What attracts you to a doll?

All of the dolls I like are typically SD males, but in general I like mature-looking dolls. The most important part of the doll to me is the face and the expression. I don't like dolls with blank or smug expressions. The only exception to the latter is if it is specific to the character, but I tend to like dolls that have a soft smile or gentle expression. Intense expressions are fine too. I also like pointy ears For general body type, I tend to like lean, long-legged boys. Muscles are good, but I'm not really into the body-builder look. The Dollshe Pure Body is my favorite male body in terms of looks and poseability, and I really like the look of the new Soom SG bodies but I've never seen one in person yet. That pretty much sums it up!

 

Ok, my list:

female
SD (65cm or under) or MSD
White skin that isn't overly yellow or greeny
All human, no elf ears or anything
wide eyes and small, full, closed mouths with neutral, but a sweet expression
A rounder face
Mature body, but not over the top breasts, hips, thighs or waist
Good poseability
Comes from a company with a good reputation among buyers
Quite long legs, even if they're not very realistic. A fairly short torso doesn't go amiss either.

 

Dolls that look like they have some attitude. Like you pick up a vibe from them right away. Those dolls~

 

One things that really attract me is their sculpt. If I find one that really enchant my eyes and I can think the doll personality easily, I prefer it very much. I'm talking about head sculpt as it was the first thing people will see (just like how human first meet lol)
I'm not too picky with body, as long as it is still realistic and reasonable. That is my preference

 

I love when the Doll has an nice tan tone on it Darker the Doll, more I want

 

I like moderately realistic sculpts, but I'm flexible there. Mostly what I want is a sense of personality from the face especially. Although this makes it hard--I have a character I want to shell (is that the right term?) and she's a space opera soldier, and a lot of the female dolls I've been looking at online are really gorgeous, but they also look very soft and gentle, and it just doesn't fit my character's personality. So I'm still looking. (Which is fine, because I'm also still saving up!) Sculpts that look very blank just make it hard for me to envision the doll as a character/person.

 

In general, I want proportions that make all of the features look like they belong in the same face, on the same doll. A clear demonstration of the sculptor's intent, if you will.

Beautifully-sculpted bodies - and not just good jointing and anatomical accuracy, but something about the body that sets it apart from the others ones, that shows the sculptor's unique vision and attitude towards the human body. (This can be subtle or very exaggerated, and that isn't important so long as the whole doll is cohesive to the degree of stylization). I like bodies that carry some sort of innate grace.


For faces, I don't really care about the relative sizes of the features (big eyes vs. small, etc) as long as, like I said, they belong together and they match the character. As far as specific features go...

- Button noses, but ones done with attention to structure, not just an upturned wedge.
- Shapely lips. Size doesn't matter (I like big and small, depending on the rest of the face and character), but they got to look like they have volume and softness.
- An air of intelligence around the doll. I believe this is generally dependant on the shape of the lower eyelid and and definition around the eye. If it looks like there's some deliberate muscle movement there, some tension, the doll tends to look more alive and perceptive. This is not dependant on stylization, by the way, and there are damn few dolls out there that look this way.
- For girls, I like cute girls who look fun and full of attitude, and adult women who look like they won't tolerate garbage from anyone. For male dolls, I like vulnerability and youthfulness, but still a masculine face (more hard edges, pronounced cheekbones, etc).


Sooo... As you might imagine, there are precious few dolls that catch my interest. But while I might get frustrated at times, at the end of the day I still think it's better 'cause, well. I get hit with the wantie-wants very infrequently, which -usually- means I can afford to indulge.

 

Usually if I can see characteristics of a fictional character I've grown to love/ and or the story behind the doll.

 

I know what you mean lelite, I am particular about doll features as well, I like a face that has depth. One artist, says he sculpts faces of mixed ethnicities, to add more to his dolls. Some days I like a snub nose, and bottomless eyes, some days, those big eyes are too much, it depends, so for me, I am chasing that sculpt I can stare at for ever

 

The shape of the face in profile for some reason, certainly what attracted me to the AoD Min, couldn't have it any other way. Eye size is important, I do not do large eyes at all, dreaming eyed dolls are an absolute love of mine. Facial expression as well - a more neutral face or a slight frown, no crazy smiles or very pouty frowns.

Also body jointing, with a preference for triple jointed torsos in dolls for the freer movement it provides, and the location of chest joints is important. Maybe it is just me, but seeing a chest joint that goes under the bust looks so unnatural I find it to be hideous. Perhaps I go more for realism and maturity in my dolls, even for the cute types like the Puki its a possible aesthetic. For some reason also, the yellow skin dolls are a preference I hold greatly, and so I find zero issues in my dolls yellowing as they age.

Even with set things like this, I don't have any issues with other things. I have a mixture of sizes from 11cm to 62cm, elf, human, vampire, cat, male, female, round faced, angular faced, pink skin, white skin, tan skin, blue skin, grey skin...quite a mix indeed

 

The key thing that attracts me is being able to see a character I want to shell in the doll's sculpt. There's plenty that appeal to me in photos, but of the ones I've brought home without that specific character in mind for them, I've had mixed success at best. When I can see the character clearly, however, the sculpt will generally settle in securely with no threat of being sold off again in the future.

There's no particular blend of aesthetics or parts that equates to this recipe, aside from an overall youthful-mature-stylized look to fit with the rest of the collection*; I have a preference for three-part torsos and double-jointed bodies, but a fitting sculpt with a two-part torso or single-jointed limbs is more likely to find its way into my collection than a perfect body with a sculpt that doesn't work for me. If the sculpt is overall "right," in fact, I'm willing to put up with all kinds of engineering quirks.



* the "youthful mature" part goes out the window with the tinies; the minis are meant as adults, however, so should be able to pass as at least young adults.

 

For me, what's attractive about a doll is the "oomph" factor - something in the face that just speaks to me. When I see a doll with this factor, my brain goes into overdrive, imagining what I'd like to do with the doll or how it'd fit with my collection or a silly little backstory that might accompany it. The "oomph" cannot be pinned down or explained, and it's different from doll to doll; I have a lot of dolls in a lot of different sizes and styles. It's just something that grabs me, for whatever reason, and is hard to shake!

 

I'm crazy for pose-ability. If a doll has a cute face but can't pose I just can't buy it. I also really like faces that look kind and happy. Those are kinda hard to find.

 

I noticed that the mold I like from different companies and sizes are usually one of the popular ones. I like dolls that have bigger eyes and pouty lips. Sad looking ones appeal to me too for some reason. But the ones I like the most are the ones with custom faceups. I think the individuality makes them more appealing.

 

So hard to say what attracts me. I can say, "The sculpt." But what about the sculpt??? And why???

I think everyone has their own likes and dislikes, and it's not easy to analyze why something appeals and another thing does not... Because it's not always the same thing every time, and it's often a combination of odd things. I'd have to try to explain it on a case-by-case basis, but even then, it would be hard to say.

For instance, I just bought a doll on ebay. I'd always liked the sculpt, but not enough to have bought it or have it on my wish-list. The face appeals to me, but why? I don't know. I just like it!!! It's a boy. For some reason, I like the boys more than the girls, but I like girls, too. I like boys because maybe I just like boys! And maybe because boy dolls were rare before bjds.

I usually like fantasy dolls, because I like fantasy (why? it's just more interesting to me than plain humans and I like reading fantasy and making fantasy art). But this certain doll isn't fantasy... just a boy. The sculpt is lovely, though... delicate, sweet, handsome... just appealing to me!

And the faceup artist is one I admire. Why? I just like how she does faceups! Very expertly applied--you can see the hairs, and in a fairly realistic style. I like other styles, too, though. And this doll was a fantastic price, so that really tipped me over the edge. I might not have bought him if the price wasn't so good. But if I really want a doll, I will pay quite a lot...

I think this really is an impossible question.

 

Oftentimes I could not tell you exactly what draws me to a doll - I just suddenly see it and then cannot stop thinking about it. However, facial features are a big draw for me, as are fantasy parts. I like my dolls to be a bit odd and definitely unique, unless I am specifically trying to shell a certain character.

 

Definitely the facial expression, I like dolls that have a bit of a smirk in them.

 

I love a doll with character. And smirky gentlemen are a killer for me. If I see a doll with a wicked glint in his eye and a devilish smirk then I simply have to have him. Posing is a big one for me as well. If i can't play with the dolls and take fun photographs, then it kinda puts me off.

 

Nice figure: not a fan of super thin dolls...makes their heads look huge!
Accurate Proportions: don't really want broad shoulders, super small torso, no hips, etc.
Hands: delicate hands are a huge sell for me!
Mature: I prefer mature looking sculpts, though there are some exceptions.
Resin Color: I like either tan or white skin dolls. For tan, I'm crazy picky...under no circumstances can it be orangey - I want a pretty warm brown color. For WS, I prefer creamy milky whites like paper white. If it has a pink or yellow tint to it I usually won't like it very much.

That's really all I can come up with right now. XD

 

What attracts you to a doll? Is there a particular type of facial features, poseability options, or size that makes you want a certain doll more than others?

I am particularly attracted to detailed realistic-looking facial features but I can also enjoy stylization. Mostly I prefer my mature male-dolls to have realistic features.
I own a variety of anime and video game inspired character dolls so I my taste has a broad range. I would love realistic and well-proportioned bodies to go with most
of my realistic heads but that's impossible in this hobby (so far) so I mostly own a bunch of floating heads and few complete dolls. Head to body ratio is very important
to me but also look for bodies that don't look disproportionate on their own; unfortunately most bodies still have super tiny torsos and incredibly long legs. Most of my
heads are male with manly jaw-lines so even if there are a few bodies I would love to own, I can't because they are sculpted for more feminine/stylized head-sculpts that work
on much, much thinner necks. DX Posing is not very important to me when it comes to these types of dolls but I do appreciate it when a doll I find appealing is able to pose well.
I don't mind size.

- Enzyme