What dolls do you consider iconic & why?

I’m going to nth what everyone else is saying and point to dolls like Volks F01, Williams, Lieselotte, and also LUTS Delfs, Fairyland Chloe… dolls that have a strong following and have been around long enough to kind of represent their companies. I remember the El army when I joined the hobby being a huge thing, and with the number of companies around now, it’s really hard for any one mold to gain that kind of a hold on the collective imagination of the whole hobby anymore.

 

I started in 2004 and I would have to name Dollshe Bermann for starting the trend from animeish/ partly realistic to realistic face sculpts, but also because his 2006 Tensiya Sales have traumatized a whole generation of BJD collectors

And, I'm kinda surprised he hasn't been mentioned yet, Iplehouse Akando, their first EID line man, for
1. starting to commercialise the whole circus/ freak show theme which is now pretty stock in trade in BJDs
and 2. being the first real buff, 'manly' man doll with a grown up face mold (compared to what was standard then), a type which to this day remains one of the most common and best selling segments in the hobby
We all went a bit crazy when his teaser pictures appeared in 2008

 

Volks Four Sisters, hands down. They were kind of there from the start, and I don’t think we’d have the hobby as we know it without them.

Also, I see everyone calling Minifee Chloe iconic, and I won’t argue that she is….but also Minifee Shiwoo walked so all the other Minifees could run, so to speak

 

I think it largely depends on when you first got interested in the hobby. I didn’t know anything about BJDs until 2016-ish, so a lot of the older sculpts and companies you guys have mentioned I’ve never seen or heard of, because I haven’t found it necessary to go digging into archives.

 

For me, it's Dollzone Mo and Megi. I started the hobby in 2008, and it seemed like everybody had either Mo or Megi, and I was actually talked into getting Mo as my second doll. Mo and Megi have also been released in tiny, 1/4 and 1/3 sizes, so that makes them pretty iconic to me.

 

For me, it's Zaoll, because of her enigmatic face. Then Elfdoll Vivien, because she is really alive and it's a masterpiece of Rainman. Venitu is next. Soom Chrom perhaps... And Dia, of course.

 

Volks Four Sisters
Volks Williams
Luts CP El
Dollzone Mo
Soom Dia

 

Volks 4 Sisters…have one
Luts CP Delf El
Iplehouse EID Luo
Dollzone Moment and Anson…have one
Doll Chateau Alberta and Elizabeth…have one of each

To me, these were iconic because they made me see the hobby in a whole new light, expanding my ideas of what a doll can be.

 

I agree with most people on what molds are truly "iconic" in the way that they left a huge impression on the hobby, whether you owned one or not, and people knew them. They knew other collectors who owned those dolls and everyone wanted one because someone else had it and made it huge.

Volks Four Sisters, Lilsolette and Williams and the Chris/Lucas family
CP Delfs - specifically El - who else had their own army??
Dollshe Hound and Saint (moreso than the rest of their molds)
Early Soom Monthly's - and when everyone found out Sard was Dia, Dia
Iplehouse EIDs, which started the giant-men-doll revolution
Migidoll Ryu, and Miho and Jina...which were some of the earlier sculpts that were somewhat realistic back in the day
Unoa
Zaoll Luv
MNF Chloe

Personally I think MNF Chloe was the last iconic doll. Both, because as was mentioned, there are SO MANY companies out there now, and so many dolls, that it's hard to pull one out of the millions - but also because there are so many more people in the hobby. There aren't as many "popular" owners (if any) out there that literally everyone knows, and obsesses over their dolls...so it's harder for one person to start a buying spree for one specific sculpt that everyone wants.

Also there is a HUGE emphasis on the new in the hobby now that wasn't there 10 years ago. The newest doll releases is the flavor of the day, until the next one comes out and suddenly it's the one that is the one. Then the next release comes out and it just keeps on going.

And with current wait times being what they are, there isn't time to even enjoy one doll before the next one is on the way, so most people won't even know it exists and then it's been replaced. In a lot of cases, dolls don't even make it to their owners before the next most new doll is released.

Basically there isn't even enough time for a doll to become "iconic" in the hobby now before it's swept along in a tidal wave of new dolls.

 

@VampireAngel13 I think you really hit the nail on the head. I feel like I get an email from Soom twice a month as opposed to once every 3 or 4 months now with a new release. If I wait two weeks and check Luts, there are NEW dolls. Sure, sometimes it is a re-release of older head sculpts but it's at a new size or has a new expression or something.

I remember specifically I had just ordered Elf Saiph from Soom last June or July and within a week I was ordering Azur from them (he was a grail doll so the timing was just poor). You're right that the constant new releases takes away from people having time to enjoy what they have already or just ordered or just put on lay away. It's more a sense of "fear of missing out" than "wow look what someone did with their dolls!"

 

.

 

Hmm... I'd go with a Supia Rosy, because it seems like a decade ago or so everyone had one... ah the good old times when I looked up the BJD pics on DeviantArt mostly, then I discovered flickr So, 10 years past its phase, I finally got it

People mention Zaoll Luv and Four Sisters... I also got them both. I also had a Migi Jina and still have a sentiment. As far as the Resinsoul dolls are concerned, I think lots of people had a Song at some point... and I had Seng. I wish I had a Song though. And these are the dolls I remember very affectionately I think what makes them 'iconic' is that they're 'idiot-proof' because they're so generic. And I only own such dolls xD After several dozens of dolls I have to admit - I'm lazy. I just want the 'easy' dolls that look decent even with my crappy faceup skills I think this is what makes dolls iconic.

I'd also mention Doll Chateau Bella/Colin, Customhouse Ange Ai, Napidoll Chesi, Leeke Mikhaila, Fairyland Ante, Switch Shiho... IOS Sezz/Mezz, Crobi Lance, DoD Duncan, Volks f16 & school A, Little Monica Chloe, Iple Jessica/Bianca/Stella

 

I don't know if anyone has mentioned her, but to me Bimong's Dandelion (the original one) is iconic, and was one of the first bjds I could recognize.

Volks/Luts/Fairyland/generally big-eyed sweet faces style has never appealed to me that much so I wouldn't be able to recognize them, but some other dolls that seem iconic to me are:

Pasha Pasha dolls - I feel like they have had a big impact on fashion MSD dolls and their popularity, plus the advent of more nifty shoulder joints among all sizes of dolls.

Twigling/Artifex Kindred dolls - I feel like the unique faces and bodies of these dolls have given them an iconic status in the hobby. Lilycat might be in the same category (although I'm not very familiar with those dolls) because the sculpts seem to have influenced the body proportions of many newer dolls. Dust of Doll as well, for that matter!

Enchanted Doll (although not really common in the hobby due to how expensive they are) also seem very iconic to me. They were the dolls that made me fall in love with bjds!

Many Dollshe sculpts seem very iconic to me as well, especially Saint and Rosen - they have unmistakable faces.

 

I think, for me at least, it would have to be the Volks 4 sisters dolls (Megu, Nana, Sara, and Kira) because you see her everywhere *my avatar >.> * She is a common and popular sculpt and you see her on LeekeWorld modeling wigs, and in many many other places. It doesn't help that she's completely adorable

 

I agree to some extent, but i still think some newer molds have reached iconic status in my mind, paticularly venitu and chole.

 

Agree with much of the above…
Adding the Dollmore Model line, and Lusions.
The Rainy dolls.. and UNOSS, before the unoas came.

 

I’m sure perspective on this depends on where your hobby focus is, but of those two Chloe (who I did mention) was released in 2010 and Venitu in 2014, so the “new” part is relative. We’re talking 7-11 years ago.

(Disclaimer: I still think of them as new, too. How does time even work?)

 

I showed up to say I feel some iconic sculpts for me are the old Dollshe bodies + original sculpts, Hound, Saint, etc., was worried I was just biased because my first BJD was a Dollshe Hound but I was surprised to see how many others feel similarly!

Doll Chateau Elizabeth is a huge one for me as well, alongside the DOD sculpts I'd say. I've never been too knowledgeable of the Volks dolls (just not my style) so tbh I'm not sure I could even pick them out of a lineup. Interesting how we all have our particulars!

 

My list is something like... ((see if you can tell when I got Into BJDs)

Volks F-01 - Most enduring of the oldest of the Volks.

Volks F-16 and all Lucas-alikes - Kind of the template for a lot of male dolls, even now.

Delf El/Lishe/Shiwoo/Chiwoo/Soony - Hugely popular dolls that I think established a lot of the non-Volks aesthetic conventions for BJD.

Unoa (Lusis/Sist/L-bi/B-el) - Some of the earliest mature minis, and if you count Unoss, first mature female BJDs in general.

Narae/Narin - Not as popular now, but I always used to see these along with Unoa for the same reason. Very early slim, mature minis with a semi-realistic aesthetic.

Dollshe Bermann/Hound/Saint - Progenitors of the 70cm mature male size... Bermann is the original, Hound was the most popular when I started, but Saint has the most enduring popularity.

Migidoll Ryu - SO popular in his day! More realistic in proportion than most of the super-popular dolls up until then.

DOD Ducan - Just another doll I think was a peak popular example of a certain aesthetic.

Elfdoll Soah/Sooah - One of the earlier more mature, realistic girls and a very popular one. I remember this mold for being very popular among people who didn't come into BJD from the anime aesthetic side - you see her a lot modeling wigs and shoes from US stores/manufacturers.

Iplehouse Cocori - One of if not the first Black BJD I remember ever seeing. And IH in generally really pushed the overall aesthetic further from the anime-influenced roots.

Bobobie Sprite - Probably the first popular inexpensive BJD (besides tinies). Super cute!

Resinsoul Mei - Slightly newer than Sprite but fills the same niche as well (and definitely more popular by now). Instantly recognizable aesthetic.


To me, "iconic" means something like "influential, classic and recognizable". It makes sense that the answers would be weighted towards early dolls because you kind of have to look back on something to see if it's a classic. Plus it's easier to see the biggest branches earlier in the family tree, so to speak.

I also want to shout out some dolls that were ahead of their time... I remember nasty comments about Soom Dia when the mold first came out as a girl. Leeke Mihael had very realistic sized eyes and people disliked them. And Dust of Dolls has been around a long time but only recently have I seen them be talked about much. Trailblazers!

 

Gosh has it really been that long for venitu? Yes probably not so new then. Time just move slower when you get this deep just dolly land!

And yes, I think pidgin/popovy/pashapasha are probably iconic to a certain crowd but they barely register on my radar.