Realistic-Idealized & Mature Vs. Stylized Youthful-Dolls: Which Do You Prefer?

Which is where the OP had placed it, too. It was moved by the PTB.

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Myself, I prefer the realistic dolls. I have a semi-realistic DZ mold and have ordered a Minimee head. I'm not into anime or manga, so the overly anime'ish heads actually kinda scare me with their huge eyes and little pointy noses. At the same time I am of course aware of the basic psychological aspects of the "childlike" proportions. And I can look at a childlike doll and find it very cute - but at the same time, not a doll I would buy. Just like dogs, I like dogs but I wouldn't care to actually own one.

I'm, I guess, in the older category, at 42. My kids both seem to prefer less mature dolls (Big kid prefers molds like Chiwoo and Little kid has her Zaoll whom she think is perfect)

I think that one of the reasons why so few Minimee/realistic dolls are portrayed in the galleries here is that they're tricky to incorporate into pictures. There's a certain problem with a very realistic "person" being 2 foot tall... Also, unless you have several minimee/very realistic dolls, they will inevitably look odd next to each other. Already, my DZ doll looks "off" in pics with the nanuri07 and zaoll dolls. I'm hoping that the minimee will work at least somewhat with the Zaoll since that is also in many ways a fairly realistic mold, her biggest problem is actually her size. Or lack of same *L*

I'm a little puzzled by Zagzagael's mentioning of fetishism. Do people in general think their dolls have a soul/are alive? I've never given that a thought, and the thought is rather alien to me. They don't have any more sould han my chair, as far as I'm concerned...

Sure, I got my Minimee because I wanted a 3D Alan Rickman, but seeing that I already have some 10 more or less realistic versions of Him (as Snape) - I do not expect him so suddenly come to life. It would be nice *GG* but not very likely...

 

I'm starting to like some of the realistic dolls but I liked those that were a little cartoonish at the beggining. I'm 24. My like of big eyed dolls definately stemmed from anime, I believe. The first time I ever saw these dolls was at an anime convention. My opening up to more realistic dolls is just from seeing so many nice ones. I don't yet have any that are very realistic, but I'd consider it.

 

I like them both, but I lean towards being more blown away by realistic sculpts a lot more.. Though, when it comes to more stylized dolls, I'm an unbelievably huge fan of CP dolls..

 

I'm in the younger age category.

I prefer more realistic dolls. I believe this is because I'm not really into 'anime', and BJDs are often confused and referred to as 'anime dolls' by people that don't know much about them.

I have one stylized doll and one realistic one. I often pay more attention to the more realistic one subconsciously. Based on aesthetics, I think that some of the more cartoonish faces are sculpted well, but they are not to my tastes.

 

Ill throw in for the statistical analysis: I am in your older bracket (Thanks alot...)
And I go for mature look and realistic dolls. I have an appreciation for the youthful dolls, I really dont like the anime-based ones, well, a few I do, but mainly I dont. Id rather have them all look my age. Since I am older and look young, even when Im 45 Ill probably still look compatible with my soon-to-be Mars Tough doll ;D
I would start a collection of the younger looking dolls from Souldoll, but I just dont connect with them like I do my age. And what kind of stories are they old enough to act out!? Nothing too intruiging involving korean mafia.

 

I like somewhat realistic molds, not INSANELY realistic, but like Dollshe boys. I love that.
But I do hate extremely childish looking dolls, with massively large eyes that look unreal, and little itty bitty mouths. D:

I don't like most volks sculpts.. D:
I love CP though. xD

[[I'm 16 btw, going on 17 in July..]]

 

I prefer the realistic dolls, like new Super Gem, Mecha Angel, AiL, Migidoll etc. Although I am not sure about minimee's, some of them creep me out a bit, maybe due to lack of idealisation . Also, I usually prefer that my dolls are either completely asexual and childish, or, if I want a doll to be "sexy" in any way, the mold must be mature, or I just feel uncomfortable. For some reason, my brain refuses to let a Delf pass for 20+. I also think that many of us probably had many cute, girly dolls while growing up- I think the mature guys is such a delightful change

Mecha boys ftw

 

I'm in the er mid group?

Anyway I think both have their own beauty, realistic and stylized. Personal preference, I like stylized dolls. I don't like large or round eyed dolls and are not fond of childish looking dolls. I also dislike anime styled dolls too. I dislike the earlier Volks models, I do like some of their new ones but it's the semi-realistic ones from them I like the most. I prefer a type of perfection beauty as my art teacher called it. Although I must admit some realistic molds are extrodinarily beautiful I prefer something that looks semi-realistic. Hence I really like the look of CP dolls.

 

"In your opinion, has the BJD market changed, is there now more demand for "mature-realistic looking dolls"?"

To some extent, I think yes. Since I'm one of the people fond of mature-looking sculpts, I'd been looking for something for years and just not being quite willing to invest in faces I found to be too child-like to me (even if they were meant to represent adults). I've been peeking in on what's available for quite a few years now, but I only bought something this year, which says it all to me, at least. When I saw those, my response was, "Must have that, now," and I didn't hesitate the moment availability + finances meshed up appropriately.

"If yes, what do you believe brought about this change?"

The fashion doll crossovers and collisions were mentioned; I wouldn't be surprised if that is a factor. I have a decent sized collection of fashion dolls (a virtual mountain of Genes, a few Tylers, etc.) and I recall how often people lamented their "static" state -- no new hair unless you were going to reroot or shave them bald to wig them, painted eyes, lacking poseability, and so on. I gave up on buying new ones because of this, primarily -- I was tired of staring at 20 of the same face on a shelf just because I wanted hair options galore. (And we will not even talk about what 20 cost, you know? If you think about it that way, the price tag on a BJD with a broad selection of wigs and a few pairs of nice eyes starts looking incredibly reasonable, doesn't it?)

The constantly growing popularity of anime -- which does have more mature styles/looks as well as the ones I saw more commonly for BJDs a few years ago -- may be a factor for American collectors, but I really couldn't say. It's because of this that I wouldn't just say these dolls have a more western look to them. The Mecha Angels, which I love beyond all sense, for instance, look a great deal like Yoshitaka Amano's paintings to me in general feel, but nothing like some of the anime styles my fiance favors. Elf Sabik needs to come home next month in part because I want to turn the poor guy into Vampire Hunter D, even though I have only been generally lukewarm on anime for at least a decade now.

With an ultra-stylized head, there needs to be a lot more nuance in the sculpt to distinctly separate it from another, too, IMHO. Moving toward a more realistic look can help to get away from that issue. I tend to see some styles as STYLIZED+realism, and others more as REALISM+stylization, and I definitely prefer the latter.

"In your opinion, has the BJD "world" matured, are older (long-time) bjd-followers now seeking more mature-realistic looking dolls? If you agree, why do you believe this is so?"

I don't know if this is the case. I know at fashion doll gatherings, I was often the youngest person or nearly so in the room when I was going to them, so if it's that crowd shifting over, I wouldn't really agree.

"Do older BJD-owners (19-100?-years-old) prefer the more 'realistic,' more adult-looking dolls? Why, why not?"

Well, I'm 34... and I waited for one. But I'm a sampling of 1 to go by. *chuckle* I like making things for my dolls a great deal, and a lot of the things I like are either of the high-fashion-gone-insane variety, or tend toward the adult side of sci-fi and fantasy. (Not Adult with the big "A", but still things I would feel uncomfortable making for a doll with what I saw as childlike traits in some way.) This was a major factor for me. Also, I -- please don't kill me here -- I have never been a big fan of cute. Some cute breaks through my Cute Defense Shield, but not very much. I can appreciate it for what it is and certainly like it, but it doesn't trigger 'Buy me!' at all for me. The more mature and realistic sculpts steer further away from cute more often.

 

I am more into realistic and masculine boy molds. Well, the Dollzones that I own, are somewhat doll-fied from their appearances but there is still something that I love about them (and actually quite generally within DZ dolls)
But when I was searching the mold for Zaelaporo, I noticed that the usual "pretty-boys" with big eyes did not appeal to me at all. And I clearly wanted him to be manly man from his facial structure. So it narrowed possible molds and companies very much.
Narrow eyes are also the thing I like. Standard Elfdoll K does not do a thing for me... But oh, when I saw Reminisce and special half-closed eyes version. Geez... that amount of imaginative drool! Those totally blew my mind off, so badly that I am waiting for my Reminisce K to arrive. I have now been madly in love for that mold for about a month... and no matter what makeup or style the Standard K would have, I have no feelings for that version at all. It pretty much shows that how big deal eyehole size can be

 

Interesting topic. I'm in my late 40's and I've always preferred realistic dolls as in baby dolls since I was young. When I discovered abjds, I was blown away with the whole concept. But, I find myself veering more toward realistic and/or mature looking dolls. My dolls tend to be adult whether human or other-worldly like elves and vampires. My first doll is Megi(DZ) and he is part elf since he doesn't look human to me. Even if they look like realistic humans, I tend to make them into vampires who pretend to be human in order to blend in - sneaky lil' bastards. I guess I'm just more into fantasy characters then real life ones.

 

At 23, I suppose I fall into the older collector crowd, but my preference for dolls has changed from when I was in my teens. It could be that this is a result of my "maturity" with time, but I think it has more to do with my maturity with art. When I was younger, before I could afford a BJD, I was absolutely in love with DOCs and Volks dolls, and was coming from a major anime loving background. I would draw all the time according to my taste. Over time as I tried to increase my artistic skills, I was more and more drawn to realistic bodies with stylized faces, and as such, that is how my taste in BJDs has changed as well.

I don't really think age has much to do with taste, as I'm sure many younger people prefer realism, and many older prefer non. It's more of an issue with a larger audience having a larger range of taste. With more being offered, more people are interested. I'm sure there will always be an audience for certain types of dolls, regardless of what direction the look is heading, if it is heading in a certain direction at all. It seems to me like doll aesthetics are just becoming more rounded, so as to appeal to the most people, and therefore sell more.

I love mature, as well as immature bodies, but I prefer them to be realistic in nature, or at least slightly stylized as opposed to incredibly "anime"-styled features. BigEyeSmallMouth makes me unhappy in general, but there are some dolls that match the right kind of aesthetic for me, if only in part. For example, I adore Peakswood dolls faces, but dislike their bodies as being too symplistic. I would like to see a more realistic tween doll with a stylized face as well, but I haven't seen one that really works for me. I may have to make my own one day. Realistic hands are pure and utter love for me. A large part of what will make or break a mold for me are the hands... I already want to change some of my dolls hands.

 

In your opinion, has the BJD market changed, is there now more demand for "mature-realistic looking dolls"?
If yes, what do you believe brought about this change?

I'm a newbie. But it does seem to me that there might be more realistic dolls now than there were before. But I want to say that this is true of a lot of popular companies. They constantly change to different things and test out the waters. My little pony tried changing to a thinner pony look that didn't do very well. Now it's more along the lines of Bratz/MLP. I imagine that before long BJDs will have another drastic change.

In your opinion, has the BJD "world" matured, are older (long-time) bjd-followers now seeking more mature-realistic looking dolls?
If you agree, why do you believe this is so?

I don't know. I've not really been a part of the BJD world. But I suppose it would be something like trying to compare the older lovers of Barbie and the younger lovers of Bratz. There are still younger people who find Barbie the best and older collectors who have switched to Bratz instead.

Do younger (10?-18-years-old) BJD-owners prefer the younger, "less-realistic" looking dolls? Why, why not?

I'm not at all certain. I'm 25 years old (in a couple of weeks) and I rather like a less realistic look unless the realistic look is more unconventional (I'll explain that later.)


Do older BJD-owners (19-100?-years-old) prefer the more 'realistic,' more adult-looking dolls? Why, why not?


I don't think so. I don't think it's an age thing except for older collectors who prefer dolls that encapsulate the first BJD's appearance for nostalgia purposes...though I'm not sure if it's been long enough for there to be nostalgia in BJD. Though I'm sure the collecting has been around much longer than I think it has.

Regardless of age, do you have a preference (realistic/and/or/mature vs youthful/and/or/stylized)?

I do. I think that if a face is going to be realistic then I'd want flaws that make it look as if it could be a real face. Asymmetry, a birthmark, a mole, folds in the skin that are usually covered up, a larger or bulbous nose. From something I'd see on the street or in my friends as apposed to something I'd see in a magazine.

I also really enjoy fantastic looking dolls, dolls that are obviously never going to exist except in doll form. Faces that are too thin, too fat, and eyes that are too large, too small, too far apart, too close together. Colors of the imagination. Ear additions. Pig noses. Elephant noses. Horns. Antlers. Huge ears. Anything that sort of makes you look at it and figure out why it looks so familiar or why you relate to it even though it looks like nothing you've ever seen.


Other less specific, but related questions:
Is it just a fad, in a constantly changing hobby?

It's a constantly changing hobby. I don't think it's a fad, I think it's another aspect to be integrated in a wide growing and ever morphing hobby.

Is it do to the joining of a completely new audience?

Sure! At least partially. Makers of any product are always trying to reach audiences who haven't found anything to get excited about yet. It's a yearning to reach those people who currently aren't part of the hobby yet. It's a very common strategy.

Is it just because BJD companies are growing, maturing themselves, and they want to make more
'real' looking dolls?

I think growing companies want to try something new that sets them apart from everyone else and more realistic dolls could be one of the strategies. Then other companies see how well it's working with that company and also try to integrate the same aspect into their dolls.

Does it have anything to do with age-group, or is it related to culture, region or other?

I don't think it's a specifically age-related sort of thing. I think it's related to growth of a product. It's perhaps a strive to make their dolls all the more fantastic by making them look all the more realistic. I think Americans, today, can be obsessed with the real in a fake medium (take reality TV). Perhaps it's more to do with society and culture rather than age, then. Because BJD collectors are of such varying ages I doubt that it's got much to do with age and I'm not sure if there is a staple age who likes a staple sort of doll, y'know?


If you have other views, or opinions of why more 'realistic,' and mature looking dolls are suddenly popping up,
please give me your insight, I am curious to know what you think!

I think there is always an interest in how very real or how close to the maker an artist can get with his/her art. Some artists do this with the abstract or with metaphor, but other artists do this by trying to blur the lines between reality and art so much that you'd almost think that it was real if it wasn't a doll, or it wasn't on canvas.

It's similar to robotics. You don't see makers of robots trying to make robots more efficient in looking like robots. You see makers making robots look more human and being more relatable. It's a social need to relate to something you're going to be constantly talking to or ordering from.

It's that wanting to create things in our own image, thing. It's the need to reproduce. It's clashing with the need to make art. And it is amazing. I think it's more artistic growth, though, than consumer demand but it has, in turn, become consumer demand as it has suddenly become a just as popular choice as a less realistic doll.

$0.02

 

In your opinion, has the BJD market changed, is there now more demand for "mature-realistic looking dolls"?
If yes, what do you believe brought about this change?

I haven't been into BJD's for too long now, but I think it probably has changed. I see more and more realistic dolls coming out, while the older sculpts I see from companies mostly seem to be less realistic. It would seem that consumers are taking a liking to these realistic dolls, and that's why it's changed. That or some company decided to make a mature looking doll, and then other companies liked this idea and followed along.

In your opinion, has the BJD "world" matured, are older (long-time) bjd-followers now seeking more mature-realistic looking dolls?
If you agree, why do you believe this is so?

I'm not really sure. I still see plenty of the Shiwoo/Chiwoo type, so the more immature looking dolls can't be TOO unpopular.

Do younger (10?-18-years-old) BJD-owners prefer the younger, "less-realistic" looking dolls? Why, why not?

I really have no idea, I don't fall in this age range. Perhaps the younger people would like the more anime-ish ones more because maybe the younger crowd watches more anime? This is just a wild guess.


Do older BJD-owners (19-100?-years-old) prefer the more 'realistic,' more adult-looking dolls? Why, why not?

I think it could go either way, and it really depends on preference.

Regardless of age, do you have a preference (realistic/and/or/mature vs youthful/and/or/stylized)?

I tend to go either way, and it really just depends on the doll. The doll I have coming is a DOI Luke, which you couldn't really call an immature looking doll, but he isn't really realistic either. Then again, I love Dia from Soom, which I would call a realistic, mature doll. On the other hand, I also have quite a few cutesy, tiny dolls on my list, the kind with huge eyes and little mouths. I find all of these appealing just because each one catches my eye in a different way.


Other less specific, but related questions:

Is it just a fad, in a constantly changing hobby?

It could be, but I think companies will still continue to make mature looking sculpts as well as less realistic ones. Whether it changes or not, I think there will always be a market for both.

Is it do to the joining of a completely new audience?

It could be. I think I heard someone on one topic saying that a lot of people who once collected fashion dolls have started to get into BJDs. Since fashion dolls are much more realistic, I can't help but think this has something to do with it.

Is it just because BJD companies are growing, maturing themselves, and they want to make more 'real' looking dolls?

I think it does have to do with growing and expanding, which I think is a good thing, as long as a company doesn't abandon their original works. I see nothing wrong with trying new ideas.

Does it have anything to do with age-group, or is it related to culture, region or other?

Hmmm, I wouldn't know about that. Age-group, maybe. The others, I couldn't say.

 

I think you're 110% wrong in this assessment, no offense. To me, the evidence seems overwhelming that "realistic" heads ARE popular. They're just very NEW.

It drives me crazy when people try to pigeon-hole others in the same hobby into little categories that they cannot get out of, so I will not comment on what age-group seems to prefer what style dolls, or anything like that. This is a HIGHLY indvidualistic hobby, and so people breaking these "rules" of what they should and should not prefer are going to be everywhere; this thread makes this extremely clear. Ages and preferences are all over the place, and to me this is a positive thing.

With that said, I am an older collector who will not tolerate "anime"-styled dolls, with the exception of one floating head I currently own: it is a Dark Vampire dreaming Soo. Like her a lot. Most other anime-styled dolls do exactly 0 for me. They appear to my untutored eye to have an unfinished quality about them; I like a lot of detail.

We are currently seeing a fusion of the BJD and fashion-doll categories. Some hate it, I'm loving it. The hobby is morphing instead of stagnating, and so it is likely to have "legs" [as in, be around for a while]. This is great news.

There are dolls for everyone in the BJD world: realism-lovers, anime people, vampire-istas, Lolita, Goth, you name the category and we got a few examples somewhere in this hobby. All one can do is buy what one likes, enjoy them for what they are and enjoy looking at the creativity others display with the dolls they've chosen to collect.

Viva la difference! Now if some company somewheres would sculpt a BODY that would go with these more mature - especially Minimee - faces, things would ramp a few further degrees up the scale of ONE GREAT HOBBY. But that's just me, y'understand.

And yeah, we need more high-heel-style feet.

 

I am a older doll collector. I always find myself drawn to more realistic looking dolls with personality. I have noticed more and more, at auction, the dolls that go fast and bring higher prices, seem to be more lifelike and beautiful dolls.

 

In your opinion, has the BJD market changed, is there now more demand for "mature-realistic looking dolls"?
If yes, what do you believe brought about this change?
I'm to new into the hobby to make any firm word on this, m'fraid.

In your opinion, has the BJD "world" matured, are older (long-time) bjd-followers now seeking more mature-realistic looking dolls?
If you agree, why do you believe this is so?
Again, new to the hobby.
Do younger (10?-18-years-old) BJD-owners prefer the younger, "less-realistic" looking dolls? Why, why not?
I fall into this catagory, I guess. As my siggy says, I'm waiting on a CP doll. They seem to fall into the less-realistic catagory. I also want a Volks f-31 someday.
However, I'v recently managed to have dollshe sculpts imprinted in my head and would want one eventually, also. So I don't think age is all that important.

Do older BJD-owners (19-100?-years-old) prefer the more 'realistic,' more adult-looking dolls? Why, why not?
I wouldn't see why it would be a strong trend they did.

Regardless of age, do you have a preference (realistic/and/or/mature vs youthful/and/or/stylized)?
I'm not swung either way, in terms of realistic or stylized. If a sculpt is geniunly beautiful and appealing to me, then I'm happy regardless
Though I have to admit a personal bias to the "older" (typically aged at 17ish+ by their companies) dolls.

Other less specific, but related questions:
Is it just a fad, in a constantly changing hobby?
I'd like to think its a constantly changing hobby.

Is it do to the joining of a completely new audience?
I can see this having an influence. More people means more demand for a wider variety of dolls, I'd assume.

Is it just because BJD companies are growing, maturing themselves, and they want to make more
'real' looking dolls?
Erm, not sure. I think exersising creative freedom may have an influence, more than anything.
Does it have anything to do with age-group, or is it related to culture, region or other?
I think it depends on the individual person, and can't lay down one rule to work for all here

 

I like realistic dolls, but I also like a bit whimsy as well. The less they look like anime the better.XD

I'm getting an Iplehouse J.I.D. so I guess my taste lies somewhere inbetween.

 

It seems that those with an intention of taking photographs or such things prefer realistic dolls. And for good reason, they tend to be more photogenic and artistic.

Those who want to just admire/dress-up their dolls tend to go more of the stylized dolls, for they tend to be more fun and cute. Hence the reason why Blythes tend to be the dolls of choice for those people.

It could be that the companies are trying to appeal to these photographers who are much more willing to dish out the extra cash for a particular face-up or something of the like.