What is your grail doll, and why is it your grail?

Volks Sdgr Alice. I just know this hobby in May this year. I was very excited when Volks announced Alice and Lorina Swd at this summer. It becomes lottery now, she is my grail doll no matter I win her or not.

 

Not sure whether these could be termed grails, but if they came up for a reasonable price (which is no where close to their original price) they are top of the list...

Story of Seventh Day' Horus... I couldn't justify the basic price of $1700, which doesn't include postage, customs and tax... the whole body design, the hawk head detail is amazing... the whole doll!
Link: Horus

Fairyland's Scarlett... pricey but wasn't keen on the humongous bust and the head sculpt wasn't my thing. Everything else I liked..! The transparent etched brown tail is so so amazing. I didn't appreciate fully the transparent brown resin at the time of release and my tastes have shifted since and I am now fully onboard for that colour, it really sets off the carved in patterns and reminds me of bronze. If this was re-released as merman it would be a no brainer and I would just buy asap...
Link: FairyLand Ball Joint Doll Shopping Mall

 

I don’t know if this counts but I feel like my Honey Delf centaurs are pretty much my grail. I wanted one a long time before they ever made one and had no idea if they would. So they were a grail of a kind.

I love them for their amazing poseability and easy handling. I also adore their sweet faces.

Strangely, I can’t say I’ve ever had a face sculpt grail. Most dolls tend to be darling to me in that respect and most any will do.

 

Popovoy Tawny Owl. It's rare to find dolls with Black/African features. And the detail they put into their dolls is so beautiful!

 

OMG Yes! I absolutely adored Horus, but he was soooo expensive. He'd have been the most expensive doll I'd gotten to date, and I still had layaways I was paying off. He's not quite grail status, but he might be if I ever get my hands on my actual grails.

As for my actual grails, I've been kinda skittish about mentioning them. Maybe I thought I'd jinx it? Anyway, I have two grails, and they are a set to me. Ringdoll's Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji. I mentioned this in another post, but I found BJDs (well, got into them, I'd seen them before at cons) through the franchise Mo Dao Zu Shi. I was looking online for merch, and stumbled across Ringdoll's order page for them.... a few months after Lan Wangji's order period ended. I was crushed.
Curiosity had me keep digging and eventually purchasing my first dolls, but those two just got under my skin and stayed there. I eventually found and bought this boy (~2020 Limited doll~ Acheron (Sold out)_Limited dolls_Dolls_Spirit Doll) in part because he looked like Wei Wuxian in the live action tv show, but as much as I love him (he's one of my favorites) he didn't scratch the itch. I gave him a new name and got him a boyfriend, and just resolved myself searching the secondhand market, and hoping Ringdoll did a rerelease.

On a related note, Mo Dao Zu Shi's author, Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, has a couple of other series, and Ringdoll released one of the main characters of one of those series. You better believe I snapped that boy up so fast it made my head spin...and smack passersby in the face with my braid.

If anyone's interested in the stories, you can find some of them on Netflix: The Untamed (MDZS live action) and Heaven Official's Blessing (the series Ringdoll is licensing this time around.)

 

My grail is a Dollmore Trinity (Klaire) I just love her face, her size and the fact she fits childrens clothes. I've always loved larger dolls, and to me it seems they just can't get big enough!

 

I went to youtube to see what you were talking about. Holy cow is that a big doll 0_0.

I'm not sure if this would be considered a grail doll, but it is one that I very much want after I get my first doll. I want to make a hybrid with a female chest and male lower body. I'm hoping I'll be able to manage this with my fav doll company (Crobidoll), but they only have the M-Line that could possibly fit the boy doll I'm looking at. Anyways, I plan to make a doll family and this doll would be one of the partners in the relationship.

 

I've only ever had a couple bjds I'd consider grails. There have been some I had an interest in getting, but but that didn't last in the long-term.

I managed to grab my first grail, Dollshe King Corey, a few years back. The other that I can recall off the top of my head that I have yet to acquire—DragonShell Doll Cat. I absolutely adore her. I'm hoping to obtain her at some point. To a lesser extent—I wouldn't mind getting my hands on Immortality of Soul's Bel Canto. If I do, I'd probably make him up to be some kind of Adam Lambert clone (have his likeness and be a flamboyant musician/singer while being inspired by Adam Lambert instead of being him).

 

This is probably a pretty common grail but one of mine is LLT Roderich and I actually managed to nab his head the other day.

I like nearly fell over when I saw it and didn't even have to think about the purchase.

Another one was Cynical Yujin - Migidoll - I nabbed his head as well so yay hybrids. I opened him on camera and like super authentic reactioned at him to the point where I surprised myself XD

Also like any DOD doll - I have Code 2 who was one of the top 2 grails for DOD and I want Ducan. I know that one's gonna be like virtually impossible but you know...hope is magic. XD

 

Definitely DoHwee by obscure_kind he is absolutely adorable!

 

My list is long, but there is a couple I'd love to own. I usually do layaways myself if I find the ones on my list.
For some I'd love even just their full sets and weapons if it was possible.

Soom Sullivan Shadow of Curse full set with human and fantasy parts in gray or WS is my top grail I don't expect to find and would probably die squealing if I did.

Loongsoul NS God of Sun Zhuzhao full set is also a top grail with a Soom Michael Destiny Symphony Hyperon Full set wings, swords and all, and a Ringdoll Pingzhang Zhao full set NS (though for these three I'd be happy just finding all their outfits, fullsets items, and weapons).

Iplehouse EID Leon in peach gold, Iplehouse SID/NYID Vanessa in NS large/glamour bust, Iplehouse EID Tedros NS head or full doll and a Rex NS EID are also ones I'd love to get secondhand if I could find them.

There are quite a few more, but as I said it's a long list.

Most of my grails have some sort of meaning behind them because they represent things I love or involve OCs that are extremely dear to me. There are deeper personal reasons but I usually don't discuss them.

 

I have two grail dolls. The first one is the Volks "Rozen Maiden" Suigintou. I was still a newbie to the hobby at the time. I had a chance to get her when she was first released (2007) but didn't go for her because I was poor. It would have been a choice between asking for money from various family members and not eating for a while to be able to afford her kind of poor to be quite honest. Anyways, I didn't go for her and had regretted it ever since as every time she pops up she's either a super limited edition one-off and/or way more expensive than what she was back in 2007 in the secondhand market. At the last Dolls Party in Los Angeles back in 2019, she went as high as $42,980 USD for a charity auction. And evidently that isn't the highest amount she has gone for in a charity auction situation! So yeah...a grail doll for sure.

The second one is the original Volks Yukinojo. It was actually an advertisement in a Haute Doll magazine (no longer in print) that first introduced me to the world of BJDs and made me want to get into the hobby. He's a pretty old doll so either the ones in the second hand marketplace are super modded or they are the rereleased version which isn't quite the same as the original version. I had a chance to get the rereleased version in mint condition directly from Volks USA back when they had a physical store when it was located in Torrance, California, but I really wanted the original version (that, and I'm not really into super tall guys for our colletion). Now, I wished I had gotten the rereleased version. So yeah, regrets.

 

I've realised today that my Grail is actually Soom Hyperon. I've no idea on a character for him, but I want him. As in want want him. I have for years, quietly pining away for him and occasionally looking for him on the marketplace (always when I can't afford him... ).

To be honest, though, Soom are my Grail company. Dia, Gluino, York, River, but most definitely Hyperon.

 

My grail doll is Soom Hyun. Seeing him on Insta crawls reminded me I’d actually seen him ages before and a hashtag and many posts later, I am a foot deep in this hobby. I’m absolutely ready for him for when he gets rereleased. Soom, please!

I did realize though, that Ize Stage’s sculpts are also very close to my ideal features, especially Taesung and Dante. That said, I know I’ve missed their release but I’ve completely fallen in love at first sight of the new sculpt teased on their Insta. Even without a faceup. He might just be very close to being up there with Hyun for me. I can’t wait!

i think my grail aesthetic for male dolls is full-on manly men. I never realized until now

 

I have two! Which I believe might be entirely possible to get someday maybe depending on rerelease and being quick!

My first grail is Nihilum Dolls Cusp in black skin. Her head sculpt and body is so unique and gorgeous. Every time I see pictures of her I know that she'd be a doll for life. Like I can't get over how beautiful Nihilum Dolls are, having any of them would be a dream T-T

My second is Lillycat Ellana. I sort of have similar reasoning. Lillycat's face sculpts are beautiful and unique. I also find the bodies to be appealing and great at posing. Right now I have Lyse in Caramel and she is one of my favorites. I hope there will be a time I can find Elana second hand or Lillycat will open a preorder for her again ^-^

There are so many I want honestly haha but those two have been on my mind a lot.

 

The very first bjd I ever fell in love with was a Soom Gem "Dimo" and I just couldn't afford his hefty price tag back in the early 2000s (or any doll for that matter, really). Years later with a stable job that paid well, I was finally able to really get into bjds and purchase my first one. I never thought I'd own a Dimo, but someone was selling his head! Needless to say, I snagged him and later when the same person was selling is romantic version head, I snagged that one, too ^_^ He's a hybrid, but he is by far my favorite doll. His sweet face and big eyes make me really happy! My new grail is one that had come out before I got into bjds as well, a Soom Teeny Gem "Happy/Lucky Gotcha!" They have super cute winky faces and little peace sign hands. Maybe I'll get lucky someday? ^_^

 

Crobidoll Day Dream Boni. I don't know why but I just love Boni, and the sleeping face especially! But it's a limited, so I will probably never own her...

 

I have three (main) grails. I've always adored unconventional sculpts, so when I discovered Unidoll, particularly Ark and Kaito, they immediately went on my wishlist. I love their grumpy expressions and I think they would fit into my collection nicely. My third grail is Iplehouse Psyche. She is such a unique doll - I've yet to see another sculpt like her at all - and I really hope I'll get to own her one day.

 

I feel like all my grails end up being whatever limited doll comes out that catches my eye XD At the moment it's the Y'shtolla Dollfie Dream that I'm aiming to pre-order before the cut off date. But as for what is a current grail of mine, I'd say it's the Iplehouse Y.I.D Olivia. Since I started the hobby and looked at company pictures, I've always found myself drawn to her but could never justify buying her since I wanted to have a character in mind before making the plunge. I have a character in mind now but my newest issue is debating if I should get her with a face up or not I adore her first default face up but at the same time, I wanna paint it so it matches closer to my character :'3

 

I would say Volks Ruby, she is Volks only sculpt that represents Black features along with limited suntan skin tone. Pretty noteworthy given the company and location.