Outdated?

Definitely quite a few of my dolls are "outdated" by the community's standards, but it doesn't bother me. I really enjoy the variety in my collection and will display newer and more realistic sculpts next to my old Volks FCS girls.

The constant influx of new dolls can be overwhelming at times, I agree! I used to be really interested in keeping up with the newest BJD news, but that can almost be a full-time job these days. I gave up long ago! Now I just make a note whenever I see a new doll I really want and add her to the wishlist. I don't sell off old for new, I just am more selective in which dolls I buy due to space.

It also takes me a long time to "complete" a doll. Quite a few of my BJDs have been partially finished for six or seven years! I don't feel anxious about this, and work on them when the stars have aligned (the item I want for them is available AND I have the funds for it, ha). For my collection, this might mean I have an old-as-dirt doll with a faceup in a more current aesthetic, or a newer doll wearing some of my old dolls' default items.

Love what you love and don't feel worried about this. Patience is definitely a virtue in this hobby, from saving the funds to purchase a doll, to the production and shipping time, and sometimes (like in my case) the time it takes to actually complete a doll the way you'd like. If you realize down the road the doll you have doesn't match what you'd like, rest assured there will always be someone else out there who will be interested in a sale or a trade. And if you find yourself still loving your old-school sculpt years from now, then welcome to the club.

 

I think dolls that are older end up being "classics", not "outdated". It's not like technology in my opinion, it's more comparable to older movies vs new ones, like Disney for instance. The Lion King isn't a lesser movie than Big Hero 6 just because the technology or aesthetic became more advanced. The Lion King just now considered a classic This is how I view BJDs as well. The classics should be respected~

 

I don't really agree that the posing has become better. Iplehouse and Soom make beautiful dolls, but their posing is outmatched by old Volks and Dollstown bodies. They were both single-jointed, but sturdy. Especially Dollstown's bodies were great. Just like the sculpting quality changes from company to company, so does the engineering.

Sometimes I feel that new feats automatically translates as 'better' in our brains. When Domuya released their Flexibody, the main opinion was that this was the best posing body out there, simply because it had a different (new) joints. But if you take an objective look, it really isn't that good. Flexibody joints tend to swirl in their sockets, making them a nightmare to pose when the doll is clothed. Mainly, this body poses like a floppy doll. My doll has trouble standing, or sitting or doing anything. The only thing he's really good at is slouching. And yet, despite this, for the longest time we kept believing that this was the best posing doll. Until other double jointed dolls came out.

The first doll I bought was shipped out in two weeks. That was in 2006. Some dolls took forever to be shipped - Later version of Bermann for instance, because I think Tensiya completely miscalculated how many people would want to own one - but those were exceptions. Most sculpts had similar wait times as dolls today.

A while back I arranged a meet-up at home and the people visiting took very new sculpts with them and some of the oldest bjd sculpts out there. I still remember being shocked at how different they look. The older dolls had a completely different air to them. It was almost like we were dealing with a different kind of doll, not a bjd. I think that is the main thing that changes the way we think about new and old.

 

i think as others have said that bjds are an art form rather than a form of technology. that said there is, as in any art form, variability both in fashion and quality of that art. to the degree that certain art forms come and go in fashion, styles of sculpts can come and go in fashion as well and to that extent may become "outdated" in some peoples eyes. that has always occurred and will probably always occur. there will always be some collectors who want the newest thing, some who prefer older dolls, and some in between. some dolls will become the modern classics and some because of taste or poor quality will fade from sight.

 

I consider these dolls collectible art-pieces rather than 'outdated devices'. Of course there are people than shift their collections with the new trends, selling older dolls to purchase newer offerings but that is just how some collectors play dolls. I tend to keep every doll I have ever purchased-- unless it did not resonate with my own personal aesthetic. Truth be told most of my older dolls have appreciated in pricing due to their relative rarity in the current doll markets-- which often happens to older sculpts. Of course not all older dolls get more costly over time, but like any other type of art, the price any doll fetches is what the market will bear. It is after all a simple supply and demand equation.

In all honesty there are still dolls I would like to have in my collection that are 10+ years old lol.

 

To me, they do not become outdated. There might be an improvement in the joints, or whatever, but the prior dolls are not outdated in my opinion. Dolls aren't supposed to be the same as electronics, e.g.

Nobody says a Jumeau or Bru is outdated as she was made over a hundred years ago and there are newer dolls.

 

I have a Doll Zone girl that isn't even made anymore on a discontinued body, but that doesn't mean she's any less adorable! I'm glad that I took the chance when the company was struggling to bounce back, and I'm glad I was able to help them evolve into the company they are today with my money.

 

mmh...are we talking aesthetically or functionality?
The former my tastes age slowly and I wouldn't care all that much, but functionally I might be interested in different joints or the like.
That said, at the cost of dolls I'm not interested in trying to keep up. I'll buy what I like when I have the cash and sit on my hands otherwise.

 

I have actually thought about this. I'm a fan of many older sculpts, and many new sculpts, and wondered when I took my older girl to a con if I'd get comments or maybe turned up noses at her, but she got just as much respect and attention as the newer shinier dolls! I also took a new MNF to a party, and she got attention of course, but so did all of the retro dolls too! Older dolls have a lot of value in our hobby because they show us where we've been so that we can appreciate where the trends are going. Be proud of your collectible old dolls! There wouldn't be a second-hand market if we didn't all want the older styles. I have 5 dolls (including floating heads) from the second-hand market. Oldies but goodies never go out of style!