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Don't have a Grail Doll?

Sep 2, 2018

    1. So, for as long as I've been in this hobby I've seen people talking about their grail dolls and how they feel about them and if they're saving up, missed the opportunity to own, or already brought home their personal grail doll...

      But to be honest, I don't think I have one. It's not that I dislike the concept or anything. I mean sure I've seen many beautiful sculpts, and I do love the dolls I have, and plan to eventually have more, but I've just never been in a position where I've seen a doll and thought "You. You are the one I want above all others!"

      So my question is, does anyone else not have a grail doll? Is it strange not to have one? I feel like I can't be the only person in the hobby who doesn't.
       
      • x 1
    2. For me grail doll doesn't have to be the ultimate, for me a grail is a doll i see and am automatically breathtaken by but can't afford for a while. I've had a few and actually just bought my most recent one today. But i don't think not having one is a bad thing at all.
       
    3. I don't think that's strange at all. I was interested in the hobby since middle school (around 2006) for me, but it wasn't until around 2014/2016 that I found my grail doll. Before that, there were a lot of dolls that I really liked but none that I was like, "Yep, I need this thing in my life.". I don't think there's anything wrong with not having a grail doll at all. Maybe you just haven't found one yet, or maybe it's just not something that applies to you at all. There's nothing wrong with that.
       
    4. I just ordered my very first doll last month, still processing, and she is my grail doll so I cannot fully answer yet but I do expect that it will make me super happy :D
       
    5. I've never really understood the concept of a grail, to be honest... There are definitely favorite sculpts, rare/limited dolls I'm always keeping an eye out for secondhand, and dolls I plan to save for and buy as soon as I can, but... I always got the impression that a "grail" doll was a combination of all 3? I suppose it means something a little different to everyone.

      I guess the closest I've come was my Dollzone Benjamin, since he is the first doll that I loved so much it made me think that it was a reasonable financial decision to spend $225 on a doll. But even then, it doesn't really feel right to call him my grail... He was the first doll I bought and I bought him right away. There's no longing or grinding outside of the wait time to get him made...
       
      • x 2
    6. I don't think you're an oddball for not having a grail. Technically, I never really had a grail in the most common definition of the term in the hobby. I've had bjds come up that were must-haves because they perfectly fit specific characters I was looking to shell, but it was always about the character first over the actual sculpt itself. I don't really covet specific sculpts (although there are plenty out there I admire for their craftsmanship), but more so focus on my OCs. Multiple sculpts could work for one specific character, but no one sculpt can just become that character in my mind (which is why I only collect those I intent to make into specific OCs).

      Grail as a term can also mean something different to each person as well. For some it is about obtaining that one specific doll they've had their eye on. For others it's about what my goal was: getting the perfect sculpts that match our original characters. For others still it is obtaining a bjd that fulfills a certain need, or vision (e.g.: a specific fantasy sculpt, creature doll, or something of the like).

      Don't feel bad that you don't have any that you could call grails. Everyone approaches the hobby differently, and our tastes evolve the longer we're in it. You might one day find yourself gaining an ultimate grail, or you might not. I say just enjoy the hobby and the blessed crew you have (and the ones you'll obtain in the future).:kitty2
       
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    7. I don't have a grail doll either - I haven't been in this hobby for very long, so it might just be that I haven't been around long enough to see a doll that is my ultimate goal. There are definitely sculpts I would really love to own, but I wouldn't consider any of them grail dolls.
       
      • x 1
    8. As @jade-eyed-cat mentioned, don't think you are an oddball for not having a grail.

      There is no standard or particular way to experience the bjd hobby. Doll owners don't have to feel guilty for writing/not writing elaborate background stories, for sending their dolls/not sending their dolls to a faceup artist, sewing/not sewing clothes, etc..

      What you do with your collection that brings personal joy and fulfillment is what really matters at the end.

      She is also correct about the variety of definitions we in the doll community give to the term grail. For me, a grail doll means that I have wanted that doll for a long time, but for a whatever reason, I was unable to buy it and I have thus postponed the purchase. There is a great sense of satisfaction to finally get a doll you have wanted for a long time (and still want), even if that doll is not a limited run. :lol:

      Enjoy your hobby @ZylphiaCrowley the way you want to. That is generally the best advice we can give.:thumbup
       
    9. My understanding of 'grail doll' is one that's almost impossible to find- like it was a limited edition or discontinued and you have to search and search to find one. I don't think it's the same thing as "the doll I would most like to have" if that doll is readily available. So from that point of view, not everyone has a grail, and if you don't have one I would consider you lucky!
       
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    10. For me, my grail is not a doll I covet above all the rest, but one I know will be difficult to obtain. For a while my grail was my girl's body, which was expensive and required a good amount of finagling and waiting. Now that I have that, it has moved on to the body for my next hybrid, which is not yet in production with no idea if or when it will be finished. It really depends on one's definition. Maybe you haven't found one that suits you yet. Or maybe you really don't have any. Either way, nothing wrong with that.
       
    11. I dont really have a grail doll either, so I dont think its weird not to have one. I love my dollzone zo ( my first doll) and when I saw the head sculpt and the b45-015 body I had to get it, but its not my grail, mlre the first sculpt I fell in love with.

      I guess if I did have a grail (in the traditional sense of a sculpt being rare, hard to find, etc) it would be to make my own doll from scratch, but I don't have any plans to make one so I guess that means I dont have a grail doll?
       
      #11 Catsiel, Sep 2, 2018
      Last edited: Sep 2, 2018
    12. No, I don't think everybody has a "real" grail doll, mostly because lot of people scream "G R A I L D O L L" at every doll they see. But some people do have the one grail doll.

      When I first discovered about bjds (and until not long ago) my grail doll was the DoD Delphine fullset in grey. For me it was a grail because I couldn't find her anywhere. Now, I've found one for a fair price (even if it's a WS, but who cares) and I'm buying her.


      EDIT:

      Problem is that the meaning of "grail doll" is "dolls I like". It's a term people wrongly use in that way. Just because people think it means that, it doesn't mean it's the right meaning. It's like saying the word "cat" actually refers to "dog".

      And no. "But for me -grail doll- means..." is not a justification for misinterpreting the meaning of a conception.

      I don't understand why people HAVE to "ruin" things just because those things don't fit in their narrative.

      Just saying.
       
      #12 Demiurgo, Sep 2, 2018
      Last edited: Sep 2, 2018
      • x 3
    13. Not everyone has a grail, and honestly, if there isn’t a doll you desperately want that it would take a minor miracle to get your hands on, you’re better off without that stress. It seems like a lot of newer hobbyists overgeneralize “grail” to mean “doll I have to save up a long time for,” or “hobby goal I am working towards,” and that’s not really what the term originally meant.
       
      • x 1
    14. Well in that case I guess I don't have any grails after all.
       
    15. What made you finally choose your first doll and get into the hobby? Could it be that you already have your grail doll? If you missed the chance to buy that first doll you decided on, or it was discontinued before you could buy it, do you think you would have continued to look for a chance to acquire it? Or would you have easily moved on to some other doll to get into the hobby?

       
    16. If the beauty of the doll takes my breath away, like IH Mari did for me, it is a grail doll. I have an immediate "must have this doll or die!". There are 3 more dolls that have done that. Ghost General DF-H, IH Foma Yui, and the Fa Lang limited. I really thought one doll would be enough. I was horribly wrong.
       
      • x 1
    17. Considering all that really goes into for someone to qualify a doll as a grail... Yeah, I've never really had a grail doll. Even my favorite girl of all time is a regularly available sculpt. Any artist cast dolls I end up getting who are rare is because they're a good deal when I find them. Pretty much it's because I happen upon them, I'm not actively saving up or hunting for them.
       
    18. My knowledge of bjd dolls is as limited as my budget. I love the photos and customized dolls I've seen here and elsewhere but my Grails are limited to what I can afford on the secondary market. Hence, a Kaye Wiggs 'Gracie' doll and an old Volks Licht boy was added to my collection. I can't afford the new ones except for a Yo sd size and have my eye on a K.I.D. Lonnie. One's ordinary can be another's grail.
       
    19. I wouldn't say I have a grail doll. There is a sculpt I've been liking ever since I saw her and may end up purchasing soon but that's about it. My tastes have also changed a lot over time so some dolls I really liked when I first started the hobby just don't have the same appeal for me anymore.
       
    20. You are right. I am also new, under a year. But, if the character is powerful enough, they can make the doll special as a Grail. While I was waiting on Mari, I bought two Miro's, and they are very nice. Over the months they have grown into real personalities.