Doll Names : Orginality vs Characters

When I was waiting and dreaming for Gwenllian to arrive, I bought a pair of Volks MSD knee-high brown lace-up boots, (similar to ones I have in RL), intending for her to be a sort of mini-Jess, but when she did arrive (although she loved the boots) she ended up having her own character, being a very girly-girl wearing a lot of pink and white and I realised now she was here I couldn't force what I had wanted on to her, because it was as if she sprang from her box with her own personality and I didn't have the right to suppress it.

Not only is she an original character, I think I can safely say her name is fairly original too. I've never met an ABJD collector in north Wales, and the predominant names for ABJDs seem to be Asian, so I think Gwenllian Blodeuwedd ferch Corea is probably unique in a doll-sense because it's unlikely another doll will share her name, and I can be pretty conclusive when I say there probably isn't another doll that exactly shares her entire name.

While I probably wouldn't get upset if there was another doll out there called Gwenllian, (there are lots of people out there called Jess and it doesn't take anything away from my identity!) I think I'd get a little upset if someone used all of her names for their doll, even if it was done in tribute. One name is a tribute, but copying the first, middle *and* last names is a bit of a rip-off, I feel, particularly when I named her after legends and myths that are a big part of my life and may not have the same significance for someone else.

 

I haven't read all the posts, but thought I'd share (hmm have I posted in here before? Don't think so. Arrggh I'm losing track!)

Character dolls is the reason I got into BJDs in the first place. When I first saw Lishe, I thought, "Wow, it'd be awesome to turn her into Helen of Troy!" And I will at some point, but not with Lishe. What really pushed me over the fence is my ongoing obsession with Faramir and Eowyn from LoTR - my first 2 dollies will be modelling them (I don't like the term cosplay though - in fact I hate using that term to describe my dolls, it makes it less magical). I'm now also planning to get an Eomer and Lothiriel doll too. I guess it just makes me happy to see characters I love so much played out in "real life".

I do have original characters - but none I've thought of translating into dolls yet. Maybe one. The only doll I've bought that hasn't had a character planned beforehand is my incoming Zaoll Muse - I'd sorta planned her, but originally I was going to get a tiny for the role. But I saw her and *bam*, that was it.

 

Well, Luken's kinda both. I mean - of course, first and foremost, he's Luken. A character from a story of mine. Only that I'm kinda doing it the other way round. I'm kinda modelling the story-character after Luken's character and so far, it all fits very well. Luken doesn't seem to habe any objections against being a dark mage (who calls himself Vassago) who's posing as a rock star (of all things ...*rolls eyes*). I might have to tone it all down for the story. Mustn't get TOO fond of that guy - he's not the hero of the story but the antagonist ... D'oh ... -.-

On the other hand, what I'm gonna try is dress up Luken as Severus Snape. Just to see what it looks like. I'm NOT going to turn him into Snape! I'm gonna have him dress up as Snape. Being a mage, of course Luken can change his appearance at will. Maybe he read the Potter-novels and thought it might be fun to pose as a certain potions teacher? *lol* Would fit his sense of humour.

 

Well, I have all "original dolls" They aren't so much based on RP characters, but are usually abstractly related to story concepts I already had. Usually I see a mold I like, and then my imagination runs rampant with what their "life" might be like, and eventually a back story forms. From there, I write large epics in my head about them. A lot of the time they are related in some shape or form to previous stories. For example, my Eliza will grow up to be very similar to a character named Raven from a story I wrote in H.S. Although her back story and personality are completely different, they will both go through some very similar things at similar points in their lives. Happily Eliza will live through it, whereas Raven ended up being somewhat of a martyr for her cause.

I try to not copy anyone, but honestly I'll see a hat or a skirt or something to that effect that an owner has made, and if they don't make them for sale or on commision, I'll try to make my own, but still change it enough that it doesn't look like a copy. Same thing with faceups, I'll take inspiration from faceups I really like, but I never try to copy exactly. And if it does look at all similar, i wont post pictures of it. If someone copied my doll's cloths or faceup, I doubt I would care, unless they were trying to insinuate that their doll WAS my doll. Then I'd be pretty pissed.

As for names, I'll probably never name a doll Henry, due to my association with the name. I honestly thought Henry was the coolest doll ever, but even if I had a completely different character, I think the association would be different.

One problem I'm trying to come up woth a solution for is that Eliza calls my doll Meladori (whome I borrowed the screen name from lol) Auntie Mel Mel. I know there's a user named Mel-Mel Chan, and another named Mel, and I don't want there to be any implication that my doll or her character is related to those other two people, both to avoid confusion and because I don't think it's fair to either one of them since I don't know them.

 

I don't see why people really like to make characters of KH characters and whatnot. I mean, sure, the minimee threads are kinda cool to see when the heads are done, and when you have a character you've made up that kinda looks like an existing character, stuff like that is kind of useful, I'd assume. But myself, I do like the originals.

Like I said in another thread today, I don't have a doll. But depending on which one I get first, my first doll will be almost totally original. Sure, there's always the this and that borrowed from certain sources, but again, like I said, if you google "Aaiiry" or "Aaiiry Bluderaine", you'll get nothing but stuff that I've made.

But yeah, I don't even have a doll and my characters have been copied. Having a whole profile for your characters leads to easy fingering of copies, and I've never liked it. If you're making an original character, why copy someone else's? It seems dumb.

 

all my dolls will be original character. i am a fan of a couple of comics and games, but i don't feel ok even to draw other people's characters. i like being original, and it doesn't take any effort to make a brand-new character with his past and personality. plus, i think it would be hard to convert a doll wich always been someone else's character to an original character once i got bored with it.

 

I think it's kind of fun, to actually take part in making, but I wish if people were going to do characters something more complex. I guess if you look at it as 3D fan art.
But originals are FOR SURE lots of more fun for most people who have them or look at them.

 

Huzzah for Tolkien dollies! Although I completely agree with you on seeing characters that you love 'in person'. I'm planning my first "character" doll, based off of The Silmarillion's Maglor, because he was always one of my favorites

 

evey one like to have and original doll but some like to have character base doll. i personaly like oringinal doll or your own and it own name. i think name sometime is just there for grab, becuse my doll name is not original, im sure there are other doll out there that have the same name as my doll, Lucas Pado. original doll, you can dress them up anyway you want it but for character base doll...it harder to do so, becuse it doesnt seem like..it fine if your doll is cosplaying a character.

 

For me it's really hard to find a name for all my dolls...
sometimes I heard some in TV (was a planet name in "Andromeda") so I called one of my Pullips Alméthia
or I have some names in my mind I want to give them ^^

and now I'm looking for names for 1 pullip and 4 dolls again
I figured out it's easier to choose names after getting their personality/clothes on (Lolita-style,punk, gothic, ...)

the most are taking japanese names ... me too

I'd love having a 70cm Kenshin-Doll

Indeed I've got (or will have) chara dolls ....
my first one will be me O.o so finding a different name for me as a MSD sized DZ is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo difficult
so she will wear all the clothes I would wear, too
I love winter ... so Lishe will be my winter-girl with coat,warmers, boots, scarf,cotton socks and long jeans-skirt (and whatelse I'll find)
my plans so far

 

I don't think I would personally like to have a doll made after a real person (like oh, Tom Cruise), but having a doll made after a character that as potrayed by that person (to continue the Tom Cruise thing: Lestat XD) would be totally different, even if it looked like that person. (Is this even on topic?)
Personally, I would prefer more "intangible" (novel characters from books not made into films and without illustrations...the kind that let you get your own idea of what the character is supposed to be rather than ust showing you) characters to be made into dolls than "tangible" ones (which are the opposite, and come from illustrated books, fims, anime, manga, whatever). Just because then it wouldn't be stressful to get the doll to look exactly the way it was pictured. That would bother me if I was making a character doll.

I would LOVE to get a doll and make him look like Belial from Angel Sanctuary, though. Any character I feel that I know very well and am "close" to would do. But as I have a hard time even writing fanfiction, since I worry that I am not capturing the correct spirit of the character that was originally intended, I doubt I would even attempt a character doll .

 

I'm new at this hobby and I haven't decided about what my first doll's name is yet. I think I have to make her some outfits and then maybe she will tell me her name.

Apparently on this board I qualify as an older person. This might actually give me an advantage. As far as RPG names, my husband runs a game called Space Opera that some of us have been playing for about 25 years now--somewhat infrequently since many of the participants have had to move many times but it certainly would be a source for names.

I might wind up with a doll named after an RPG character or a fictional character I like but I don't think I would expect the doll to always be that character--too restrictive. I've just started with this hobby--it will be interesting to see where it takes me.

 

I gave my boy a original name...I don't want to use any character names, unless I happen to know a character with that name, yet I know it suit the doll.
Kizimir's name came from a russian name: Kazimir and actually I just altered it...
But really...I think that original names are better, personally, giving it a character name just doesn't show that you actually put thought into the name, you might have for the character's name, but if you take it and give it to a doll, just the meaning just seems less meaningful compared to that character..
And taking a name from a character is the same thing...less meaningful...

 

I have bought 2 dolls based on how much they look like non-original characters I am fond of!

But one has an "alter-ego" which is his "true self" based on whatever character I saw in him. The other is strictly the non-original character. I might consider developing a "true self" for him as well.

Perhaps it's important to discover the "true self" in the doll meant to be a non-original character...

 

All of my dolls seem to name themselves. Some whisper their names quietly. Others ROAR them at me. Others still take weeks or even months to get around to telling me who they are. It's all a bit strange really...because some of the names are not really even names I necessarily like. I have a weird 'thing' about names. If the name doesn't click, I usually don't bond with the doll very well. I know this is a bit off topic, but I'm not really into naming my dolls after characters or other people's dolls.

 

My dolls are all original characters... even the dolls that were an established character before. But they're characters I've had for years, not characters made up for just for the dolls themselves. One of my BJDs worked perfectly for his character and the other didn't turn out to be suitable, unfortunately.

That would have been different if I had gotten into BJDs during my intense Harry Potter fandom days. I'd have a Sirius, a Snape and a Remus for sure! I can easily see the appeal in getting a doll to represent a beloved non original character.

 

Although my boy's name is taken from a manga character, he's an original character. And all the dolls that im getting in the future will be original characters with original names given to them. Cause im personally find a doll whose personality i created in my mind, more fun to be with. Anyway, i find that thinking of unique names is very fulfilling, including nicknames for myself.

If im intending to have a character-based doll, i might as well get my dolls to cosplay instead.

 

I've always figured that either way (original/ character) is okay.

My dolls seem to be original with a touch of character thrown in for personality.
For example, my Chiwoo got his name and part of his personality from the character in Card Captor Sakura who is named "Yue". . . but part of his personality also comes from "Storm" from the X-Men as well.

I think I'd be a bit squeemish about making a doll totally look like even a favorite character. . .

 

I was long time on the " I want a Character Doll!"-Trip...I wanted a Integra Hellsing or Rip van Winkle (Hellsing) Doll for me, but after Months I decided that this is (in my eyes) just stupid. I never could give my Dolls other clothings, because it wouldn't be "in-character" anymore D:

 

Thinking of names is TORTURE sometimes. I have a few *fave* names and characters to along with them, so really its a matter of choosing the right doll for the name.

I'm basing Rosaleen on Lilliana from Snow White: a Tale of Terror, though her namesake is from The Company of Wolves. Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood being my two favorite fairytales. Though I'm sure her personality will differ from both of those characters. I finally chose Rosaleen because of the way it sounds, and it just fits the doll I want to get. So she'll be an original character with a name based on a movie. I'm having more trouble with my *wishing for* Saint...I sort of want to call him Rhys, because he's Welsh, while at the same time I'm considering Mordred since I love the character so much, though I don't want to limit him to that character alone. Its tough to choose really.