Don't They ALL Look The SAME? (Face Wise)

Ah! That would actually be really cool to see, wouldn't it? I'd actually love to see one where the nose had been broken; I've got a character that would jump on that!

That's certainly part of it for me - often I have trouble identifying a doll in a gallery thread, but when I go to a meet-up and wander around the tables I recognize a lot of faces.

 

This is an excellent point, yes seeing a doll in person will be different and thanks a million for bringing my attention to such a thing instead of attacking me, because diffenetly i didn't see all of the mentioned companies dolls i only saw some of them and for sure seeing it with someone who is having experience about the company's sculpts will be informative and even might change the way i look at them

 

Look up pictures of Unidoll's Jace, if you haven't seen him yet... That guy had one of the most epic noses I've ever seen on a doll. Soom's Chrom isn't half bad, either, but Jace? He just had a profile to die for.

Unfortunately the company went under a few years back, and all of their sculpts are out of production as far as I know (I'm still kicking myself a little for not buying an Ark from them when I had the chance- ), so actually getting your hands on one could be tough. But if you want a guy with more than some cute little button on his face, he's one of the go-tos.

 

Wow, he looks great! I hadn't heard of Unidoll, which, if they went under, makes sense. Sadness! Little button noses are great on kids (which is why I am in love with the Fairyland Pong face), but a man needs a good character-building nose!

 

I'm thinking of modding one of my dolls to have a bigger, more hooked nose (like a more realistic version of Kanan Jarrus from Star Wars Rebels) and a bigger, wider jawline

As for the topic at hand, when I think of dolls looking too similar for me it's because while they may not have identical faces, they strictly follow a certain ratio for beauty with the placement, size and spacing of the eyes, nose, and lips they're too beautiful and too perfect for my tastes and kind of lack those little character quirks that I crave.

Three random dolls from 3 different companies overlaid:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/Bukubuku/perfect faces.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/Bukubuku/sameface 1.png
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y65/Bukubuku/sameface 2.png

 

IMHO I do not believe there is a definitive answer of 'YES, ALL DOLLS NOW LOOK SIMILAR' OR 'NO, THEY DO NOT' floating about in the ether of DoA? (Also worth noting that to my mind all posts on forums are opinions and that's totally cool.) That said: all the dolls on the market look different to me and branding has a lot to do with it as well as the individual artist.

I totally agree. It's what people do with the dolls once they have their hands on them. Dolls are a lovely canvas!

My panties are totally awesome, thanks.

Stop there! We could write a bunch more about what 'you like' and what 'I like' and try to theorize/dissect and even argue... but I think you already have a brilliant answer.

Everyone thinking differently is the very crux of the issue. The actual value of 'unique' depends on what each individual person's perception of what "uniqueness" is? Without bringing brands into the equation, an individual can look at a certain line of doll which must look like a 'big bunch of similar' to one person and find "uniqueness" within it.

I believe establishing preferences (in dolls or whatever) is a completely subjective process and, as such, a matter of personal taste.


Hope this helps~

 

If you go back through the history of dolls, you'll find the same thing, even back to Greek and Roman dolls made from clay in molds. The sellers find a look that sells and stick to it. If you think we are short on diversity, go look at the porcelain headed doll of the 19th and 20th century. Thousands upon thousands of Armand Marseilles molds 390 and 370 still exist, and "character" dolls with different features were scarce. When people think "doll" they still automatically think of a little girl. I've got my pair of cutsie-poo dolly-faced girls for when I'm in that nostalgic mood, but otherwise I prefer odd or realistic sculpts. I think that the popularity of male dolls in the bjd community is something totally new in history, and I agree that brands are pushing the boundaries to attract new customers. However, I think they'll always have those standard pretty girl models, because it's a tested recipe. I would say that Volks established the standard, and other companies had to emulate them to gain a foothold in the business.

 

I think so, yes. I find it very difficult to make good pictures of the dolls I make and show just how different they are. Salomé and Eve look nothing alike, but when you're making photographs, the pictures have a similar style, the make-up of the doll looks similar (because they share only a couple of outfits and wigs). This is what made me decide to start saving up for a video camera, so I'm able to make 'promotional' videos that show the doll from all angles. Maybe that might help showcase the dolls better.

 

Got to agree with you...

 

I wouldn't say they all look the same to me. I actually like distinguishing subtleties in the faces to find the face who is just right and piques my interest for who the doll is supposed to be. However, I have experienced this same feeling after the newness of this hobby faded away. If I were to compare it to a "honeymoon phase" of a relationship, when the "honeymoon phase" of my relationship with this hobby wore down, I felt like many faces look alike. But I see that as a good thing, as I am tempted to buy fewer dolls, and only the dolls who are the most fitting for the project and not too similar to my previous purchase.

 

Nah. Similar, yes. Identical, some. All of them? Noooo.

If you want a good variety, I recommend buying from different doll companies, instead of just one.

 

The companies want to earn money and they make and sell only popular sculpt. and now many companies are selling similar doll

 

I confess sometimes I can only see the difference in sculpts depending on the faceups they've gotten. There have been times I have to squint real hard at the blank face photos to see just how A differs from B. But then again, there have been times I could immediately tell the difference between faces within a company's range (I'm looking at you Fairyland), and I often associate personalities with a sculpt, which all helps me differentiate. I know I like a certain aesthetic, which means it's inevitable that I gravitate towards the same style of face, but it also means I tend to be more picky. Every little detail makes a difference to me, are the eyes half closed or more open, is that cheekbone more prominent.

 

I am agreeing with what has been said before .... some companies have a certain style (ie similar features which appeal to me), this can be to the benefit of the company or can work against them ... such as when an artist leaves Company A to go to Company B and the remaining/replacement artists of Company A do not appeal to me.. or when Company C has a standard look which will never appeal to me, such as consist drooping eyes or a dominating chin... then again some do have a great variety which encourages you to go back and check what new sculpt has come out.
Pros and Cons to both approaches.
A number of my tinies have very similar facial features (same company) but combined with their fantasy bodies and different faceups have made them uniquely different... sometimes I view these similar to models in real-life, ie less dominating features sometimes are the better blank canvas. Then again, the other bjds in my collection are all quite different outside of their bodies/faceups, etc