Volks DearSD 43cm Discussion Part 2

Part of the reason many lines are limited is simply due to manufacturing capacity. They'd run the artists ragged if they had to finish more dolls, and it's not a company interested in outsourcing that kind of labor.
The DearSDs were introduced by Mrs. Shigeta as a simpler concept doll for people who want a comforting size without the jointing complexity of the taller SDs. I think one of the reasons, aside from being disgustingly adorable, that they are sought after is their ease of play. If you have certain limits - poor hand/arm strength, lack of patience or dexterity, etc - this size can still utilize a lot of the SD items without as much physical strain on the owner.
I had a much easier time carrying my DearSD around yesterday than my SD16, for sure. I actually swapped all of my SDs onto the smaller body for many of the above reasons, so now I have a gap in my collection between DearSD and SDGr.

 

Others have already replied to this about why Volks doesn't just sell more Dear SDs in general, but from what I've seen with Volks is that things are limited as they generally do all their dolls in house more or less so you pretty much know who created the sculpt or have seen the face-up artist that has done the face-up of your doll if you ever have gone to an event or watch any of their social media posts. Like, their face-up artists have names (HARU, Kinoko, Ciera, Rumina, Luluco, Tsukimi, Yui, aone, etc)! If you have ever heard their face-up artists talk about their work, you can tell they enjoy what they do, take their time with their work, and even have fun doing subtle differences with each face-up if they get a chance to. I like to think of Volks as like a big Mom-and-Pop store chain. Yes, for other things maybe they can mass produce their stuff. But for their BJDs, it's really more personalized and done in small batches and are more like passion projects.

Oh for sure, they could probably make more money if they just shell out the dolls in mass produced fashion. But think of the poor face-up artists! Like, seriously, what is their face-up artist count up to nowadays? Does anyone remember back when it was like maybe 2-5? Hahaha. Like, no joke. If their face-up artist count is still small (let's say between 6-20), it very likely we are just seeing what a small team can shell out under reasonable working circumstances. And they are not just working on Dear SD faces here. Think of all the Disney, FFXIV, anime, and manga collabs they do all throughout just one year. So with just the face-up aspect, it can explain why they only do limited runs for Dear SDs each year.

Reasons for why Dear SDs sell out, have a high resell value, and make them desirable. Hmm...consistent Volks quality of product ranging from resin quality, structure of the bodies, and the sculpts. Also, the head sculpts tend to be valuable in themselves for collectors. Like, no longer available older head sculpts but in new resin. I've seen people take the heads and place it on an SD10, SD13, SDGr body Volks body, or on other company bodies as the head sculpt is their Grail doll head. Or they already have a head (not necessarily a Volks head) and just need the Dear SD body.

Sure, there are other baby dolls out there from other companies, but alas...there's another thread on DoA that's kind of old that compares the Volks Dear SD bodies with other baby dolly bodies equivalents and you can kind of see why Volks Dear SD bodies are like a good middle ground doll body for a certain aesthetic. Especially if you have a non-Volks head. The Volks Dear SD is not too skinny, not too short. It's that Goldilocks perfectly in the middle just right.

As someone with health problems, the Dear SDs are a blessing if you still want resin dollies to carry around with you. I used to carry around my Volks SD10 and SD13 girls before when I was healthy. When my body started failing, I would only carry around my Yo-SD. When the Dear SDs came out, it was nice to have something bigger than a YoSD but lighter and more manageable than bigger SDs. And it's rather endearing to see how they look in SD10 and SD13 clothing as it's kind of like seeing a little kid playing dress up in their mom's clothes and it's baggy on them. That, and I have pretty bad asthma and skin sensitivity problems, and so far, Volks dolls haven't caused me any issues whereas other dolly companies aggravate my asthma or skin problems. And believe me, I've tried to branch out with other dolly companies but my health stuff tells me right away if certain dollies are a hard no.

Plus...pudgy chibis are freakin' cute. When you are surrounded by abs and lean, tall lanky bodies or super boobies or model thin bodies or whatever, sometimes it is a breath of fresh air to have chub in your doll.

 

The named Volks artists are generally not the ones doing each doll's faceup. They create the designs for them and other Volks faceup artists replicate the design.

One-offs are the models that are painted by the named artist. I don't know of any DSD one-off releases, so I assume all released DSD were not painted by the named artists. This doesn't include any one-off heads put on a DSD body, of course.

 

Also speaking for myself, once you have them you just get more, not less! So if owners are hanging onto them, you naturally see less on the secondhand markets too.

Also the newer combinations (Lana/Leo/etc) are harder to find than the first waves which were very 4 Sisters centric - I think Kira and/or Nana must be the most released by volume, at least to start with.

 

Great that there is already thread about DSD. Lots to learn. Thank you for sharing valuable information! New owner of my 1st ever Volks doll & they are both DSD. Double trouble )

 

Greta in her cat onesie

Dear SD Nayu by Allie Neu, on Flickr

 

@snowgray how did I miss this post! She is STUNNING!!!

@nintendallie Congratulations! You are so lucky she is so special!!

 

@nintendallie Your Nayu is so cute! F-07 is such a versatile and cute sculpt despite its oldschool melonheadness, haha!

 

I’m thinking that I need to buy stands for my girls. Does anyone know if Dolfie Stand (M/Saddle Type) will work?

 

There’s another DSD in my home, this time a Komame kitty! ‍⬛ It took a while to work out some logistics after LA Dolpa this year, so she had a long journey!

 

all these new DSDs are such a joy to see! I wish I could have been at LA Dolpa~ I would have tried for the DSD Tiara. I loved all the Komame themed outfits. @MilkyTea : Your DSD Lana is so beautiful! Volks did such a great job on her makeup and design. @nintendallie : F07 is such a cutie pie! Love the onesie.

 

Volks hitting us with more cute DearSD sets...

@jpcn_doll_purchase on Instagram: "Volks Dolpa52 Dear SD lottery entry Marika - NS F106 Nayu - WS F07 Rana - WSF97 Maya - tan F81"

I thought I was ok not having Nayu...

 

they're so adorable and they're getting BTSSB dresses too! do we know if the DearSDs at this Dolpa will also be a lottery online?

 

I could be wrong, but I don’t expect the DSDs to have a lottery online because they usually don’t. But that’s my guess!

 

@Heartplace : I don't know if they will make it to online sales... it's possible, I got my DSD Megohime and DSD Vanessa via online lotteries, but seems like it's very uncommon like MilkyTea said.

 

Would anyone who owns a Nayu/Nao head kindly let me know what the head circumference is for this sculpt? Will 8-9” wigs work for this head or is 9-10” more fitting? I’ve got Nayu on the way and I’m wig shopping for her. Thank you !

 

@CelestialSnow 9-10 for sure, she is my Princess Melonhead!

 

Thank you so much!!

 

Does anyone know if DSD can wear SD geta feet? Thanks!

 

@QuietYurei, yesterday I looked at one of my Dear SD's feet, and I'm doubtful as to how well it would work. Dear SD don't have ankle balls like SD; their feet and ankles are one piece, and attach to the elastic and s-hook with a string tied to the foot's ankle, similar to how SD17 and SD16 attach their hands.

Volks doesn't sell ankle balls with their SD geta feet, so you'd have to take ankle balls from an SD, and even then, I'm not sure if the SD ankle ball would fit in/on the Dear SD lower leg.

Volks' newer geta style shoes are made to use on non-geta feet, so the older geta feet aren't really necessary any more.

Hope this helps!