mainstream

When my sister ordered her Manuel I remember thinking it was taking a while, so I contacted Customhouse about it and they said it took about fifteen days for the doll to be made, which explained the wait. I assume that means she was made-to-order, but then she was a Limited. When I ordered my Irang from them she was out in an instant, so they may just reserve the made-to-order process for their *ahem* most dedicated customers. :P /sarcasm

Well, not everyone is affluent enough to be able to afford name brands no matter how popular they are. I don't think we'll be bombarded with a thousand billion more resin BJD owners, just because they're so expensive. I mean, out of the thousands of people who have seen Paris and her bag, how many do you actually think went out and bought one, even if they wanted to? Probably not many. Anyway, if anyone's really concerned that there will an influx of new BJD owners they deem annoying, why not just start your own board and screen members? It almost eliminates the problem.

Personally, I don't really care if BJD become mainstream or not. I'll still have my girls and they will always retain their quality and charm to me, no matter what becomes of the hobby. ^_^

 

I love Burberry, Chanel, etc. It has nothing to do with the fact that's it's 'trendy'. It's the same thing as buying a 500$ doll, at least purses can carry things.


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Anyways, you like what you like, you dislike what you dislike, I think everyone just needs to get over it, boo hoo who cares if it's going to get mainstream, everything eventually does. Actually the new trend is to be anti-mainstream. So in the end everyone is conforming to something.

The end.

 

I've always said that less known vs. mainstream is like a small garden vs. a large field. In a small garden there may be less variety, but fewer weeds. In a large field there may be a whole lot more flowers out there, but you have to step over the cowpatties to get to them.

 

Not only can we compare BJDs going mainstream to anime, but also to...Harry Potter! I'm a PotterNUT and have been for about six years. The fact that everyone and their mom and their grandma and their third cousin twice removed also loves Harry Potter doesn't bother me in the least. I enjoy the books just the same...and without all the poplularity, we wouldn't have the movies!
BUT.
I used to be a huge animeNUT as well...especially in late middle/early high school. As it got more popular, though, I started to become more and more annoyed with the cliches and the whole demographic of anime fandom (no offense to anyone who is still a fan, it's just my own personal issue.) I realized I was shelling out thousands of bucks to go to anime conventions and cosplay around the country and I wasn't even having fun while doing it.
So...there are two sides to the story.
I think the difference between Harry Potter being mainstream and the possibility of BJDs becoming mainstream is...no one wants to see our dolls being treated as something frivolous or being used as a status symbol. Harry Potter is a story...BJDs are something physical, something tangible. Right now a doll is something that you have to save and work for, something you can be proud of. If everyone on the block could have one, it'd feel a bit demeaning.
But simply because of the structure of American culture, I think expensive artist dolls are just too "weird" to ever become mainstream. I really don't think we have anything to worry about.

~Megan

 

All I was trying to point out is that people will pay a lot of money as long as they can convince themselves, or someone else can convince them, that it's worth it.

 

I don't think ABJD will ever go mainstream like Barbies. I'd compare ABJDs (including Dollfie Dreams) to the high end porcelain/resin/vinyl dolls already selling in doll shops. Perhaps more doll shops will carry ABJDs. But I don't even think there's a doll shop less than a 20-30 minute drive from me, anyway (and I live in suburbia)--so the more expensive dolls on the whole aren't even as popular as--say--toys (in my area of the world).

The popularity of ABJD will increase as the knowledge of them increases. One person in the family gets one and the whole family and maybe a few friends learn about them and so on.
But on the whole, ABJDs aren't affordable for the majority of the population.
I can't see almost every child owning an ABJD. Perhaps a bunch of kids could get spinoffs/ripoffs made of cheap vinyl or plastic... but still... $40 for a vinyl doll? Not every kid will be able to get one of those, either.
The spinoffs won't be exactly like ABJD, anyhow.

The good things that the ABJD world could inspire in the mainstream community would be a care and love for dolls in general. I feel as though childhood movies with scary dolls in them partially killed or diminished this love for dolls--at least so I've experienced.

When people see us treating our dolls with love, care, and/or respect, surely some will see them as special and wonderful and good. Maybe some people will then want an ABJD or another kind of special doll (if ABJDs are not affordable). I think it's kinda nice myself.

Hopefully the companies that keep making these dolls will stick with their original goals and keep their production as quality as possible.

 

Ugh... weren't we all over this in like... middle school? *sigh* Just because you aren't into everything that's mainstream doesn't mean that you can't be into some mainstream stuff. Just because you don't like something, it doesn't mean somebody else can't like it, or is wrong for liking it. I won't pay $20 for 4 anime episodes, but I don't care if you do. It's not my business. I wouldn't pay $1000 for a doll. I don't care how rare, customized, or special it is, when it comes to that, I'll MAKE a doll. And it could be just as beautiful as the rare, customized, special doll, but people won't treat me the same about it because I made it instead of bought it. Anything rare or expensive has a certain amount of status with it, but it's silly that we think that way, as people, and especially as women (you all know it's true).

EXAMPLE: I used to hate Harry Potter because it was mainstream. I had a low opinion of the intelligence of my peers (and still kind of do; sorry!), and decided that if they liked it, I wasn't interested. Then the 3rd book came out. I read it and liked it. I read all three books, preordered the 4th, saw the 1st movie on opening day, and got the DVD of the 1st movie for my birthday. EXAMPLE 2: People are saying that they won't listen to M.I.A. music anymore because she "sold out" when she did that Honda Civic 2006 commercial. I like M.I.A., and I will listen to her CD's no matter who likes or doesn't like her and her music. I also like Louis Vuitton, and will buy one once I'm old enough to get a decent part-time job, and I hate Paris Hilton. I think she's snobbish and obnoxious.

I know it's super annoying when something you're into becomes mainstream and is bastardised, slaughtered, and maimed (metaphorically, of course), and even more super annoying when people then want to talk to you about something you are very familiar with as if it's new information. I also hate it when I'm interested in something, then ready to move on to something new, and whatever I'm done with is all I can find because it's mainstream. It's more of a timing issue for me, but I don't care if something becomes mainstream or not.

I personally don't think BJD will go mainstream just because most "mainstream" Americans (ie, the ones who will buy the most) haven't had an original thought in their lives, and are too lazy to have one. Customizable dolls are not the greatest idea for us; we are not a thinking nation. The price tag will annoy people, and they will wait for a doll to "go on sale", which it won't, and even as it is, Barbie collecting and fancy Barbies are a select group. You don't find a Bob Mackie Barbie at Toys R Us. But if it did... you can bet there would be multi-ethnic multi-species fantasy dolls all over the place! I mean, mega-rawk. How cool would that be?!

 

That would be nice..my mom says when she was growing up (50s-60s) it was just unheard of that a person would be afraid of or not like dolls. Every girl had a doll and they were well loved.

 

Didn't Toys R Us used to have all the designer Barbies at their store? I remember getting one of the My Fair Lady Barbies from Toys R Us when I was younger..

 

They sure did - they used to carry quite a number of the higher end dolls, including Mackies like the Queen of Hearts. They don't anymore since they revamped/remodeled all their stores.

Marcia.

 

Thank you for pointing that out. The comparison to Barbie is really ridiculous, because Barbie isn't even on the same planet. The best comparison might be Tonner or Cissy dolls-widely customized by doll artists, hugely popular in collector circles, but barely known outside of doll communities, and never, ever considered to be a child's toy.

Anyway, my bitch with the mainstreaming thing is resale value and quality. Dropping resale values aren't even a hypothetical thing, people. Look how much resale prices have gone down in the past couple of years. Of course, quality upgrades have something to do with that, but I think an equal part of it is the explosion in the number of dolls available. Imagine how hard it's going to be to sell your standard Shiwoo or oldskin SD10 when there are double the number of dolls out there, and a large number of cheaper vinyl alternatives. People like to point out that you can get back almost all of your money by reselling a doll, but I'm afraid that's not going to be true much longer.

Then there's quality. What I love about these dolls is the detail. Delicate, super-detailed faces, little touches like sculpted muscle definition and little wrinkles on knuckles. How much of that is going to be lost with mass-production? I can't imagine that much tiny detail being possible in a factory-made doll, no matter how nice. The same goes for clothes and accessories. When dirt-cheap wardrobes are widely available, who's going to pay for real silk, hand embroidery, rows of pintucks, and working pockets and buttonholes? :roll

 

Hrmmmm Yes I know all about the discrimination against mainstream things... I make and design my own lolita costumes, and have been Told the hot topic/ mass produced stuff was more authentic then mine was.... I hand make almost everything costume rlated I wear and I'm proud of th fact that I can dsign costumes... Sadly most of my better costumes have been sold and I have no pictures but alas So it goes... But yes I make costumes and while the stitching may not be as perfect as that of a machine (( most are fully handsewn including most of my Bellydance costumes...)) I still think they are quite good ^^


Ps if anyone wants to see some of my work (( albeit the fact that alot of it is old and kinda crappy )) http://photobucket.com/albums/b235/KittyKyran/Failacostumes/

That's whre ya can


Although I must say it's be nice to be able to go to the store with kyran and pick up clothes I enjoy making them and knowing they are original, and that they are made specially for him ^^

 

It's not so much the "mainstreaming" that worries me...but the belittling of the whole thing.

The one thing I've always loved about ABJDs are how much care the companies put into them. From the distinguished air of Heath, to the Shiwoo's mischevious grin. There's something special about each one, and it's scary to think that it could ever get to the point where you'd see uncaring hands get ahold of them.

Of course, the fear is unfounded, since the pricetag is sure to scare off most casual buyers. But there's still that little nagging in the back of my mind going, "All it needs is that one celebrity to get it, and it'll snowball."

 

I think some people (not neccesarily here, just in the world) sometimes only get into things because they want to be different and if everyone has it it loose's its appeal.. it SEEMS like a weak reason to spend 1000's of dollars on a hobby but to each their own.

like punks who dress strangly to look "unique" but in reality alot punks look quite a bit alike so, really its more clicky than anything.(not that its bad).

As far as hot topic, they don't even have that here, so I guess its just mainstream in usa. (i am from Canada)

I personally don't have a problem with the doll's being more widely available.. but still retaining uniqueness, being able to order and customize them etc..

The only thing I wouldn't want to see happen is the quality and price go down to barbie level. Obviously that would ruin it hehe. Thats all I can really think of.. I wish more people were into it, so I could have some friends to take photos and be dorky with.

 

decided to remove it

 

I only have one real complaint about things becoming "mainstream", and that is that as a particular hobby or whatever becomes more and more accepted by the general public, the sect of people who are "against" said hobby etc grows larger as well.

It's like, as something becomes popular with group A, group B begins to garner more people to hate that hobby and do whatever they can to put group A down about it.

I don't know how many of you go to conventions, but I've noticed over the year I've been bringing my boys to them more and more people shy away from them because they're "omg those stupid dolls" or "omg so creepy". I'm seeing less and less of "wow, those are cool!" and more "I'm so sick of those, cut it out already". Maybe that's just me being vain about them though...I don't know.

 

Okay I'm tactless, I removed the message because it was not taken the way I had intended it to be. I said it when I was frustrated and now that I'm not anymore I can't think of any way to back it up, so I'm sorry for posting it at all.

 

Hey I am sorry if I was rude, I am having a bad day so I removed my post too.

Sorry I didn't mean to insult you, I am sure you are a nice person with tact.
ops:

 

Honestly? I don't give a shit one way or the other.

 

Well I'd love the idea of getting to go into a store that has bjds on display to hold, test posability, etc. However, I have problems when things become 'too mainstream'. When people go in and buy as many new release items as they can, to turn around and scalp them on ebay. I know it happens now, but I'm afraid it would happen more should the hobby really break out into the mainstream.

While oh yes, it'd be great to have people know about the hobby and such...I suppose I should just say I'm split and leave it at that. lol