Doll Names : Orginality vs Characters

Yeah, I'm not much of A character person either, Thats how i came up with my Baby girls name, Kristinna, It's kind of like... Naming a child, Kristinna told me her name right after i opened her egg(Shes a wishel with bat wings and horns) so let you doll tell you their name

hope i helped

 

after reading responses here I see a lot of us have the same things to say, primarily being that no matter how creative we attempt to be the odds are against us that our dolls are truly original. I know of no one else having a doll named Corpselight (mostly cos his name is rather deliberately naff, yes, I am aware it is naff *laughs* stage names), but I do know of several Corpses, Cains, Willows, Ables. Aarons, Brendas, Mikeys, Darcys, Gunthers....I could go on. That said I would never be offended by someone naming their doll the same as any of mine. However I would be offended if someone directly copied my doll and THEN tried to claim theirs was the original, as all of my dolls are original characters based off of roleplay characters of mine, and their associated entourage. For me that creative process of an original doll is key.

That said I do see the appeal of character dolls,a nd have considered a few, but they would simply not fit into my story. However because humans are creative by their very nature even the most purist based character doll is going to be in some way original, as the character of that doll is an interpretation, the original artist's concept filtered through the mind of the individual doll owner/creator to conclude in something truly unique. That in itself is prescious.

 

There are a few fan-characters I'd consider getting as dolls, but I always second-guess myself about whether or not I'll love the non-original character as much in the future as I do now. It comes down to cash flow and prioritizing: I'd rather get the original characters to fill out my current doll characters' stories than get dolls of non-original characters.

Now, if I won the lottery...

As for names, all of my dolls have relatively unoriginal names. I'm always worried someone's going to think I've copied them! XD I've never been suspicious of someone else copying my characters' names.

 

my fook twins are characters by coincidence. i saw that juri 05 head, and fel in love. when she arrived and i held her in my hand, i immediately thought of yaya han (of angelicstar.net) cosplaying as fook yu. after that i was stuck now i have a mau head who is going to be an origional character- sort of... she is going to be the doll-personification of my vagina (read the v-monologues too many times i guess lol)

but one thing i have to say about origional dolls is this: most of them are not very origional (and i know i cant spell that so dont rag on me i cant help it-its compulsion >.<)

most 'origional' dolls are gay vampire elf boys with some sort of scar and long hair. or they are emo/punk/goth lolitas. i love me some gay boy, but only the first 500 gayboy dolls i see. after that i roll my eyes.

 

Wow.

Well, that was something I certainly didn't expect to see in the land of DoA. Caught me off-guard a little.

 

I have to say that Shin, my Too, is original because his character and attitude were developed after he'd arrived.
I enjoy both kinds of characters in dolls. Both the originals and the character based dolls are fun to behold.
Character based dolls are fun because you have to admire someone who will either make or buy the necessary pieces of that characters attire to make them reality. You can always tell who the more devoted, dare I say obsessed?, one are with the extent of detail.
Original dolls have infinitely more flexibility when being developed and as such can be that much more fun to discover. The problem that I feel some see is that the original dolls are more a reflection of their inner selves. Those small parts that they don't let out of the proverbial bottle. Just because some peoples inner selves are similar doesn't make them any less unique by any means.

Back to the point though.

I can't say that I'd be peeved if someone took the idea that I discovered for Shin. I can't say that I'd even be miffed if someone took his name. I've seen more than a few dolls named, "Kaede" and they were all different. Heck I'd like to have a Delf to design and call 'Kaede'. My later plans include buying and designing a character that I've been using for quite a few years in RP games.

 

I have Cain (rolling head at the moment) from Trinity Blood series and current plans are to doll rest of the krusniks too. Which would make Cain + three others. Reason is that I absolutely adore and love Thores Shibamoto illustrations of them. The thought to have Thores artwork in mini-size, feeled way too tempting. Ofcourse I am trying my best to get them to look as much like the artwork as possible. And their main function will probably stay as art piece since it would feel weird to make photo stories of them (especially when one of them is supposed to be dead)

While ago, I played with an idea to make doll of character from yet another series. Then I started to think that if I would really get the doll, I do not want to make it like excat character after all since it would be so hard to fit along my own creations. So the doll started to form its own personality and style in my head. His looks are mainly same than the original series character has, even the name is twist of the original, but it is still going to be different guy. So I think that I could say that he is half original and half character based.

 

At this point in time, there have lived so many billions of people on the Earth that one would be fairly hard-pressed to come up with a "unique" name that no one "has ever used before throughout all of history". Heck; there's a DoA user, who joined after I did, whose username is my first doll's name - but I did not expect his name was "unique", and even when I "make up" names, I do not expect the same either. ^^

 

My doll (which I'm still waiting for atm) is so absolutely a character doll. He's going to be *my* interpretation of (teen) Snape. No doubt about that whatsoever.

I'd like, at some point to get him a Lucius as well (they're such a pretty couple) but for now he's just going to be my Snape. Probably not a Snape like J K Rowling ever imagined him (but then again she never truly *understood* Snape... Poor thing) but very very much as he is in my mind.

And yes, it limits what he'll likely ever wear... except... there's always fanfiction And in any case, Movie-canon differs quite a lot from book-canon when it comes to clothes, so there's a lot of opportunities there as well.

I know there's already a few Snapes here. Anything else would have surprised me. But it will always be my personal vision of Snape and that in itself makes it unique IMO

 

My first Doll, Daye is not a Cos-play character, he is the character that seemed to form in my mind from the day I first looked at him.
I willl probably have my random moments where I will dress him up as other characters, but he's Daye, not say.. Kuja from FinalFantasy9 or somthing, even though my friend and I have been plotting an outfirt for him.
I dont think its bad to want your doll to be an existing character, one some level I think its pretty brave to show your interpretation in some way that isn't just in your own mind and I don't think I'd have the faith in my own creative abilities to do it properly.. but still, as far as I'm concerned, orginal characters, or possibly a take on one of my OC's will definately suit me best in my opinoin.

 

most of my dolls have names that I myself either completely created, or that are so rare, few want them. I've never met anyone who had dolls named anything NEAR Arachne, Aquido, or Dresden. When i get my next girl, She will be named Anyanka. LOL So i think i'm pretty safe in the distinguishable names area.

 

As in the Arachne of Greco-Roman mythology, who was turned into a spider by Athena? Dresden as in the city in Germany, or the character from the Jim Butcher book and television series, "The Dresden Files"? Anyanka as in the demon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

Just sayin', most of the names of your dolls have pre-existing, relatively well-known characters as well.

 

i don't believe i said anything about the names being unknown. I said "Distinguishable". They stand out as different. I didn't say that the names i chose weren't "pre-existing", nor did i imply it. Please do not assume. I in no way claimed that the names were all my creation, other than Aquido.

I also chose names that i have yet to see anyone name their dolls. That is what i was getting at. I don't like having dolls that have names that other people use. I tend to make sure that the names i choose (for the most part) are unused thus far to my knowledge, within the doll community. (although i know that could change if someone likes a name), and even when i DO name one of my dolls a common name, the spelling is almost always changed, to make it completely different. It's just how I work. When i choose a name, i choose a name that my doll will not be sharing with too many other dolls.


not to mention, Aquido is a name i MADE UP completely, which you left out pretty much entirely. His name was created, with the idea of Aqua....water, and him being Atlantean.

I like being unique with my dolls, and the whole point of what i said was that the names i choose, few are going to use. There are names that everyone and their mother chooses, and there are names that few/no one uses. I just choose to be in the few/no one category.

 

My boy's name is Albedo. I was holding him after he first arrived, and looking at him, I heard the name "Albedo" in my head. My first reaction? "Nooooooooo! You do NOT want to be called that!" And I promptly Youtubed various scenes of Albedo from Xenosaga at his many peaks of insanity.

The name stuck even as I forced my poor little boy to watch scenes of XS Albedo decapitating Realians, and I finally just googled the name and found out it's an alchemical term representing light and purification. So although the name has a firm holding in popular culture, it means something completely different when applied to him. (Of course, it doesn't stop me or any of my friends from shouting "ALBEDO!" in Junior's voice in his general direction from time to time.) Albedo is not a character doll at all, even though he has what would appear to be a character name - he's very much his own person.

I think what I'm getting at is that you can name a doll whatever you want, and plan for their character and any other details as much as you want, but their own personality will shine through in the end and that is what makes every doll unique. So as far as "copying" goes, you may as well try to copy a human being - you may come close, but it will never be a perfect imitation.

 

I do suggest that if any of the hypothetical 'you' out there have a name for a doll (or pet, or child) that you think is fairly unique, and someone else names a doll (or pet, or child) something similar, it is pointless to get all "Grade School" on them and whine about "copying". Many people draw inspiration from the same types of sources.

Someone I know named her first child "Elana" thinking she'd made it up and it was "totally unique". It's actually an ethnic variation on "Helen".

 

Its hard to not fall in the pit of a clichéy or overly unique name. But its your doll you imaginationn I am going to say one thing make it mean something eather in the meaning in the name its self or in the way the doll is presented.

 

I don't have a doll made after a show character. My dolls have been bought to be original, but they do cosplay characters with me. I personally prefer not being held to someone else's character definitions. My MSD is named after Anathema Device from the book Good Omens. I like the character and thought she looked a little like my MSD, but I didn't make her to be that character. Just....similar. Same name, different personality.

That said....I have no problem with people making dolls based on characters from shows or bands. I love me some Puppenjungs. I love customizing Ponies and Pinky:ST figures into characters I like on TV on that, but I think of them not as the character exactly. They are my representation of that character and for BJDs its too much cost for me to make something I can't have free reign with. If I want to dress up one of my dolls I feel I can because its not like I made a doll based on someone else's character so I have to think 'would they wear this?'.

And I don't think there is anything wrong with taking something you like about someone else's doll and incorporating it to yours, be it a name or a wig or what have you. Copying a doll head to toe would be awkward of course, but still its like making fanart or fandolls for shows and bands, just not as well known outside of the community. I feel like people get too possessive of what is 'theirs' even as they make fanart and think its ok because its on TV. Maybe I just think too much.

 

Piyoko- And if you ever need to cover your tracks you can pretend you just liked the sound of it ^__^ That is actually a really cool name for a doll, and cosplay or not it can always kind of be in honour of the character.
I can't remember where I first heard the name Guy as well, a name. All I know is that it WASN'T Guy Fawkes, or I'd never have used it. Jeez.

 

I will make all my sweetnesses original.. When i get them.

 

I would die if someone copied Shylers name, but I wouldn't mind if they got it from the same place as me before I got my Shyler.

But I hope to god no one will copy Shyler's character, because he is very special to me and close to my heart in many ways.

Names are just names, but if someone copied Shyler on purpose after seeing my doll, I would be very distressed. But moreso if they copied the doll directly.