Why don't most dolls have a smile?

While dolls with a very strong expression can be very cute, sometimes toning that back gives more versatility. Even without a big grin or a definite pout, bjds are very expressive. You can also give a doll a very strong expression with the right faceup. I guess I don't see the lack of emotion that you do. I see very alive looking very "there" for lack of a better word, resin faces. When I was trying to find a head for one of my characters I actually changed my mind about one possible head because the expression was to specific--I was afraid she would only be able to have one mood, so I picked a head that I felt was more versatile.

Faceplates are a neat idea. My own personal issue with them is that I would have a hard time seeing them as the same doll. They're almost like having different heads (think awake head and sleeping heads), and for me what makes the doll an individual is it's head. I think I would be too tempted to get other bodies, lol. But that's just me

 

I've always thought it was so they wouldn't be limited to one expression - if you wanted them to look smiley you could take a picture from/look at them from a higher angle, and lower if you wanted them to frown. When reading reviews of particular dolls, a common compliment is something along the lines of "She has so many expressions from different angles!" There are examples of this on Soom's site and around DoA. I think most people don't might the somewhat limited expressiveness because they like the mold the way it is or because if you reeeally want them to have a particular expression you can probably achieve it through the right faceup.

I know about two that have faceplates, Pukipuki and Unoa, but I think Dollshe has plans for them when they rerelease (although that might be one faceplate per mold as opposed to different plates for different emotions... I don't quite remember >.>)

 

I have a narae that has a faceplate and Unoa's have them too, along with Elfdoll Hanna angel/devil.. and Limwha has faceplates too.
I would love to see more SD sized dolls with them, I think as long as the total facial look is kept the same it would be alot of fun to give them different facial expressions.
But it would be cost prohibitive for the consumer and the makers probably..
the sculpting, the resin color..etc.

 

I think a relaxed expression probably looks the most natural and fitting for a doll.
Smiling dolls are cute but do not give much room for other emotions. A more neutral expression can be changed by the angle of the pictures/face up/the lighting.

I agree with you about really liking faceplates and alternative sleeping heads etc. I really think more doll companies should offer them ♥

 

This is exactly why I don't own a lot of girl dolls. I hate neutral expressions on girl because it makes them all look aloof, bored and snubbish. While I wouldn't like a BIG smile, just something subtle would be nice. I am sick and tired of seeing every single female doll looking pissed off.

Which is why I got a Shoyo from Dollzone, she has a cute contended smile and expression that just makes her adorable to me.

But I wouldn't like owning a doll that looks like she has PMS 365 days a year.

 

Neutral or static expression give so much more potential to the dolls! And many collectors believe their dolls do smile or smirk or look sad - a gamut of emotions!

There are dolls with expressioned faces - I've got three puki who are all definitely smiling! And they are a lot of fun, but sometimes seem to be caught in endless joviality.

 

I think the expressions are toned down to provide more "range" for what the person wants to do with the doll. You can paint the same neutral mold to look happy or sad. Whereas, if it's very smiley like the Narae smiling face plate or some of the Pukis, it's going to just be smiley all the time.

I've noticed some very smiley dolls out there, such as the Narae Butterfly, Pukis, Dollshe Ru and Moon, and some of the Volks molds, but then again I have to admit there has been a glut of angry-and sad-looking dolls on the market lately. I used to buy every doll that looked mad because they were a bit of a novelty. Now, I don't think I'd have room for them all.

I have the same problem with faceplates - to me different expressions generally equal different mold and different doll. I can handle changing the faces on one or two dolls, namely my Unoa and my Bishonen House, but to have ten dolls with changey faces would be annoying and overwhelming to me.

 

I notice that virtually all my dolls have smiles! I definitely gravitate to smiley-boys, that is for sure. When I made tall!Tibby, I deliberately chose BBB's Pixie-hed for him because it has a more smiley expression than the more-popular Sprite. I wonder if the smile is what makes Pixie less-popular? It's a beautiful sculpt, and seriously underrated, imho.

In fact, the only non-smiler at the Station would be neveR, my Baha, and he does look a bit of a gloomy gus compared to the rest, although he isn't so much frowning as has the kitty ^oxo^-face.

Having a smile doesn't really limit the potential expressiveness of a doll, I don't think. That smile can become ironic or melancholy with a bit of lighting and the right posing and context.

Tigerbaby's motto: Accept NO substitute for HAPPY!

I am torn right now, between ordering Fairyland's PongPong (definitely in !glee! mode) or the adorably grouchy-looking ChiChi. This indecision will probably mean I don't get either ~^vxv^

 

I love boys with smile too. Thus I love my F17 and my F38 (and Reisner)

Well, depending on how the face up is done particularly the corners of the mouth it is possible to change the expressions of a doll to your preference. Thus most of the doll sculpts do not have a very dramatic expression - give you more room to do what you like.

 

I think that because they are so neutral, BJDs have a spectrum of emotions. Lighting, eyes, face-ups, and different angles can bring out expressions in your doll that you didn't even know they had! If I bought a mold with a smile, I'd find myself very restricted to the emotions I could bring out in him/her. Even if I could make it look like a different kind of smile (like Tigerbaby said), I'd still feel like I only had so much to work with. u__u
I've also noticed the influx of pouty dolls. I've only been into BJDs for a year and a half-ish, so I don't know if that's a new thing or not, I just see more of them around than I did when I joined this community. Despite also feeling kind of limited with a pouty doll, I find myself gravitating to some of the boys. They're just so cute with that little =( face!

 

i think that they could make some more smiles, but i did find a few dolls with realy cute and inocent faces and i dont think they should change those faces at all.
<so cute>

 

Like people, I think if dolls went around like all the time, we'd think they were a little crazy in the head.

 

The lack of expression built into the mold allows it a greater versatility in the face-up. Many of my dolls have expressions beyond just 'neutral', in particular my SOOM Rex, who I painted to have a sad-face. Most emotion is conveyed in the eyebrows anyway, I find. Lips can be turned up or down with expression marks at the corners of the lips easily enough.

I dunno about anyone else, but I never liked my Barbies, as a kid, that had the stuck-on smile nearly so much as the ones that had closed lips.

 

I prefer dolls to express emotions through creative angles, settings, eyes, clothes and image and such. A smiling doll will always be a smiling doll, but a neutral doll with a bit of creativity can be anything. Also face up can change a doll completely.

I have some photos I've taken that illustrate this (well, in my opinion they do)

Non smiley doll:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/aquilla/Dollfie/PICT0018.jpg

Smiley doll:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v232/aquilla/Dollfie/S7300837.jpg

The expression a doll is given may be static, but the emotion you give a doll is forever changing.

 

I don't like extremes of either kind on my dolls...no big smiles or scowling frowns. I like neutral expressions that tend towards pleasantly happy. Faceups and photographic perspectives can add all the emotion your doll needs.

I came from collecting Barbie and I'm more than sick of big, vapid grins.

 

When I was choosing my boy, I had a choice between getting a pouty boy and getting one that was more on the neutral (but a bit happy) side. I chose the more neutral one, because.... I could change his emotions.

And they really do change depending on angle and lighting.

I don't want a doll that always looks pissed with the world, but I don't want one that's continuously happy, because it would annoy me. Neutral expressions vary depending on the mood of the viewer, which almost makes the doll more alive, IMO.

 

That is why i choose my doll, she actually has a soft smile rather than a pout or snotty look. very hard to find a pleasant smiling face that was not totally cheesing it! It is the Luts Kum-Ran mold. take a look at it some time if you want! i like her because every time i look at her she makes me smile and she can still do all of the expressive looks! i have pics were she has the expression of "MINE!" while sitting on someone else's quilt, and the wide eyed innocent look. plus one snotty look! i like the other expressions on dolls but this mold just had more of what i was looking for.

 

I think smiley dolls are creepier, tbh. I think that if I went around with a doll that beamed at everyone, more people would be creeped out than if I took a neutral doll. It's the frozen emotion that would scare people, thinking that doll would be grinning like a fool even as it killed you in your sleep!

Zeelzaroth has a slight smirk and I like that. If you look at him from a certain angle, he pouts, another angle and he smirks contentedly, another angle and the smirk gets a little more sinister. He has a fuller range of expressions than a smiley doll would have.

Then again, what do I know, I'm getting a Souldoll Hye!

 

well, my mnf chiwoo's are a fairly good example of what a face up can do. Both are the same mold, yet Azraelle is terminally pouting (from most angles) while Dominick has a deviously playful smile (from most angles). But if you catch them at the right angle you'll see that both of them can smile, be seemingly neutral, or pout.