Rare or popular: discuss your preference

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?

Neither really. I just look at gallery photos, dolls at meets, and dolls on the sites and choose which ones I like. Many popular dolls I find no appeal in. Same with rare. Doesn't mean I don't like them because there are plenty that I do like, but I buy dolls based on financial availability and how much they appeal to me, not labels.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?

No. Especially online, the only time I care about what someone thinks about me is when it directly involves my integrity as a business woman. Otherwise I couldn't care less whether or not I get a hundred views or one. Popularity of a doll has nothing to do with it. Trust me.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.

Eh. Kind of but not really. I'm not familiar with all of the companies so I tend to just click on any/all of them

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?

Yes. There is one I saw at a meet here in Arizona that I've never seen on the boards and it's my dream doll. It's just too bad he's limited

 

I'm probably more inclined to buy LE dolls.... not because i want to be elitest or special... just because they are LIMITED and if i dont get them now i never will, which means my funds are depleted by Limited or rare dolls. lol

 

The same sculpt can look soooooo different depending on faceup, wig, gender, skintone, eyes, and style (and that's even before getting into mod territory). To me, so much of what makes a doll unique is not the sculpt but what is done with the sculpt. I can go on the Lati Miel pool on Flickr and each one looks so unique despite them all being the same sculpt.

I could really care less about 'popularity' in terms of how many people have the doll compared to me. One thing that makes BJD collecting different from other hobbies and interests for me is that I can't see BJDs in real life. I have never been to a meet and it's not like I have to worry about bumping into someone else carrying the same doll the way I might have to worry about with a handbag or outfit.

When I first came across BJDs it was outside this forum and I had no idea what doll was popular and which was not. I just happened to see the Fairyland Ante LTF sculpt and fell head over heels in love with everything about her. I loved the fullset version of her in the Marie Antoinette outfit (unfortunately by the time I got to know the hobby enough to know FSs sell out, she was already sold out). When I came across DOA and started browsing through Flickr, I discovered Ante is an extremely popular sculpt. Does that deter me from loving her? Not at all. I love her because she is beautiful, not because of anything else.

Oftentimes I do wish a sculpt that interests me was more popular simply because I would like to see more pictures of it! It is the owner pictures that I see on here and on Flickr that help me in deciding on a doll. It helps me to see the sculpt styled in many different ways so I can make sure it is the sculpt itself that I love and not something else (like the faceup, outfit, or wig).

In "real life" i am a huge clothes horse. I adore style and fashion, but pride myself on not following trends too closely. I hate when something I wear becomes too popular because then it will ultimately become pase. In the dolly world "popularity" isn't an issue for me so much in the sculpt I buy. To me it would be similar to me saying I don't like pizza because it is too popular a food. No. I like pizza because it tastes good. If everyone else wants to eat pizza too, then that's great.

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?

Neither are things I consider when buying a doll. The super limited and OOAK dolls the companies release never appeal to me because they are limited. If i like them it is because I think it is beautiful. The things that appeal to me about a doll do so because of personal tastes and preferences which are not influenced by how popular something is whether it be the sculpt of a face or how high the platform of the doll's shoe is.

In the world of BJD, as soon as you change the wig, outfit, or eyes, the doll is unique. Even two of the same sculpt with the same factory faceup can look different because one might have slightly rosier cheeks or they are different skintones. Some people have three of the same sculpt, yet each one is one of a kind.

It seems like there is a snowball effect with the popularity of dolls. In a hobby where you can't just go to the store to see them and that is so expensive, Company photos are extremely important. Some companies do an amazing job with their promotional photographs and this automatically gives them a head start in the popularity race. Also, the more photographs there are of a doll the more people will see how lovely and versatile it is, and consequently it will become even more popular. (this is a reason PR for fashion companies send so much free stuff to celebs. They want them to be photographed in it so people will buy it)

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?

I know that the way I style and photograph my doll will be unique even if she's the most popular doll with the stock wig and company faceup (which actually right now she is lol). As a relitave newbie in this hobby still, I'm still learning the names of everything so when I'm in the gallery I still can't usually tell the popular ones from the unpopular ones.

Also, it seems in general the most popular BJDs are the SD sized ones, and as I'm not interested in such large dolls (and am mostly interested in tinies) that already puts me in the minority.

I'm confident enough in myself that I know I'm not a follower of anything. (for goodness sakes my love of dolls in the first place is anything but being a follower considering I know no one else in real life who collects dolls). I have never been thought of as a follower as anyone, though honestly, what is so bad about being a follower or being followed? If someone else got the same doll I have because he or she was inspired by her, then I would be extremely flattered. If someone wanted buy a wig I use, or dress a doll similarly to the way I do, I would again be flattered. If someone wanted to put a faceup on their doll that looked like a faceup I had or did (i wish), I would be extremely flattered. This means the perosn respects me and thinks I have created something beautiful. The fact that we are all collecting and personalizing these amazing creations, which are truly pieces of art, in a world that does not see dolls as art in the first place and would judge us for pursuing a "children's hobby" makes us all unique and against the grain of society.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
(First off, I have no idea what "CP" means :p). I'm still learning about companies, but the ones I do love (Fairyland, CustomHouse, Felix, RosenLied, Bambicrony, Jaime, Lati) I will be more likely to click on because I want to see what the owner has done with one of the sculpts I adore and how it has been photographed. It might also help me decide on what dolls to put on my wishlist. However, I always want to see something new and different, which makes me more inclined to look at other threads as well.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
I prefer to get as much information about a doll on the forums as I can before buying it. It's not like I can go to the store and see it for myself. I hate to be solely reliant on a company's photos of a doll. Often it is an owner's pictures that makes me fall in love with a doll and not the Company's promotion pictures at all. A perfect example of this is the Kid Delf Ani. I never would look twice at her based on the Company's website photos (she looks too cartoony/"anime" to me on there) yet when I saw Mimi Chocolat's pictures of her on Flickr (sidenote:I'm a huge fan of her dolls and photography! Gorgeous stuff!) I fell head over heels for her tiny features and vintage hollywood glamour.

However, that won't keep me from taking the plunge on a doll that I feel has real potential for what I want. I couldn't resist Custom House's BOGO sale and will be getting a Junior Yeondu and Little Junior Darea, both of whom I have seen very few photographs. I find as I learn more about BJDs and the longer I am in the "BJD world", the better I am getting at focusing on the sculpt itself and not being distracted by the styling (faceup/wig/skintone/eyes/clothes etc).

 

Wow I wrote a book! Kudos to anyone who reads it all haha

 

i think that i like a doll based on it's sculpt; but i will also willingly admit that i'm totally avoiding soom. i'm the kind of person who always click on sculpts that i've never seen before, before i click on a popular one. i guess that makes me an odd man out, sometimes :3 which is fine with me!

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
Neither. I like what I like. Personally, I'd never buy one just because it was rare or popular. A mold that I love, that jumps out at me and says "I'm the one!", is what makes me happy. But if owning one that's rare/one-of-a-kind or popular is what makes others happy, then have at it.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
No and no. I couldn't care less about gallery views or what other people think of me. There's a stamp I saw at deviantART that says something along the lines of, "I refuse to stop liking something just because it's popular". That's very true to how I feel.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
No. There are a handful of dolls that I'd really like to own (most are from different companies) and a bunch of others that I just think are pretty or interesting to look at. Those are the ones I search for in the galleries. Or sometimes I just randomly click different threads.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
I like looking at as many owner pics as I can find before I make a purchase (I always search here and at deviantART) but if I really loved the mold, yes, I'd probably buy it even if I hadn't seen it here (or anywhere else). But I don't really see that scenario ever happening. The DoA community is so large...I think you'd find at least one person who owns whatever doll you're interested in.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
I do have to say I'm more attracted to the 'rare' molds, but that's more because they have this thing that makes them rare in the first place. Could be odd eyes, or being outcuted by other molds of the same company, that depends. I love my dreaming An, and was very lucky to snatch him from Luts before they discontinued him. That's part of his rareness, but also his narrow eyes make him not very popular as most MSD owners are looking for either cute dolls (with larger eyes) or realistic ones like Unoa and Limwha. He's just really an in-between case and I think that's what's making him less popular.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
No, I think sometimes it's just the rare dolls that get more gallery vieuws, because there aren't more of them in the board! ^^" I'm not really influenced by wanting to have a lot of gallery posts, it's mostly my doll friends that comment and that'll do for me.
I wouldn't choose not to buy a popular doll; if it fits my character, I'll buy it, regardless of its number on DoA or anywhere else.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
Not CP, but definitly Soom ^^" I just love their dolls and I'm always curious to what other people made of them (especially Bix!). So yes, I would click on a Soom thread before any other, but I'm also always looking for rarer companies and molds for the exact same reason. Gallery threads feautering Angelregion dolls can count on my click and comment, but for the other threads it's mostly the title/poster that attracts me to take a better look.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
I would! I still have this silly dream of being the first to bring a recently released or just very impopular mold to the board. But if I'm not the one, I'm just as excited to see owner pictures from different people.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?

In all honesty, I like the idea of having sculpts that you don't see very often, but I won't buy a certain sculpt just becuase no one has one. I have to be in love with it just as much as anyone else has to be with a doll purchase. I have no real reason behind that, but I've also enjoyed being a little bit different.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?

I wouldn't care about gallery veiws, but I don't want the same doll as everyone else, becuase I don't want to feel like a copycat, especially if I have similar ideas as this random person with the same or similar sculpt. I would be bothered if someone copied my my ideas, intentional or not, so I won't do that to someone else.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.

Yes. There's really nothing to that. I want to see threads of dolls I already like, and don't spend too much time looking at others. I do peak at others to see what other peope like, but my taste hasn't really changed much.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?

Yes, in fact, a few on my wishlist are just that, and I just feel in love with from company pics alone. It comes off as a bit of a risk not having anything to reference on DoA, but those dolls won't ever be seen until someone here buys them, whether that be me or not.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
Neither is a priority for me haha. It's all about my own tastes. My first girl is going to be Delf IF and I can't find any pictures of her really, but in contrast you can find a ton of Delf Lishe haha.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
My doll is for me and so I wouldn't choose based on what will get more lookers. If people like my doll that's just dandy but if I don't like them then I've wasted a large sum of money! I might feel abit awkward about getting a popular doll but then I always remind myself I like it because it suits my tastes, not because it suits the other persons taste. Its like finding someone else likes the same show as you, whats the harm?

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
If It's a doll brand I've heard of I'm more inclined to click because I know there's a higher chance I'll like what I see. I wouldn't click on a link for NFL pictures because I'm not a sports person so turn that around, of course I'll click on something I have a fondness for.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
I would say yes but I do like to see owner pictures if i can. It just allows you to get a better idea of what the doll really looks like and how their look can change or if they seem to always carry a similar look even when stylized differently.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
I don't care, If I like it I'll buy it. It doesn't matter how many other people have it.
- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
No

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.Sometimes yes, Mostly b/c I want to see a certain doll with different wigs and eyes
- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
hmm, I'm not sure

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular? Neither, I only buy a doll if I like the sculpt.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
Nope, its enough that I love my dolls, not if the others are interested in them or not. But I admit its nice to get comments of your photos.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company. Yes, I always check the photos of Minifées, so I do have a favourite company.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums? If I like the sculpt then yes.

 

When I consider buying a doll, the only thing I consider is how much I like their sculpt/face. I suppose it makes it a bit more desirable for the doll to be rare, but not ever when it's popular.

 

My only doll was an impulse buy, I'm sorry to say (not to his face though >.> lol), but I realized that I enjoyed his sculpt enough to own him. When I look at dolls, I decide who I like and who I don't like based upon the potential I see behind the company's faceup, whether it be for a certain character, a potential character, or a personal connection (i.e. my love for Heliot mentioned in the limiteds thread).

When it comes to rare or popular, though, I guess I could say I tend to look more at rarer dolls or dolls whose companies I've only skimmed over in the past. Honestly I can say I can't see anything special in the CP/Luts El (who I see on the forums every day). I'll admit when I see so many of one doll from a company that I like, I begin to wonder why people go for that doll over the tens of other beautiful sculpts from that company. I understand that people have different tastes, but I feel an obligation to enjoy the sculpts that others don't.

 

To me, neither matters. The doll may be popular or rare, whatever, but the main thing is that when I'm at home, with my doll with me, and I'm not surfin' through DOA looking at pictures or whatever, my doll is the only one I'm seeing. Who cares about the rest of the world and their millions of popular sculpts? It shouldn't matter - it's your own doll you're keeping, and as long as the doll makes you happy, you shouldn't be shooting him down just 'cause there are a million of him out there in the world or something. Furthermore, once you've chosen your wig and eyes and outfit and everything, it's not like the doll's going to match a random doll out there on the internet, or something.

Truthfully I had no idea of El's popularity before I decided to get him. But even though there are some... rather discouraging posts on this thread, I don't care.

Anyhow, it's the head mould that appeals to me first of all. (Even though we all know El has an uber pointy nose.) Rare or popular - if it's pretty, then yeah, I'll desire it more. Though I don't think I'd want to get a rare doll, just because if it's finger breaks or something, I'll go nuts trying to find a replacement finger thing.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
Personally, although I'd like to think that I just like a doll because I like it, my preference is probably towards the "rare" range of the spectrum. (Actually, my favorite doll is one that I've only seen one or two of here--the Unidoll Real Lily.) Of course, one or two of the popular dolls have inevitably caught my eye due to the versatility of the sculpt, which is, actually, probably what makes it so popular.

I do have to say, however, that I see some sculpts /so/ often on the forums that I've just no desire whatsoever to obtain one myself. What's one more Soom Chrom/Heliot/Amber/etc. in a sea of them, in comparison to one of a far fewer number of, say, Unidoll Berkuts? That's the only thing that really gets to me. When I like two sculpts equally and they're around the same price, the one I'll almost always favor is the more uncommon, simply because it is more uncommon. If I love the doll, why not show it some love? x3

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
That's highly unlikely. My choice to buy a doll is influenced by a multitude of factors, but whether I'll be following the trend or getting more people to look at pictures are certainly not on that list.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
Like most, guilty as charged. x3;; I'm always on the lookout for Unidoll Reals and Zaolls~. They're just so ohmygoshgorgeous.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Actually, that's an issue I'm having currently. In all likelihood I'd go ahead and cave, but the notion scares me slightly. After all, I wouldn't know a thing about the poseability, resin matching, sculpt issues, or any of the important factors in that respect. D; Eep!

 

i buy what i like usually it happens to be limited and/or quiet popular doll (well, they're popular for a reason: they're sexy XD )
but i would prefer to have a doll most poeple dont have / that is unknown. cuz i hate looking like a follower. i got 3 doll on my wishlist that a popular BJD photographer on dA HAVE. i dont wanna look like i'm copiing her XD

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
Neither. The only thing that matters is whether or not I love it. Limited availability isn't a factor for me when purchasing, unless there is a time constraint involved. Even then, I usually buy 2nd-hand anyway.

And though I have been on a limited-frenzy lately (Curse you, Soom, and your MDs too ) my next doll will be Iplehouse's basic Jerome, when he's released.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
Me, personally, no. I don't post a lot of pics to the Galleries, so it's not really a factor.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
I am not a fan of many of the CP sculpts (I prefer a more mature look), so unless it's an Abadon, Moon, Juri or Flood, I will probably pass.

But to shift focus to my favorite company, Soom, yes, I am more than likely to click if I see a Soom sculpt in the title. Just because I like their dolls and want to see how others customize theirs. I am more prone to look at threads featuring sculpts I'm familiar with, but if something unusual pops out at me, I will check it out.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Unless it's a time-based limited order probably not, because I have been burned by company photos. I've bought dolls from 2 different companies that were severely misprepresented in company promos, and sold them amost immediately after receiving them because I was so disappointed. Owner photos give a much more accurate portrayal of a doll, IMO.

Out of all the limiteds I own, only 2 have been purchased directly from the company, and those haven't even been shipped yet. I prefer to wait and see if they live up to the hype, even if it means paying extra in the Marketplace.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
I think it depends. I guess if you look, I've purchased common or popular moulds.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
I don't post in the gallery often, so no it doesn't matter. I don't think as myself as a follower for purchasing a doll alot of others have. I can make my dolls their own and not like anyone elses.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favourite company.
I probably would, but I do try to look at everyones when I do view the gallery.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Not really. It would be hard to discuss and ask questions about if i'm the only one who has it. If we are talking limiteds with no owner pictures because they are being shipped to houses, then yes. I really only feel like buying a 'rare' or limited if I know at least one person has it, other than myself.

 

I just seem to like the less popular sculpts. I kinda like that though. People are less likely to associate a specific character with that sculpt.

 

- Which is more appealing when buying a doll: that it's rare or that it's popular?
Neither I will buy a doll based off its face sculpt, body (both sculpt and functionality) and the correspondence to my personal tastes. I've never been bothered by what "the crowd" thinks, so I guess I just follow the same principles here.

- Would you ever buy a more popular doll knowing that it could get you more gallery views? Conversely, would you ever choose not to buy a doll because you believe it is too popular and you are afraid to be seen as a follower?
I'm not an attention-seeker in the BJD-world, so gallery views are not that important (I get more than enough from publishing drawings). What I could use is, say, faceup critique - but I can request that in the critique forum, where the molds don't really matter.
I think there's more chance of being seen as a follower to a less popular mold, where the owner managed to create an extremely recognizable image. So, a "no" again. I would rather not buy a popular mold because I might see the idea I had in mind realized by someone else.

- Are you more likely to click gallery threads because they feature a CP doll? Be honest! Nothing wrong with having a favorite company.
No. But a Soom Glot would get me to do that XD
Frankly, I click gallery posts with interesting titles, or whose authors present quality shoots in all sorts of styles, or (like the Glot issue) in cases where I like the mold to bits, but can't make up my mind if I really want it (off the original company or the market place) or not.

- Would you buy a doll that you had not seen on the forums?
Uhm... depends. I will buy a doll from a company that presents high quality (say, LEs that go only with the pre-order, or just unpopular molds) even if there are no "home" photos of the doll I need, but I would be very causcious about a new brand and would only buy if the mold just sort of... "sticked to me".