Figuring out what doll size suits you.

I only knew after buying my first doll - who turned out to be too small for me. I thought I wanted smaller dolls, the sort of dolls you can sit in the palm of your hand, but when she came home I found her too small and fiddly. So I bought a LTF and then some MNF, and I've found that I much prefer these sizes. I doubt I would have started off with either of these sizes though as they seemed too big for me when I first joined the hobby.

 

I do'nt know why, but I started with MSDs, and I still love their size, but I also love my Yo-SDs, my tinies, and my 70cm - although, I haven't done much with him due to his size. He's so hard to find clothing for, he's kind of heavy to carry around, and I don't have the energy lately to make them or turn him into the character he's meant to be. I'm still kind of experimenting with the sizes I like, but MSD seems to be my baseline.

 

I started off wanting an MSD-sized doll because it was cheaper and I knew like, 4 companies at that time. Then I got to doll-sit one and realised that it was too small for my liking. I also attended a few dollmeets to oogle at the pretty dolls and decided I would probably stick to SD-ish sizes. My first doll was a 70cm, and I've not really been tempted to go any larger.

I did use to think that tinies were not worth the money at all, because I became aware of them back when Yo-SDs were new and cost a fortune and a half on the second-hand market. I finally tried out tinies when CustomHouse was having their half-price sale, but wasn't fond of the size, so I thought that would be that. Then I saw some really cute pics of Soom's Appini, with paws and ears and kitty!!!! So I thought I would try again. Now my collection is about half-half big and tiny. X3

I think, for BJDs, it's not too bad to experiment to see what size suits you best, because you can usually recover a significant proportion of your money if you ever need to re-sell your doll on, and you can use that money to re-invest in a new doll. ^_^

 

I started out with a mini because I really liked her sculpts and ~44cm sounded like a manageable size. I really liked lots of SD sculpts, but I thought 60cm was just too big, and 26cm was way too small. I don't regret getting her, or my other mini, because I really like the mini size, but I just don't see a lot of sculpts that grab me. My second doll was on the small size for a 1/3 doll, but it just really clicked for me. I love 50-70cm dolls, and they make up the majority of my collection. I did get a 26cm doll and while I do like him, I just don't like sewing for a doll that small, so I doubt I'll go smaller.

I did go to a doll meet after I decided what doll I wanted, but before I ordered her. Seeing the different sizes didn't really sway me too much, I was much more boggled by "omg, that's an El! That's a Bernard! I recognize these sculpts, cool!" Sometimes you just don't realize what you like until you get your hands on one and live with it for a while.

 

I own every size my first one was a MSD and that's my favorite size but I never really paid attention to the size, if the mold grabbed my attention then I would buy it. As long as the sculp sparkles in my eyes, then I'd try to get that doll and this is why I have pukis, tinies, MSDs and SDs =D

 

I started with SD thinking everything smaller would be too small. Then I got rid of my SDs and bought MSDs and YoSDs. Got tired of how limited clothes there were for MSDs and went back to SDs. I still have my YoSDs though.

 

I know that for me, SDs are way too big. I like dolls, but the biggest doll I ever had was an American Girl doll...which is about the size of a MSD. Plus, Tinies are good for anyone since they don't take up too much space. It all depends on what you're looking for as well. I have found that SDs usually have a more mature look and the smaller the doll, the less mature they get (generally speaking, not in all cases). If you don't have a lot of room for your dollie as well, you can always try a smaller size and then work your way up as time goes on. That's about how I'm going to do it: I'm going to purchase a MSD first, then see whether I would like another MSD or simply get a Tiny depending on how much money I have and where I'm at ahead in the future (if I'm still in college, if I'm still jobless, etc).

 

My favourites are SD because they are realistic and easy of manipulate (at least 60 cm ones, 70 are too big). I find MSD and others too small for my taste but I don´t discard to buy a Yo-SD someday. The only bad point is that they are heavy when you transport them and they take too much space.

 

When I first did research on dolls I had a look at the bigger dols and though "WOW those are big'
but in the end I went to a store in Hong Kong and I think I focused more on price at that point since I saw SO many tinies that cost the same amount as a mini, so I ended up getting a MSD though I think the faces influence the size of your doll as well.
I like younger, rounder, less mature faces and SD are all quite mature so I tend not to want to buy them

 

Interesting topic!

At first I just wanted a Unoa because the smaller size seemed easier to handle. I will also admit it reminded me of the manga Angelic Layer (I was young! ). I thought SD would be too big, like a lot of people here.

However things turned out differently, as it often happens. I ended up falling in love with a SD while waiting to order my Unoa and my Sariel (HappyDoll Aidan) actually came first.

So I ended up with a SD in hands as my first doll and it just clicked. I got my Unoa too and at this point I stopped worrying about the size and just went after sculpts I loved. After that I bought another MSD and finally got a 70cm IpleHouse Chase last year.

Now that I have 2 MSD, one SD and one 70cm doll, I can safely say SD are the best for me. My Sariel is the perfect size to cuddle, he has more clothes and he is easier to handle.

 

Whatever style you prefer. I have a 30 cm Pipos and a 70-ish cm Soom Heliot, and I like them both. The size has never really mattered to me. I think if you really love how a doll looks, you won't care about how large or small they are ^^

 

My favorite size is the Yo-SD size range and proportion, but I also love 55cm girls, and more recently found love for 80cm and 16cm dolls. I enjoy photographing the Yo sizes the most and as such that tends to be my larger group of dolls. However, there have been a few times where I tried to shore my collection into one primary size range or another, but it doesn't work. I just like a bit of everything and find merits in all size ranges.

If one intends to opt to collect in one size range only, I'd suggest going to a local meet to see the variety of sizes out there. Just don't start picking up people's dolls without asking first.

 

I've been in this hobby for only about 2 years and I notice that my taste did changed. In the beginning, maybe due to my lack of knowledge in this hobby, all the dolls i like are in sd size. The boys often have a cold look, the I-don't-care-about-you look and girls have a cute face or faceup.

Now, I like all size doll! But I prefer boys that smiles and look like they're happy to be with me. I also like to see head w/o faceup in addition to the promo picture faceup.
I like have doll to have a cute face and smile, and I absolutely dislike doll with a blank look! I'll buy them, if i like their eye and face, then I'll send them off to have their lip mod!

 

I love tinies. I'll probably mostly always have tinies. I just don't have the room or money for huge dolls, and I like the cute little ones anyway. I also find it a lot easier to find clothes for them. Especially for pukipuki dolls! Most kelly/tommy clothes fit them as well as kelly/tommy shoes. You can have a whole lot of outfits for them without spending a lot of money. My biggest doll is 27 cm. That's probably really small compared to most people, but compared to my puki and the dolls I'm making, he's pretty large.

Someday I do want to get a Resinsoul Mei because that's been my dream doll ever since I learned about bjds. But that's probably as big as I'll go.

 

The size was my biggest problem. I couldn`t decise witch size I wanted. There are more SD Dolls than MSD Dolls. And all my friends with Dolls have SD Dolls. There are so many things for bigger dolls, than smaller. It was a tough dicession. But at an official display of Dolls in Berlin, I found my right size. There were so many different dolls sitting there and showing. But the MSD´s got all my attention. It was also then, that I decided to buy a doll.

 

At first I really only cared about the look of the doll, and I bought dolls of all sizes. The first doll I wanted (though not the first one I bought) was my Supia Rosy (SD sized). Once I accrued enough dolls of varying sizes, I realized there were dolls I liked less due to size. I've learned that I won't really play with dolls smaller than about 25cm (so, a Yo-sized doll), so I sold all my dolls smaller than that. I can't really say I regret buying them, since I don't really consider having to sell and ship them an inconvenience. I did enjoy owning them while I had them, but after a while they just stayed in their boxes, and it seemed a waste to keep something so expensive that I don't play with (If I had an unlimited income and an extra house, maybe I'd have kept them as a form of doll documentation).

Currently, I have a Custom House Ange Ai Uri (~26cm), an Aria Doll Isabel (~42cm), an Aria Doll Banana boy(~57cm), a Supia Rosy (~57cm), and 2 Dollshe 70cm. I play with Isabel the most, because she's the easiest for me to carry and dress. I also enjoy making clothing and experimenting with her more, but I'm not planning on selling my other sizes, and I definitely don't regret buying Rosy (I still squee mentally when I look at her). There's just different ways to enjoy my dolls, and though I don't pull out my other sizes as often, every once in a while I'd get an idea, and would excitedly get them out and go wild.

 

I wouldn't know - I like them all! They all have their own special characteristics. I like that I can make my tiny (16 cm) stand on one foot, that I can hold her in the palm of my hand and that she's cute as a button. My MSD (45 cm) is by far my favourite to handle: he's not too heavy and not too small, he is easy to dress and pose and he's also cute as a button. My two SDs (65 cm) are fairly heavy and much less easy to dress, also because I am not strong at all. But they have adult faces and lovely bodies and strong personalities, and if they are not so easy to handle, they are quite a sight when they are sitting or standing somewhere.

My MSD was my first doll and I guess that he turned out to be the perfect middle road. He's my most 'comfy' doll. But I have only one of him and will probably have four SDs before the year is out. It happens that way because most of my characters are adults and I shelled them in function of my MSD, who is supposed to be an 11-year-old boy.

I really need to think of a character that I can shell as a Yo-SD, because that's the only size I haven't got yet - and as I said, I love them all ...

 

I started out with 1/3 scale, then 1/6, but every 1/4 scale doll I've planned hasn't worked out but ONE. I guess 60cm is my standard, and MSD size in general just isn't my thing.

 

I knew, as soon as I saw an SD in person (at a doll meet that was part of a convention), that SD was the size for me. Big dolls are more detailed and easier to sew for. Like others have said, I also really like how they look around the house.

That said, my first doll was an MSD. Budget constraints made that decision for me!

I have a couple Yo-SD size dolls, and a couple MSDs, but my favorites are all SD. The Yos are cute, and they're much easier to transport, but I just really don't enjoy them as much as the larger dolls.