they come along.

 

For me a grail doll is hard to find, may be more expensive than any other doll you want and most importantly, there's a 'quest' of sorts to get it. A dream doll on the other hand, is a doll you desire greatly but isn't as hard to get. Dream dolls for me are also more obtainable than grail dolls. I'll give a personal example, as I recently acquired one of my dream dolls. My grail doll is Volks SDC Renee, who is limited, very hard to find, very popular and goes for far more money than I want to spend. My dream doll, Souldoll Lily C, on the other hand was a standard edition, not super popular and typically goes for less than original price even though she's been discontinued.

 

I have a few grail dolls...
1. is RS Yao, not an expensive doll, but one of hte first three, that got me into the hobby. As in, i saw them and finally took the plunge into paying for a dollie >.> And i am getting her in a trade!( soon!)
2. Island doll Crystal Was the one i pined over, and pined over... she was something i never thought i could.. have, even though she was not limited, she was so beautiful and graceful, i fell in love. I am currently in a.. claims status with fed ex because they delivered her and she was stolen before i knew she had been delivered!
3. Dikadoll Rena. That sweet face, filled in the three i wanted from the VERY begining.

The reason these are "grail" dolls to me, is they were what, sparked my imagination. I have never had nice things... never.... and the idea, i could, own these beautiful dolls... made me take a chance, and now i have my doll family.

Now, for Ultimate unattainable, OMG i would DIE... my Grail doll is Soom Zinc.... oh i love him.. so much... the size of him.. the sculpt itself.. there is not a single thing i do NOT love.... but.. how can i justify, buying a 900+ doll.... when i don't have a car yet? >.> someday i will be able to.. and find a kind seller who is willing to do a long lay-a-way... and i WILL, bring him home.... one day.... Zinc is the doll i dream about...

 

For me I have more than one Grail doll and I have boughten one of them already and she will always be one of my grail dolls even though I will have her already.

 

I have a slightly different concept of a grail doll - it's not "hard/impossible to acquire for xy reasons BUT wish to get eventually" but "totally 200% adore BUT don't want to ever get" instead.
For me a grail doll is a doll that I love every aspect of and hold in highest regard over every other doll but don't want to actually ever own. I've never even seen one of my three grail dolls in person but even so the very idea of actually owning them makes me feel uncomfortable, it just feels wrong for no apparent reason. I really only want to admire them from afar.

 

For me (like many other posters), a grail is a doll that I'd really love to have but because of factors out of my control, the possibility of my getting it is very slim. I have 2 I consider grail status dolls. Unidoll Ark in WS with the non-human ears and an Impldoll Miguel the Demon Hunter in GS with all fantasy parts. For my grail purposes, the resin colour is absolutely necessary as part of the grail thing. This is because they are characters in one of my novellas and I've written them that way so they absolutely must be that way in doll form or they aren't them.

Since Unidoll first discontinued the Ark sculpt and then closed a few months later (and this was a couple of years ago), finding him in the second-hand market is very difficult. I have seen him a few times over the years but I either didn't have the funds on hand or he didn't have the non-human ears or he was the wrong resin colour. I would hybrid him with a body from a different company if I could only buy the head but that's as far as I'd bend on his grailness.

The Impldoll Miguel was limited to 100 dolls worldwide and I wasn't in a position to afford him while he was available. I've seen parts of him up for sale but I want the whole doll as his fantasy bits are integral to his character. Because be was limited and I want the entire doll in grey, finding him is a challenge. Compounding the difficulty, I'd likely only buy him if I already had an Ark head in my possession (which I think is the more difficult of the two to find) as they are a couple and need to be together.

 

I believe that Grail dolls typically come from really beautiful sculpts that just happen to catch your eye. But it all depends on the persons taste in bjds. For example, I like sharper face sculpts and dreaming eyes. But there are a lot of dolls that are like that out there. Sometimes what makes a doll a grail doll is the fact that it is harder to obtain and its a challenge to do so. It makes it feel like more of an accomplishment if you can obtain a rare doll for your collection.

I, personally can't say that I have a grail doll right now. But I know what kind of doll would be my grail doll if one was to ever be released. For instance, I could say that Souldoll Shiva is a "grail doll" for me, but she would still need some work for her character. I think that a real grail doll would have everything your looking for for your character without the need for modding or changing it much at all if any.

 

I agree with the ones who say "a grail doll is a hard to get, often very expensive and limited doll", and I also think it needs to make you absolutely crazy and wish to get it, no matter what.
Everything else is just a "must have", but the grail is the shiny doll that is above any other doll because it's...well, a grail.
What's the purpose of calling something a grail when it's actually rather easy to obtain?
And I'm not saying that just in terms of money, of course when you are poor every doll might be hard to get.
But "only" saving is actually a rather easy thing to do compared to hunting down something that barely exists in the hobby to begin with, because even IF you have the money it still might be that you won't get your grail.

In the DD hobby they actually call these dolls "unicorns", because it's this unreachable, special and magical thing for them
I think that's pretty cute (especially since a lot of DD owners are male).

Is it possible to obtain your grail doll, then later find another one?

I think so, yes. The hobby is huge and even after years I still come across companies, artists and dolls I've never seen before.
Your taste can change too and just because you got your grail does not mean that another one might never pop up at the horizon.I just think it's weird when people change their grail like other people change their underwear.
A grail is, at least for me, more than just a few seconds "ermagerd do want!".

I personally don't think I have a grail doll (even though I'd really LIKE to have one...just imagine how it feels like to finally get your grail!).
I have a few dolls that I REALLY like and that are, sadly, very hard to get.
On the top of this list might be the SD17 Williams, I'm gladly only interested in the blank head so I can get him cheaper, but his head alone is already expensive and difficult to get and thus at the very end of my "want to buy someday" list.
There is no doll I personally think of as my grail or as "I absolutely need this doll, no matter what might come". While I like them all I can easily live and collect without them.

I also think there is a difference between a dream doll and a grail doll.
My dream is/was for example to own a Volks someday (or several ), because when I started the hobby they were so hard to get, especially for someone in Europe, but I always knew it's NOT impossible.
It's a dream that had the possibility to come true.
For me, a dream is more of a vague concept, while a grail is a very defined thing.
A dream is also more likely to change and/or vanish quickly, while the grail always stays on top.

 

I suppose it's possible to change grail dolls, but I don't think I will. I've wanted one particular doll for a while now and I was flat broke the last time one was up for sale. He's super-rare, but I will find him one day.

Once I clear out the larger items on my wishlist I'm setting cash aside for him specifically. I have a bad habit of finding WTB items very quickly so I'm afraid to even post the ad until I have cash ready. Next year may be the year!

 

I have SEVERAL grails.

Ringdoll's Jack the Ripper and Warren (I wanna make them into Sherlock Holmes and John Watson)

Ringdoll Frankenstein

Ringdoll Zombie Sol

Doll Chateau Elizabeth

Resinsoul Pixiu

Dollzone Brant

I will be happy if I was just able to get Brant or Elizabeth. But I do truly want Jack and Warren as well as the Frankenstein...Zombie Sol I could live without same with Pixiu but if I was abe to get THOSE four...I would be happy.