How known is TOO known?

This may be a rather simplistic way of looking at it, but I truly feel the high cost of ABJDs will inhibit it's becoming the next trendy thing. Most ordinary people just aren't going to spend so much on a doll...let alone pay for faceups, eyes, wigs, outfits, and shoes (which is a whole other expense issue.) Let's face it, no matter what kind of ABJD you collect, it's an expensive hobby. You've got to really love this hobby to shell out that kind of dough unless you've got money to burn. Even if you're just getting started and trying it all out, you're still investing a lot of time and money into thinking about it as a hobby you truly "hope" you'll love. I recall with all the doll collectables over the last decade or two, many people feared too many would glom onto whatever new doll trend was hot at any given moment. But you know the funny thing? People were far MORE afraid that there were so few new collectors that the hobby of collecting dolls (any kind of dolls) was dying out!!! So I don't think there's anything to worry about. Anything cheaply mass made will not fit the ABJD criteria, and the cost of well made ABJDs is just too prohibitive to suddenly become mainstream.

 

I wouldn't care really. Actually I think it would be kind of cool because I think more artists might get into it and that means more dolls. X3 When it was just a couple companies, there wasn't much variety. I like seeing all the different dolls sculpted by individuals, and all the nice sculpts the newer smaller companies are coming out with. That's the part that excites me the most. Moar art!

 

i dont think they will becom trendy
and i HOPE they dont
once something become mainstream , its ruined.
the media messes everything up

 

I pretty much echo Raven's sentiments.

I think the more important question is - are you only in this hobby because it isn't well known? I think it is strange to stop liking something just because other people share the interest too...

 

A: good/bad for collectors

I honestly don't know. One thing I would hope is that the rise in popularity of dolls would also bring about greater variety of different things like clothes and accessories. I think that would be a benefit. It would also definitely change the chemistry of communities like DoA, which could be good (yay, more chances for new friends!) or bad (but holy God why are so many of the noobs so immature?? >.<*). Beyond that, I think it's hard to say without getting into some intense economic analysis that I'm just not equipped to get into.

B: make BJDs lose their uniqueness for being different

Maybe, but that's not why I'm in the hobby. I'm in the hobby because I like the dolls and I like the various ways they allow me (almost force me, sometimes) to be creative. I've never been one to care if the things I like are trendy or not and I hardly see myself, say, selling my dolls and leaving the hobby just because we now have $25 BJDs for sale at Target and everyone is getting one for Christmas, or whatever.

C: make you mutter "I was doing it before it was cool."


It might I might not be in the hobby because of its obscurity, but I'm not above a bit of muttering under my breath when things get annoying.

* Hypothetical reaction to the stated scenario of lots of new members joining after BJDs become more popular and widely available, and then only if many of those new members actually turn out to be immature, not a reaction to current new or existing members or to hypothetical new mature members!

 

Eh, I liked anime before it became the insane amount of popular that it is now. I still like it, though I feel that the insane popularity of fad status brings a lot more crap to the table that you have to sort through to get to the good stuff.

What I mean is that there will be a lot more sub-par "face up artists" joining the commissioned services, because there's money to be made there, more shoddy artists to sort through to try finding someone who actually does have the skills and knowledge to to do face up.

With more people would come an increased risk for flakes, flips, scalps and scams on the different venues of marketplaces.

I'm overall a pretty negative person So that's really all that I can see out of the doll hobby becoming mainstream, per se. However, I do agree we'll definitely see a few talented people join the hobby, but a lot of others that aren't so much. Such as in every hobby though.

My only issue with the hobby becoming mainstream is that the second hand market may become a less safe place to do business, and that with the flood of people finding something truly worth the time to view and "OOH/AHH" will become more like of finding a needle in a hay stack.

 

I won't pretend like it wouldn't bother me. Its not so much that there would be alot of other people owning dolls; that in itself might be fun. But think about what has happened to any other trend that has been picked up by the mainstream. The most recent example that comes to mind is lolita fashion. It was always pretty expensive or labor intensive so it seemed safe from mainstream, but then it got picked up. Suddenly Hot Topic was selling cheaply made, poor quality "lolita" clothing that missed the mark on the fashion trend, turning it somewhat skanky. I'm not a purist by any means, but I do wonder if dolls becoming mainstreamed would have consiquences like that, where the point of the doll was changed. And yeah, after the trendyness was gone, we could really clean up on the 2nd hand market lol.

 

I think what you're pointing out with Hot Topics EroLoli /ita thing is what would happen to dollies. But I don't see it as a bad thing. It just creates variety. I'm NO purist, I'll be up front about that. To me, the mainstream picking up things, yes it changes them, but it creates a greater variety to play with. For people like myself who'd love to see fatter dollies, or certain faces that don't seem to be available and lack the skills to sculpt, it would be amazing. Currently those things aren't around for a reason, they wouldn't sell in our currently niche hobby. But bring that niche into the main, and the changes explode, and aren't always bad. Bad to purists, bad to people who got into the hobby due to "uniqueness", but not to the over all hobby. Volks, Dollzone, Luts, they'd still all be there, making the dolls the purists love, as I think like with all trends, it would be the upstart companies doing the "changes".

AND YES! After the trend died, zomggg, that second hand market would be glorious to those of us with little money.

 

I just like to wait, and assure myself that there just aren't that many people interested in BJD's... I just kinda hope it doesn't really become mainstream... hmmm... now to organize WHY into a clear and concise thought, readable, and understandable by all... just as I thought... impossible... Ok, I will just state my biggest reason... As Raisallie said, there would be a lot of variety... and I understand the concern for it becoming out of fashion or cheap... my concern is that with variety, would come too much variety... I kinda like the home-made, hand craftedness of the dolls and all the accessories, with mainstream and variety comes a thousand cheaply, mass produced items, cell phones, jewelry, clothes of any kind you could ever want. Am I opposed to cheap quality clothes? No, but I like that you can't get any type of shirt you want, I like that things are hand and custom made, which I suppose will allways be around... and plenty of people who want more unique clothes than what the mainstream will present... I hope... Lets put it this way, its kinda like the difference between hand-making a halloween costume, and being able to buy whatever costume you could ever want for like $5... I'd still prefer to make my costume, I just hope enough other people would feel the same way should things become over-marketed... All in all though... I kinda agree with PoeticSoul... I could see "fake" BJD's popping up... but there would be a clear distinction between them and actually BJD... but it would still be kinda painful to see BJD's (Any self proclaimed BJD) to be marketed more like a barbie doll...

OMG, I dread the day BJD's become JUST mainstream enough to show up on a CSI episode... GOD I hope it hasn't already happened... groan... that... will be a painful day... T.T

 

I think it would be nice to see BJD's become a little more popular so more people would stop looking at collectors and saying it's "creepy" and things like that, if people knew more, they might see why collectors like them, and that they aren't "creepy"
I just don't want it to get to the point where either:
1) VERY (5-10 years old, maybe?) small children beg their parents to buy them a $500+ doll, when they're breaking off Barbie heads and throwing dolls across the room, I think this has been happening with Pullips lately...
2) The point when popular American companies try to make a BJD "parody" of some kind, change hair, change eyes, made of low-quality materials...etc. I think that would give BJD's a bad reputation, which would mean bad buisness and less BJD fans

 

Anybody STUPID enough to buy their 5 year old a 550$ doll DESERVES any and all misery they get.

 

I can't agree more!! I was pretty harsh with dolls when I was little (those poor, hairless barbies...)

 

All three.

I may sound superficial, but having something to yourself is nice. Your own little hobby that isn't very popular.

I in no way would stop collecting the dolls, however. I just would keep more to myself about it, only socializing with other "original" hobbyists.

Maybe I am prude. But it's like anime. It used to be a closed thing, people who were into it, were REALLY into it.

Then it rocketed into popularity, and every kid and his dog had an Inuyasha t-shirt (die inu die). It ruined it, gave a bad name to it all, and made me want to disassociate from it.

 

It's nice that we are involved in a unique hobby. But one of the benefits of increased popularity is that more companies will start to produce dolls, clothing, and accessories. I think we have seen this in the past few years. There have been many more companies, and therefore, choices. I remember when it was sort of uncommon to see dolls other than Luts or Volks. I'm glad now that there are so many more dolls to choose from.

 

Like you said, I'd like them to be known, but I would not like everyone to have them.. It would make them not very unique, and probably not prettier, either.. Since sculptors would probably have to sculpt faster, not being able to put as much time and effort in it as they can now..
That's my opinion on it..

 

The production, the price, the material and the place of origin makes it difficult for BJD to be more widely known. As far as I've seen it, it comes to be known from owners to friends and trhu internet. My opinion?
It is fine as it is. Imagine a huge marketing over bjd and a sudden fever. The prices woulnd't lower much, there would be lots of posers/wanna-have bjd people, and it would affect the already existing bjd circles.

As I see it, people who don't know one don't need to know exactly what is bjd to know it is more than a simple doll and be thrilled with their beauty.
my five cents...

 

All I'm going to say, is that if BJD became the next Barbie, I think it would ruin it for me...

 

I don't think it's possible for it to become the next Barbie .

Really, they are quite expensive for most people, and even beyond that this is a much more personal and complicated hobby. Barbie is one doll that you buy three million of just for the different outfits, but nearly every Ball Jointed Doll is unique once they're taken in by an owner. It starts from just having hundreds of different sculpts to being nearly unrecognizable from doll to doll because of the faceups, wigs, and outfits. The characters are something too. These aren't pre-made generics that any little girl can grab and know what to do with. My 7 year old sister loves Barbie, but when she sees my BJDs she's simply stunned and confused by the prospect of essentially building your own doll. She may get into it older, but for now the idea of having to put a doll together in your head when you can't usually go into a shop and put it together there (like Build-a-Bear (as much as I love that idea XD)) is just beyond her, and kids even a bit older than her.

This is a great hobby. I'd personally love to know more people into it, but I think that it's such a commitment financially, creatively, and even socially (since I think most people would agree it's a lot more fun to have friends online or in real life who are also into this hobby than to go at it alone like I did for a while), that it will never get "mainstream". Parents who buy cars and laptops for their kids will be reluctant to buy them dolls ("What's the point of them, especially for that cost?"), the price limits serious buyers who have jobs anyway, and unlike most "trendy" things, there's almost no way to have instant gratification with this hobby because of the orderin/shipping times and the time to collect.

And, as it's been mentioned in other threads, you really need to know a lot about these dolls to truly enjoy and take care of them.

Still, I'd love to know if any famous people or "trend setters" are, in fact, into this hobby, especially over here in the States!

 

Yes, there would be cheaper clothes/accessories, but CHEAPER would = lower quality/knock off designs/mass production. Even if these became available for the 'masses', I probably wouldn't buy them

Secondly - nicer dolls cheaper? That is illogical. If the demand for Company XYZ's product grew, and a demand for lower prices, that is more likely to result in them using lower quality materials and/or sloppy production practices due to hiring less skilled staff for lower running costs. This wouldn't be a positive thing. I'd like to think BJD companies would stay true to their art and quality but some might just take that chance to cash in... otherwise they may disappear entirely.

What you describe as a 'good thing' would be (arguably) a good thing for the mass consumer, yes, but a very bad thing for artists/designers/serious collectors