What do you tell people who dont know what bjds are?

Fin- Actually I was sitting at the desk looking for doll bags online when I found the perfect bag for the 70cm doll I have coming, the 78cm coffin bag from Cool Cat. Anyway, so I was so happy to finally have found exactly what I'd been looking for for so long that I was like "OMG that's perfect for him!" outloud instead of in my head as I normally would have. Amos was like "What's perfect? Who are you talking about?" and came over to my side to investigate, so I showed him and he started asking me questions. It kind of just went from there lol!

And I'm fortunate that my job is very laid back. I work graveyard shift at my universities residence building, midnight to 8am, during the summer and we have a lot of free time to basically just sit and do nothing, read books, talk, go online. It's really slow right now (though graveyard shift is pretty quiet anyway) because we operate as a hotel/hostel type of thing to the public so with hardly any students there's very little paperwork or legwork in the building for us. We have high speed internet and each person at the desk has their own computer which we use for all kinds of stuff. I can even watch netflix movies at work. Can't get youtube or facebook though they block that ;_;.

 

That is so awesome! I really envy that you guys can walk around with your dolls. Here the hobby is still quite new so if you do that people really do stare (it makes my boyfriend feel very awkward)! I managed to get my boyfriend into bjds tho xD

 

That's awesome Chopstick_Chick

One of my old co-workers blames me for him getting into BJDs :P All I did was bring my first doll to work with me..

 

"They are Asian Ball Jointed Dolls, popularized from Japan. They're fully-customizeable, you can change the eyes, wig, clothes, even body parts. They are fully articulated, anatomically correct, and poseable. They are made out of resin. And they cost a pretty penny..."

 

I tell them to go look it up on Google. It saves a lot of time. Hahaha.

 

It depends on who I'm talking to. Someone who doesn't know much about dolls in general will get something like "They're dolls with ball joints and are kind of like old porcelain dolls, but made of resin." Someone who knows stuff about dolls will get something more like "They're expensive collector's dolls usually made in Asia out of resin, with ball joints to increase their posing possibilities. They come in many different sizes and are very customizable." If I have a picture I'll just show the picture, and if we're someplace where I have a doll around I'll just show the doll.

 

I tried explaining them to a co-worker today. She basically implied that I was too old to be playing with dolls
-_- After finding this thread I think it might have been how I described them (just as pose able dolls). So now I will tell people that they are customizable, made of resin and usually made in Asia. Thanks everyone

 

I always tell people they are customizable art/artistic dolls. :3 I tend to get a better reaction from people that way. XD I never actually mention the cost of anything unless they they ask though. ^^;

 

I try to make a point of saying these dolls are NOT like Barbies, because that is the automatic assumption from people; I make certain they understand their uniqueness, how they are customized, and how they become a form of art.

 

Like many others, I emphasis how these dolls are highly customizable and tell them they are like online avatars in real life form I talk about the uniqueness, creativity, and identity regarding that issue.

 

Unless they have a real interest, I don't. What's the point in trying to explain something that that person has no interest. If they are interested, I just show them.

 

I usually just say "she's not a barbie, she's a ball-jointed doll from Japan, she's a one-of-a-kind piece of art made just for me"
if asked where I got her/where can they buy one I'd say that she's from VOLKS but there many different companies that also sell ball-jointed dolls
if they ask me why she costs so much, "because she's a one-of-a-kind piece of art made just for me, she's like the Rolls Royce of dolls"
if they ask anything else I try my best to explain it as clearly as possible

 

I tell them it's a barbie on steroids with amazing mobility. It is made out of resin and you can customize it by changing its eyes, hair, outfit, makeup and so on.

 

My short reply is that they're fully customizable dolls that are highly detailed and have posable ball joints.

Unfortunately, most people I talk to aren't satisfied with that. Usually, the next thing out of their mouth is the cost. I'll be honest and tell them with a bit of a cringe, and before they question the cost, I begin showing pics, if possible, or lift up parts of the doll's clothing (modestly if in public) to show them -why- they cost so much. If I don't have visual refferences on hand, then I have to go into a longer explaination about how detailed they are and the fact that they're usually hand made, and made of resin; I point out and describe faceups to them, etc. I also make sure to emphasize the fully customizable part as well.

When they ask me what I -do- with them, because they can't seem to fathom paying so much money for something that's just going to "sit on a shelf and collect dust", I usually tell them that I do photoshoots for artistic purposes, and sometimes use them for anatomy refferance models, much like art manniquins. They seem to accept that.

 

I tell them that they are blank canvases in doll form made for artist like me to give them life and a hobby I enjoy

 

I refer to them as my "Korean Art Dolls," I think it sounds pretty cool and I usually don't need to elaborate on that XD

 

I tell them that they are customizable art dolls. (sometimes give a few details) And ALWAYS leave them with a few websites to explore. :-)

 

haha Mostly that they're pretty realistic ball jointed dolls, popular from Asia and they pose because of said joints. When they start asking prices is when I go ummm you don't want to know. lol

 

Ten out of ten times, I'll say something along these lines: "These are ball jointed dolls, and they're by artist companies and completely customizable. They can't be factory made, and each sculpt was created by hand."

Sometimes, people ask what can you do with them or what are the purposes of getting one, and I go a bit more in depth about the hobby. Usually, I'll talk about how people like to make physical forms of characters they've come up with, or for sewing purposes, creative inspiration (like writing or drawing), painting purposes (like faceups), etc. When they ask about the price, I never give an exact number because a small detail like that completely throws off some people. So instead, I'll mention that because they're not factory made and can't be reproduced so quickly, they tend to be a lot more expensive than some people can bargain for, but if that's what makes people happy, then that's their thing.

 

LOL I'll have to try this one!