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

IMO, a grail is a doll that has obstacles in the way that keep you from picking it up easily and quickly. Money, availability of the doll itself, opportunity to buy it.

Ever since I first saw Dollzone Leslie's pictures on the website, I wanted him desperately. But I always seemed to have other BJD "priorities" over him, like another doll I was working on and wanted to complete, or another buying opportunity that came up sooner. Tan DZ Linlan was a "grail" doll who took precedence over Leslie, because I had wanted her longer and had to buy her new from DZ. Plus she was discontinued right after I bought her. So after I got her, I was reluctant to buy another DZ new so soon, and Leslie was impossible to find secondhand since almost no one had bought him! I kept putting him off because I had to get him new.

I had to get him in tan too, because the website pics had so totally sold me on him. Normal yellow, pink or white would NOT do for me. And THEN DZ changed their tan resin to a semi-translucent orangey color! So buying him new was no longer even an option. Another obstacle! Then one day, I saw a 2013 tan Leslie miraculously for sale here at DoA. He was the opportunity I thought would never come up. I pounced on him as soon as I had the money scraped together. I cannot thank that seller enough!!



I still want to get his fullset outfit.

Linda S.
galatia9

 

Elfdoll Viviene, something that's almost impossible to get new.
I spent a really long time looking for a sculpt that can play both a girl and boy. And when I first saw Vivien, she was a he and I mistook him for a Migidoll so I spent ages looking for another sculpt that would look crazily similar but not so young. In the end, I found out that the doll in question was a Vivien, who was a girl to begin with and would have been perfect as a girl OR boy coz I saw pictures of a mature looking Viviene.
The thing that really gets me is the company was still around when I first saw the owner pic but I saw it on tumbler so I never caught the name of the sculpt. urgh.

 

My MSdoll Drayton is my grail and I finally got him! Granted he still needs a lot of work! :3
I loved his sweet dreaming face. To me he just has a natural sweetness. It doesn't seem like a doll whose eyes were closed for an option head but really a cute sleeping or pouting boy. He was just too charming so I hunted for him for years!

 

I've had several grails over the years... CP's Elf Shiwoo, Volks' Sakaki and Okita... and in each case, it's been a matter of liking something about the sculpt itself *so* strongly that I didn't think my crew would be complete without them. A lot of sculpts appeal to me, but those were particularly attractive... Enough-so to justify the searching and hoop-jumping and expense that was involved in tracking them down.

 

A grail doll for me is not necessarily a doll you need time to get. ( In regards of money I just take way to loooong to even save up for non-limiteds) but a doll that hits me: A doll I just fall for deeply and madly and just can not get out of my mind and wishlist. I've got several dolls I would like to have and several dolls I will someday save up for but only One ever hit me that hard I could not even think of ever let go of that wish to hunt him down.
That would be Luts SDF Cian first version. When I came into the hobby he was already sold out and even his second version was sold out. But I was so hoocked on him, always came back to his site always studied his pictures. He was just perfect in my eyes and my plans.
Well he still is, about a year ago (about some 5years into the hobby) I bought him second hand from the marekt place here and I still can't believe it, adore him and am so thankfull.

The reason I went mad for him was simply that I searched for a shell for one of my characters and I considered several sculps, even nearly bought another one, for which I felt it's quite near. Then I randomly stumbled upon Luts and found Cian and these pictures just overwhelmed me with that feeling of that's exactly what I searched for all the time.

Then I got crazy about him....

I still have some dolls I desperately want to complete and get but none was/is as emotionaly stuffed up as him...

 

nabarro sumner I want him so baddddd

 

My grail doll is Fifth Motif Venitu. I had one for a couple of weeks but had to sell him. He's one of the most beautiful I've ever see. Next would be an Agatti Doll Misha just 'cause he's gorgeous.

 

Doll Chateau Barbara. She was one of the first dolls id seen and fell in love with her and the hobby. Some day I will own her!!

 

Tbh, I had more than one grail doll. All of my grail dolls are the ones that I thought would be impossible. That the chances of finding and obtaining them might never happen.
My newest grail doll is a doll idea that I NEVER thought would happen, but then it did!
I love mermaids, but more so the less human looking mermaid, the alien like mermaids. Then Dollzone's 10th anniversary event happened.
(Well done Dollzone... You made my ultimate grail dolls! )
Have to have at least one of them!! Preferably Frieda! Someday. Hubby doesn't "believe" in using layway so I have to save for a while... But SOMEDAY!!

 

Mine is an SD sized CP/Fairyland Dark Human/Dark Elf Soo... she was the first doll I wanted and fell in love withand she's just not available right now

I have a Soo special I finally got a body for and I'll likely get the Minifee version of Dark Elf Soo but it's just not the same.

I'll continue to scour the marketplace for her second-hand and Fairyland for if they ever decide to re-release her.

 

I don't know if this classifies as "grail" because I can get them but I refuse to get them.

My grail will always be Iplehouse Claude and Soom Dia.

I had Iplehouse Claude and had to sell him because...I don't really know...remorse maybe? I felt like he didn't belong with me. I was sad to say goodbye to such a beautiful doll, even if I can get him again I won't. I prefer to admire him from afar...he is one of those dolls I love but shouldn't be with me.

Soom Dia, the face is perfect, I have always loved this doll and Soom has released him A LOT of times but I let him go every time. I think he is in the same situation as Iplehouse Claude.

I have some other dolls that I want to get (my wishlist) they are limited and out of stock but they're not grail dolls so I am not sad if I don't get them.

 

A grail doll is not necessarily a doll that is rare, limited, long sold out, and/or expensive. For me, a grail doll is doll that you want more than all others, one that you maintain the love for and you're more willing to put in extra effort/money/time into obtaining them, and that very well may be a standard doll.

My grail doll is a YoSD Megu (preferably the original 2008 release completely default but that's seeming like an impossibility after all these years), I just absolutely love that face!
She is far from being the first BJD I ever saw and there were many dolls that I wanted before her but she was the first one that truly spoke to me and made me really want a BJD.
I don't have her but I'm still searching and hoping and the love has not faded one bit!

 

In terms of "obtainable" grail, as in the kind that I would go the extra mile for, I'd say it's always been Souldoll Paris. He was my first doll that I really did go through more than the usual trouble for, which was totally worth it - he's still here after ten years (omg).

If referring to the type of grail that is just kinda out of reach, that'd be that Scarface Cecil pirate fullset doll from Volks. He's got tanned skin and the best outfit ever (and lots of companion doll sets, nowadays) and while the sets turn up now and then, I just cannot afford it. Regular Cecil doesn't work either because I want the tanned version (and then would need to spend more money getting his closed, scarred eye modded open).

 

I have three grail dolls....one is Volks Williams, which is beyond my budget for the foreseeable future, and the other two, are unique dolls that were modded by their owners and sold on... I fell in love with the unique way these characters were formed, and could never create such a look myself, and so they are my grails....I always hope, one day...

 

This is what my grail dolls are for me. I own several now, and I'm currently paying off one more; all of them have been hard to find and in most cases, they are 'old' dolls (well... old for the hobby). That part of extremely limited, old dolls is what makes it the 'ultimate goal' for me. I like looking at my collection and seeing the history behind the sculpt.

In three cases, the grails that I own encouraged me to sculpt myself; because they showed me that you do not have to be a 'professional' with a degree in the arts to make dolls. These sculpts were made by 'amateur artists' as they were called then. Having them around is important to me, because it's part of my own journey to become a sculptor .

 

Hard to say, she was just sort of struck me as the doll I HAD to have. She's one of Soom's monthly limiteds, and not one of their most popular ones, so on top of that, she was also just plain hard to find. Though it makes owning her now all the more magical.

Still looking for those hooves, though.

 

My grail was an Elfdoll Ruru. I fell for her after she was no longer made -- but there is the marketplace, and now she lives at my place.

 

My grail doll is my Souldoll Chiron, the centaur one.
I love centaurs and he's the one who get me in BJD hobby, make me "wow I want that". It took me years to get him, but never regret the huge amount of money put on him. Even get him a leather armor made by professional costumer because I wanted him to be perfect in the character.
Even if I don't take pictures of him, because I'm not really interested in, plus he's damn massive, I'm so happy to have him and no longer wanting to buy other things in BJD domain.

 

My grail doll doesn't even exist yet, because it would definitely be Switch's Dojin in 1/4 scale (or any switch boy in msd size because have you seen them? oh my god.)

I've never had a MSD grail doll even though I feel far more comfortable with dolls in the 40cm range than with SD's but the sculpts available for larger dolls have always been my favourites.
Or maybe it's the other way around - it's always the sculpts I like most that just so happen to be HUGE.

 

My grail-doll is a Volks FCS F40 SDGrBoy, The Head mold is normally Sato-only which makes it my grail-doll because there are so many factors that keep me from being able to obtain it easily.

I've had other grails, but over time and with patience I've managed to bring them home. so with my current grail, it's only a matter of time.