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New boom of BJDs in American Toy Industry a plus?

Mar 8, 2011

    1. My husband and I went for a walk through Wal-Mart tonight, to walk off some of the agitation from a sudden snow storm, and I noticed that a good portion of the US Fashion Doll industry has moved to a Ball-Jointed design. Those dolls are off-topic, so I won't focus on them, but I found it very interesting that many of my old favorites had now moved to a BJD design.

      What interested me is the doll set by the makers of Bratz called "Liv". I noticed the size seemed comparable to some of the dolls I saw at a Meet-Up this past Saturday.

      So my question is; has anyone tried any of the Liv wigs and clothes with their ABJDolls? What dolls do they fit? Are they a realistic, low-cost alternative to some of the more expensive wigs and things for a girl on a budget?


      (Note: I'm not interested in the doll so much as what the accessories may be compatible with.)
       
      #1 DJSailorC, Mar 8, 2011
    2. Oh my gosh! I noticed the same thing! I went to Target and I saw some dolls that had, you know, like real eyes, were comparably bigger than Barbie, and I even saw some wigs...I was astounded.

      I haven't bought any of the things, but perhaps it'd work. I'm super interested in seeing if anyone else has. :)

      Sorry I didn't answer your question!
       
      #2 shampgn, Mar 8, 2011
    3. No worries. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one wondering!
       
      #3 DJSailorC, Mar 8, 2011
    4. actually liv is made by spinmaster and bratz are MGE (sorry for OT, i am a bit of a doll geek ^^') and liv clothing fits any doll that can wear barbie clothing, and some moxie teenz clothing fits slim minis.

      i think that a lot of dolls are moving towards the ball jointed doll look because of the amazing poseability and customization that bjds have to offer. i mean as a little girl i always wanted a doll that was pale with dark hair and green eyes, all i got was some tan blond haired, blued eyed doll that i had way too many of... now that i found the wonderful world of bjds, it is so much easier to get what i want in a doll, although i have moved on from my days of wanting black hair and green eyes in a doll ;D

      and the wigs are somewhere around a 4/5 and fit pukies and similar dolls that i have seen.
       
      #4 my lacerated soul, Mar 8, 2011
    5. I got one of the Liv doll’s wigs (I think), but it doesn’t fit any of the resin dolls I own.

      I think that the movement to ball joints in most modern “USA-doll-brands” today is due largely
      in part to the growing number of adult-people interested in “action-figures.” *coughaction-dollscough*
      Most of them have children, so their children want toys similar to those their parents have,
      and ball joints seem to be the way to get both a toy a safe enough for a child to play with and something their
      parent might also be interested in. At least, that’s what I feel is happening due to my lurking of many other toy-hobbies. XB

      - Enzyme
       
      #5 Enzyme, Mar 8, 2011
    6. When I was a kid, I loved Jem more than Barbie. They were beautiful dolls. But I'd put them on their stands, hang their guitars or keyboards around their necks, and sort of position their arms kind of near their instruments or microphones... and that was it for posing. I would have killed to be able to position their arms and legs as though they were really performing.

      The new wave of girls'dolls (meaning Liv, Moxie and Fashionista Barbie, very much not Bratz) make me very happy. They are the dolls I dreamed of as a little girl. But I think it is a stretch to say that limited jointing on vinyl fashion/play dolls makes them ball jointed dolls.

      As for cannibalising parts - Liv wigs fit BB/RS 1/6 dolls very well, and are a cheap, cute option. Sometimes the clothes will fit 1/6 abjds, more likely the tops and dresses than the trousers (because they tend to be skinnier down there.) The eyes are about Puki/Brownie sized, I think, and can be cut out, but they are not of particularly good quality and wouldn't work out much cheaper than buying glass eyes from, say, Captured in Glass or another inexpensive company.
       
      #6 autumnrain, Mar 8, 2011
    7. I agree that the articulation in them is extremely limited, especially when compared to the dolls typically discussed in this forum; however, they do use the ball-and-socket style joint that would define them (loosely) as a ball-Joint doll.

      I think you have the nail on the head here. My husband even reminded me that companies such as Hasbro try to mimic Japanese trends, not realizing that the trend they mimic may be intended for a much, MUCH older audience.


      All said, Thank you all for such AWESOME input! I have to say, I am so surprised and pleased to find such well-spoken individuals here. Many forums I frequent don't have such grammar conscious and apparently well-educated people involved in the hobbies they cover. I finally feel like I'm talking to peers, not children!

      THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU!
       
      #7 DJSailorC, Mar 8, 2011
    8. Most of them have children, so their children want toys similar to those their parents have,
      and ball joints seem to be the way to get both a toy a safe enough for a child to play with and something their
      parent might also be interested in. At least, that’s what I feel is happening due to my lurking of many other toy-hobbies. XB

      - Enzyme[/QUOTE]

      This would be exactly why my five-year-old has two Liv dolls. I have an AoD Rao and the kidlet absolutely loves her. So for Christmas she got two dolls of her own, as close to Mommy's as I'm willing to spend for a kid her age. We'll discuss resin when she hits the teen years, if she's still interested.
       
      #8 Trelayne, Mar 8, 2011
    9. #9 Hervoyel, Mar 8, 2011
    10. My RS Bei wears a Liv wig and it works out fantastically for her. The texture is nice, the hair is a lot finer than what I've found on BJD wigs in the size, so I like how it works for her.
      They aren't ready to stick on a BJD from the beginning, though. The Liv wigs are on a stiff semi-transparent plastic base, and there's a spike inside that is meant to go into a slot in a Liv doll's head to keep the wig on. I make jewelry, so fortunately I have a wide variety of wire cutters, and I was able to pare it down to a stump and then use a different cutter to nip it off flat, but the plastic wig cap has next to NO give... so that means no stretching and not really any flexing, so it probably isn't going to work for a lot of dolls if it isn't just exactly the right size already.
       
      #10 Myuuchan, Mar 8, 2011
    11. My daughter has all the LIV girls and quite a few outfits, wigs, and accessories. I actually have one as well. We like them simply because they are fun and pose wonderfully. My daughter wanted one when they came out because they were cool. After seeing her first, I wanted one because they pose so great. Even better than my BJDs. DD has her own BJDs so she in no way wanted one because she wanted to have a doll similiar to my BJDs. I don't think manufacturers are changing to be more like BJDs. Remember, the majority of parents do not own their own dolls for the kids to even know what BJDs are.

      As far as using their clothing for our BJDs, we never do. The wigs are nice, but they have a large plastic piece inside that is used to "plug" the wig into the LIV girl head. You could take it out, but I don't think the hassle is worth it. Also, while they look nice on the LIV girls, I don't think the quality is really comparable to regular BJD wigs. The clothing is nice, though, and made pretty well for an inexpensive toy.
       
      #11 gracie, Mar 8, 2011