Figuring out what doll size suits you.

When I started in this hobby I just looked at the sculpt, I only have to like the face to buy a doll^^ and I still do that...since I have every size ^^;; when it comes to BJDs, everything suits me xD

Edit: I would like to add that size is not an issue to me, I love my first doll who is a MSD and I love my SD and my tiniest dolls who are puki sized! variety is the spice of life!

 

I was thinking mini size is totally me.
My first is a mini size doll, she's a Dream of Doll Pitts (41cm).

But I was very wrong.
I'm in love with bigger and smaller dolls.
So yeah, there's no right size for me, hahaha.... ^^;

*let's say I take all sizes now? XD

 

I like to base my story around my dolls so i like them to be 'real'. So to me the bigger dolls stand out for me and so far ive only bought 68cm and 70cm dolls to try and keep them the same height. (id never buy dolls bigger than this)
This is just a personal preferance. I just prefur the bigger dolls are it would also be allot easier to make clothes and things for them to. I've had barbies, brats and monster high dolls so having something bigger than them just seems a litltle different and exciting. I think the smallest doll id ever buy is 60cm.
But i never know. One day i might end up with a 45cm doll, something smaller than the dolls i have. I just find even looking on EBay If i see 1/4 doll and she/he is really cute i dont even bother to open it because i know the size would put me off. I just love bigger dolls

 

I searched for a face I liked and it was not the size of the doll I looked at... My first BJD was a MSD and the second one also... Now I´ve got the third one, a SD and I do not feel so comfortable with her... Playing with the smaller dolls is more fun for me, they are much more easier to handle

 

When I first started this hobby I don't think that I was thinking about any special size. Well I knew that I wanted either an MSD or SD because I didn't find any smaller sized mold that I really liked. I found an MSD that I liked and then after I got her I began thinking that "Woah an SD would be so large!" But then I found multiple SDs that I really liked but I was always thinking that "No they're too large" So I found a smaller SD (52 cm). And now I've found many MSD's that I would want but also many SD's.

But I think I prefer MSD's because for me they're easier to handle ^^ But I don't think that I would restrict myself to only one size because of that. If there's a mold that I really love then I would get it. But for now there are two MSD sized dolls on my wishlist that I want more, so the SD's will have to wait for awhile XD

 

What I always look at first is how the dolls would work together. When I look at 1/4 scale, I check and see if they would work as children beside 1/3 dolls, and then in the 1/3 size would be mature enough next to the minis. As for 1/6, I'm always checking to see how well they would work as a toddler.

I have dream doll exceptions, of course. I've been in love with DollZone Clovera since the moment I saw her, and she's still on my wishlist even though her size and appearance doesn't work with the rest of my planned family.

 

I got my first bjd in '04.
I decided on LARGE, because:
1. There were few other sizes available, so large had more choices.
2. I liked more mature dolls.
3. It was the most common size, so more items were available for them.

While times have changed a LOT, Large is still good for those who like more mature dolls and lots of options. However... now that more meetups and cons and events are available, I'd definitely recommend that people go and see the dolls themselves to determine what they like.

Sticking with ONE SIZE over another---
I tried to stay with one size so the dolls would go together more and could share clothes and wigs.

My first 6 dolls were the same size, four from the same company and two from another company.
But more and more dolls were being made and the TINY size started being popular with Yos first and then all kinds of small sizes... And after three years of one size, I caved!

I liked TINIES because they were just so cute, in ways that the LARGE dolls couldn't be... and they seemed like a bargain (ha!) compared with the LARGE dolls I was buying.

I wasn't so sure I liked the size--they seemed so tiny and so easy to overlook or even LOSE! But I still love them and still buy them--so I must not mind so much!

I tried not to want other sizes, but four years after my first doll, I broke my size rule again and got a LARGER than large doll. I thought Large dolls were plenty large enough, but the trend of making more large dolls was getting to me and there were so many intriguing Larger-sized dolls being made that I couldn't help myself.

I worried that LARGER than Large dolls would be way too much to handle... but I got my first one and didn't regret it. It wasn't so much different than the other dolls... and I've kept buying LARGER dolls, so I guess it doesn't bother me... I've even got an Iplehouse EID guy, now!

My last size rule was broken six years after I started buying dolls. I got my first MINI-sized doll! Minies were growing in popularity and there were just so many being made that I couldn't resist.

I found the size was very convenient--which is a reason for the Mini popularity. I really like mine.

But, I still like LARGE size the best!

They have a good "presence" when they are in groups or just on their own. They are easy to mod and paint and handle and dress and make things for... They are more convenient than Larger-sized dolls, although I don't like carrying about more than 2 at a time.

So... I've definitely had SIZE RULES, but they have ALL gone out the window over time. And I seem to be affected by bjd trends! But I don't regret buying other sizes at all. Basically, the rule should be: Buy what you really like! --If that means sticking to rules, that's fine... or it could be that it means ignoring rules. Everyone is different.

 

I've had dolls of all size and the only one that has stayed is my first doll, my crobidoll Nia! He is so precious and was my dream doll for the last four years but, I know I prefer MSD's so much more and now I am back down to just me and my one SD it makes me want my MSD back.
I feel like I should sell my SD because I seriously do not enjoy him because of his weight and size; I just find it so impractical but I feel awful at the thought of selling my first doll!
I want more MSD's in the future and any dolls I buy from here on will be MSD's because I just love the size!!

 

I'm running in to that issue now, unfortunately... @///@ Currently, I own an 11cm tiny and a 60cm SD. I owned Allura (my tiny) for a little over a year before I purchased Elodae (my SD)... I became very accustomed to posing Allura, who is moderately loosely stringed and easy to pose, although not terribly stable. This is partially due to her size and partially due to some less-than-professional doll work by her company, as she was special order and the company didn't seem extremely experienced with dolls. When I received Elodae, although I was still madly in love with her, I just couldn't quite get the hang of posing her. The reality is that Elodae has been packed away until just a few days ago (for the most part) and even now it's a challenge learning to pose and arrange her. She's very tightly string and often I have posing expectations for her that are challenging to achieve (if not impossible). Clothes are more difficult to make for her and her wigs have so much hair.

Although I won't give up Elodae, since she was my original "Dream Doll" and I still love her, she makes me want to only buy smaller dolls from here on out... And yet another one of my favorite dolls is the DollShe Saint--And he's even BIGGER! For now, I'm putting off the decision for a little while, in favor of ordering an A La Carte Chloe, since I've always loved the A La Carte (Active) bodies and really want to try out a more in-between sized MSD.

 

I love MSDs. They are not too big and not too small. I basically had to try all the sizes to decide, although I never tried bigger than 60 cm because that was too big anyway. You can go to meets and hold all the dolls, but you really need to see what it's like day in and day out. Common issues with SDs are that they are heavy/bulky/generally hard to handle. Common problems with tinies, especially really small ones like pukis, are that you can lose pieces, and clothing adds lots of bulk because they are so little. I guess issues with MSDs are that it's sometimes very hard to clothe them, especially boys! But since I love MSDs, I may not notice other problems with the size. I know it used to be that you could only get childish MSDs, but now there are mature ones too, which is great!

Anyway, I ended up selling my tinies except for one YoSD. I currently have two SDs (one of which I will always keep), but I am waffling over getting rid of the other one and never buying another SD. Minis are just the way to go for me, I guess!

 

So far I've been mostly trial and error, although I have been to meets and ruled out the MSD size (for character purposes anyway...I think they'd be great to style and take out for photos but I love the detail you can more easily get on bigger dolls. Then again, never say never in this hobby!), experience has taught me that 70cm is slightly too big (or inexperience at handling the dolls maybe), and that 26cm is slightly too small, so I'm hoping that the dolls between 52 and 65 cm that I want will turn out to be a happy medium of sizes.

And yet I still see both those sizes in the future @.@ Turmoil!

 

So far I only have mature MSDs (and on OT 26cm), but saw some SDs at a doll meet and was amazed at the size. I had wanted an SD for a while, and seeing them in person solidified it. The only issue I had was coming up with characters for them, but that's been taken care of as well. I'm now waiting on an Impldoll Dorisy, and will be ordering an RS Feng in the future to be her husband. After that, I'm wanting to get a Pukipuki to be their baby. ^^ I'd honestly say that the only body type I don't really care for are childish MSDs because I'm not a huge fan of bulky-looking limbs and the characters of my current dolls are all adults, so the childish look wouldn't fit as well with my storyline.

 

I've only ever had tinies, but I've never seen minies or the larger sizes in person, so I can't say that I wouldn't like them. However, I do love the petite size of the pukipukis and pukifee--they fit into my existing (off-topic) doll family, and since I live in a teeny-tiny townhouse, I need my possessions to take up as little space as possible. It is unlikely that I'll ever move up to a bigger BJD size, though I LOVE looking at photos of Iplehouse JID Asa and Fairyland MNFs. I'll just continue to look at photos to get my bigger BJD fix.

 

I adore anything MSD and smaller.
Anything bigger, at least to me, is just too much! My small hands just can't handle it!
They all just have such dainty figures, and seem so innocent! I just love them!
I know after a while, I will have an MSD and a PKF army!
Hehe~

 

I don't have my first doll here yet.. but she's YO-SD sized and I think that will be big enough for me. When I measured out her height my first thought was, "wow, that's big". Bigger BJD's I've seen just look ENORMOUS to me. But who knows.. a lot of the larger dolls have such pretty faces.

 

My first doll was a 60cm Obitsu, way back in 2005 - it was a good couple of years before I found & attended my first meet (there were far fewer UK BJD people back then!), so all I had to go on were online photos & descriptions. My next few dolls were MSDs before I got a couple more SD-sized dolls, and at first minis outnumbered the bigger ones. But over the years the big dolls have gradually come to outnumber the little ones; I'm now down to just two MNFs - and I think the main reason I keep them is because they're a popular size for making clothes. I have one tiny - and while I do like her, she's pretty much confirmed that I'm happiest with the larger dolls. I have 12 60cm dolls and one 70cm, and all my plans for future dolls are large dolls. Tinies are just too fiddly - and although I've seen & handled a few Pukis and I think they're cute, I would be too afraid of losing them; way too small for my tastes!

 

I've found that I like all the sizes for varying reasons. The tinies and itty bitty ones are great because I put them just about anywhere; but the larger ones are a nicer canvas for creating clothes and accessories. I do see to prefer my 58cm Bellini (pictured in my avatar) the most though.

 

It was pretty straight forward for me: I wanted something cute but not tiny. MSD!

 

my characters are all in between the ages of 20 and 30 yrs old, so i pretty much have been able to figure out which sizes to get. unless i decide to give them kids, i have no use for the smaller sizes

 

I actually started the hobby with small SD sized dolls at 52cm and then a second one at 58cm. When I decided to buy a MNF I sold both girls because I was sure I would like the smaller size better. It turned out that while I love that smaller size, my favorite have actually turned out to be my 70cm+ sized boys. I am planning a couple of 50-60cm girls since the characters they will be filling are short and I would love to have more MNFs but I haven't been able to figure out characters for them yet.

I do think that clothes end up being too much of a deciding factor much of the time. They are an expensive part of this hobby so once you acquire a bunch of clothes that you like in a certain size it is easy to think that getting more dolls in that size would be easier than having to buy a whole new wardrobe