What do you think makes a doll/company popular or unpopular?

Well, there's so many factors that go into this, if I think of more I may add them later. Also, this is just guessing on my part, so... here it goes...

Part of it could be how old a company is. The most popular companies have been around the longest, so more people know about them, and they already have a reputation that has been built for years. Many of the really popular doll companies, I have noticed, have a style that is recognizable after seeing their dolls several times. There are some doll sculpts that are indeed pretty, but I don't know if there is anything that sets them apart from other sculpts. Plus, advertising in the end makes a huge difference. I mean both the advertising produced by the company, and those who own the doll. When there are a lot of owners of a certain doll, that company is more visible to other people interested in a new doll, or looking for their first doll. There is more positive feedback for those new to the hobby who don't know where to start or are afraid to make a mistake. In a way, that makes it kind of a cycle, I guess.
And like any industry, there are always those that provide excellent products and service, but never make it big. That's just the business of business! The best way to help the lesser known companies is to keep spreading the word!
But speaking of dreaming doll, I was considering possibly getting a doll from them, specifically a girl. ^^

I know I didn't explain any of that well, sorry. XD I hope it makes sense. It's just some thoughts I had after reading the original post and they may change after I've thought about it a little longer.

 

What factor(s) do you think really makes a doll/company popular? Have I failed to see something that makes those mentioned companies unpopular?

Reputation/Customer Service, Price, Quality, Pose-Ability, Wait Times/Reliability on Delivery Times, Molds, Body Types, Sizes, Style of Doll Available.

Most of those speak for themselves in one word, but a few of the things I listed I feel I need to clarify more. By wait times/reliability on delivery times, I mean some companies are so small they take way more orders than they can fill in a reasonable amount of time and in some cases push back delivery dates over and over.

An example offhand is Charles' Creature Cabinet, I have a friend who has been told about three times he will ship her doll and every time he doesn't, she as well as many other people keep getting blown off in favor of real life issues he's dealing with. There are other companies I know of who would absolutely never let something like this happen, and that is something I take very heavily into consideration before a purchase, I cannot work with a company I feel will 'lie' to me about shipment dates or who is unreliable about going through with what they promise. Not to mention that some companies will have you waiting 9 months to a year for a doll, that is a company I would never deal with, either.

I think part of why dolls with similar molds are pushed aside compared to the same type of doll by a more known company is that while the mold is similar, the body is different. There are a few dolls that have a similar aesthetic to Volks dolls that I was considering buying, but the measurements given on the doll seem very unique, which to me is a bad thing. It means it'd be hard to find clothes for the doll since it is not a really standard sized doll, and like the two sites you listed above, they had very few or else no clothes available to purchase separately. So that's a real strike against a company, too.

And lastly, companies who offer a wide variety of sizes or styles normally make more sales than those with one or two sizes or styles, which is all a lot of the smaller companies have. Such as companies who offer human-type dolls as well as fantasy-type dolls or companies who offer the same head mold in multiple sizes, you have a chance of appealing to a wider arrange of people. Goodness knows it worked wonders for Luts/Fairyland and Volks.

For you who like/own dolls only from 'popular' companies, do you ever consider buying, or just researching much less popular dolls/companies?

I've only ever owned Volks dolls, so I guess I am one of those 'popular' company people. And yes, like mentioned above I have looked into newer or less known companies before but they always have something that is a turn off to me. Sometimes from the get-go they have a different style of doll than I'm looking for. If I find a mold I like, there's always something wrong with the body, the pose-ability, the quality or the wait times/reliability.

There was one lesser known company I was really considering about 6 months ago who since then seems to have disappeared from the market and is on hiatus, with quiet a few people expecting dolls that they have yet to get even a reply from the company about. With a well-known company that wouldn't happen.

 

*after looking at every doll/company mentioned I am not familar with*

What factor(s) do you think really makes a doll/company popular? Have I failed to see something that makes those mentioned companies unpopular?
As a disclaimer, I'm new to the dolling world, but this is an issue that is not limited to BJD-dom. Price, reputation, quality, and availability play roles, of course. But also, sculpts that are not only in a "popular style" but have something that really stand out in a way that makes them more desirable, especially if it's really different. The Fantasy Ari line doesn't seem all that special to me design-wise, while Soom MDs are not only really different from almost anything else out there, because of their limitedness and popularity owning one is something a little more special. While a certain company or doll may have an aesthetic that many people think looks really cool, they don't necessarily want to own it, because they won't get much use or enjoyment out of it or because it would be out-of-place in their current family. Advertising is also a huge factor in a new/unknown company breaking in--both how vocal they are in the community and how they present themselves.

For you who like/own dolls only from 'popular' companies, do you ever consider buying, or just researching much less popular dolls/companies?
I don't have my first doll yet, but my wishlist has both popular and unpopular/unknown companies; I kind of like the idea of having a doll that no one, or almost no one else has, but more so there are sculpts from a variety of companies that I love.

 

What factor(s) do you think really makes a doll/company popular? Have I failed to see something that makes those mentioned companies unpopular?

Anime type dolls (big eyes, little nose, teenage, cute) seem to be very popular and the companies that make them sell a lot of them, because there are lots of them on this forum. I think their popularity has a lot to do with the demographics of the people who buy ball-joint dolls at all. I prefer realistic fashion-type bjd's like Elfdoll and Dollstown and probably would never buy a Little Monica doll, although they are cute. I don't care if dolls are popular or not and many of mine are not. I just buy the ones I love.

 

I have 4 dolls from popular companies and one from Shinydoll, a very tiny one man operation. I like owning both but I will still try to answer your question.

I like dolls from popular companies because:

*Reliable customer service (confirmed by word of mouth)
*Being part of a larger network. Volks has Dolpas and special events for their owners etc...
*Easier to find patterns for clothes.
*Exposure! More owner pics around that make me fall in love with the doll!
*Quality check. If many people own and review certain dolls you can have a better idea of what you are buying. It is scary to spend so much money on a thing you can't see in person.
*Experience. Some of the popular companies have been around a while and they are improving on their product.
*Seeing is believing. Here is where it gets into "what comes first? The chicken or the egg?" Seeing dolls in person at Doll meets helps sell more dolls. I have influenced others and in turn been influenced to buy a doll after SEEING it with my own eyes.


*edited to fix a spelling mistake

 

I think this is a bigger factor than people realise. I know there's certain sculpts that you barely saw until one or two people owned them, and then people saw their beauty and potential and it suddenly felt like everyone has one. I'm sure all of us have had at least one moment where we've been won over by owner pics of a doll.
Once a company gets that interest, then it snowballs from there - they gain a following and people keep coming back to see their new sculpts.
I actually think that reliability and quality come second to this, because I know of plenty of companies that people have blindly stuck with regardless of the bad experiences others have had.

 

I agree with Kawaii_mon on this, actually. For example, I remember when Migidoll was much, much tinier and only produced Ryu in very limited runs - making the Migidoll Ryu an artist doll that was relatively unknown and difficult to attain. I believe it was due to the massive popularity of Hiritai's Ryu (who has since been rehomed), that spurred Ryu's and Migidoll's popularity. Look on the boards - there are many, many Ryu-owners, including me.

Supia Rosy is now relatively popular, when once, she was overshadowed by Supia's Roda. There is also a resurgence of interest in Zaoll dolls, which have been for sale for a very long time, but were not as popular due to their odd size. Volks dolls also have these odd trends. I once saw a Reisner head, albeit modded (but it was beautifully done), go for $400!! Then, he suddenly had renewed interest (probably due to a very popular doll owner), and now his head goes for about $1800! Trends in popularity are interesting and bizarre.

Personally, I really love Little Monica dolls, especially Kliff - they're reminiscent of Volks dolls but with their own flair and beauty. Really, they're a very new and relatively untested company, though, and I think it simply may take awhile for them to get the exposure they need to gain ravenous popularity. Personally, I think Asleep Eidolon produces beautiful and affordable dolls, and Demon Garden has adorable mini girls that have caught my interest (and so affordable!), but I simply hesitate almost because so few people have one and cannot give feedback. I actually rather like Popodoll, too. None of these companies can be considered very "popular." It's difficult to determine whether a company will be a success - I think it's simply a matter of time, reliability, and exposure.

 

I would guess that some of the companies you mentioned simply haven't caught on yet. I love seeking out the lesser known companies, personally.

 

What factor(s) do you think really makes a doll/company popular? Have I failed to see something that makes those mentioned companies unpopular?

I'm going to go with the the view of it simply has alot to do with exposure. When someone is new to the hobby and trying to larn abut all the different companies out there, it makes sense that they would see alot of Volks, Soom, Fairyland, DoD, BBB, etc. dolls because there's a whole lot of them out there. And if a newbie becomes attached to those companies and finds that they fit their personal aesthetics, there's less of a chance of them further exploring different companies.

For me none of these companies really suited my taste so I simply looked elsewhere. When Little Monica started up I fell hard and fast for their Kliff. And you're right! They are of wonderful quality, nicely engineered and beautifully sculpted. I also have one of the old Dreaming Doll bodies (for my Napidoll head) and once again, a very detailed, lovely sculpt, though its movements are a bit more limited due to his waist joint. Probably one of my most 'unpopular' doll overall would be my Elysium Jamie head (I've only found a handful of Elysium owners and none of Jamie) on an MSDoll body. Once again, these parts are sculpted very nicely and of good quality (the MSDoll body is very nice to work with), but there just don't seem to be alot out there. Yet altogether I think it makes sense, the websites to order them from can be a bit tricky to navigate ( I had to post for help and PM a couple owners to order both from Elysium and MSDoll), and to some people they're just not worth it when there are plenty of other beautifull dolls out there. I'm currently waiting on a Glorydoll Mitsuki, another very unpopular company, though in their particular case their reputation on the boards as a frustrating company to work with may also add marks against them.

For you who like/own dolls only from 'popular' companies, do you ever consider buying, or just researching much less popular dolls/companies?

Aside from my unpopular big boys, I did start off with two very popular dolls, DoD's Kirill and Ivan. I love them dearly (my Ivan is still my favorite doll to date), but I do admit having a couple dolls that were just everywhere did make me want to branch out a bit, to really see what was out there. This isn't to say I've written off popular dolls completely as I'm seriously considering a Luts JDF Terra in the near future which appears to be the most popular of the JDF line (I'm still crossing my fingers they'll release a sleepy eyed version of him), but at the same I do seem to have a bit more of a thrill in planning for my future Musedoll Re-Che, DiM Alpon and Kassia, simply because there just aren't very many of them around.

My apologies, I think I may have digressed from the subject a bit.

 

From the perspective of a total newbie to the world of BJDs, I'm more comfortable going with a "popular" company simply because I'm laying out a pretty big hunk of cash on this purchase. As others have said, I can see a lot more pictures of the sculpts I'm interested in because a lot more people own them. They've been around longer, more people have experience with them, and they have established reputations regarding customer service and quality. I don't want to be disappointed by misleading advertising pictures (a whole other topic on its own!) so it's to my benefit to be able to scour as many owner pictures as I can and get as much information as possible. This is a really big deal to me and I'm not comfortable making a snap decision about it. I want to love my new girl and have her ordering and arrival go as smoothly as possible.

As well, a large part of what contributes to popularity of course, is that popular members of the community own the sculpts. As the sculpts catch on and become trendy, more people will want them either because they want them or because it's the "new thing". Not all will catch on though, for whatever reason. Sometimes the company is difficult to work with because of language barriers or poor customer service. Sometimes it's an odd sculpt that doesn't appeal to many. Those are the kind I tend to find intriguing actually. I plan to hunt down some of those.

Once I actually purchase my first doll or two and feel more comfortable in the community I may work up the nerve to go with a smaller, untried company for a sculpt I'm intrigued by. But for an initial investment (and the sculpt I adore), I'm going to stick with a "popular" brand. However, I'm already checking out the links you posted. This hobby is ungodly addictive! *sighs as her wishlist grows*

 

My first doll comes from Doll-Love, an inexpensive Chinese company that not many people seem to have cottoned onto. I adore her, she's fantastic, but it was nerve racking making the decision to buy her, because I had seen no owner pics of her, in fact I'd only seen one other person owning any dolls from the company. My next doll will be an Iplehouse Jessica that I am paying off, after seeing her in real life, and seeing one million owner pics and knowing that Iplehouse are excellent. And it's a lot easier to commit my cash and energy to a product that has so much information available. Though I guess my answer is not what makes something popular, but what makes something continue to be popular! xD

 

I actually have a Dreaming Doll Kelly in my plans. I'll be purchasing her one day, as she is to be the girlfriend to a friend's doll. She is my Gwendolyn.

 

There's so many reasons why people like or dislike particular companies-- some sculpts just don't have broad appeal; some companies have gotten off on the wrong foot in terms of customer service; the company might be new so not as many people are aware of them, or are waiting for more reviews and/or owner pics. Sometimes companies are around for awhile before their popularity takes off, while some do very well for awhile and then interest fades because they can't compete with the other stuff on the market. There's a lot of doll companies out there and a lot of competition.

I have dolls from a wide variety of companies some popular and some less so, since it makes it easier to find bodies that look like my characters that way. However, that also means that if a company has lovely dolls, but they don't look like any of my characters, there's a good chance I'll pass them by. So for me it's not so much whether something is popular, but whether their dolls fit my specific needs.

 

There really are a lot of factors, but I agree that exposure is a huge one. Even if I try to keep up with news threads, it's almost impossible to keep up with every company and every sculpt out there- there are just so many now! And often the webshops and news threads, especially for new companies, do not have the best styling and photography of the doll. Seeing a nicely styled and posed doll photographed well in the DoA gallery can really catch your eye a lot more than a few stark photographs of the doll against a white background. And personally I always like to see owner photos because I know that company photos are not always reliable, or I just want to see the doll in different styles. Knowing that other people have bought the dolls successfully and being able to check feedback is also reassuring.

In terms of personal experience, one of the dolls I now have I had wanted for years, but I was nervous about buying her because I had only seen one of that sculpt with a faceup I particularly liked, and I was worried that perhaps it was a very difficult head to faceup. There were only maybe half a dozen of this particular mold on DoA, so even if I looked for more photos I would just see the same few faceups and it wouldn't help me decide whether or not the head was a difficult one. In the end I did buy her, but she still needs a faceup. In a similar but somewhat opposite case, I saw a gorgeous doll at a meetup and found out that it was a sculpt I'd seen before online but not been particularly wowed by. In person, his sculpt was really appealing and the particular doll was also well dressed and well-presented. After the meetup I looked at more photos of him on DoA and nearly bought the doll! In the end, I decided to get the doll I mentioned above instead. I still like the guy I didn't buy, but I think I'm happier with my girl doll.

So yes, sculpt, style, body, price, reliablity, communication/launguage skills, etc. are all important factors... but if I've never seen the doll or have only seen unflattering webshop photos, none of that even comes into consideration. It's sad but true that the more popular a doll is, the more popular it will continue to become, because it just gets much more exposure.

 

To say the truth I made an effort to seek for many companies & different sculpts etc ... I think I checked most official websites , to see what bodies we 'll prefer for collection & heads I kept an small archive of all measurements I could find ...
I want my thin dolls to look more fragile or truly thin like p.e. spiritdoll, & the other to be into the curvy or athletic side (iplehouse,raurencio) , at the between range is the details which make me decide, especially for little monica the bodies are nice but a little fashion-styled for my taste p.e. I prefer my notdoll body which has a longer neck ,curvier body & differently sculpted breasts , for even more pose ability I could use a luts delf (curvier also than little monica) , for another style aesthetic a dim (curvier again) e.t.c.
yid are thin with thin legs but they give a sense of a little belly so I could consider them a bit ...
As about fantasy Ari are like elves with resin armours ... I like hoofed dolls but I'm not interested in elves ... it's not fantasy a soup in which everything goes nice to every stomach .... I don't like every fantasy I see... I like very specific things hooves are welcome/gargoyles/horns/snakes/vampires/bone wings/wolfs ... I don't care for elves or mermaids
As anyone has his own style there might be little details which will make the big difference ... p.e. Notdoll is not a big company but I am in love with their resin (feels like velvet) & style /bodies / faces in a way they remind me "the little vampire" novels I was reading as a child in a bit darker way & I truly see them as unique. When I first saw Aletheia I had to have this doll!
and another example I like eid but not the new idealian ... details make the difference for me.
Into a process of choosing I consider reliable customer service/ sculpt of my taste - posing of my taste / resin quality. It's not good or bad is my taste or not my taste.

It seems that many new companies follow stylistically other older ones with small differences but most of the time those small differences make the big difference p.e. one has a lovely curve to show a bit of belly & the other doesn't & is totally flat (for me the belly wins) ... And most are a bit more fashion styled, I do not like fashion styled bodies/analogies (I 'm into notdoll/spiritdoll/iplehouse, heh I sometimes feel the urge to sand down a bit my dia's breasts) , I may consider taking some heads of certain companies but not the bodies...
I think the clue is that some look much like p.e. volks but not completely of course, so the one who likes volks style will finally get volks & the one who don't like volks style will avoid them because they look a bit like volks ...
Fantasy parts can win an audience p.e. I know I'd buy hoof parts if offered separately etc
Some other companies are distinctive but have little variety so smaller audience p.e. glorydoll or they are truly slow (same example) - (I have glorydoll heads in wishlist)
There are many reasons but for the ones who are not distinctive I believe the reason is specifically this : they are not distinctive so they get into more thorough comparisons from the audience.
I agree with the opinions posted above but I think this is a reason too.

(brands are posted just as stylistic examples & not for saying one is good and another not .. I just posted names because it is a brands discussion & to show what I stylistically prefer & what is out of my style)

 

I'm a new doll owner, but I've been doing my lurking, researching and fangirling for a while now, and I just had a thought to share. When researching for which dolls I want, I look for owner pictures right after I check out the official website. I like looking at owner pictures so I can compare how the dolls look like "in real life", not just under great lighting, with pretty wigs and clothes. It makes it easier to make a decision.

The bigger, more established companies are more popular with doll owners. Like, take Volks. If I wanted a certain Volks doll, I could look through her thread in the BJD-opedia and find a kajillion different pictures showcasing that doll in different styles. That would definitely help me decide. Now, with smaller companies, since they have a very small owner base, there'd be fewer, much fewer owner pictures of them around. They may look great in the promotional pictures, but without owner pictures, I wouldn't be keen on getting it. It's still a lot of money to plunk down on a doll that you're not certain would look like that in real life, know what I mean?

But that's just me. If there are people who follow this mindset, too, you can see how this can be some sort of cycle. @.@

(I hope that made sense!)

 

It's just like music, movies, TV, etc.-- like the way there are a bazillion bands who are totally brilliant and nobody's discovered them except for you and your friends, and you never hear them on mainstream radio, and you have no idea why the seething masses have no taste.

It's because there are just too bloody MANY doll companies. They can't all be center-stage at once. Many of them are great, but don't have the means (or sometimes even the desire) to get themselves huge publicity. Many of them aren't that great, but are good enough to maintain a core fanbase. In fact, I think it's some law of the physics that not everything can be popular at the same time. ^^ The Universe wouldn't be able to exist without both light & shadow.

Popularity is a fickle thing, anyway-- it differs from forum to forum within the same scene, and it never lasts. It's a function of exposure x timing.

I've got both obscure brands & big brands, but while I was collecting them, I didn't stop to notice/care about each one's popularity. I went for the aesthetics I liked. I do take risks on customer service if it's a studio or company that isn't well-known, but this hobby is full of risks to your money from buying sight-unseen in the first place.

Another law of the Universe: You cannot force popularity. You can love something to death and it can be perfectly wonderful, it can have both quality and publicity, and it will just never be a blockbuster. One must reconcile this within oneself and move on with one's life.

Like, why did Reese Witherspoon never win an Oscar for her performance in Freeway...? See, clearly the Academy has no taste whatsoever, but that movie will never be a blockbuster no matter what I have to say about it. It works like that.

 

I also think it all lies with the amount of exposure you get. I only stumbled upon LM accidentally but I immediately fell in love with their dolls, but again I wouldn't order from them immediately because I admit there are a bunch of other dolls from more popular companies that I would want to get first. This is because of the fact that there are more owners who have dolls from the popular companies that I want to buy from, and well... it makes me feel more reassured, I guess? I'm just one of those people that would prefer to wait for more people to take on something new first, rather than myself... ^^;
But then again, there are those that don't like to purchase popular sculpts so I guess it varies from person to person...
If I had a LM doll, though... it would make me want to post more pictures of them up on here, because so few people have them ...