The wait you can't control- discontinued grails

For me it was Soom Gluino, I first saw the doll about seven years ago when I was actually looking at antique dolls, and he just popped up. I had never seen these types of BJD's before. Some one had sold him full set, both faces, with box and CoA for close to 3k. He totally took my breath away, and then looking at the pictures from the Soom website and finding out he was sold only for a month only in 2010?! 3K is too far out of my price range, also he had already been sold. I followed the Soom page anyways, even though it seemed hopeless.

I began to notice that Soom sometimes brought back older discontinued dolls, so now all I did was hope that he would eventually come around again. They did put out a grey version a few years ago, but I passed on it, not the same thing for me. I even warned my family if he ever popped up, money was coming out of my savings to get him immediately. I did see a couple selling second hand, but I don't trust the second hand market with him.

This month Soom finally brought him around again. I can't even begin to tell you guys how over the moon happy I am to have finally been able to order this doll. I pinching myself and looking at my confirmation, I probably wont fully believe it until he finally gets home to me.

I hope everyone here gets the doll that they want.

 

I am on my third "I'll never find him" grail doll. I found my first quest doll after just a couple of days of intense searching in Facebook groups (three-year-old listing) after months of monitoring eBay and bumping WTB threads. I found my second one (Tender Too) after a year of daily searching. What did it that second time is that Facebook suddenly changed their search function, uncovering a listing from 2018 (five-year-old listing). I got him.

I have never been able to snag a doll through WTB threads, but I'll keep trying. My only hope for this one is that it will attract someone who wants to sell an old, forgotten doll to fund a different one. (I know we all probably hope for this!).

Good luck to you all. It really helps to have a thread like this for support. Please continue to share your stories.

 

Yup! I'm right there with a doll I've been wanting for years. I back-burnered him when I went inactive, but I came back to find that Fairyland aren't doing Pukipukis now (or maybe not ever again). Thing is, ALL I need is the faceplate; I've an extra Pukipuki body that I could use for him. I check here and on sales groups all the time, but apparently nobody wants to part with their Cupid 3!

 

Ohhh yes. I joined the hobby back in '07 and LOVED Delf El, DoD Ducan, and MNF Shiwoo, but I was a high school student with a part time job and absolutely did not have the money for multiple dolls. At the time I figured that was okay, I'd get them one day, and they were so popular that I could enjoy others' photos.

Took a long hiatus & came back to find all three discontinued, and not many people post photos of them these days

So I went searching. I successfully found El after a while at a price I could afford. I've seen Ducan once or twice, but never affordable. And original MNF Shiwoo still eludes me. I did manage to find Delf Shiwoo, which was a pleasant surprise, but I think I'm going to put him up as a WTT to see if I can swap him for the MNF version since I much prefer that size. It's rather disheartening, but it is what it is haha.

 

I've gotten 2 grails and it took me 8 years to do it. I wanted an Impl Miguel The Demon Hunter in grey (LE100 world wide) and a Unidoll Ark in WS. I couldn't afford the Miguel at the time he was released and Unidoll closed unexpectedly. Funny enough, I found both of them on the MP here within 2 weeks of each other.

I'm not sure if it counts as a grail as I'm not obsessing over him, but I would immediately throw money at someone if they were selling a SD Kyle/Amon The Hanged Man (gargoyle version only). He was a limited doll and I've never seen him for sale 2nd hand. That doesn't mean he never has been for sale somewhere but I've never spotted him *sigh. He's not even listed on the SD now.

 

Most of my grails were limited releases. The sculpts still exist but they're no longer available in that form/style. (DSD Nono, my beloved...)

I would adore a CP Soony. I'd also love to get my grubby little hands on a Rosenlied Holiday's Child or another Aimerai Big Baby. Add a PukiPuki Ante, and you've got a stew goin'!

My pie-in-the-sky-won't-get-it-til-I-die grail is Volks' Nono Snow White version. Only 30 were released... in 2000.

 

I waited for years for Soom's Ender Dreamwalker to pop up on the marketplace after missing the sale by a few months. It was an instant love, he had everything I wanted for my character. So I waited, and waited, and waited. I decided to give up and find a different doll so I posted in the BJD Addicts FB group about it and someone descended from heaven and said "I have him for sale"

That was in 2016 and I've been in love with him ever since. I'm so glad I posted in that group

 

Aw man, that's been me for the last SEVERAL months.

Been obsessively hunting for DollZone KeAi, checking everywhere I could possibly check most days.
DZ MiYou is my favorite lil babyboy (I actually have two of them ahaha), so I've been wanting to get my hands on MiYou's cute cheerful little companion for ages!

I FINALLY had some luck about a week ago! Had posted a WTB in one of the doll sales FB groups I'm in, and this absolute LEGEND of a person came along and said she found him on the Chinese secondhand markets that I don't have access to! She was able to grab him for me, so he'll finally be coming home to me in a month or so once he ships to her in Singapore and then to me in the US!
He's blank, so I'll have to commission a faceup for him as well, but I'm just SO EXCITED to have found his sculpt at all considering how few of him there seem to be out there!

The wait absolutely sucks, man. I'm super impatient ahaha. Last week I was legit considering posting in here like 'how do you guys come to terms with the fact you'll likely never find a certain grail?'

Hopefully yours will come home to you, too!

 

I have only managed to get one of my grail dolls, but I'm really happy about it nonetheless and it was definitely an experience.
When I started in the hobby I had no idea anthro dolls even existed so when many years later I discovered them a handful of limited ones had been already released from several companies. Still my brain immediately started cataloguing every single one I could find and adding some to my (improbable) wish list, but I didn't took the task too seriously (I just searched for them in forums and other groups from time to time). Then I stumbled upon a post talking about finding discontinued dolls on Japanese websites and auction places and that's when I started to optimistically think I had a chance of finding at least one that way. And, after an undetermined time, I did found there a fullset LUTS Zuzu Delf Romance Wolffy Vampire limited and I bought it, and it was a nightmare with customs... but it's been home for a while now and it fills me with joy.
That said, I don't plan on finding any more of my grail anthros. I haven't actively searched for them in a long time and, if I'm honest, I think I wouldn't buy them even if they appeared unless they were a great deal because my resin family is closed and complete.
Anyway, good luck in your hunting or congrats if you've managed to get your grail.

 

Dream Valley Glen.......... He was so adorable but I didn't get the chance to get him.....

 

There aren’t a lot of dolls I really want but Iplehouse Luo was my first ever grail doll. He was discontinued by the time I had gotten into the hobby. I wanted him a lot and that want was only solidified for me more when I encountered one at the first doll meet I ever went to. He took my breath away. Anyway I was so extremely lucky because a month or two after that someone in my local group was selling a Luo head. I messaged her so quickly and not so long after I had him in my hands.

I also really wanted a Luts Minifee Shiwoo a few years ago and I was extremely lucky that one turned up on eBay - with an amazing backstory. Something about that face is just perfect to me.

 

I'm in love with so many discontinued/hard to find dolls. I've managed to find a few of them on Ebay and a fellow doll collector selling them on DeviantArt (who's also a Den of Angels member), but that's about it.

 

So the loongsoul black dragon recently came into stock on bjdivas. I tried to resist the siren call. Tried so hard not to. Someone bought the full set and I'll be honest I panicked. It's in stock but I still ended up putting it on a year long layaway so it didn't feel as much as a burden.

I thought I might regret it more, but I'm genuinely excited. I can't wait. He's white so he doesn't have to be dark and I'm sitting her planning maybe a more copper color for him? But the fact I'm so early on my journey and I expected to buy him second hand, years from now. I. Have. Insane. Luck.

 

For me, pretty much every doll I want at this point has been long discontinued for the most part. It’s definitely irritating having to wait for unknown amounts of time for a doll to pop up. I do like that it gives me time to save away and be prepared if one appears

 

Or worse - to find out that your grail doll was bought on a second market by someone just a month before you fell in love with it.

 

The mold has been re-released, but there's a particular MNF Shiwoo that keeps popping into my mind, even though I don't know if anyone remembers. He was a little emo boy named Radio and had a gore mod.

On my list is a Unidoll Pring, particularly the Christmas Elf version.

@SPhosphate I have a Gem of Doll Eleven with the skeleton leg. It's a shame not more people ordered her, but I think it was because the company photos weren't great at showing her off. The company face-up made her look sullen and sweet, but without she looks like a bratty princess.

Mine still needs a face-up, but she's full of attitude.