How Did You Decide Size?

I never choose size but face.Beautiful head sculpt is the most important.

 

I started out buying my first doll head second hand from someone on Deviantart. Then she invited me to DoA and I started learning about all the companies, and bought a few more dolls, and then realized that scale was going to be an issue since I wanted characters that could be photographed together.

Now size is a consideration when buying a dolls to be a character in that storyline. If the doll will not fit with the others, I can't buy it to shell a character. If it's not meant to be a specific character, my requirements are much looser. Since I like making clothes for them, anything skinnier than a mini gem does not appeal to me, because when you get smaller than that dealing with seams becomes tedious. So far I have not found a doll that is too big for me to handle.

 

I always went for head sculpts that I liked rather than worrying too much about size. At first that meant that I was only interested in SD size, but then I got my first MSD and fell in love. At one point I even sold all my SDs with the idea that MSD was for me.

I don't think that was true. I think it was just that I really bonded with that particular doll and wrongly assumed it was because of the size.

Anyway, now I seem to have gone in the other direction. I still love my MSDs but I prefer the size and weight of SD. They are just so much nicer to hold, so much easier to sew for, so much cuddlier. I love them. If I could magically make all my favourite MSD sculpts into SD size, I would. In a heartbeat.

Since that's not possible, I've gone back to my old philosophy of buying sculpts that I love rather than collecting a particular size. I don't want to stop myself buying a doll I really want just because it's not SD.

 

I was going to start with an msd, but they just didn’t feel... right. The faces were too young and they didn’t seem substantial enough. Sd sizes are my absolute favorite because they just have so much more presence.

 

It's fascinating to read through and see how many people like bigger dolls! I guess they are the most popular size, and I've always wanted to hold one, but i don't think I would ever own one. My favourites are tinies
The only drawback is how hard it is to find a good mature tiny, and the ones I do like tend to be a little on the expensive side (for the size I mean)... I like mature tinies because it's like a person you can hold in your hand! It gives them a sort of delicate, fairy-like quality, and (in my opinion anyways) they have such personality!

 

I honestly was just interested in the face sculpt more than the height on my first doll. I never really saw many bjds in person so when I read “62cm” on my first doll, and was just like, “oh that’ll be fine!” When she showed up, I was surprised at the size and wasn’t sure where I could display her! Even with that little debacle, I still prefer the face sculpts of most SD sizes, so I guess I like my dolls to be tall.

 

My person had an SD and I liked how he looked but restringing him was a lot and he is too heavy for me. So I figured I would do smaller and went with the 1/4 size. And they're perfect in my opinion.

 

SD's are for me, I'm afraid! I have friends with a range of sizes, from 15cm all the way to 70cm, so I've been able to play around with most every size. Mostly it comes down to liking the weight and feel of SDs, but they're just all around more satisfying to play with for me. Sure, it's like dressing an unconscious toddler and yeah, they take up more space, but with the exception of a few MSD sculpts and some mature tinies and maybe one day a YOSD, I just prefer SDs overall.

 

i knew i didn't want small dolls, thats for sure. so i was really deciding between msd and sd sizes... i didn't do well with picking one size there. i have both, originally i was just doing msd but fell in love with a few sd dolls. They all work together well though...to me size doesn't really matter and there are a few yosd dolls i like too and might end up getiing.

 

i wasn't really aware of the different sizes when i first got into it. i just looked around for a sculpt i really liked and bought it (after saving up a long time for it).
of course, i did the proper research into the size of the doll i bought after i bought it. that doll is 10 years old now and i am still very pleased with that purchase. He is a 1/4, not that i stuck with just that size...

 

I started with MSD and will be staying with MSD for a while due to price-point and overall space. My husband and I are currently living in a small apartment so we both decided that MSDs are a good size. (But once we get a house, all bets are off, haha!)

I've also looked at mature YOSD/tiny BJDs just because I'd like a little company on my desk, but still looking around.

 

I started with MSD sized dolls and don't think I'll ever go bigger than MSD. I am thinking about maybe getting smaller dolls in the future but not bigger. There a lot of larger sized dolls I like but I just don't have the space for them!

 

I decided to only/mostly own SD size or larger because a.) I prefer mature sculpts and the smaller the size, the harder it is to find mature sculpts and b.) I'm not the most skilled at painting small surfaces so larger faces would probably be the easiest for me.

Also, I guess as a bonus they are a bit more huggable haha

 

well, so far i am yet to experience an SD-size doll. recently got an iplehouse jid, & i already thought she is huge.

maybe i'll try out a resinsoul mi or su, for the feel of it... when i have the budget that is.

 

Like some of you guys, I'm also more into the sculpts than the size BUT the size is somehow important, because usually SD dolls are more mature than MSD etc. That's why I think SD size is the best for me, faces are just on point for me.

 

Honesty, i look at size first. most good quality full set outfits are made for SD's. some clothes made for smaller dolls kind of look like barbie clothes although there are some good ones out there

 

Hasn't anyone ever told you that size doesn't matter? Really, for me it is all about falling so hard for a sculpt that after going back to it a hundred times, I still waaaant it. I have everything from 75cm+ boys (and keep staring thoughtfully at Dollmore's 105cm Trinities) down to a FL RealPuki 9.7cm girl. In the end, what difference does it make if they're not all the same? It's not as though I ever pull the entire horde out at once...although if I did, I think the vast difference would actually be pretty cute.

 

I tend to go by sculpt firstly, as well considering the kind of styles I want to deal with. I do tend to lean towards SD and MSD. I like Yo but I've not kept any that long. So far I don't like tiny dolls; love them in photos but in person, they're too small and light for me. Currently Im into more mature faces and styles, smaller sizes don't tend to fit that; Those that do are generally not my aesthetic.

 

I recently figured out it's mostly just the sculpting that draws me in. I'm a sucker for chubby bodies and baby cheeks so that mostly restricts me to tinies. I also own an MDD and some 1/3th dolls but I've never seemed to bond with them very well.

Most bigger dolls rock the adult aesthetic beautifully but I'm not very fond of faces void of baby fat, sharp noses, gorgeous cheek bones, adult chest areas and so much more. I think they are beautiful but they just don't have what I'm looking for. I'm even considering downsizing my collection to contain only tinies.

Recently I did discover big babies within the BJD community. In case someone is not familiar with the term: They're technically sculpts with baby features (like most tinies) scaled up to 1/4th size or larger while retaining their chubby, childlike appearance. No adult features present whatsoever while they often do need to wear 1/3th clothing due to their chubby bodies. It's nice to have a doll that's a little heavier and bigger to work with that still retains the aesthetic I so love.

I'm surprised they're not a more popular size.

 

The aesthetics, really. I wasn't too aware of the differences between MSD and SD sizes, I just assumed all dolls were somewhere in the vicinity of 40-50cm and so that's what I was planning for. But I really, really wanted a mature-looking sculpt, so I took the extra 15cm in stride :P
Would I go smaller if MSDs were generally mature-looking? Probably. But it's much easier to sew for larger sizes, or make anything to scale, do face-ups, and I don't feel like they're gonna break if I sneeze in their direction. And most of all, I kind of like the 'out-there' look of having a doll sitting around that is so much larger than what most people's conception of 'doll' allows for.