Dollzone Originality - Discuss it here.

Thought I'd comment on the holiday limiteds that Dollzone's recently announced. The fox and the rabbit strike me as interesting choices, given the popularity of Pipos Baha and Curo. The faces are pretty different, the bodies are pretty different, so I don't think it can be said that the designs are direct copies by any stretch. The originality of the concept is debatable. I don't think it's a huge leap to mistake the Dollzone fox for a cat, and the jointed ears and shape of the bunny head are perhaps an admiring glance toward the construction of Curo's head. Is it any worse than copying a Warhol for art class? In my feeling, a bit. Technically, money isn't changing hands... these are gift items, right? It strikes me as stemming from a thought like "Well, we know we took an idea from another source and made it our own, but we're not really selling it, so we've done no wrong."

 

And Dreaming Doll has those little dog headed dolls... and elfdoll did Catsy before Pipos ever made an anthropomorphic cat doll. There have been others I'm sure, Pipos just happened to strike a cord and make them popular.

So...no. Sorry. Not really what your describing there. Seeing a popular trend and trying to cash in isn't the same thing as what they did before. Its just like how everyone is making tinies all of a sudden. Yo-SD, Honey Delf... its popular. Or the sudden shift to more mature bodies for MSD sized dolls. DoD did it... then luts...

Its the same way all of a sudden everyone is doing either Pirates or Ninjas. Both are insanely popular right now so toy companies are leaping to put out something that might appeal to the popular trend.

And really, as people have already pointed out in the discussion thread, there are only so many ways to make a rabbit. And they both are definitely more animal like that than the Pipos dolls are.

 

I'm with nissi_nirvani on this one. There are several different companies making animal dolls, because animal dolls seem to be doing pretty well. The designs are all different, so I don't see the problem. Plenty of doll companies tend to springboard off each other--like with the more muscular boys, taller dolls, double joints etc. Nothing exists in a vacuum and there's a lot out there that is built off of what was there before.

 

I think everyone has their own idea of what is and isn't copying.

I'm guessing most people would agree that the anthro Dollzones are definately not direct copies of Pipos or another company, but that they are likely to be heavily inspired by them.

Personally I don't see this as copying. It's looking at what is popular in the market and creating your own product to appeal in the same way.

I see doll copying as recasts, and so I don't see the anthro Dollzones as copies.

The fact that Dollzone have copied in the past is bound to rouse suspicion, but I don't think there is need for suspicion here.

(All this is just my opinion, same as my opinion that parts of Volks Yukinojo was used to make the 70cm Dollzones. I'm not trying to force my view on anyone. But feel free to agree if you wish XD)

 

I must agree with most folks here. I don't see the Christmas gift animals as copying. It's just a popular trend that a number of companies are cashing in on. Personally I love the fox & bunny but don't want anything else enough to qualify for them.

 

Boy there is a lot of sadoequinecrophilia in this topic.

 

As I stated originally, I wasn't saying that they just went ahead and made molds using other parts, not at all. What I was getting at wasn't that they were ripping off the sculpts, but they weren't being particularly innovative, particularly with the approach to attaching the bunny ears to the head. In terms of discussing originality, it's not very novel or original. I don't think anyone can look at these dolls and say that these are totally new concepts (anyone familar with ball-jointed dolls, at least).

The thing that struck me in particular was the way the addressed the ears on the bunny. Jointed ears? Why? I've got a soft spot in my heart for bunnies, and I've had all sorts of bunny dolls and bunny things and bunny figures, but I've never seen a bunny with jointed ears before the Pipos bunny. It's a pretty unique design solution and pretty distinct. I'm surprised that they didn't construct a head that was one solid shape. I can't imagine that it'd be that tricky to cast a head with ears attached.

For what it's worth, Elfdoll Catsy is pretty distinct in that she's very tiny and very slim. She's more like a teenage girl kind of cat wheread Baha is more like a little toddler kitty. I'm not familiar with the other one you mentioned, so can't comment.

What is it that you want out of that statement? It's not a comment on the topic of Dollzone originality, at least not directly. It is a very nice use of a five-dollar word, though. SAT-riffic!

EDIT: I realized that I was asserting that Pipos Curo and the new Dollzone bunny both used joints for ears. I tried to find the picture that made me think so, I'm not finding it. I will cop to being wrong about that one for now. I still don't think that a bunny and fox that looks like a cat is particularly innovative.

 

Ok. How many different types of doll companies are there? A lot right I'd say, and you have to keep in mind that each company will have multiple sculpts (hopefully!). With how many there are there are bound to be similarities.

I've been looking at the images closely and while Dollzone did have one that was identical there others that people keep comparing have subtle differences. Such as the way that the nose turns, an indent there... I know that for many this isn't a big deal but with the shear amount of dolls does it really make a difference? If it doesn't look like this one, then it probably will look like that one.

 

A big reason I can think of to joint the ears is because, otherwise, it's very likely that they might snap off. With the joint, they'd just bend at that sort of impact. So this sort of follows the idea of seeing something that works and going along with it- it's no different from implementing a double joint to increase poseability, or adding a torso joint.

 

I see your point. There are really so many ways to innovate a doll, but it's still possible to come up with a distinct look to your work. Dollzone does have a certain look to the eyes. Dollmore dolls look a certain way. DIM dolls have it, CP dolls have it, Elfdolls have it, and Volks dolls do, too.

Say you came up with a recipe for a new pasta sauce made out of stewed zucchini instead of tomato. It's still a pasta sauce, but you've used an ingredient in a new and interesting way and it gets really popular and then lots of other restaurants start making pasta with zucchini sauce. They have their zucchini pasta, and maybe some of them have even improved upon it. Now, you've inspired people to try other pasta sauces - so many people are now doing their sauces with other fleshy, savory fruit, and one guy's made a sauce out of lettuce and sugar pumpkins. Wow, lettuce and sugar pumpkins, a winning combination! It's so crazy that it must be good, and indeed it gets a good following going! Then, someone starts making one with sugar pumpkin and Boston lettuce. Wow. Someone already did that. There is so much competition for these crazy sauces that now there's just duplication, nobody is really being that original anymore. It's like they took the novelty and just kept carrying it on until it wasn't that new and great anymore. I guess I'm just not impressed. There are so many other ways you can take something... and if you have the knowledge to know how to sculpt things and cast things and make neat stuff, you should keep a distinctive edge. Don't reinvent the wheel when you can make a hovercraft.

 

It's hard to make a hovercraft look like a travel device when you're surrounded by wheels though. Doing something too new would probably hurt as much as help.

 

I think the Dollzone sculpts are the best looking full-animal BJD sculpts yet. I think they are are gorgeous. I don't think that just because one company made a full standing cat or rabbit BJD that no other company can make those particular animals. Ditto for joints - yes there is a reason for a rabbit's ears to be jointed - just like there is a reason for wrists to be jointed on human BJDs. Rabbits move their ears.

I think Curo looks older
http://www.dollndoll.com/shop/step1.php?number=790
And Dollzone Bunny looks more like a baby bunny (in fact would be great for younger sibling of Curo since it is 3/4 the size of Curo) - scroll past other photos:
http://www.dollndoll.com/shop/step1.php?number=790

And Dollzone has the fox - quite unique. But that does not mean Pipos or anyone else can't decide to make a fox.

If there are going to be animal BJD's, you have to face it that the three main cutesy animals are kitty puppy bunny. Kitties and bunnies also have decora/fruits and goth connotations. BJD hats and hoodies sometimes have cat or bunny ears. They are obvious choices.

My opinion,
Carolyn

 

No pics of how DZ's bunny ears are attached but from what I can see so far, I don't think they're ball jointed.

I agree. It's not particularly novel or original. But so is a lot of things in the BJD hobby. One company releases Elves, a large majority start releasing Elves. One company releases Tinies, the others see a market and go for it too. One company released 70cm boys, woahhey, other companies start going for larger dolls too. It's all about the business. A business sees something working for another business, they're going to cash in on it.

While I would love to see more innovation among BJD sculptors, the fact is that we're always going to see sculpts that are 'inspired' by others. I would also love innovation among doll owners and see different things they could do with their dolls, but again, we're always going to see a lot of similarities among BJDs.

Edit: Forgot to mention that Elfdoll produced the Piggy after Pipos came out with their Cat and Rabbit, and before Dollzone came out with their Fox and Rabbit. So...it's not that surprising that DZ decided to jump on the bandwagon.

 

personally, i see dollzone as a bit of a 'gothic' style company. i like that style for them; it works, its unique what they have there.

when i saw the bunny and fox i just thought it was totally out of their style. a cute little bunny in a pink dress is just not dollzone to me and actually makes me like them less. i dont know if its just me that thinks this but i do find it odd when a company does something very much out of style

but i cant blame them, i mean, the amount of people who want them and are planning to buy dollzone things they dont really want to get them. but alot of people who want the animal dollies arent interested in the other stuff, and i feel thats unsuprising. seems like they made a good choice, though

 

Now I wonder if Pipos start doing a Fox no one will cry OMG THEY COPIED DOLLZONE! Nope I don't think that's going to happen.

I am saddened to see that a lot of people put EVERYTHING Dollzone has done under scrutiny and yet a lot of companies are doing Yo-sd sized now and no one is yelling OMG copyright! at them.

First, these dolls are much smaller than the Pipos one and correct me if I am wrong but Pipos hasn't done a fox yet. And they aren't selling them they are gifts.

Second, yes we all know far and wide that Dollzone has copied in the past. But now they are doing their own thing. And excuse me but as for them copying the Volks Yukinojo bodies I've seen both and all I can say is no...they aren't copies.

If you don't like a company then don't buy from it. But don't drag them into the mud because you don't like them. They have redeemed themselves and a lot of people like their dolls. Yes what they have done in the past is bad, granted. But jumping on everything new they do by yelling OMG didn't they copy? is in my mind, pueril as well as malicious. People have been sued for speading rumors about people and companies have sued people who questionned their products. That's not going to happen here thank god.

 

Sadonecroequiphilia: n. def. The sadistic joy taken in beating a dead horse.

 

I agree with you. Everything dollzone does gets put under a magnifying glass, and is searched for signs of copying. It's ridicules. We know they made mistakes in the past, This the future! Don't live in the past.

On the pets, WONDERFUL. they are amazing. much more appealing to me, than the Pipos dolls. And they are gifts, amazing!. Dollzone has redeemed themselves. I have a Megi, and do you know why i picked him? his face sculp is so distinct. i've never seen a doll with eyes like dollzones.

I love dollzone, the company is doing amazing stuff.

Said my piece

 

I sort of knew when i saw the DZ pet dolls that comparisons would be drawn between them and the other petdolls being produced by other companies. I don't think a rabbit could look that much different without becoming butt-ugly so i guess DZ decided not to go down that route. Admittedly they are'nt groundbreaking in design but i don't think they have copied, just followed the trend as other members have already mentioned above.

 

You also have to consider the generic Asian rabbit form, through China and Japan. It is the basis of both bunnies. And if we really want to get silly, all the dolls by everyone are copies, they all have 2 arms, 2 legs, and a head! Just depends on how finely you want to split the hair (hare?).