mainstream

I could personally care less. Would it make shopping for doll stuff easier? Maybe. More availability, more local places to acquire goods, etc. Would it make shopping for doll stuff harder? Maybe. More production, broader range of styles and prices and qualities to compare, more competition for the relatively limited high-end products. There would be upsides and downsides. I'd have to be a discerning consumer. I already do that, if on a smaller scale, so while it would change the dynamic, it's not a dealbreaker.

Would it rub away some of that feeling of specialness that comes from having an unusual hobby or interest? Probably. I just don't care very much. I have a lot of interests, some of them fairly odd, some of them utterly mainstream. I like them because they interest me. I doubt very much anyone else cares how 'unique' or 'special' or 'different' I am, anyway. Life is too short for me to shape myself around trends.

 

This remind me exactly as some has mention above that happens always in music. I love non-commercial music genres. From Neo Classical to Darkwave, From Dark Folk to Ethereal. In additional there have been groups which i like and they have become mainstream for some time in other music genres and because of that, i am not gonna turn my back on them. I know how can it feels since the mainstream is very closed minded and most criticize us free thinkers/open minded people when we like something and then they started to like it just because is mainstream, i can understand the feeling them but not against what i like, i can have that feeling for the ignorant persons who only like that because is mainstream.

I really don't care if this happen in the bjd world too since i love my babies and they have a special meaning to me. From my point of view, for now i don't think bjds will be mainstream in the next years. If this happens, just like i said, i will still love the hobby and i will still love my beautiful resin family.

 

I like the idea of it not becoming mainstream because it feels more friendly plus the idea of doll cloths being in hot topic make me throw up -~-

 

Mistress of Socrates: You have a very good point.

Even if ABJDS become mainstream will not get away the love for our dolls, i must admit that it can be a little tough that people who don't know the story of abjds, people who not appreciate the true art behind them, people who will just have them because they are in as part of a mainstream fashion trend, my heart is with the ones who have take time to have the knowledge, the ones who have a true passion for this beauties and always have like them.

I am not a greedy person and for me it is not a problem for others to have them but we must understand both sides and have a balance.

 

This is something that I was thinking about when reading the 30 and over thread and the discussion of how BJDs are becoming mainstream. I want to hear from you guys, at what point would BJDs be considered mainstream? When they are cheap and mass produced?

What makes a hobby mainstream? As a noob, I was very surprised to find such a large number of companies supporting the BJD hobby. That means there's enough of a market out there.

Is something like fishing considered mainstream? You could get a cheap rod at Walmart. But you could also get a cheap doll there. For fishing, there are enthusiasts and a few major stores, and brands that are worth a lot of money, and discussion forums supporting it, etc. On some level, everyone knows someone who owns or has owned a fishing rod. Same with dolls.

I mean, just looking at the number of BJD meetups all over the map makes me wonder. It doesn't seem to be too different from RPGs, or Tabletop games - in any given group of people a good number don't understand it or are unaware of it. And really, the only barrier of entry to BJDs is money and exposure, which is the case with a lot of hobbies.

Maybe the concept of BJDs is not mainstream, but neither is the concept of a LOT of hobbies. I can only say that I look at the number of companies, brands, manufacturers, etc and I am in awe. I actually think there are more BJD companies than there are, say, anime figure companies.

I think it will always be a luxury hobby, insofar as the cost of materials and the handmade element in things like faceups. As a result, it will have limited involvement and won't hit the mass consumer market.

What are your opinions? Do you consider the BJD hobby obscure? Niche? Rare? How would you define BJDs as a hobby? At what point is a hobby mainstream, and what does that mean to you? Where do you see the hobby headed?

 

I think BJDs are still relatively obscure. Very niche and rare among general hobbies when it comes to the number of people in it, but they are becoming much more mainstream in the doll world itself. Though not all BJD collectors are doll people. Overall, I bet there are fewer doll collectors in the world than there are recreational fishermen (just as an example).

Sort of related, resin is also becoming a popular material in other hobbies, such as horse model collecting.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

It'll be mainstream when you can find knock-off BJDs being sold at Toys R Us for $20. At that point, even the well-crafted stuff will either cut costs enormously or just go out of business due to competition. I think it belongs down in the niche region, as the price of becoming mainstream is often paid by those who stuck with the hobby to begin with.

 

It's mainstream when you can get a "yes, I know what those are" response from people outside of the hobby. I highly doubt you will find these types of bjds at Toys R Us simply because they are not child safe. Yes, some kids play with them,but there are too many swallowable and get-stuck-able pieces to them. A simplified fairly child friendly alternative already exists in Liv and to a certain degree Monster High. Barbie is headed that direction. I'm all for it! I would have loved a doll that could stand up and customize.

 

They will never be mainstream. Take anime in comparison- There are a whole lot of people who enjoy it, there are huge conventions dedicated to it, but is it mainstream? No. Unless a hollywood celebrity advertises BJD as a must-have accessory and they REALLY take off, they will always be a semi-secret type of hobby.

 

What makes a hobby mainstream? Silverholly puts it best by the "yes, I know what those are" benchmark response. A hobby becomes mainstream when an average person is acquainted with it.

Personally, I think the BJD hobby will always remain a niche hobby by virtue of its high investment requirement, monetary- and work-wise, compounded by the fact that the definition of the BJD hobby is very narrow and exact (as opposed to fishing, which sweeps broadly from the stick-and-string person to the decked out angler). For us, there will almost always be a lower-tier counterpart that the general populace will have easier access to (Barbie, Bratz, etc.) and those counterparts are therefore the mainstream hobby.

I believe this hobby will only be considered mainstream when a picture of a BJD sits beside the definition of the word "doll".

 

i dont think it matters if it becomes mainstream. the more people into it, the more money being funnled into the manufacters, the more people they can hire and that frees up time for the sculptors to make new and interesting molds.
mainstream doesnt have to equal cheap. even if toys r us starts selling lesser-quality BJD, the big names we love wouldn't change their quality or style because they know it makes them money having quality products.

 

If BJDs become mainstream, it will be in the way that porcelain baby dolls have become mainstream. People know of them, some people collect them, but it's still a smaller hobby compared to say, jewelry making. I don't see a problem with them becoming mainstream at all, it will just make the tools used to customize the dolls more easily accessible.