What dolls do you consider iconic & why?

I got into BJDs in the mid 2000s, so when I think "iconic" I think of the old CP Luts, Dream of Doll, and Elfdoll.
Even saw someone do a cosplay of the Elf Ducan fullset from DOD.

 

Volks and DOD.

 

The Volks 4 sisters sculpt is iconic to me. It’s so classic but has been styled in so many ways over sooo many years, has been made into different sizes, and has stood up to the test of time and still looks great and is valued today.

 

I instantly thought of the first BJD I could recognize, Fairyland's Puki Puki Pong.

 

I'd say probably the sculpts that were incredibly popular and kind of defined an "era" of the hobby. So CP El, Dream of Doll Ducan, Migidoll Jina (these were EVERYWHERE for a while), Minifee Chloe, the old Dollshe boys, and probably a lot that I'm forgetting. Just the dolls you saw all over the place, the ones that were the first you thought of when you thought of BJDs.

 

Volks Four Sisters.

 

Some were already listed, but I want to list them as well:
- Volks Four Sisters, School A, Williams
- Luts El
- Dream of Doll Ducan, but pretty much all their big classic molds like Sha/Shall, Lahoo, Camine etc.
- Soom MD from 2008-2010, like Heliot, Amber, Sard etc.
- Old Dollshe Hound, Saint, Bermann etc.
- Fairyland MNF Chloe
- Unoa Lusis/Sist
And more I just can't remember right now

Some of these are very defining for a specific era (like El), some were the beginning of something that hadn't existed like that before (Soom MD, the big Dollshe guys).
The Volkses are harder to describe, but especially the School A (and all its siblings that have similar faces) was and still is around everywhere. He always felt like the Japanese El to me.
The DOD ones were and are unique in how they managed to even captivate people outside the hobby (cosplay, their photos printed on cheap fashion accessoires). Unoas with their kits, but also unique setup that no other company to this day has attempted...not to mention that they have this nostalgic charme to them still.
And Chloe, that to me felt like she became an icon of a new generation of people that got lured in by Andreja's videos back then.

Of course I might be a bit biased due to when I entered the hobby, but I have a very hard time labeling newer dolls as iconic already.
There are certainly a lot of infamous ones though

 

Volks and CP/Luts.

The first BJDs I ever saw were Dollfies, in the early 2000s.

 

Got lured in, can confirm. I never got one, but she is the first doll that comes to mind when someone asks about popular dolls or I see a thread like this. To this day, I keep an eye out for Chloes on threads, shop models, anything and smile a bit inside when I see one.

Maybe the Dollfie Dreams, since the anime style is so distinctive and helped kickstart that genre.

Or even Resinsoul Mei, although she may be more popular than she is iconic. Not so much of an era but of a concept. She’s an inexpensive sculpt but can look great when painted right. I guess she just always felt to me like she’s a sort of symbol- a way to have a “popular” doll that looks good, but won’t break your wallet and can easily fit a popular size of clothes.

 

I am going with the " widely recognized and well-established" definition.

-Volks (especially the 4 sisters ) (first company, widely popular and well-established)
-Luts (widely popular and well-established)
-Doll chateau (especially the spider body) (particular aesthetic)
-Fairyland (especially Minifee Chloe) (particular aesthetic)
-D.O.D. (all of their SD sculpts) (widely popular and well-established before going under)
-Popovy (all of their dolls) (particular aesthetic)
-Resinsoul (especially the Mei sculpt) (first widely affordable and available dolls type company. I believe that since they offered low-cost dolls, they have their place on my list as they offered new opportunities from an economic standpoint even if I don't consider their aesthetic to be widely recognizable (but feel free to disagree!))
-Dollshe (especially the Saint and Hound sculpts) (widely recognized but also infamous for the wait times? Are they widely recognized mostly because people complained so much? XD )

From a concept point: the monthly LE Soom dolls.

Edit: added dolls, because I mainly talked about companies

 

I'm in the position of having just joined the hobby like 4 years ago, and to be honest I have difficulty telling a lot of "classic" sculpts apart.

For me the most iconic sculpts are the ones that have existed across multiple sizes... So, like, Fairyland has Chloe (and a lot of their sculpts) in 60cm, mini, and tiny sizes. For me personally Dollzone Carter and Miracle Doll Baiye are very iconic because their faces are instantly recognizable and they come in multiple sizes.

I guess what makes a doll "iconic" to me is when they transcend "doll" and become a recurring character/"actor" for their company/sculptors.

 

Definitely here to agree with previously listed dolls lol.
Volks is THE iconic company. Pretty sure their influence spans beyond Resin BJD as their designs have gone on to influence [off topic] doll designs. On top of that, Dollfie Dreams are well known among non-doll collectors for their portrayals of iconic anime characters. I know people who had never heard the term BJD before but were familiar with the Hatsune Miku DD or other DDs of popular characters!
Other iconic dolls would be the Luts CP/Delfs, namely Shiwoo, El, and Soony. I feel like a lot of people were introduced to BJDs through them (myself included lol). Fairyland Minifee Chloe has become a staple sculpt in the hobby and her influence can be seen throughout many newer sculpts & companies.
Unoa Lusis was also a highly sought after doll for such a long time, she became an icon. I'd also say the same about Soom Amber. I remember a lot of people were after her when I joined the hobby! Dream of Doll was huge and had a very recognizable style. Their dolls were everywhere for so long, and so popular, I never understood how they went under!

 

I find this thread FASCINATING! Back in college (like 2008ish) was the first time I saw BJDs in anyone's possession. I might have seen one or two at an anime convention but it's all vague memories. I can't tell you if they were Volks, Luts, or some other company!

I joined here in 2009 but I don't think my involvement really took off until 2015. So I have missed a lot - including Dream of Doll apparently! But from my perspective, there are iconic companies. Volks, Luts, Fairyland, Soom...after that it's all new to me and I enjoy learning about companies I have missed out on, might not want anything from at the moment, or are just starting out!

 

Volks SD Suigintou!

 

Volks SD F-01 (Four Sisters) for sure.

It was the first face of modern BJDs and has been consistently popular over the years. It is the face that launched an entire hobby.

 

Minifee Chloe
5th Motif Venitu
Dollshe Saint

 

Personally, my first introduction to BJDs was accidentally coming across a photo of Isao Nanjo from Volks Tokyo Boys Story line while searching for something anime-related. It was the first time I'd ever seen a customizable male doll that looked (kind of) like an anime character and I wanted one so so so badly, but his price tag... I'm no longer interested in him now but he'll always be iconic to me, and I think he was one of Volks' earliest male dolls that came with a backstory??

Luts/CP and DOD are also iconic to me as they were super popular when I first got into BJDs, mostly everyone in the local doll community had dolls from one of these companies. For Luts/CP, El and Breakaway were the names that I saw everywhere back then! XD

For DOD, if I remember correctly, they only sold 1/4 dolls in the beginning? The four guardians - Hoo, Yu, Si and Wi of the DOC line were especially popular and they all had little backstories. Actually, I think all their dolls came with backstories. And I remember that people were always looking for splits for their Too and Bee-a as they had to be bought as a pair and couldn't be bought separately due to their backstory of being lovers? I don't think any other company did/does this (i.e. require you to buy dolls as a pair). Also I think DOD was the only company back then that sent their DOC dolls in a carrier bag instead of a box which made them seem like quite a good deal! I still have the carrier bags and they are still holding strong!

Oh, and I almost forgot about Custom House and Dolkot! Custom House was more of the go-to for more 'realistic' child-like dolls while Dolkot's Kiss was very sought after and he is still quite recognizable today.

 

I tend to think of the unusual, but easily recognizeable sculps and the once that was talked about a lot when they came out. Those are the ones I really remeber, anyway.

Doll Chateau Alberta was one such doll who really put the company on the map. She was unlike anything other companies did at the time.
Doll Zone have a similar story with dolls like Anson and Moment. They were so unique and so different. While they were not made for very long, a fair number of them found their way to very talented customizers and seemed to spark the imagination like few other dolls and you got to see them painted a flowers, fairies and even one i remeber where the owner hade taken advantage of the large surfaces of the petals and drawn entire little pictures on them.
Ring Doll's Frankenstein also were a big thing when it first came out, and so was their Zombie Sol, because while gore mods were verey much a thing in the hobby with amazing customizers like One Grey Elephant and others churning out wonderfully gruesome mods, that was the first time a major compnay sold dolls not just styled, bet also sculpted to that aesthetic (as far as I can remember, anyway).
Batchix original Machina doll is also one that I really remember, as fun as the zombie/vampire doll made before was (what was his name, Adrian?) and as cute as the mini machina dolls are, that first little robot girl will always hold the place as one of the very early independant artist dolls that got a pretty wide recognition that I saw.