How Do Doll Sculpts Get So Popular?

I think it takes a lot of work to get yourself recognized on the boards..
I'm sure the "popular" dolls here have owners that worked hard to get their names so well-known.

I also think that this subject has been talked about a lot... ^o^

To me, it's not that big of a deal. ^w^;;; I do pay attention to some dollies more than others. I have to admit, I do love Fuan, Ilu, Sora, and some others here, but at the same time... I like variety. If I get tired of seeing the same thing, I'll most likely move on. I try to appreciate everyone's dollies. It's just a nice thing, in my opinion, to do. ^w^

 

Most of the time, I think it has to do with the stories. It's more like favoriting a character, rather than a pretty doll.

Of course, there are PLENTY of people out there who like particular dolls because they're pretty, but really ... in my opinion, it's the ways that they are unique that makes them my favourites. :3

 

This is an interesting thread.. Popularity is rather fickle. Although I find it irritating at most.. All the dolls iv seen on here are beautiful and each deserves attention, whether they are new to the boards or not.

 

I'm going to have to say that unfortunately, as humans, most of us are still shallow. *grins* If it looks good, it gets a lot of attention. I'm taking by your comment that you're asking about the popularity of certain dolls rather than sculpts, so I'll answer accordingly about my opinions.

I have seen loads of non-native-English speaking threads that barely have ten words in their post, but have a whole lot of stunning pictures. Amazing face-ups, fantastic clothes, faint-worthy set-ups...they either have one or all of the above. And the number of replies they'll get easily span 2 to 3 pages. Some of them rarely post and most of them don't do photostories, but we all lovelovelove them anyway. I would say they're popular too since whenever they post they get a thunderous response.

So...yes. It's all in the visual. What person doesn't like to look at something pretty anyway? Chances are if you have a doll that has a great face-up, if you're good at taking photographs, if you've fabulous outfits...then you're more likely to get attention.

If you're a good storyteller on top of all those things? Then you'll probably capture loyal fans as well. People who'll remember you for your photostories and when they see your name, they'll go 'oooh, I remember that funny/amazing/deep photostory! This one will be good too!' which will equal more views and more comments.

I know a lot of people secretly think it's a clique thing... Where the popular girls/boys are in the 'cool' club and everyone else is excluded no matter how great their dolls are. But...well, having spent more time than I should here...I highly doubt there's any clique for any of us to be clamoring to get in.

 

Couldn't have said it any better, LKJ

 

Many dolls come into fashion, and then out again, and then it evens out and those that really love the sculpt stick with them, and those that don't move on to other dolls. Lishes were all the rage for a long time, and now you don't hear as much about them, except from the people who still love them.

People who take the time to photograph their dolls and share them with us may or may not get a good response. However, it takes time and posting many pics for anyone to even know who you are, or who your doll is. If you're lucky - and more importantly, if you put some effort into it - you make friends who you can share your dolls and photos/stories with. But it takes work as well.

There's no magic, secret society to join, unless a group of people having fun together is considered a secret society. I see groups of people who navigate towards each other, and they often "play" together, answering each others posts, etc. It's only natural, because they enjoy similar things. But nothing makes a sadder "clicque" than the one that's a group of people who are resentful about another "clicque". My feeling is that clicques are formed by the people who are viewing the group they are talking about - and not the group of people themselves. They are usually completely unaware that they're being viewed that way. It's a subtle point, but it can make a difference in how you see it. The important thing is to not be intimidated by other people enjoying themselves, and instead of seeing that from the outside, to join in and have some fun as well. Making friends and sharing your dolls is more important than a specific doll being "popular". And...popularity is a double-edged sword. Just my 2 cents, for what its worth...

And yes, this subject has been discussed a number of times, in a number of threads. I would imagine if you did a search for "popular", you'll find a couple long threads, as it seems to be a subject many people enjoy discussing.

 

I don't really know either. It's not the frequency in which dolls appear, because some people post tons of pictures all the time and barely get noticed.
It's not neccissarily the mold, although it does factor in, but I've seen the most popular dolls get nothing. I've seen really bad photos get two page responses...never understood that, whilst a gorgeous, well executed picture gets barely nothing. I think that its the whole package perhaps, props, clothes...etc.
The gallaries are too stressful for me, I hate seeing photos get bumped to the second page in a matter of moments.
I know some people have favorites and seek out those dolls and characters.

 

For me, what I go for is well developed characters, be it purely visual or with a background to match. I like to look at photos and see interesting shoots that makes me go "wow" I tend to fall for dolls that have gotten a custom face-up. To mention a few of those I will always keep a look out for when I'm in the gallery(and why);

Sabriell. Very dark and brooding shoots. Very artistic and beautiful. Interesting angles. And Kaoru has this whole vibe og evil-ness that I just love.

Nezumitoo. Very well developed characters. I mostly look at Jenova, Fuan and Fanuel. I love their design and the expression that Nezu gets out of them.

Belladonna, Morbiddollz & Frozen Wings. The three sisters.. there's something almost magical about these three owners and their dolls. I cannot begin to express how impressed I am with these dolls, their face-ups and their over-all look. Every single time there's a new shoot I run to see it. The amount of detail they put into their dolls's outfits and the thought that they put behind each shoot makes me bow down to them.

Nanyalin. Her skills as a customizer amazes me, and I always want to see more.

Maybe you notice that there's a theme in this.. maybe you know these dolls. I love gothic looks and punkish charm, but only when it's mixed just the right way.
There's a lot more on my fave list, but these were just a few that deserved to be mentioned.

To sum up my likes; details, interesting angles, good thought-through shoots, personalized dolls.

Also I'd rather see 4 really good shots in different angles than 20 shots that look way too alike. Too many shots is like watering down a drink too much; it doesn't give the impact it could have.

 

this kind of goes with the second posters comment. doa is just like highschool. u have ur clicks and those popluar people, but also i disagree cause the popular peopel rub in that they are popular tand that everyone else is beneath them. just like cheerleaders in highschool

 

I am a little confused, are you talking about popular sculpts? Or, popular individual dolls owned by people on the boards?

If it's popular sculpts, I really don't have a good explanation for it. Some sculpts just grab people's attention, and they want them. Many times it's because they resemble a charachter they have in mind, and others, it's just because they find the artistry of a sculpt appealing. CP dolls are very popular, as are Hounds, and other Dollshe boys. Who knows why any given sculpt has such universal appeal, but some seem to, and others don't. I have owned both popular sculpts, and not so popular sculpts, and have bought them because they simply visually appealed to me at the time. So I have sold, and others I have kept. As my tastes get more solid, I seem to have moved pretty much in one direction (Dollshe and other very tall dolls). For me it was never whether or not they were popular, but whether or not they had the power to hold my attention.

If you are refferring to popular dolls owned by members, I;d have to agree with Steph all the way. People who have popular dolls invest a great deal of time sharing those dolls with the rest of us. They dress them wonderfully, design fabulous backdrops, learn to take exceptionally good pictires, and write complex storylines.

These dolls don't become popular over night. It's a process, and one which the owner legitimately enjoys creating. Most of the owners of popular dolls don't really care if the dolls are popular. They enjoy the creatbve process that the dolls bring out in themselves, and consequently, they create wonderful things that they share with the rest of us, and the popularity of those dolls increases, becuse of the creative investment the owner makes, not from a desire for the dolls to be "popular".

 

I no myself that after a certain(if small ) amount of time belonging to doa, that when i search the gallerys or general threads about dolls i always look for a type of doll or an owner who posted the thread.
I always look for lishe, narae and el threads since there my favourite dolls. I also always look for stehg as her storyline is beautiful, i love storys of romance and hers is my favourite so far.
I also look out for brightfires as here crew as always lovely an xi-feng for her darling shiwoo.

So long running storylines and scuplts are what i find the most satifing to look at.

 

What particularly struck me was one comment about how a doll's popularity could backfire, causing it to be unpopular because people don't want to have what everyone wants. I agree with the general idea that a certain sculpt's popularity can be largely boosted by its presentation. As stated in earlier posts to this thread, the Shiwoo head is a good example. When doing my research in the middle of last year (pre-Shiwoo-empire days), there were, what, 3? 4? Shiwoo owners on the board. The number now is far, far larger.

However, it is still undeniable that some scuplts appeal more than others to people. After all, the first owners of these "popular" sculpts had to be attracted by something other than the presentation of other owners. Heads like El, Lishe, F16, School A -- their features are calculated to appeal to the general masses. It could be a form of symmetry, it could be a gentle expression, anything. I distinctly remember someone commenting on this forum once that she was initially attracted to Els when she knew little about bjd, but soon saw its popularity and decided against it. Evidently, something must have made her instinctively like it.

This also brings up the notion of taste. Looking at Japanese owner sites which largely consist of Volks dolls, I notice most owners tend to have the majority of sculpts by the same designer. The generic appealing ones are the most common, but some "accquired taste" sculpts also feature, which again highlights the inherent attractiveness of any sculpt.

Just my two cents, anyway. ^^;;

 

I don't if this is even an issue for other people, but I thought I would say something and see.

Take me back a year ago and I was on this forum all the time. I had found out about BJDs on this site and have bought all my little people (except a fullset DOT shall) in the marketplace here. I met amazing people on DOA. Good friends on and off the forum. I loved my dolls so much. I wanted to display them to everyone. Unconsciously I began to love the dolls that got me the most views in photostories more than my other less popular dolls. Their worth seemed to be linked to how much I could convince other people how wonderful they were. I was spending like crazy, trying to make my little creatures perfect for the next meet, the next photoshoot. I'm only 21 and I'm really busy, I used DOA to justify spending time with my bits of resin. DOA was as much part of the hobby as the dolls. So in mid march I quite DOA. It wasn't a clear decision to stop, just a quite break so I could pass my courses. However with the stop of DOA came the stop of my spending. Without DOA, I didn't buy anymore dresses or dolls. I was in dolly limbo. I loved my dolls, but didn't know what to do with them. I sent them home to my parents, only visiting them once and a while. Then I went away for 6 months. I traveled the globe. I literally went around the world and I found myself missing them greatly wherever I went. When I returned I was able to love them without needing to validate my love on DOA. I still took photos and sewed for them. It was cool. Now I think I can come back to DOA without pressure and with a tighter grip on my wallet.

I was just wondering if anyone else ever wondered how much of what they do for their dolls is for the good people of DOA?

 

I don't see this as a debatable topic, more of a general discussion.

But, I do see your point. When I first got rolling in the hobby I was on DoA all the time! I spent tons of money, but I wasn't doing it for anybody here or at a doll meet. I was doing it for myself. I just loved spoiling my dolls. It did come to a point when I had the dolls I really liked, and they had all the stuff they liked. Now I just stroll for eyes and wigs.

I am on about 4 different doll forums. They all bring something else to the table. I never cared if my photos never got any attention, for me it was more fun taking the time with my dolls to create the stories.

 

I find that if I walk away from the fandom I tend to walk away from the hobby too because I'm just not thinking about it anymore. I've done that with all kinds of things. I can't exactly pinpoint what's the cause and what's the effect, though.

As for needing to feel validated by the attention of others to my dolls. I actually just don't post much of them. When I do, yes it does with the expectation of some attention but I don't do it too often. Yes, it is bad when the dolls in your collection are mainly decided by what others will think of you for having them, though. I can imagine that happening pretty easily.

 

Wow, I find that amazing. A similar thing was happening to me when I got my first doll. I kept seeing all these photos of dolls and these cool clothes and I kept thinking "When I get my doll I'm going to buy this and that and make a photo storie out of it so that people will like my dolls." Sadly while I didn't make a photoshoot I posted two sets of pictures in the DOA Gallery only to get no comments and very few hits (when I last checked in December.) I kept wondering what was going on and why no one liked my pictures. I later deemed them "unsuitable for posting" and "not worthy of commenting" because of my inexperience in photography (Which was the worlds biggest lie at the time since I had taken intermediate classes 2 years before,) and lack originality. I got jealous and angry when ever someone like Cassiel or Hitasura put up a new post because I knew without a doubt people would flock over to view and comment on their photos. Now I know that sounds unreasonable but thats the way it was back then. I hated the fact that someone could do something better than me and be more popular. To top it off I was absolutely inconsolable for a week after I first saw Hitasura's "Apocalypse Now" photostorie. It was complete genius. Most (well really all but very few) just have the dolls posing around maybe saying something or what ever but Hitasura actually set something of fire with the dolls near by. I didn't go on DOA or visit any BJD related websites for that same week. But then again I think that was a turning point for me. I realized that no matter what I did I'd most likely never gain fame in the way Hitasura or any of the others has done. I accepted that and moved on. Now while my post don't gain much from being on DOA, I've found that on Resinality because its a smaller forum my work actually gets seen by others who without a doubt appreciate it. This also gives me a chance to view others like myself own work and maybe brighten up one (0r 10 in some cases) peoples days up. It's also given me a chance to bond more with the dolls I have now instead of getting more and more of them and not really "feeling them". Although in a couple of months or so I wouldn't mind getting one or two off my wishlist and then just keep going like that until all my dream dolls are home with me in an environment that surrounds them with love instead of "photo idol worship."

To this day I have no idea why I kept putting my self down like that but then I'm happy I experienced it at that point and time rather than eairler....Now that would have been something!

As much as it saddens me to say this, I really think that some people just go about mindlessly trying to be popular on sites like DOA That they forget the real reason why they bought their dolls. I'd like to believe that everyone gets dolls because they want another form of a companion. While Human friends are nice I'm not to sure how the phrase " I want to give you rainbow hair and sharingon eyes" would go over with some people. I'm also not too sure about wanting to body blush your family or giving them skimpy outfits to ware outside. Hmm, in my family that instant disownment. ^_^

 

this sounds a lot like how I felt a while ago. I had been on DoA for a while, it took me a VERY long time to save up for BE and over that time I became used to seeing some people as "DoA celebrities" that were guaranteed to have popular dolls. I think a part of that might be because they simply post their dolls picture more often than others or because of the popularity of some molds during a given time.
I bought my El to be the resin form of a character I've had for nearly 9 years now. I had wanted a BJD for years and saved up because I knew he would be something special to me. I can't say I did it to gain popularity on the forums but it would be a lie if I said I didn't care about it at all. I noticed that any photostories or gallery posts I put up would get a few hits but rarely get any comments. It made me think, "what's wrong with them?" I know my photography skills aren't great, I don't even have my own camera yet, but I did feel bad about people "not liking my dolls."
I never wanted to be a very popular person on DoA or anything, but I had hoped that others would be able to appreciate the beauty I find in my own dolls. I'll love them even if I never get any comments on my posts but I do think it's sad that people go unnoticed or are skipped over when forums get to be this size. So, I try to leave comments on every post I look over. If only just to let the original poster know that they are acknowledged.

 

I can tell you right now absolutely none of what I do for my own dolls is for the benefit of DoA or anybody on it except me.
The only things I've done for DoA are (a) post here, (b) try to be a good Marketplace customer and help out occasionally on threads like buyer/seller questions, and (c) run a couple group orders mostly for others' benefit since they were for companies that didn't offer "points" or incentives for group order managers.

There are some nice people in the doll community, but my hobbies and my dolls are for me, for my own relaxation. I'm not interested in getting attention from the community or anyone else about them or putting them out to gain recognition or even for other people to enjoy (there are 1423255 dolls to look at out there already if you want to see a nice doll, and I lack time).

To be perfectly frank, the fact that some people do what they do "for the community" more than for themselves is, along with the never-ending discussion of money, one of the factors that turns me off the most about this entire doll business.

 

At first I loved DoA and was here all the time, just like you. It's about sharing our love for our dolls, but I didn't join for DoA, or to gain popularity will my dolls. I do get frustrated at the lack of comments, and seeing people who constantly do not get any feed back. Even a small comment makes a person feel good, they're sharing something they love. I try to post as much as I can when I see this happening. On the flip side, I don't usually post to threads that have a ton of posts, I think they don't really need my comment, they've got so many. I do think that people only look at the dolls they like and the community can be clickish sometimes and that does bother me, but maybe that's just me.

 

When I first started getting into BJD and the community, I thought about how nice it'd be to have my doll(s) recognized and popular, but now that I have my boys, I actually don't care as much as I thought I would. .^^ I've posted a few stories and gallery threads, and at least two of them didn't get a single comment. Most of them don't get more than three or four comments. A good 90% of the pictures I take don't even get posted here, I just throw them up on my web page for the six friends who are actually paying attention to my dollie stories. .^^ It's just.. well, like I said, being popular, in the end, wasn't as important as I imagined it would be. I'm having way too much fun with them on my own to care about how much DOA loves them.

Don't get me wrong; comments are nice, but they really don't influence how much I love my dolls.

.... I hope I wasn't way off base there. .^^

And in completely other news... I agree that this is probably more general discussion than debate. .>_>