Doll Names : Orginality vs Characters

I wouldn't name one of my dolls after a pre-existing character unless I made that character. I would hate to have a set personality for a doll before I was able to bond with it myself and get a feel for what the personality really is.
All of my dolls receive names from the part of the world that they come from. Thier birthday is the day they arrive, so then most of the personality is based on their astrological sign.

 

Why do you enjoy character based dolls? Have you also had a character based doll that ended up turning into an original?

I don't have any adapted character-based dolls, but I can see the appeal of them. I really enjoy my comics, fantasy novels, television shows, and so forth, so I can see why people might become drawn or connected to certain characters. If there wasn't any drawing power or charisma to these characters or even iconic figures, then projects like DIM's Minimee wouldn't be so popular.

Some people also modify the characters and bring out certain traits they like more. It's interesting to see! I love seeing stuff come out of neat manga like Kuroshitsuji, goth work...I even plan to do a Berserk cosplay: my two Soom IOs (Alon and Ulan) as Gatts and Griffith, and my Limhwa Half-elf (Tala) will be Casca! ^o^ I might wait until I get my Buddydoll Isabel (Mutya) because she would make a great Farneze.

To owners of these dolls: Why do you enjoy original dolls? Do you find it distressing or upsetting when people emulate your original doll or copy his/her name without asking? Or do you feel names are just names and are up for grabs.

I suppose I enjoy the idea of a blank slate I can play around with; however, sometimes they take on their own characters without much prodding.

My first doll Hitomi's name was inspired by Hitomi from Escaflowne...I liked her because she was such a strong-willed character (even though she was a young high school girl). There's something refreshing about seeing a heroine who is willing to do things with or without anyone's help. However, her look was more inspired by Kaori Yuki's gothic manga work. So, even though she's an original character, she's had some influences here and there by script and manga writers I enjoy.

My second doll Ryuu is based on my smooth and icy RPG character from the late 90s. There wasn't much tweaking to do with him. Funnily enough, later on Mi-kyung Yoon released The Bride of the Water God which is crazy similar to the world I had envisioned for Ryuu! Very neat.

I don't think anyone has ever emulated my dolls, but I don't know what I would do if anyone would. My dolls aren't really that appealing outside of the tattoo/alternative/gothy/decaying antique world. As for names, there are a lot of names out there that mean different things in different languages. My first two dolls have Japanese names (well Hitomi's second name is Vietnamese), but the rest of my dolls have names in my mum's mother tongue, Tagalog.

 

All of my dolls are original Characters. I don't mind if people have the same names as my dolls. When I was naming my first two dolls I wanted names that weren't on the forum. (I did a name search in the gallery) Since then there are three with one name and two of the other. I doesn't bother me at all, people in life have the same name as me so it will happen with dolls. It's nice to have to only name here but I also know they were the first so no one can ever get bugged at me for 'copying'! lol

 

Hmmm...My doll was created based on an original character. I enjoy original dolls because it is interesting to see other peoples thoughts through their dolls. Judas is my own character created for a comic I am slowly working on. While he is very dear to me, the name of Judas is probably quite popular, given the concept of it. I already knew that there was probably more than one of the name, haha. It doesn't bother me at all to share doll names with someone else. I haven't ever in my life met someone with my own real life name though haha.

After all, even if the doll names are the same, the characters, I think, will be very different. That is the differing point, so it's not like two people will ever have the exact same doll. I would be angry however, if someone copied down the very last grain of my characters. That's why I prefer to keep the bulk them to myself.

 

I first became interested in these dolls because of the fact that you could make it an original character. The moment I first saw them, I wanted to make one of my main character, Thanial. To me, making a pre-existing character would be boring. It's like drawing fanart. It's pretty, yes, but in the end, I feel a lack of acomplishment and creativity.

I only have one doll so far, and he is of my OC, and the others I plan on getting will be of OCs as well. I think that perhaps, in the far far future, it might be fun to make one or two character dolls. I wouldn't go so far as to make my collection entirely characters though, that would take the fun out of things for me.

On another note, I love to draw, design clothes, and sew, so original dolls are more appealing for those reasons as well. I feel like my 2D art is coming to life when I make clothes for my original doll. [though I can't say I know what it's like to make a character doll, I don't think it would feel the same.]

 

I like creating original concepts for dolls.. but to me, most names will be used again. At least one of my 3 probably shares a name with another doll... but names pretty common. I mean, in LARP (if any of you know what that is) there would be like... 10 people with characters named "Damien" even though they never met each other before then. Pandora is a mythological name so it will undoubtedly be used by someone else... but I'm not so sure (even though the name is from a game) Dunkelzahn would be used by anyone else lol, but Mao probably would be .

 

i'm naming my higurashi after a movie character, but its not like i want her to be exactly like her. I think its a beautiful name and it symbolizes my love for asian stuff

 

I have both. However I have found that my character based doll (aka Remy) has taken on a life of his own. He may have the history of the character he is based on, but he is continuing is his story with the original characters. As for the original ones, I don't so much...create a storyline for them...as create a premise and let it blossom from there. I would say that I love them all equally and enjoyed and continue to enjoy them all in pretty equal amounts.

As for names...I tend towards the somewhat fantasy...so Cyprian, Ashyr, Rhys, Faeyth and Kithryl... a couple of them I have seen used by others, but it really only makes me curious to see what their doll with the same name looks like.

There ARE names out there I wouldn't use simply because they bring another doll (or person) to mind. Not because of what others would think, but because the name in my mind would always be associated with another.

This is an exceedingly rambled response...thanks for bearing with!

 

I really can't imagine myself owning a doll who is... Just a doll, whose name, story and personality I have to make from scratch. I like thinking out different stories and characters, but I just can't see dolls as something that will represent them. Though I really respect those who can.

But the same goes for already existing characters. It just happend that my favorite character IS a doll - so I suppose I'm going to think of my doll as of character itself, not representation. But I can't imagine buying a doll to represent other characters I like either.

Maybe when I get my doll I will change my opinion.

 

I actually bought my doll with no set personality or character in mind. He's just developed his own. I have made a roleplay character of him but changed his name as it didn't feel right putting his name. I think this was maybe as it was my forum and they knew of Akio0 they're all accepting but i may have been puishing the boundaries. Also my bfs dad is like mod and he would poke fun whihc he already does XD

 

My doll isn't here yet. I just ordered him on June 2.

When I first saw him on line I thought to myself thats it thats who I need. I named him Hunter. I have 2 sons Marcus and Sirius. One of Sirius names as going to be Hunter but my friend and my son Marcus voted for Sirius. So when I saw the Doll Zone doll Mo-Dark Knight doll. it was love at first sight and well my muse said this is your Hunter.

Day 7.

 

I like both. I have a background in cosplaying and sometimes it's fun to have a doll permanently cosplay, especially if they have to have a faceup or modding done to portray that character. For instance... I'm making a Spock doll. He has to look Vulcan. My green girl is named Elphaba after the Wicked Witch of the West (but she's not that Elphie).

But I also have originally named dolls. They may have the same names and ethnicity as a character or actor I like... but the name kinda goes with the ethnicity. For instance I have a Neela and it's a Hindu name and she looks Indian.

Some I just made up or they were inspired by favorite names... Julian was a character name in an Ann Rice novel (Mayfair Witches), Evangeline was a name from Nanny McPhee. Pualani is Hawaiian for Sky Flower. I kinda made it up after hearing IZ sing "Twinkle Twinkle" with the last word being "lani" meaning sky. "Pua" is prefix for flower. She's in honor of my parents who live on Oahu.

 

For me personally, Swiper was named for and inspired by, personality-wise, a pre-existing character, but he is NOT that character. He is his own person. (And the character he's named for is a robot, anyway, so it's not like I could make a BJD of him even if I wanted to!) However, as someone who has modified Barbie dolls into both OCs and much-loved pre-existing characters, I see no problem with it. It's fun to have your own representations of favourite characters! That's why toylines based on movies/TV shows do so well!

 

Although I have no dolls myself yet, one of the things that attracted me to them was the idea of making a character for them. Because of that I can’t see myself owning a character doll unless I had a strong enough desire to place my own character in an already existing world.

 

I'm a bit crazy I guess cus I dont own any as of yet but I have an entire world and full fleshed out characters waiting for them. ^^ Force of habit for me really. I dont need much to come up with stuff like that. Most of the time I come up with a character shortly after I see a doll I like/want. Then I just continue to develop them until they're complete. ^^ Usually if the interest in the character is strong, the process will be within 24-48 hours. XD

 

My first doll (whom I am waiting for!) and my second doll (whom I am saving for!) will both be fandolls. I write fan fiction involving two specific characters, but they are my extrapolation of what these characters would be like several years after the manga ends. As these two are not the main characters of the manga I have had to fill in a lot of details, and I feel as though I know my version of these characters as well as I know any of the original characters I have created in my other writing. As far as looks, go however, I am trying to be true to the original artist's vision. I am actually having a lot of fun looking for the right sculpt, wig, eyes, etc., as well as designing costumes that will be as accurate as possible. But I will also be designing costumes based on my work. So I do not see a fan doll as limited as one might imagine.

 

At least they actually MAKE sharingan eyes. XD I had the devil's own time finding the right shade of teal for my Kiyo.

Interesting point, though -- a lot of fandolls end up sort of being variations on a theme, incorporating a certain amount of our personal fanon (for those of us who are fanficcers/RPers for those particular characters). So really, they're not as limited as one might initially think once you start taking that sort of character extrapolation into acccount.

 

I don't think there's much "debate" here for me.

Fan dolls- If you love a character enough, making a doll of them is fun- then you have your very own to hug!

Original character dolls- I have a lot of OCs, and my doll has become his own character. If someone "copies" his name, well, I didn't have a patent on the name, *shrug*, it's very old. Anybody can use it.
If someone is able to copy his "look", I'll be rather surprised. The odds of them doing that and not making theirs a little different are astronomical. And IF they did manage to somehow duplicate the handworked costume and faceup on a doll, and then ALSO named it Mathonwy...
Eh, I might be annoyed. I might just be flattered and then ignore it.

 

This. I love the name Logan, but I've known too many men with that name to ever use it for a character.

I'm not one for fan dolls, though cosplay can be fun. I like unusual, but believable names for my oc's like Corvus, Linh, and Andon.

 

i dunno, i'm not into recreating/reusing someone else's characters. i suppose i'm all for originality when it comes to things like this. i come up with the names too and they're more or less original as well (if there's similar names out there, it's purely coincidental). I have a penchant for creative naming, and while I love the names Vincent and Kamui, I'd rather not name a doll that (i already overuse the first in my stories XD).