What defines ABJD?

I think this actually hits the nail on the head, Gayle. It's really as much about a different kind of fanbase as it is about a different kind of doll. I could wax poetic about this, but I think I won't, as I'd probably offend someone.

 

ABJD companies are running a "business", they're in it to make a profit...that's reality, and I'm not saying that they don't genuinely love or care about their product. If SD didn't make any profit for Volks production would have ceased a long time ago...I'm just using Volks as an example, all ABJD companies are bascially operating on the same principle. Fashion doll collectors spend $$$ on dolls and ABJD companies know that or are learning that. I don't think it's a coincidence that ABJD are becoming more adult figured.

 

Wow, I have to say I really am impressed with this thread. People are having a discussion, mods and members alike, about a fairly sensitive topic and its very very informative! I've been on the board since.. sept 04 i believe??? I don't remember.. but a long time! And I don't know most of these things!

I'm very glad everyone here is so helpful and so willing to discuss things and although I'm not considered a newbie anymore, this topic is definately enlightening

 

Christy said "That's it...it's allll about the character! :-D"

I think you may have just nailed it there Christy!

Fashion dolls sort of have one purpose, and that is to simply "model" beautiful fashions. They don't really have "character". ABJD are loaded with personality and character, and they sort of call us to engage with them.

My fashion dolls don't do that at all.

 

THAT'S IT! Yeah, that's what makes the different fanbase. I could care less about clothes/hair/makeup--but I do care about characters. I love reading the stories inspired by these dolls and about how people choose accessories to bring out a doll's inner personality.

Frankly, I personally have strong misgivings about the fashion industry and the damage that it does to people by reinforcing very problematic ideas about gender/race/class/body image--all of which are, by definition, mirrored in the fashion doll hobby. I see the BJD hobby as largely free of all that stuff because, oddly, the focus is so much on the inner "person" of the dolls. And that's why I'm here collecting dolls at 30--after 25 years of my mom trying to get me to collect baby or fashion dolls and failing.

 

Unola have pieces that do snap together, but actually they are strung with elastic as well.

 

Ooooh, okay! Definitely makes a bit more sense now, thank you!

 

I think it's a combination of the type of dolls ABJD are, as well as the spirit of the people who own them.

 

Agreed. Although it might also be the spirit of this particular community. I'm sure you could probably find a BJD group where they were mostly treated the way fashion dolls were treated--and that's okay, too. It's not my thing, but it's good that other people have the opportunity to do it and have a place to do it.

 

I think there will always be blurred boundaries because no one can control how individual perceives or interacts with dolls. In general, though, I think fashion dolls for the adult market are made to be admired, and AJBDs are made for self expression and interaction.

 

And on the flipside, I used to collect fashion dolls and I have to say that all of my dolls were given heavy backstories, individual personalities, and were customized to fit said personalities. And I did indeed play with them. Most of my doll friends also were like that, so I feel it's rather inaccurate to state that customization and personalization only happen in the BJD world and not with fashion dolls.

 

ABJD = kit form doll. Designed to be taken apart, customised and heavily played with.


Fashion doll = mannequin. Designed to be dressed and displayed. Wears high heel shoes.


The makers of Sybarites described her as a crossover doll - a ball-jointed fashion doll. They were more interested in the articulation.

 

Personally, looking at the Sybarites, the comparison that springs to mind is the difference between Western-style comic-books and Manga. There's just no way to compare them - they're totally different art forms. The only thing they have in common is that they both convey a story through words and pictures.

To me, the only thing ABJDs and the Sybarites have in common is that they are both ball-jointed dolls - conceptually, they are completely different.

 

Well, i have both a Sybarite and ABJDs and to me, they are in the same class as some of the 1/6 ABJDs. For those who have not seen the Sybarites, their wigs are interchangable, the Uyoo body is almost a copy of the jointing and they are strung. They are made of resin. I 'play' with my Sybarite the same way I 'play' with my ABJDs. The only difference I can see is that the Sybarite has painted eyes, the ABJDs do not. I respect the moderators' decision on this, but it is confusing.

 

That's a very good comparison--they look so different from each other and have a different 'feel' so to speak.

 

See moomintroll's comment above, she really gives a good comparison with with the way things are with western comics and manga. Totally different art styles and concepts, yet they are both stories told through pictures. That's the type of difference here. Sybarites stylistically look nothing like ABJD. Uyoo, on the other hand, totally looks ABJD style. And no her body isn't almost a copy of the jointing of Sybarites because Uyoo's body is very similar to a normal vinyl 1/6th figure only she is strung....such jointing has been around for a while. Of course then you could argue that Uyoo should really belong in a 1/6th forum. Perhaps owners of Uyoo will find alot more in common with owners of 1/6 vinyl dolls in places like Lunar Ark then here, that's true. However, she is a resin ball-joint doll and is also in ABJD style therefore she is ok for this forum as well. Sybarites, while they are resin and ball-joint are definitely not ABJD style, so they are OT for this forum.

 

To put in my two cents...

I grew up playing with Barbies and loved them with all of my heart. I was NUTS over Barbie, and there's no telling how many thousands of dollars my family has given Mattel over the course of my life, buying my Barbie stuff when I was young. But there was always something missing in my fashion dolls, they seemed 'plastic' and 'inanimate'. You kept the doll the way she came, and you couldn't change her makeup of wig.

Now, keep in mind that I've yet to get my first abjd, but already I can tell that the dolls themselves have much more personality and depth. I can say without a doubt that by the time I'm done, no one will have a doll exactly like mine, and that appeals to me. You can't just go pick one up at the local store, and even getting a pair of shoes is expensive and at times difficult.

For someone like me who wants to play with their dolls and make up stories (my Barbies always got renamed Ariel) the Fashion Doll culture doesn't even appeal to them. Fashion dolls are meant to be looked at, not played with. Look at most of their lack of articulation! (Plus, the boys for fashion dolls aren't /nearly/ as cute!)