Why don't most dolls have a smile?

I agree with what has mostly been said, that it's funner and easier to create new expressions for neutral dolls. Say if a doll is beaming, it'd be hard to try and interpret it as something else xD

Personally for me, Kaedyn (B&G Rin) has a bit of a smile, but if you tilt his head right, it can come out as a smirk, so he's not stuck with one expression ^.^
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I think my dolls have their own personality regardless to be honest.

I can see a number of expressions on their face, regardless of interchangeable faces... ^____^

 

May be it's because we usually don't smile, like when we're doing nothing special, and may be it would be weird and... I dunno, scary? if a dolls would always smile. Anyway that's my opinion.

 

I was talking this point over with a friend the other week, and she made a very good point that if you have a doll with a smile, then it means that you will always have a doll with a happy expression and pictures trying to show other emotions would be near impossible. I guess the "expression-less" faces lets people add their own expressions to the dolls with the face-ups, clothes and poses etc.

 

I think that dolls with a little pout or a gentle smile are the most appealing to me, because I would feel they're thinking of something. But I see that a more neutral expression is more versatile and can be changed with photo tricks, clothing styles, faceups, etc.

 

I like my dolls to look happy. I really don't understand why so many doll makers make their dolls to look so serious/angry, while others give their dolls a blank/dead look. I do have a couple of dolls that looked sad or angry to begin with and I did my best to repaint their eyebrows and mouth to make them look a happier. Everyone deserves to be happy, including dolls.

 

I think they're non expressive so that they can be customized that way by their owner

 

I think it might be because some of them are trying to look sexy(?)

 

I prefer dolls that aren't too smiley. A neutral expression can be many different expressions, while a smile is much harder to make look different. My Mo is smirky, but not smiley - he can look happy, or bored, or sad, or angry, or sarcastic, etc. My Day is pouty to the point of being almost frowny, but from the right angle it looks like a smile, or like he's agitated, or many different things. People don't smile all the time, I'd find it really annoying for a doll to do so.

Besides, characters who are constantly all the time happy are often far less interesting than the ones who have some sort of secret or problem they're dealing with.

 

I like ho Dany has a nuetral look. It enables more emotion setting for photo if I want to take a picture. You know? Its not forever smiling Barbie.

 

I like pouty or neutral looking moulds the best ^^
I like their wistful look.

It's good to have all moulds with different facial expressions

 

Someone mentioned girl dolls that look angry or scowling in the begining and my first reaction was to cry, "WHERE AT?!"

I actually gravitated away from the girl BJD's for the fact that they always smile, or have a blank expression. I like them when they can possible look amused or even smirk, rather than being constantly blank. If I were to GET a girl doll in particular, I would kill (not really but you udnerstand what I mean) to find one who looks irritable or even snarky, rather than the sweet, cute fluff-balls I've been seeing EVERYWHERE. While yes they're cute, cute often makes my brain hurt. >>

I like the neutral expressions of the boy dolls because it depends on the lighting and their position if they look amused, smug, sad, or angry. It really has a lot to do with how the mouth is painted I think. If you adjust the corners of the mouth when you paint it slightly upward it seems to give them a more 'smile' like expression as opposed to turning then down or straight.

 

@Chaos: I think Soul Doll's Queena has quite the snarky, aloof, 'If-I-do-it-I'll-do-it-with-dignity' face but it might just be me. Have a look anyways? I find the mold to be goregeous and, where I more inclined to buy another girl, would get her. ^^

I 'll not bother restating what everyone else said neutral = more expressive etc. etc.. I chose my Skiya because I wanted a subtle, playfull smile which I do not think can always be catured by either faceup or camera work, and I a poor at both at the moment. I hink there should be more miling faces because as aloof and vacant as the neutral heads are sometimes it's nice toget more than a 'meh' expressionstarring back at you. I think I'm beginning to sound kind of rably.

Anyways I think you'llalso find there is less of a demand for smiles and such since mostother faces are more verstile. One must also remember some may be averse to the idea of a constant smile, afterall, it is one of Barbie's great flaws.

Maybe when demand is higher there will be more or mabe less if it goes lower. I'm all for faceplates myself and would love some more 'sleepy' heads which have a little less sexy ( DoD & lut are pretty much great at that look ) and a bit more 'sleep' to them.

 

My friend actually showed her too me, and while she's pretty I still think she would have too much of a smile. I'm thinking more of a girl that doesn't look 'gorgeous' but just looks.... well.... Snarky. 'Dignity-my-butt-look-the-other-way-if-it-bugs-you'. I just really can't find a girl that looks like I would like. I like a moody, full-of-attitude expression. It just makes me smile to see a doll look smug or snarly, especially girls who so many think have to look cute or sweet to be GIRLS.

Like you don't get irritated and just tell people to bugger off when you're doing something they're complaining about.

 

How about Unoa with the "O" faceplate? initially, she isn't supposed to be snarky, but she can be with the right kind of faceup. I think she has a lot of expression

 

My answer would be short-- because most people like and need positive things

Most of my planned dolls do have a gentle smile. SSDF Luts Flood is very serious and reserved, but only d.i.m. Arin is/looks worried. I like variety, but I think I would go nuts if all of my dolls looked sad/worried

 

=/ that is quiet the hard look to find. I wish you luck in your search. S'pose worse comes to worse and you could always try modding?

Anway, I think we got a little OT. ^^;

 

Krystina - Actually, most of the dolls suggested, like Unoa's, and SoulDoll's are so far out of my price range that they aren't even on my radar as an option. I'm really limited on funds and have already picked my first doll out, and it's only going to cost about $360 USD. I may eventually buy a girl head and use it for practice and see if I can't do my own face-up on it to make it look how I want, but buying an expensive doll is not the answer really.

 

A serious look is always more attractive? But some pouty dolls are really so cool and that's why I love them!

 

Although smiles and frowns can be adorable and just what kind of mood you're looking for in a doll, they're not quite as versitile as an expressionless doll ^W^

Most dolls have very neutral faces so that their looks can be usable in more situations. With the proper angles and lighting, mood can be swayed any way you want! Also, a plain face can be taken more ways then a strictly happy or sad face ^ ^