[Poll] Expressive sculpts, yay or nay?

I like neutral facial sculpts. Of course, some are gonna be more dreamy, some more smiley, some more serious, etc. But IMO that just lends to their personality. Lord knows I've got a bad case of RBF myself.

But in the end, the biggest reason I like neutral face sculpts is, ironically, because they're more versatile. I can portray more different emotions with a bit of photo editing/angle/careful framing than I can with a doll that has a definite, unmistakable expression.

So of course, if more companies would offer alternate heads or faceplates for their dolls, I would be overjoyed!! Alternate hands are my go-to purchase because of how much they can change the expression/mood of a doll. But alternate faces??? PLEASE YES. I would still probably want a "basic" neutral face, but I would fsking LOVE to get some strong expressions as alternate heads. That's the DREAM, right there. Unfortunately, the most we usually seem to get is a sleeping or dreaming head, if that. I mean - don't get me wrong, I'll take what I can get. But I really do wish there would be more options available.

 

I am so torn between so many opinions but also leaning towards one side....I say it depends!

I wouldn't go with more "extreme" head sculps such as screaming or a exaggerated cry. I would consider those more of a permanent-display type thing! "permanent-display" meaning as in a doll meant only for one scenario. I like resting sculpts with a certain subtle expression but I'm also willing to have some more prominent smiles or frowns.

I must say I also have a huge soft spot for closed-eye and winking...

 

I love expressive dolls, but they're definitely not right for every character. I love seeing those sneaky smirks and big grins or even winks, even when they wouldn't work for my collection.

 

I'm really taken by unoas, the cheeky smiles of the chibi faceplates, the serene look of the lusis. I think they're just so full of life, especially with the right face up they look like they're real little people.

I think as a teen I saw the expressive unoas and was like 'huh...why would you want a doll with only one expression', but I think now people older seeing a cheeky unoa chibi smirking on my shelf would be so cute

 

I voted Somewhat Expressive. I seem to be drawn to mostly slightly expressive faces, I guess this can often be achieved with the right faceup and eyes.

For tiny dolls I think very expressive is cute, I have a few off topic nendoroids with extra faceplates that I adore. I'm not sure I'd buy a tiny BJD that's very expressive though, simply due to the cost, I want more versatility.

I'm not a fan of sad looking dolls. I appreciate the artistry but life has been rocky the past few years and hobbies are an escape for me, I don't want to see or be around sad things.

Shy and curious expressions are my favorite. It's all subjective and I'm glad there's a lot of options out there, even ones that don't suit my personal taste.

 

I love expressive sculpts. My doll family, however, consists mostly of slightly/vaguely expressive.

In the end, I'd like to be able to dress my dolls into various coords, imagine different expressions on them, and try to enjoy them in different 'moods' so to speak. So even though my eyes always go to the highly expressive sculpts, for practicality I hold myself back and purchase dolls that are more neutral or just slightly expressive.

 

I like a little bit of expression on my dolls, such as a soft smile or raised eyebrows, but anything more than that starts to creep into uncanny valley territory to me.

 

I like a bit more expressive than usual? I like a bit of baked-in personality if you will. Although I don't like the SUPER expressive ones. I admire the sculpting skill that goes in, but it's too much for me. Still, I'm glad the variety exists.

Though, I will say, I like the really expressive anime sculpts more than really emotional sculpts that are more realistic.

 

Different people; different taste.

me personally I would prefer additional heads with the different expressions. Although much more expensive than just having one head with the expression- I really cannot get attached to a face like “” 100% of the time. Just my preference. I have whole stories planned out for my dolls and that face will not work when one of my dolls confessed his love for her LOL

 

I chose somewhat express, but it also depends on the character for me as well. I have one doll that is definitely expressive and I love her face, but for the most part I like just enough expression that can be read in a few ways depending on how they are posed.

 

I prefer expression, but what I will go for depends on what kind of character im going for in the doll. I love Miracledolls Vic sculpts (both sizes) because those mischief grins are just *chefs kiss*

But I also love dollchateaus Gladys because despite it being fairly 'blank' the way her head is sculpted has this almost intimidating look to it and was perfect for Wraak.

Recently I caved and got Gem of Dolls Dianna and Katyusha before they went away forever because those slight expressions are too adorable to pass up.

Edit: I also second the idea of many heads many expressions.

 

So for some reason for resin bjd I prefer a somewhat neutral expression, they can be kinda smirky/smiley, or grumpy but just a hint at their personality. But for most other dolls (especially blythe) the more exaggerated and cartoony the expression the better.

 

I really like positive, smiling dolls like Supia Hamin or Dollits Miso. But I don't like crying dolls either, I don't understand why people buy them.

 

I'm in the minority, but I greatly prefer expressive dolls. I just get tired of seeing the exact same expression over and over.

 

I love dolls with big expressions. For awhile I wanted a crying/sobbing doll only because I felt like crying right along with her. But I passed because I couldn’t be sure I’d always want her.

 

I think it totally depends on the doll! I love a good neutral face, but I also have a Luts Raphael and I love how happy she is! How could you say no to such a happy little thing? It's not for everyy doll/character, but I think it absolutely has its place.

 

My tastes have changed over the years. Back when I would trot out my dolls for photostories it was important to me that they have a more neutral expression so I wouldn't be trying to pass off a smiling doll as angry, or a very stern/wrinkled brow as a gentle smile. But nowadays I'm just a hobbyist, I just have fun dressing them up and taking an occasional photo or two, and I find I really like being able to see more emotion on their faces without me having to do a bunch of posing and lighting and camera angles lmao. I like smiley dolls a lot now, lol, and the next time I redo a few faceups I'll be painting little quirks onto a couple mouths, haha!

 

It very much depends on the character for me. Certain characters need to have an underlying sculpt that's a little more pouty, or has a bit of a smirk, or a serious case of RBF, or even having a big ol' grin, and they just wouldn't look right with the wrong expression or a blank one, no matter what I did with the faceup. I even reshelled one of my dolls because the underlying sculpt's expression was far too pouty for her smiley character, so she never looked right no matter what I did. The new smiling head? Perfect.

 

Most of the dolls I have right now tend towards neutral/slight expressions, but I do like a lot of more expressive sculpts as well - I would just have to have the right character in mind for them before I brought one. Lately I've been leaning toward more anime-style dolls and the exaggerated expressions on those are a lot more appealing than realistic over-expressive dolls imo.

Probably the most expressive doll I own right now is my Pipos Star Cheshire with his big toothy grin, but I think the creepy overexaggerated expression is part of his charm; he's supposed to look unnatural and otherworldly.

 

I like the expressive dolls, but because I am newer I went with a more neutral faceup so that it would suit more general purposes. Once I get a few nice general dolls I will definitely be going for more expressive dolls.