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How Important to You Is It That Your Doll be Absolutely Unique?

Mar 28, 2010

    1. I have a little of the feeling of "wanting to be unique," I guess. At least I can understand the sentiment there. I just don't want to dress up my dolls exactly like everyone else does; but of course, as everyone else mentions, that's fairly impossible, since everyone has their own style. On the other hand, when thinking about their style, what I've seen on other dolls and thinking up something I haven't seen matters to me.

      I also have a bit of a struggle on my hands dealing with friends and the same molds, since my best friend (who got me into dolls) has a girl Bory and I'm absolutely in love with the boy version, but I keep thinking, "Aaaah but it's the same thing!" In my case it's less that I'd feel like I was "copying" her and more that all of our dolls are involved in a storyline we've been plotting for them, so if I got a doll who looked so similar to hers, we would feel obligated to make them "related" in some way.
       
    2. "Well, if you're going to get him, then I won't, because I want you to have the experience of having a limited/one-of-a-kind/rare doll [I forget the exact wording he used]." This surprised me, because I'm not even a little bit concerned about this. Among other things, our styles are very different, so--while we may have the same sculpt in the same color resin--our dolls will likely look completely different.

      I feel like the OP. Everyone dresses their dolls so differently, along with different eyes and wigs, that no matter what, it's going to be a unique-looking doll. Even Els often look unique, and we know there are tons of them around! I can see why some people feel a bit differently about it... The friend in this case might think that if they bought the exact same doll that the experience would be different with BOTH getting excited about the same doll, rather than one person going through the whole waiting and arrival and all on their own, with everyone paying attention to the ONE arrival and one doll, rather than a pair. Maybe that's what they were getting at?

      At the same time, I've seen discussion in the Group Orders forums about people interested in getting on the Waiting List for a MnM order that is currently closed. One DoA-er said something to the effect of, "I'd rather the next group not use the same mold that we're using, so that ours is more unique".

      They will have to get a different sculpt no matter what. The whole point of the MNM dolls is to make small numbers only... The company is set up to provide that, after all. I doubt it really means that the person expressing this is worried about unique-ness, all that much since there are still 10 others in their order and they will end up with very different dolls... Although the limited-ness of it does play a part, that's got to be true. But if the person were truly concerned about uniqueness--they just order ONE head from DIM and it would be made specifically for them and would be totally unique as a sculpt as well as any other kind of individual faceup or body or wig they wish to have for it.

      How important to you is it that your doll be absolutely unique?

      Not at all. I've bought full-sets with default faceups and blushing, so I've got dolls that look about as exactly like other dolls as you can get...!

      Why?

      Because my dolls are my dolls. What other people have is their business. I basically don't care what others do. If I want a doll to look a certain way, and if I like it totally looking like a certain default look, then that's what I'm going for!

      And really, even with default everything, change the outfit or the eyes or the wigs or whatever and things start looking different. Very recognizable, but still different. But really, I don't measure myself or my dolls against other people or dolls! Why should I? It's not a contest or anything. And I was a teenager worried about peer pressure so long ago that I can barely remember it, and I don't want to worry about silly things like that every again! *_*

      It's possible I'm missing something here, which is, of course, why I'd like to hear other thoughts on this topic.
      Some people do place value on having something that no one else has. I guess it's just whatever pleases them. But others aren't that concerned. People all are different. It's OK to feel either way, really. Fortunately, with BJDs, is so EASY to make a doll unique that people who enjoy that sort of thing can really go for it. And those who don't can also enjoy BJDs.
       
    3. this thread needs an opposing force!
      I was a part of the mnm group who said we did not like the idea of the other GO using our sculpt. I dont see it as selfish at all, denny is paid very well to provide the sculpting services that he does, and everyone in our group worked very hard to create our head mould. To me thats like someone asking an artist to create the same exact faceup as another artists, or saying they like your doll so you must give it to them. Yes, they all turn out differently in the end, but in my opinion that sculpt was the result of our groups hard work so why should we share it when they could make one on their own?

      as far as other dolls go, I dont choose my dolls looks based on the other ones i see on the boards but I do get a little feeling of satisfaction from having a beautiful doll who stands out not only among the other dolls I collect but amongst other peoples too. I cant say why I prefer it this way, and I wouldnt deny myself a sculpt because a friend had it, but if i had the ability to choose I would choose uniqueness. Maybe a subconscious part of me uses this since most of the dolls I love are rare on the boards (msd f21, soom hati, unoa 2, etc) People strive to be unique all the time with piercings, tattoos, coloring hair, etc all to "stand out from the masses and proclaim individuality" so doesnt it only make sense that we would want that same individuality for our beloved dolls?
       
    4. How important to you is it that your doll be absolutely unique? It's not really important to me at all, really. I mean, usually even dolls that are the same mold have slight differences that make them unique. I have two dolls that are the same exact mold, both have a default face-up, but I can always tell them apart because the face-ups are different even though they were both the default. Each doll is unique. : )

      Of course, I don't know anybody personally that collects dolls. But I think that if I did, and we both wanted the same doll, I would still think it would be fun. It would be cool to see how different the dolls would end up, or even if we both had the same style, it'd still be fun, kinda like the dolls were best friends or something.
       
    5. I couldn't care less. I want a doll that looks like what I like. If that preferred "look" happens to be the same as the doll next door then my doll will look just like that doll. I'm not really interested in posting pictures or showing off my doll, so if it did happen to look like someone else's, it's unlikely anyone would ever know.

      I don't set out to "copy" other people's dolls but there are a lot of dolls out there and unless your dolls really look like extreme freak shows then it's likely your doll will not be that "unique" - there will be a doll somewhere that resembles or has the general vibe of yours. Who cares? I'm not out to be the Lady Gaga of doll owners, with the doll that makes everybody point and go "OMG I've never seen a doll like that before!" That's not what I enjoy.
       
    6. No, never felt the need to make sure my dolls are original. As it happens, I don't go for fullsets or company faceups and have fairly odd taste so I dont see hoards of dolls looking like mine. But it's not something I take into consideration. If I saw someone elses doll I liked and copied it exactly that would feel weird and wrong, and I can't see myself ever doing that. If someone copied one of my dolls exactly I'd be a bit creeped out, but hey, I suppose they're got the right.

      And I'm not pierced/tattood/dressed the way I am to be individual either, my appearance is just to suit myself. The other day I saw a woman wearing the same coat as me and I complimented her on her taste :) If I were to strive to be original - I'd have to get another coat and I really like that one, so I'd be cutting off my nose to spite my face. So my approach is to go for what I like, be it dolls, clothes or whatever and enjoy it for what it is, not for it's possible uniqueness.
      That said, if you get more pleasure out of striving for uniqueness instead of simply expressing your tastes, that's cool. It's your doll. Like April says, that's one of the great things about BJDs they cater for all kinds of owners.

      Re the minimees, I know they're a limited run because of the mold failing after 10 or so but even if they were to recast a previous minimee for a new customer, I would expect them to do it a reduced price because they'd saved on the sculpting work. Understandably you'd never be able to re-cast someone's OC but perhaps buyers of celebrities/existing characters should be able to choose when they buy whether 'their' sculpt can be re-used? Maybe with a discount passed on to them?
       
    7. That's an interesting perspective, thank you. :)
       
    8. There is a teeny part of me that is paranoid of being thought of as copying someone else when all my dolls to date are based on OCs. ^^; Even so, having a unique doll is not important to me. I do enjoy knowing that I have something custom-made - like some commissioned outfits I have, or my FCS boy - or that I've maybe done something a little different with a sculpt (I think I'm the only one with a freckled Eden on the board), but that's not a driving force for me. A friend and I both ended up with the same doll and I'm looking forward to the next time I see her so we can take pics of them together. Having the same sculpt as a friend can be fun. Seeing what other people do with a sculpt you own is also a lot of fun.

      All in all, it reminds me of something my shodou (brush calligraphy) teacher tells me. Sometimes I practice by putting an example she's written under my own piece of paper. She says it's considered an acceptable way to do it because it's impossible to write exactly like the example - you're not tracing it with a pencil, after all. Even default faceups vary from doll to doll, because they are all hand-painted. It's impossible to do every faceup exactly the same. "Unique" is almost impossible in this hobby, but so is "exactly the same," IMO.
       
    9. I don't think the sculpts are saved to be recast at all after a certain amount of time -- less than a year, so it wouldn't necessarily help anyone ordering the next batch of 10 the next year. They would have to store and maintain hundreds, possibly thousands of heads otherwise.
       
    10. I guess I am different, I like my dolls to be unique..that's why I do most of my own faceups and not get factory faceups unless it is bought 2nd hand, or has a faceup I really like {like an Xtremedoll faceup}. the more unique the better...
      I like them to make a memorable impact..
       
    11. To interpret your question slightly differently: While I will primarily want to buy a doll because I am attracted to its sculpt, regardless of its popularity, my curiosity IS more peaked when I find a small company doll or artist's doll that I really like. I haven't done enough introspection to really articulate why, but it might be due in part to the fact that I make art too. So when I can imagine a specific individual putting their soul into a sculpt that effects me too, I'm more emotionally engaged. Besides that, there is some perverse appeal in the hunt for something new in and of itself. When you think about it, most collectors of any media covet rarity. Just to re-iterate however: if I like a sculpt, my interest in it does not diminish if it is popular, so long as
      (as others have said) the doll fits me.
       
    12. I usually don't really care if anyone else has the same doll mold I have, or I have the same doll mold they have (whichever). I admit that I can be pretty pleased if I have a mold that no one else seems to have, but at the same time it's frustrating. I want to be able to look at user pics to see what other doll owners are doing with that particular mold, how well it works, and not to mention some photographic problems that seem to crop up.

      The only doll I have that I really want to be unique is my Soom Heliot, but I think a lot of that stems from the anger and frustration I feel about the damaged he's received while under my care. If I can't have him in pristine or perfect condition, then I'll make him into something that no one else has sort of thing...

      Other than that, it doesn't matter to me if my dolls are "ZOMG UNIQUE!!!" or as common as an El, Lishe, or Breakaway (which are beautiful molds). If someone were to copy my dolls' style, then I'd be annoyed... but also probably very amused. I have a twisted sense of humor like that.
       
    13. It's not that I want my doll to be absolutely unique, but somehow, I always find myself settling for things that are different from the norm. For example, I bought a full set doll (body, head, clothes and faceup) from a company, but I had her swap body, clothes and faceups with other dolls because I didn't like what she was to come with. So essentially, I ended up paying more for the different parts instead of the discounted price of buying the whole set, but I'm happy anyway because I want my doll to be exactly what I'd like her to be. I'd admit that I wouldn't be exactly pleased to go to a meetup and see another doll identical to mine, but that's unlikely to happen since I have pretty unconventional taste in stuff and I like non-mainstream things. While I can't do face-ups, I could make her unique by dressing her up uniquely.

      On your thoughts about MNM, think about it this way. If DIM reuses moulds, then people would be complaining about overpaying DIM for reusing a mould. On the other hand, if DIM gives the future GOs a cheaper rate, it's not fair to the first group of GO members who had to put in all the time and effort assembling the pictures, polling for choice of facial expressions, paying extra for recasting because the first mould didn't turn out well etc and yet end up being the group that pays the most.

      On the topic of uniqueness, I'd say it's the same as when people commission seamstresses and then request that they not reuse the commission items as samples for future creations for other customers.

      Furthermore, I'm pretty sure it was DIM themselves that said that they wouldn't take on more than 10 for the same mould, not GO members who request that?
       
    14. Maybe because I don't have the time...I actually like to leverage what others have done to make my doll.
       
    15. Its not really that big of a deal to me, I'd be in serious trouble if it was because I keep adding dolls to my list because I finally get to see them in person after one specific girl in the local doll group gets one. Its actually become a sort of joke that I shouldn't be allowed to look at her new dolls anymore because its just going to cost me money down the road. We have one mold (Volks 4 Sisters) in common right now and beyond the mold being the same our dolls look nothing alike. Nor will the dolls I've added to my list look like her dolls when I get them.

      As long as someone isn't copying everything about my doll detail for detail, I couldn't care less if they have the same kind of doll as me or if that doll even looks similar. There are more important things to get upset over.
       
    16. I think that a doll is unique because the owner makes it so. I've seen a lot of different interpretations of popular sculpts and each and every one is unique and different in their own way, many of these bear the owner's unique trademark whether it be in their style of clothing, the face up or something else. Just because two people have the same doll doesn't mean that doll is going to look the same.

      So to answer the question, it's not important in the least because when it comes down to it, the doll will still be unique because what I choose to do with it will be different to someone else.
       
    17. The only thing that bothers me from time to time is the possibility of being accused of character theft (which would really be funny since the dolls are based on a series of short stories I'm planning to publish), otherwise I don't really care if my dolls are unique or not. Besides, how can one get "unique", if the clothes come from a manufacturer (Musedoll, pricey but definitely not limited), the wig is mohair (a choice many make), and eyes - a very natural color? And the faceup, although it's my own, is not something extreme and ca be copied without the artist even knowing me. The sculpt is not that common since Supia manufactures in batches and has long waiting periods, but among the "supia family" the doll is not rare at all.
      At the same time I also have a very common doll (AoD Rao, possibly the only mini sized girl from that company with a decent company photo) and have ordered a pukifee (hoards of them are running across the board).
      What matters to me, personally, is to make my doll appealing to me, to give her an interesting story and with that - a character. :lol:
       
    18. It's not important at all to me, I'd be embarrassed if it was an issue to be honest. I take all my inspiration from things outside the doll world, for example my Eldon Soulkid has been turned into Damien Thorn from the Omen II, my tan Kamau's character will be almost entirely based on the American metal band Avenged Sevenfold and I'm planning to buy another IH man hunk to turn into the devilish Forbes LaMotte from the North & South tv series from the 80's. My tastes aren't by any means unique or way, way outside the mainstream so how could I be offended if someone else's tastes ran similar enough so our dolls were alike? Quite the opposite, I'd think it was amusing and interesting to find similar people/dolls.
       
    19. It might be fun to have a completely original doll, but I don't lose any sleep worrying about it. I try to invent original looks and characters for my dolls, but with so many clever and inventive people on this forum, I sometimes find other dolls with characters, looks, and concepts similar to mine. It's not a question anyone copying anyone else, but merely other people having similar tastes to mine. After all, thousands of people love circuses, Victorian fashions, and the concept of time traveling, and no one owns these ideas. I just try to please myself and don't concern myself with what other people do.
       
    20. It's not important to me - every doll is unique anyway and even if you base a doll on a famous existing character it will still be unique compared to the doll of someone else who has done the same thing.