Hooves, Why Do We Like Them?

*shrugs* Personally, I'm not trying to follow the latest fad. If tomorrow everybody on DoA decided to hate hooves I'd still like them. I think it's because they're innovative. Like sharnofshade said, it's something different in a world of idealized beauty. I'd be just as happy if somebody (anywhere from a modder to Soom) decided to create jointed wings or tails. Hell, everybody's nuts over jointed hands too! It's not because they're hands (every doll has those). It's because it's a new spin on an old design.

 

Personally I do, in general, like hooves. I guess the best part though is the option of choosing whether to have hooves or human legs for my doll, as Soom includes both. My Sard has his hooves (and horns) on and to me he is complete. I sold my Amber hooves because for me having Sard with them was enough (although my little Glot does have hers on and I find the teenie hoovies just adorable). Sard and Glot are my demons, so they work. On the other hand have no intention of getting other hooved dolls - well, if I love the sculpt would certainly buy the doll but sell of the hooves again.

 

A little OT, but I did some research on this topic for a doll character I have been working on. There are cases of female deer bearing antlers in several species, though it is not the norm and the antlers on female deer are usually smaller. It's a genetic mutation that sometimes occurs. Here and here are a couple of articles that mention it.

As a side note, reindeer/caribou females do normally have antlers, though they're smaller than those on males.

Also, I do love the point kuroichou made about no need for shoes! I love the fact that I don't have to worry about shoes for my hooved dolls, since I tend to be a mite tightfisted about buying doll shoes.

 

I loved the Beryl and Sard, the whole incubus/succubus thing was pulled off really well with the hooves. But now it feels like soom is just repeating the idea over and over, i see a new MD and think "oh, another pair of hooves. Ok whatever." (Heliot, Glot etc.) It makes me wonder why they dont just release a standard with hooves instead of recyclying the old ideas over and over. It's nice to see them try do other animals like the wolf parts and euclase's claw parts. But I do get tired of seeing hooves, at first they were 'wow wish i had a doll with hooves' now it's kind of.. yeah got the t-shirt.

Then there's Domadoll and Souldoll who've both made some amazing centaurs. I'd absolutely love one myself i think they're really different and distinctive. But very expensive and well.. Souldoll only has one head on the body and i don't particularly like it. Which is a shame i'd like to see a female centaur or something someday.

It's not the hooves themselves, it's more of the fact it's become a fad that's begining to put people off

 

I feel much as Adae does, except for a few points.

I've been collecting for a long time, and way back when, there were no hoofed doll or fantasy doll types that you could buy. I love the hoofs now, and especially enjoy that I was able to get a Glati and fill that Sard need that I had.

That being said, I agree that I wish they would make just a standard doll with hoofs instead of recycling. It's getting a bit old.

 

i like hooves, but it depends how there done. hooves = not having to buy shoes! haha and not be picky about needing to find a nice pair of jeans. instead my girl can just wear a skirt.

but i think there being over done, not in a bad way the more options the better, but i really think the second hand market price on hooves should go down now since its not only Beryl and Sard anymore, there so many choices and types out there u shouldnt have to pay a thousand+ just for some second hand hooves that have been out for over a year, especaily since there not the only ones and not rare anymore.

 

agreed! Paws would be amazing!!

 

I just think that the over-scaled little hooves on Soom's 1/6th Gems are adorable... I couldn't care less if they're "flavor of the week", "OMG sooooo over-done" or not to everyone on the board's taste.

My collection, my bank account, my choice.
The peanut gallery doesn't get a vote.

 

Chrom had paws. Everyone is forgetting about him! So Soom did change it up, it's not all hooves.

Also, to further add to what I said before, since a lot of people complain that Soom keeps doing the same thing over and over -- The tinies they come out with ARE GOING to have hooves probably, as all the tinies are recycles of the previous zodiac dolls. And since they do so well, if I was a company, I'd be sure to make a hooved dolls again since they did so well the first time, AND, it still fits in with the running theme. Who knows what they'll do after this? And besides, "regular head on regular body" or "elf ear limited" is kind of over-done too. Aha. Just playing devil's advocate.

I wonder if people are getting tired of just seeing them so much in the gallery? I do love the hooved dolls, but I am tired of seeing the gallery just flooded with a couple companies (Soom, CP sculpts..).

It's true that the second hand market for the hooves on dolls is insane, but I think it's still high because each hooved doll WAS different. Beryl and Sard have cloven hooves, Cuprit had CLEAR hooves, heliot had horse hooves... so, technically, each one is rare in its own way. I personally did not like heliot's hooves. I like cloven hooves. So I'd rather get what I prefer than settle for something similar just because its grouped on "hooves", if I was in the market for them. Its like buying a body or head! What type do you prefer kind of thing.

 

Good points! If I was Soom (or any other company with "odd" dolls) I'd keep going. Enough people like them to make them worthwhile.

The "why dosen't Soom sell these parts separately" is 1) slightly OT and 2) been talked about before. The general consensus is it would devalue their current MDs. For example, if you could buy a Dia head and slap on some hooves you'd have Sard.

 

Soooo agreed!!

People want deeper reasoning? I loved ponies and horses when I was little, unicorns were [and heck, still are] my most favorite mythical creature, goats are adorable and one of my most favorite animals, three [only two in resin form right now] of my dear characters actually have hooves, aaaaand I'm extremely intrigued by Christian demonology. :P Combine all that with the fact that my hooved girls are extremely well-made and IMO, beautiful, and there you have it.

You think hooves are ugly/overdone/unoriginal/etc? Good for you. My Beryl and Cuprit are very beloved to me, and if you like them too, how wonderful!! I feel flattered. And if you don't? Cool. I don't care. My dolls are my own---I bought them because *I* like them. And at the end of the day your opinion of their hooves or whatever means nothing to me. My dolls belong to ME---not to society and their approval or dislike.

 

I think the hooves are wonderful~ Honestly, I've always really liked them. XD Along with eyes, hooves are one of those things that I'll just randomly doodle when I'm feeling bored... They're very pretty!
I think that one of the nicest things about hooves in the BJD community, however, is simply that they're a nice mix-up from plain-old feet. As many anthro dolls and angel dolls and just flat out gorgeous dolls there are in the community, for a long time there really weren't a lot of 'half-way' mods... There weren't a ton of dolls with kitty feet and human faces or hooves and normal bodies--to me, it seems more of a recent thing...
And the community is really jumping on it!
Prior to the hoof 'outbreak' (so to speak ), hooves were something that required sculpting and/or modding skills, along with the means to cast them in resin if you wanted them to match your doll very well/look professional! But now they're becoming easier to get, which I think is wonderful.

Also, someone mentioned paws earlier in the thread--but there have been paws too. ^__^ Pukipukis have paws (boots, I know, but same idea!) and Soom has even released monthly dolls with paws.
Other companies have released dolls with even more dramatic limbs as well--for example, the Domuya Life Project dolls, with their fins and roots!

Even if hooves are the most popular at the moment and people are getting tired of them, I think we should all still be grateful that someone though; 'Hey, wouldn't it be awesome to make a hooved doll?' because it's really, really, paving the way for all sorts of out-of-the-normal bodies on dolls and I think it's wonderful! ^______^

 

For me I am just a fantasy lover all around so having non-human bjds makes me happy. I would like to see more pawed ones though. Talons would be cool too or maybe a lower body half that is naga?

 

I love hooves! I tend to like things that stand out. I don't own a doll with hooves yet but I would like to someday. For me it isn't because they are a new thing because I'm new to ball jointed dolls myself but they still draw me to them.

 

I LOVE the hooves!
I love fantasy creatures. And the hooves give a lot more opportunity in making special fantasy creatures. It makes it possible to create doll characters beyond the humanoid things.

 

This is off topic, but Soom has some of the prettiest dolls I've ever seen. xD

Anyway.
I always thought that Hooves just had just an...appealing? look to them.
At first I disliked them, but now I'm starting to want my own hooved dollie. xD

They look so different!
From their shape to how they bend.
It's almost like having to re-discover how a doll works when you attach them. :P

 

not a big fan of the hooves. interesting but not a fan. i don't really have a fasination with deer or horses either. i actually hate horses. i like anceint greek and roman mythology, but still not a huge fan of sedars either nor centaurs. (only reason i want soul doll's centaur is to turn him into an alien called an andilite XD.)

however one of my freinds really dig the hooves and her dolls look cute just nothing i'd own.

the only hooved doll i will own it going to be a puki based off chopper from one piece. who's a reindeer but he's just getting the piggy hooves.

however i do realy like non human things too. i just like the exosketal type or the scalely type a bit more.

 

LMAO at the this thread title.


I honestly don't care for hooves myself, I like a more human character VS anthro, but I've seen lots of other dolls with them that look awesome!

 

I'm really not into dolls with hooves. But I can see where, if you wanted your doll to be certain mythological characters, the hooves would come in handy. It's just not something I personally would want to buy.

 

I like hooves (just ordered a bygg and hoping to buy some of the previous hooved sooms eventually), but I have to agree that I'd like to see some more variety. I think it'd be a good idea to stop the hooves with Bygg&Beyla unless they made a pair that were completely different than any of the previous ones. I guess it kind of depends on how many different types of hooves there are.