What is it about your grail?

For me grails are dolls that I keep coming back to but can’t excuse purchasing for whatever reason, lol. The ones where I’m kind of like… someday I’ll have this but I can’t have it right now.

but also I would die for a dream of Doll E-an. I actually came back to DOA to try to locate her.

 

For me, I label a doll a "grail" when it's a doll I'm absolutely burning to own but the doll is no longer available through normal means. Such as being sold through the website, or frequently offered through the second hand market.
In other words, I have to go on an elaborate quest to track it down and acquire it.

 

I think the doll I have labeled as my grail meets this set of conditions: (1) was limited when it was released, (2) is almost impossible to find in the second-hand market, and (3) despite 1 and 2 I've still had it in my wishlist for years now.

 

A grail to me is something I never thought I could have, the rarity sometimes can also play into that. For me DD Len Kagamine was my ultimate grail because he released years ago and was so expensive secondhand (of course unlucky me got him for his aftermarket value and he’s rereleasing this year )

 

for me personally its a doll that ive wanted for a LOOOONG time that is either hard to obtain/limited or has slipped my grasp. I have two grails: Volks Hewitt which i managed to get and a tan Unoa...who I'll hopefully be getting sometime soon....

 

I've never really understood the concept of having a "grail doll" until recently, when I discoverd Elf Meadow from The Trinket Box by Kim Arnorld. It was litterally the first time in my life that I fell in love with a doll sculpt. I just love how unique and not "BJD like" she looks. She has big eyes, a wonderful smile, elf ears and a cute childlike body. I don't even see her as a regular BJD. What makes me think of her as a grail is the fact that I just can't get her out of my head to the point that I would be happy even if she was my only BJD.

 

This! Those one off releases that just pull your heart bubbles and whenever you see it, its for outRAGEOUS prices so you can never afford it when it DOES show up, but it really gets your heart going to see it pop-up and you just sit there like "One day my precious"

 

I have wanted a Volks Lady Oscar since I first started the hobby, I think it was because she reminded me of a character from one of my favorite books. Now, I still love Oscar but I don't think I'll ever buy one. I can't seem to bond with WS dolls >.< But I still adore her from afar. Most of my grails became grails because I just couldn't stop thinking about the sculpt or found myself developing a character immediately after seeing the sculpt.

 

I always took grail to be like the holy grail, something you strive for that is near impossible to get. Scouring the secondhand market, jumping on it immediately when it pops up to make sure you get it, maybe you might even be willing to go over the amount you're willing to spend just to get it. I've personally never felt this way about a doll. To me they're still just objects that I can live without if I don't get the one I want, so there's never been a pressing need for one that goes beyond the usual wishful thinking.

Honestly, I feel like having a grail doll is my grail. One of these days there will be a doll like this out there that ignites that feeling in me. I've been in the hobby for a little over a decade, though, so maybe not.

 

My grail wasn't made yet. I really longed for a Honey Delf centaur. When it finally happened, it was so exciting.

I always thought of a grail as something someone wants badly but can't have because it isn't available anywhere or so far out of their price-range that there is no hope of getting it. I'll be honest, if something is out of my price-range, I'm pretty quick to move on. I'm lucky I could afford my centaur.