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More Mature 1/6 Scale BJDs?

Oct 12, 2009

    1. After just discovering the Soul Little line, while already knowing of HandFairy Peya from Dolkot, and the Mini Gems from SOOM, I'm curious as to why so few companies dabble in this particular niche in the tiny realm of sizes, and further why those who do lack available male dolls.

      Almost all companies design their 1/6 scale or smaller dolls to resemble children, or to simply be, for lack of a better term, "chibi." In my eyes, this greatly limits collectors.

      Since I'm still very new to the hobby, I'm curious as to what others think about this. Some questions I have are;

      Why do you think so few companies choose to make mature bodied dolls in this scale?

      Would you be interested in purchasing 1/6 dolls like the above if they were made with the same level of detail as larger lines? If not, do you think that there is enough of an audience for this type of doll to be successful?

      Do you find this kind of doll too similar to off-topic fashion dolls or other jointed doll lines like Obitsu, even if they end up meeting all needed criterial to be on-topic here on DoA?

      As an aside, do you think it's possible that this similarity is why even fewer companies have tried creating mature males or anything similar in this scale at all? As in, the market is already too heavily saturated with such dolls to compete?
       
      #1 Ellanie, Oct 12, 2009
    2. Adult 1/6 dolls are very reminiscent of Barbies and other fashion dolls. That's probably why they are unpopular and why there aren't any men in that scale. Even yo-scale dolls are difficult to sew for, and Barbie-scale dolls would be even more difficult. Painting faceups would be similarly difficult. As would stringing. The only plus I can imagine is that furniture and such becomes easier to find.
       
      #2 monkeycancer, Oct 12, 2009
    3. Considering dolls as tiny as a PukiPuki by default come with high quality face-ups and have equally high quality clothes available (by my personal opinion, anyway), I don't see why more than one company can't create items of such detail for 1/6 scale dolls. And, again, my opinion, stringing a tiny doll isn't any more or less difficult than a very large SD.

      If they become more commonplace, the hobby would start filling with products and people with talent working with the size. Although I do agree that they are reminiscent to dolls like Barbies, I don't see that being enough to stop companies from producing more of these, since the target audience is completely different other than the basic "doll collector/lover."
       
      #3 Ellanie, Oct 12, 2009
    4. Having come originally from the world of 1/6 customization, (Volks, Obitsu etc.), I can say that 1/6 face-ups like those really aren't any more difficult than Puki scale :)
      But would I ever pine after a mature BJD that size for myself? Probably not. I do have a weakness for Souldoll's discontinued Kimmy, (mature-ish 1/6th male), but it might be the novelty of him.
       
      #4 arrowchild, Oct 12, 2009
    5. I don't think stringing would be a factor at all. I just restrung my little 15cm bobobie tiny for the first time, and he was much, MUCH easier to restring than my 70cm dollmore model. First time at the bobobie took about 10 minutes - first time at the model doll took 3 hours (man, that night wasn't very fun). o_o

      I think the main factor is indeed them resembling Barbies. Even when I look at the mini gems and such, I think "Oh, it's like a super-advanced and prettier Barbie!" I'd almost love to get one because it'd be super easy to get her clothes, but then she'd just be even more associated with Barbie, and well... I never liked her to begin with, haha. So yeah, if other people are like me, it may just be the association.

      I really do think that they should make male dolls of the size - then I'd be very interested, and probably wouldn't associate him with Barbie (well, there's always Ken, but I really doubt they'd look anything like a Ken doll). I also see a lot of other people who also prefer male dolls, so they could be getting more potential customers if they did this. C'mon doll companies, it's a win-win situation here! :D
       
      #5 Sunnie, Oct 12, 2009
    6. Personally, I love the the 1/6th scale mature tinies & wish there were more of them. Not Doll Labs have a few that are just a bit smaller but the face-ups aren't as nice as the Soom & Souldoll ones though. I too wish there were more males in that size.

      As for being Barbie-like, I don't find them so. They don't have high-heeled feet & that nauseous big pink Barbie grin. I really think of them entirely as little BJDs & have one with a killer custom face-up. It is nice that they can wear Barbie clothes though I'm rather picky & end up buying the high-end designer & Barbie Millicent Robert clothes instead of the regular playline stuff. Those clothes are beautifully made like the vintage Barbie clothes were. I've also had a lot of success with Tiny Kitty, Coquette & Cissette clothes. Metel can even wear the Coquette shoes & all of them fit the Joe Tai Tiny Kitty boots. Kimmy is a problem as most Ken clothes are loose on him but Ken shoes fit perfectly.

      Have you seen the 27cm Planetdolls? They're not quite as mature as the Soom/Souldoll lines but they're definitely not children. The company doesn't offer face-ups but I've seen some beautifully painted ones & finally got brave enough to paint mine last week. Also Bobobie has a line of 27cm dolls that aren't chubby children. They're more stylised but so much fun for around $100 & there's even a boy elf.

      I don't know why more companies don't offer this size. Maybe there's not enough interest to make it profitable? But the Soom & Souldoll ones have been around for ages & the companies haven't discontinued them so there must be some interest. I'd be in big trouble though if more companies started making them since I really love them though, other that Not Doll Labs' Lucy, I have no interest in child tinies.
       
      #6 Gwydion, Oct 12, 2009
    7. Well, I think the existing mature 1/6 bjds are already very well sculpted and detailed. Like others have said though, they're barbie sized and carry that association. If I want a 1/6 doll like that, I'll get a volks dollfie or an obitsu and pay like $300 less. Add to that the fact that they'd be waaay out of scale with my existing dolls. I like each size representing an age group: 1/3 as adults 1/4 as kids and tinies as babies or toddlers. I think it would be cool if everyone could get exactly what they want in a doll, more sizes, colors, etc...but I wouldn't buy a mature 1/6 bjd.
       
      #7 Nefla, Oct 12, 2009
    8. Personally I would love to see more 1/6 mature tinies, particularly males.
      I truly don’t care if they fit inscale with my current dolls, since I have plenty
      of other dolls that don’t all work together, I just love dolls of any kind…

      I’ve been waiting forever for SoulDoll to rerelease Kimmy, they’ve been
      telling me he’ll be restock “in the next six months” for the past 3-years (I think?),
      but they never did seem to restock him at all (although the last time I asked
      them about Kimmy, they did have some very surprisingly great news, but I’m
      not sure if it’s a secret, or just something they thought about doing but are
      not actually going to do, so I won’t say what it was). T______T;;;

      There’s an independent artist who’s been making a 1/6 (sort of, he’s 16”) very mature-male,
      but I’m unsure if he would be considered off-topic here (I’m not sure I he’s resin, although
      he is strung and ball-jointed). I would love to add him to my collection, but unfortunately
      the person doesn’t seem to want to ship overseas, and I don’t speak/read Japanese. T___T;;;;
      He is quite stunning however, probably the most mature-male 1/6th bjd I’ve seen thus far.


      - Enzyme ^.^
       
      #8 Enzyme, Oct 12, 2009
    9. Why do you think so few companies choose to make mature bodied dolls in this scale?

      I have no idea, except perhaps they think of them as Barbie-size and have no wish to enter that market.

      Would you be interested in purchasing 1/6 dolls like the above if they were made with the same level of detail as larger lines? If not, do you think that there is enough of an audience for this type of doll to be successful?

      Absolutely. I love this size of doll and have lots of clothes and accessories for them. I have Notdoll Pandora and would love friends and especially some small men for her. Notdoll sells a little guy her size and I plan to buy one someday, but his body is not to my liking and I will have to mod him considerably. As for marketability, most "tiny" people seem to prefer the child-like tiny dolls and I don't know if there would be enough interest for the big companies to consider making them. My Pandora was a LE version offered by Dollmore and was on their website forever. Eventually, lemonday (who sells for Dollmore on ebay) put her on ebay at half-price and that's where I bought her. I honestly would not pay the same for a tiny doll as I would for a big one.

      Do you find this kind of doll too similar to off-topic fashion dolls or other jointed doll lines like Obitsu, even if they end up meeting all needed criterial to be on-topic here on DoA?

      I don't consider them of-topic at all. My tiny Pandora is made exactly like my big dolls and is very tiny and exquisite. Her resin is beautiful and heavy and she is totally unlike an Obitsu. I think any new dolls would have to be exactly like the big dolls as far as aesthetics are concerned to be on-topic on DOA. I personally would welcome a tiny version on my Bermann, for example, or a little Soom guy.

      As an aside, do you think it's possible that this similarity is why even fewer companies have tried creating mature males or anything similar in this scale at all? As in, the market is already too heavily saturated with such
      dolls to compete?

      I think there will always be collectors who are attracted to the smaller dolls, but if a company is planning to go to the trouble to design a new doll, the big money at the moment seems to be with the big dolls.
       
      #9 linakauno, Oct 12, 2009
    10. Personally I feel like sharing a size range with Barbie and Momoko and similar dolls is an advantage, not a disadvantage. Let's face it anyone looking at a SoulDoll Little isn't going to say "oh it's a BARBIE," they just look way too different. And then you can use all of the cooler barbie and momoko clothes, which is a real advantage if you want nice clothes and don't want to make them.

      Also, all the rement miniatures work with the 1/6 dolls, so then you can have pretty dolls, with pretty furniture, and pretty STUFF on the furniture! XD

      I'm still looking for a 1/6 male that looks over the age of 7... BRING BACK THE KIMMY.
       
      #10 sadieko, Nov 3, 2009
    11. I like 1/6 scale. I collect the 12" Sideshow figure line from the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I certainly wouldn't mind some pretty BJD girls to display with my collection. Sideshow is great, but the sculpts they do of women aren't as good as the sculpts for men. I'd much rather have a female doll with real hair. I've thought about going the Obitsu route, but I just don't like any of the faces I've seen so far. Anyway, if you don't mind the fact that they aren't ball jointed, Sideshow is excellent. The possibility of my Angelus and Subway Spike figures is amazing.
       
      #11 xMadxScientistx, Nov 6, 2009
    12. I don't really get into the mature 1/6 scale dolls, but I do know of one other male in that scale- the original Unoa Light Azurite. There's a new version now which is made by Sekiguchi and is not a BJD (and not on topic at DoA), but the first version made by Alchemic Labo was a strung resin BJD. I don't know how difficult they are to find on the secondhand market, AL doesn't make the first version Unoa lights anymore.

      As for why not many are made in that size... well, for one they don't seem to be hot sellers compared to other BJD sizes. Most companies are going to make dolls in sizes and scales that have already proven popular for other companies. If they see their potential customer base going crazy for Yo-sized tinies, or 70cm super-mature big dolls, they're more likely to make those sizes than to go with a size that some companies make but which the general "fandom" seems to be lukewarm about. It's not to say that doll companies are copycats, but if they can see that certain sizes or styles sell well to their their target audience, and others don't, most companies are going to sell products in the sizes/styles that sell well. There is a large 1/6 fashion doll fanbase, but then BJD companies have to try to cross over to a different audience, which can be difficult.

      As for why the "target audience" (i.e. BJD fans) are not as keen on mature 1/6 dolls? I think that probaby depends a lot on the individual. Some may see them as being similar to Barbie or other cheaper 1/6 dolls. Some might only want dolls that suit the scale of the dolls they have already. Personally, the size is part of the appeal of BJDs to me, so although I enjoy looking at photos of smaller tinies, I don't know what I'd really do with one of my own.
       
      #12 skwerlie, Nov 6, 2009