What's the Appeal of the Sleeping BJD?

I like the pictures of sleeping dolls, but would never want one myself. I like keeping my dolls displayed in situations, and a constantly sleeping doll would annoy me. Now a sleepy one with the eyes at least part way open might be doable, depending on how closed they were.

 

I usually don't like any doll that doesn't have its eyes fully open. I've been liking sleeping dolls more lately, but at this point its not very likely that I would buy one. I think part of what makes the character of a doll is its eyes and how they are positioned. With a closed or partially closed eye, I feel a doll is much more limited in expression.

 

I believe those are the enthusiasts who like to play with their dolls rather than display them. If you like to customize them and photograph them, then perhaps you'd purchase a doll with open eyes to "look" at the camera. If you like dolls with eyes closed, then you probably like to play a bit with fantasy...Have the dolls interact with each other and give them lives...so to speak....Just an idea...

 

I'm not really sure myself. I mean, there are a few of them that I like, but I prefer mine to have to look awake. I want to see their pretty eyes.

 

I would love to have a sleepy and awake version for each of my dolls. More specifically one body with a sleepy and awake head to swap out based on what I wanted to do with my doll. I can only do it with a few of the dolls in my collection. I like the idea of the added versatility I'll be able to once I get the heads I want

 

I wondered this before I got my doll, but being that I now have two, I get it.

People use the sleeping heads for a myriad of things. Sometimes, they use it to portray the doll asleep. Some will use it to give a very detailed photo shoot a little more of a 'dreamy' look, to convey a better message within the photo.

I wish that every sculpt came with its own dreaming/sleeping head. I'd use it to portray my dolls asleep, only, so that I wouldn't need to come up with clever camera angles to show that they're asleep.

 

Personally, I'd love a sleeping BJD for like, one or two photoshoots, but then I'd want it to wake the hell up XD I think well done photographs of sleeping dolls are beautiful, and I love the idea of interchangable sleeping/awake heads, but I wouldn't buy a sleeping doll that only came in sleeping for myself. It just isn't to my taste, having a doll that's eyes are always closed D: I know it sounds a little creepy, but I like it when it feels like to doll is "looking" at me.
I do love dreaming eyes, but I'm pretty sure that falls under the "open eyed" category. I think dreaming eyes display a ton of emotion that I don't see quite as much in all the way open/all the way closed eyes.

 

I'm not very fond of the sleeping bjds.
I don't mind looking at other peoples', but I don't think I'll be getting any myself, unless it was a character thing, like if they were blind. One of the things I like best about bjds is seeing them doing just everyday stuff (in minature) sleeping dolls always seem limited to sleeping, napping, resting... in a coma?
That said I absolutly love dreaming eyed bjds, it's easy enough to angle their head so they look asleep, but at the same time, with regular angles they are clearly awake, best of both worlds

 

It's good you brought this up, because I also feel like this. I like how people have modded sleeping heads to make them look awake, or somewhat awake, but I couldn't do that, and I don't want to have a doll sleeping all the time because they have no awake counterpart.

I feel the same way about the doll "looking" at you, too. I think there'd be some strange disconnect if my doll could never look awake. I think it's the fact that I can't look at the eyes, and that might create some kind of weird, passive expression that might make me not enthused about being around the doll.

 

I got my my doll because of its gorgeous sleeping face >< Dont get me wrong i like a few open eyed dolls XD but i'm really attracted to the sleeping and the dreamy eyes ^^

 

Sleeping doll faces, as in "doll faces with completely closed eyes", can be very pretty. Their faces can look innocent and harmless, less "creepy", like many on this thread already mentioned. But the downside to it is the fact that you don't get to choose fancy eyes!
And that is why completely closed eyes don't appeal to me much, but dreaming/romantic heads- yes please!!! They can both have the innocent sleeping look from a certain angle, and use eyes. And thebest part is that they can also look pretty evil or arrogant from other angles. A double win situation, so to say.

 

I have an awake and sleeping version of the same facial sculpt (Volks Four Sisters) and I like that they're different. My sleeping head is WS as well as sleeping, so these heads are totally different characters rather than the same head with different options for the same doll. Mafonwen (open-eyed Megu) is quite bright and alert because she's awake, but I like Mefyswen too (FCS head old F-05/new F-03), the sleeping head conveys dreaminess, thoughtfulness and just because a doll has closed eyes, it doesn't mean it has to be constantly asleep. Posing is the key for this, I think.

On the whole I prefer awake sculpts because I do love changing eyes and things, but I really like my sleeping F-05 head. Her eyes were opened by a previous owner, but I decided to close them back up again. She's a practice head for mods and face-ups, but she's developed a thoughtful character of her own.

 

The awake head and sleeping head portrays very different feeling. If your character you want needs to be in a state of dreaming or sleeping, it is actually quite nice. Also there is those character that always look like they have their eyes close and open only when they are excited and stuff.

For me I like them purely for shooting. A sleeping head is great especially if your character is lieing down or leaning and thinking. Great for photoshoot without the need of trying to make them look like they are dreaming

 

Actually I want a closed eyed sculpt for a character I have who is blind. I happen to like closed-eye sculpts just as much as open-eyed ones. I don't think sleeping sculpts are limited to those whose characters are sleeping, I think that they can convey a few other characteristics that open-eyed sculpts can't necessarily do. Besides with a sleepy-head you get to save money by not having to buy any eyes for it!

As for the whole "dead" thing... What if that's what someone was going for? I could totally see someone using a closed eye sculpt for a "dead" character.

 

I think some very beautiful sleeping face, I think it would interesting pictures, I wish I had the same mold with the two versions heads, eyes open and closed.

At home-Hwang Lee (Luke # 1 DOD), Erik (Don Ringdoll)
Waiting for Erin-Head (or-Doll) Cherie (Iple house)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lukca/

 

To me sleeping faces give me that peaceful feel and I still want one for my doll. I think it'd be perfect for a journal I'm conjuring up

 

They look very sweet to me, but I don't own one yet. Maybe I never will.

 

I also wondered what the appeal was at first, but I came to find that those dolls with there eyes closed look very gentle and sweet to me.
Although it is often the eyes that attract you,the other features of a sleeping doll's face could be appealing enough to make you want to have it as well!

 

I bought mine because I thought might as well get the whole set. At first I didn't really like them but now I use them all the time!
I use one as an actual sleeping face, like whenever I lay her in her bed I put it on and she looks absolutely adorable.
I use another as an alter ego, he does use it when he's sleeping but it's also a kind of creepy jungian shadow kind of thing.

My third doll did not come with the option for one! He came with the half closed eye head which is the default and optional was his open eyed head, so no closed eye head. It's a bit of a shame really...

The appeal: they're cute and they make your doll look asleep, I mean does it have to do more? I think they can also be used in creative ways. They can be modded to make half open eyed faces or alter egos, lots of interesting things. In a way they also work as an excuse? Sometimes I feel kinda bad for having my BJDs unattended for long, but when they're sleeping, strangely, I feel as if leaving them undisturbed is best.

 

I do, sometimes, wish I had sleeping head for my doll, to give him more expressions. I undrestand why others love them so much, but having doll with just sleepy face... Not for me. :3