Your doll's "Fingerprint"?

A lot of mine are specific characters and what drew me to the sculpts that I eventually chose was in large part physical likeness, but attitude comes into it to. Sometimes I'll look at a sculpt and the air it gives off will remind me strongly of someone. I've never had a body for a character not work out, though it can take some work to find the right eyes and wig, and in Lorry's case I had to find him a shorter body to put his head on (I had decided on doing that from the beginning, but I didn't sell his original body till I had found a replacement). When everything comes together it's very exciting and it does make me feel that much closer to them.

 

My dolls aren't really unique. Any faceup can be replicated by a degree (though finding an artist who has the skill and lack of morals is another question), none of their modifications are extensive, their style is plain, their wigs and eyes are common... What makes them pop to me, is how well I can stuff the character I want in the shell and how easy it is for me to make it look convincing to myself and others through photographs. Before I even buy my doll I do extensive research, so by the time it gets here, unless there's something drastically amiss I don't really give a second thought as to how "correct" the mold is.

 

First off, I have to say I really like this topic It's very well thought out and interesting.

When I bought my first BJD I had planned on her being one of those dolls that completely creeps people out, and I wanted her to be kind of gothic, etc. But as soon as she got here... my god her personality ran rampant! Something about her face when she came home told me that we were going to do a lot of soul searching together. Although I had already picked out her outfit and bought a wig for her when she first came home, together she and I went through website after website for countless hours looking for something more "her". I don't think even she had any idea what she wanted to be like, but she knew she'd have to find herself eventually Eventually I came up with a complete character for her and I loved it, and she stayed that way a while and seemed content. But after a bit she just... didn't have that same magic about her anymore and I decided to save that character for another doll. Ironically enough, we didn't find out her final character going through wigs and clothes... but by watching an Anime As soon as I started watching Rozen Maiden my doll and I knew that's what her look would be based off of, though her personality would be a little different. After sewing clothes for Shinkuu, I felt even more of her personality came out since I had to pose and get up close and personal with her to properly fit the clothes.

Also... strangely enough. I'm positive that my Shinkuu's eyes are closer together than a normal Tin-Tan's. And it's not just her faceup either because I thought that even when she was just a blank head. Like... there's actually a significant difference between her eyes and a normal Tin-Tan's. It's actually kind of ironic because the large distance between the eyes was my least favorite thing about the mold XD So her head at least has a pretty significant "fingerprint"

P.S. This board makes me want to take an exacto and physically give my dolls fingerprints.... Haha, it could be the new way to identify recasted dolls XD

 

I saw the title to this and had the exact same feeling.

I had no idea I was going to buy Hakon's head, actually I had no idea I wanted a 60cm boy, or even a boy for that matter... (I was planning on an MSD girl, either a DoD or a FL MNF!) But I saw his head and something about his expression clicked and it was a HAVETOHAVEIT moment. Maybe its the way he looks at me like he understands. I've only had one, maybe two of his sculpt give me the same reaction but they were all heavily modded. I think its the personality we give them and the way each collector portrays them, even straight from the box-opening that gives them their personality. One of my first pictures of Hakon (when his body finally came) was of a thoughtful chin in hand pose.

 

Oh whooo, this question is exactly what I expected since I just got my Kid Delf yesterday. But honestly, he has it's own personality and character. I originally wanted a nice and kind boy, very calm. But Connor is not like that at all !!! I don't know but something in his face told me he was funny, outgoing, sometimes really annoying... Maybe it's because I cut myself while opening his box because he didn't want to come out !!! I immediately thought : "OMG what an annoying little brat already !". And that was him !

 

I think a lot of their personality develops from the time we have the box in hand to the first time we hold/touch them. I didn't think he would be shy but his head would not come out of that bubble wrap!

A little OT: This thread has given me inspiration to start my boy's backstory *happy tear*

 

This is an awesome thread


Gavin's appearance has seemed to almost evolve, in a way its almost magical
He had come from the company without his wig and eyes which was a bit of a goof up, but it allowed me to take an even more proactive role in customizing him. I love the wig I eventually decided for him, and his orange eyes, which are so much more interesting than his default green would have been. And for some reason he looks a little softer than other Gavins I've seen on the board, Iunno, maybe its just me


Though If you catch his face in the right light his eyes glow ._.;


His personality has also been developing from the moment I purchased him, and he even wormed his way into one of the many stories floating in my head ^^ (he was a complete impulse buy...I was just struck by the "DO WANT" vibe...I had plans...really I did >>;; )

 

I am certain that dolls begin to "smile" when they are in their preferred colours -- that is, wig colour/style, eyes, clothing.

Lily was sitting around in a pink wig and blue eyes and a red dress for so long, it took ages to find the right blonde wig for her. Eventually, thanks to Tinybear, that wig arrived and suddenly she looked like she might get up and dance, hehe ^^ The same happened to Edward. After trying out various eye colours, I remembered a pair of green glass eyes I had in a box. It was the last colour I had in the house, and after digging them out and trying them... it "was" Edward, no other doll. It was amazing. And I SWEAR he began smiling! His arrival amused me a little, as his pre-prepared backstory involved his character turning up suddenly after a long absence... which is sort of what happened to the actual doll. Out of the blue, and with a mad rush, he was arriving... and suddenly there he was sitting in my house! ^^ Ahh, the miricle...

I love getting things right in dolls... it's just such a buzz. I think it's one of my favourite aspects of the hobby, by far.

 

Reading this thread has got me thinking . . . maybe the inability to find a doll's "fingerprint" when we get them home is the reason a person can't or doesn't bond with a particular doll or sculpt, eventhough they wanted it in the first place.

I have a couple of dolls -- DZ BBs -- who's personality and "fingerprint" is as clear to me as anything. But I have had other dolls, most of which I have sold or passed on, who I just couldn't "read" or bond with. I couldn't figure out who they were, or what suited them best, eventhough the sculpt or their face (or something) appealed to me enough to bring them home.

 

i agree with this opinion a thousand percent XD
the lack of "fingerprint" has caused me to not bond with a couple of dolls and even dislike dolls that arent mine (dislike is a really strong word, its not exactly what i mean...but if i dont simplify i could be writing for hours).

i also think that making a doll unique has more to do with a combination of things, rather than say, the way they dress, or their faceup. it was said earlier that a faceup is easy to replicate, and if you have a default its going to be even harder to make him\her totally original...but add the faceup to the character, and personality, even with simple, little details and you have a doll no one else has. like, just cause you have a girly, goth-looking El doesnt mean he's exactly the same as the next girly goth-looking El (i can use El as an example cause mines goth-looking XDD)...

 

It is interesting that dolls seem to have their own thing going. By all logic, they are just hunks of resin. But man... they know how to say who they are.

Muniya seems to want to be a tomboy even though I keep putting her in Lolita dresses. I dunno how to explain it. >_>

 

I don't think it's the looking of the doll that makes them unique. I think it's their auras.

When I had gotten Mira, BBB did not have the wig that I needed, or else I would have ordered it for her. :/ So, for about a month and a half, she was completely bald and I really examined sculpt with her being bald. I don't think it's that she looks exactly like any other Mei doll, because I look at the user pictures and each just has their own quality to them, a sort of vibe. When I got her wig, her entire demeanor changed, and when I take off her wig, she goes back to her original state.

When I look at Mira, I seem to think it's her eye and smile combination. She came with the default makeup, but it's smudging right now and in need of being redone. Everytime I look at her, it smudges a little more, and the lips get thinner and thinner. She seems sadder, like when you pull in the corners of your mouth when you're sad or questioning. Her eyes move often too, they like to fall and it adds to the sadness she seems to emit. :/

She just seems so unique with this.

 

My boys essentially figured themselves out- I had nothing to do with it! XD They all just sort of happened into what they wanted to be (and now they're all demanding new faceups...)

When I first got Yurii he looked like Yurii- I hadn't even come up with a name for him yet, but I picked him up and he was just....Yurii. Then there was the faceup. I tried to make it darker etc- but after four or five tries, only a few things really stuck- pink lips and a slight darkness around the eyes. Then his eyes just didn't grab either of us, and even though I'd originally wanted a purplish colour, a very light green just kind of stuck...and he's completely insisted on being blonde- I can't seem to talk him out of it. >.< but he wants a new wig so now I'm saving up yet again... He just kind of evovled on his own into this totally separate thing to when he arrived...

Next was Mikah - I had no idea what personality he might have- I'd never seen his sculpt in person before, but as soon as I took him out of the box, he had this attitude that I haven't seen in any other bobobie An. He's the most fun in terms of unpredictability and unlike Yurii, he told me exactly what he wanted to look like. He's going to be nearly finished when his new eyes arrive.

Last was Morghan. I wasn't even totally sure if that was going to be his name, but it just kinda stuck. He's not your average L-Bi either- he just seems so much more feminine, and delicate, and shy... I had every intention of making him a cute friendly (straight) little guy, but he's turning out to be somewhat unexpected- we recently discovered some rather disturbing characteristics about him, and now he's also insisted on being blonde with bright blue highlights after a two hour wig search. *Sigh* He was demanding a certain leekeworld wig for awhile, but I just couldn't afford it! As it is, the wig Mr. Picky finally settled on cost me more then $20 freakin bucks anyway... *grumbling...*

 

The first time I opened Reiko, she seemed a little sad and distanet.
She's opened up to me a little bit and part of her inner sweet nature is begining to show, but she's still a little reserved but Iv'e only had her 3 weeks so I'm okay with waiting and letting us get to know each other a bit.

I think you just get to know your dollie as time goes by, Maybe it's just me but I wouldn't want to push a certain charactyeristic onto a doll, I'd just let it come to them naturally.
=D

 

All of my dolls have definitely developed their own feel to them over time, but the most surprising was my recent girl Rosemary, my Volks Yugiri.

Rosey was supposed to be this very loud mouthed, man-hating little lady who wouldn't take anyone's crap, and a bit of a bully. But when she arrived, she was clearly not that person at all. The look I had going for her, blond hair and green eyes, still suited her very well, but her personality was completely different than I had planned for. Rosey is very quiet, she just won't talk to you most of the time. She isn't even remotely close to the outspoken girl I had been thinking of. She has this radiant beauty about her, and the most interesting part about her is that she just seems totally bored with it. Almost like a real girl, she always seems like she knows you think she's beautiful, but maybe that you see her as nothing more, so she just doesn't bother to convince you otherwise. Some might say I'm reading into it way too much, but that's definitely the feeling she projects to me. She just seems indifferent to most people, and oftentimes very complacent. Rosey is very sweet if she likes you though, and she always seems to look a little sadder when I've had a bad day. And she still thinks men suck. XD

 

Oh my, What a fun thread xD

I have had the most difficult time finding out my doll's characters, and some of the most strangest moments when their characters did come out.
To start with, all of my dolls were bought second hand from one person (aside from the practice head I currently have)

My first doll Alyce, was suppose to be my own version of Alice in Wonderland (Original Eh?). But as she spent a little more time with me, she became a quiet, shy, and nerdy little girl. It wasn't until the arrival of my most current doll that her character actually came out. With the last doll, the woman I bought them all from sent me the rest of the clothing that she had (she was completely getting out of the hobby). With the stuff she sent, came a bright pink wig and a gothy corset dress. I was just playing around and put the gothic stuff on Alyce and BAM! her character showed up. So now, I have a gothy/raver? girl after almost two years of having this doll.

With my other dolls, I have yet to really find the clothing that fits them, but I have found pieces of their characters. XD

~Casey

 

Ooh, I love this train of thoughts.

My plans were originally for Aidara to be a somewhat rougher traveler of sorts. Perhaps not wildly outgoing, but still a loud, outdoorsy sort of presence that would let her explore the world that was starting to form around her.
When I got her, and maybe it's the eyes or the faceup, she seems more muted then others of the same mold (the others have a sort of charming brashness to me) and has a dreamer look. The light colors of hair I had originally gotten fit, but not nearly as well as the crayola-blue hair. She definitely formed a thing for saturated colors more then the earthy tones I had planned.
She's much more elegant and less tomboyish in her tastes in clothing, though she seems awfully clumsy in them, sort of someone who wants to be part of a style with a passion, but sort of stumbles over the details.
I don't feel like all this really made bonding better or worse, just more flexible in manner. I feel like when I eventually get a second doll, she'll start to take on more personality. I see it a little at meets.

The main difference between her and the other minifee carls around, I think, is that dreamer/head-in-clouds look she seems to always have to me.

 

I agree with this as well and have to say that I am in danger of not bonding with my lastest girl in part because of this (the other reason being her height). Originally I had planned for her to be a older teen, funky, girl-next door type but when she got here she insisted on being much older and qute trampy. The whole thing has thrown me for a loop ^^;

When Nola first arrived she radiated a sweet, happy, outogoing vibe. Now things are being rearranged a little but I think in the end she will be quite like I first sensed.

J'Tem is definitely what I planned in some respects (she doesn't think she's a doll) but so far is much sweeter than what I anticipated. Lol, I guess you could say I have this problem often. But it's okay, part of what I love about BJDs vs the other dolls I have is how they project such a distinct personality. It beats the cold stare you get from a Barbie, though I still love them for their looks