Most underrated/overrated dolls?

...I don't think I'd call any doll "overrated" or "underrated". That's a really, really subjective thought process; one person's "overrated" is going to be another person's "just right". It's also unnecessarily derogatory toward people's collections. I mean -- for example, if you've got one person who says "I think Dollzones are all overrated" and you have another person who collects only Dollzones, that's going to be instant bad feelings, know what I mean? So what if one doll is more popular than another, or one company more well-known? We're all different and all that matters is the individual hobbyist's tastes.

Dolls are all unique and everyone's tastes are different. I could say a doll is "underrated" in the "I wish this sculpt got some more love" way, but "overrated"? That's not a minefield I'm willing to wade into.

 

I expected more from Soom Teenie Gems to be honest. If it weren't for her skin color and fantasy parts, I would have deeply regretted the purchase. They are single jointed and aren't the best posers. I really like my B&G The Old World full set dol (I have Mini Buryssa). She is strung just right, poses okay and her face-up and fullset items are just beautiful.

When it comes to a doll that is seen often, I only get a bit tired of dolls with default face-ups, or natural face-ups from the same artist. But even then, I just scroll through. I understand why the doll is populair and that one would want a doll they adore, even if many have something similar. When it comes to a doll that is not seen enough, I tend to get frustated, because I don't find out how rare owner pictures are, until I am interested in buying one. xD

 

Yeah, this question is very inflammatory-- it's the kind of thing that should stay on Tumblr. Tumblr is big on popularity-contest crap.

For any one doll for whom people say "it's underrated, it deserved more attention!", there are fifty more people who'd say "there's a reason nobody paid attention to that doll, it's not very good"... and for any one doll for whom people say "it's overrated, I don't know why everyone likes it!", there are fifty more people who'd say "that doll is popular beause it's amazing and I have two in my collection and I love it". So it's pointless. Valuation is a very, very subjective thing.

You might as well just ask "what dolls do you like?"

 

As much as I love the tumblr community (and hate all the hate and drama of it) this is 200% true. All dolls have equal chances to be equally stunning to me, so I believe there are some dolls that are underrated in the sense that some people won't give them a chance because of, let's say, one thing only, such as bad company photos. As for overrated? It's rare but I've only seen it happen with very specific dolls and under very specific blankets. It's usually one popular person that buys a doll and then a following forms, of course that doesn't mean there aren't people that "just like the dolls for what they are" and there's where the hard feelings start to play in.

As mentioned before, subjective matters don't make good grounds for objective observations...

 

Any doll is really a blank slate, yes some have a more "artistic" feel to them. But it's the uniqueness of the faceup and styling the owner gives the doll that really makes them shine. I have seen highly rated sculpts that looked awful with horrible faceups, and very pedestrian sculpts that looked amazing because their owner styled them with great artistry. That's the beauty of this hobby, these dolls are blank slates that we are supposed to use to express ourselves with.

 

I think popular sculpts are popular for a reason I believe they are popular because they represent a widely accepted idea of "Beauty". Chloe for example (which I have and think she is lovely) Has big eyes, large lips, an oval shaped face and a small nose. To me she screams the American/Canadian idea of "Beauty" that is portrayed in the media.

This is just my opinion and thoughts on the matter ^_^ Beauty is still in the eye of the beholder and what is beautiful to some is not to another and vice versa.

 

You know, with all the talk of popularity, I really have no idea what doll is popular and what isn't. Popularity seems to shift anyway. There was a time when you could trip over the CP EL's and Volks F16's, but now you hardly see them in the galleries anymore.

Also, there are many gorgeous sculpts from unknown artists that won't get the recognition they deserve. It's just how it is. Doesn't make them of a lesser quality and it certainly doesn't make the more known artists/sculpts overrated. With so many sculpts being released every week, some are bound to get overlooked.

 

Do you think any particular sculpt is overestimated against its true value? (i don't mean it only in a economic way)
and if so, why?

I think the Fairyland Chloe is overestimated/overrated. So many of them out there and so many people own her. It really makes it hard for owners to do something with her that other people haven't already done with her, it would seem. I think it makes the sculpt overrated and since I've seen so many of them, it has increased my distaste for them and it has really gotten boring and repetitive. I hope someone will make a Fairyland Chloe be awesome instead of just the pretty little girl that everyone (that I've seen so far) has made her out to be.

instead, which dolls are underrated and why?

I have no idea which dolls are underrated since, well, they rarely show up. I guess I would have to say most of the newer companies that I've seen come out like Aimerai, Akagi Fantasy, and Angel Street, to name a few. I think they are underrated since they are just coming out and tweaking their dolls as they see fit since it is just the beginning and whatnot. They are probably just underrated since people might not want to take a chance on one of the dolls from these companies until they make more dolls and more hands options, etc (just improvements in general).

These are just my opinions though and what I've experienced. It's all in a person's mind what they believe to be overrated and underrated. Different opinions for different people and this is just mine. (:

 

No specific doll in mind, but I'm surprised by the lack of highly stylized dolls out there. I'm talking like Kinoko Juice level of stylization. Not just a slightly stylized face. I'm personally a big fan of stylized dolls, so I wish there were more options out there for people like me. Luckily I found out about Xagadoll's Red Obsidian Line (I'm loving Kimi and Miki!). I love the thick long legs, short little torso, and cute anime-like faces! So cute!

 

Obitsu's are totally underrated. They pose great, they're cute, and that metal plate to stand on is a godsend. I know they haven't had a new sculpt in years, but they're still really great!

 

I've heard a lot of people say that Fairyland's Chloe and Volks Lorina are both overrated dolls. Which made me really sad because they were the first 2 dolls I really fell in love with.
I think people feel certain dolls become overrated when they become common. Which I suppose could be true. But it doesn't make the people who own them love the doll any less.
In the same token people I've spoken to feel that dolls that aren't often owned or mentioned(like some art dolls) are underrated.

*shrugs* I suppose it's all a matter of opinion.

I say everyone should just love the dolls they love and let others do the same. ^^

 

In my opinion, it's quite difficult to say "overrated" or "underrated". First of all, every company has their own kind of material (resin, etc) to make, so the cost would be different, casting skill is also up to the artist of each company, design and advertising, other cost for company and the most important thing is how buyers react. Some dolls are popular because people prefer its sculpt, so even though it were more expensive than other dolls, they would still buy it. Overrated/underrated actually depend on individual.

 

I definitely agree with this, this is also why I think Chloe is popular.

I would imagine that popular dolls change with the times and evolve with what's popular in the media. I definitely feel like right now Chloe is a good representation of a lot of the artistic styles going around in toys, cartoons, advertisements, fashion magazines and so on and so forth--she fits right in with the times. I don't think I'd ever say she's an overrated doll, but you do see a lot of her!

As for 'underrated', I'm kind of surprised I don't see more Feeple65 Chloes around, rather than just her minifee version. I always thought she had a very serene and ethereal look of elegance to her, which I'd expected to be more popular as I started delving more into the community. There are many gorgeous dolls out there, each one special and pretty in its own way, so I don't think any of them are better or worse than any others. ^^

 

I think all dolls deserve the attention they get. --Because-- it's all up to the individual. Sure, anyone can look at a doll and have an opinion as to whether they think it's a great sculpt or not, but all that only matters to the individual. Whoever gets a doll and loves it feels the doll is worthy of their attention. Whatever anyone else thinks doesn't matter at all.

I think that's why some people find this discussion a bit inflammatory. We can all say--hey, this doll is worthy! This doll is not worthy! But our opinions are all just individual opinions and shouldn't really matter. And this discussion infers that it DOES matter if someone says a doll is worthy or not... and that just will make those who actually HAVE and LOVE that doll think that there are just random haters out there.

There have been discussions about dolls that deserve more attention. Now THAT is positive, and may be interesting.

Discussions about dolls that don't deserve attention just leads to mean comments that may hurt the owners of those dolls.

 

I agree, there's no good to come of trying to declare which dolls "don't deserve attention," especially because such a thing is purely subjective, and can change over time. Honestly, if you'd asked me when I was new to the hobby which dolls were overrated and didn't deserve so much attention? They'd be sculpts that are now in my collection, and among some of my favorites these days. Clearly they were completely overrated, right?

Who's to determine what's "overrated" and what's not, especially when one can change their mind and do a complete 180 on the same sculpt? All you're going to do is breed vitriol and anger from people claiming each other's dolls aren't worth of attention, and nothing good can come of that.

 

My Dollzone Dreaming Xi head is laughably underrated in my opinion. It was an extremely limited edition exclusive (only for sale through a single dealer) and I ended up getting it from that company for $19.99 through a closet clean out sale on Ebay. The name is really accurate too. That head was a dream to mod, paint and hybrid. Now I have a lovely dreaming girl sitting with me now.

I also have another "underrated" DZ sculpt head. The Mr. Bunny. Louis my Mr. Bunny is an extremely charming fellow. He currently waiting for me to get him a Yo-sd body after a failed attempt to make him MSD. He looked great as MSD but I can only handle two MSDs in my collection at a time. I really don't understand why there aren't more of him out there. He is so full of character. I'll never sell his head.