Your opinion on dolls who are made into celebrities or fandom characters

I find them really interesting to look at, but I don't think I would personally like to have a doll that was an already established character. I would feel too confined to stick to that character and unable to be as creative with it, but that's just me.

 

I don't mind it. In some cases I love it. It's a big branch of the community in a sense. I have a friend who just got a jointed doll modeled after Ruby in RWBY. There are some actors i've seen where their face was beautiful and doll like that I WISHED there was a doll modeled after them. Not for the character though just for the face. I enjoy being tricked actually. Seeing the actor and going "hey it's so n so" then finding out it's a DOLL!

 

With fandom dolls, I think they're a really cute idea, and I can definitely understand loving a character so much you'd want a miniature version of them to dress up and carry around everywhere!
Actor dolls would be less of my kind of thing, but that's just personal preference and props to anyone who does enjoy them!

 

I guess I'm the same as you here, but for myself only, of course. A while ago, I came across to a male doll on the web that was painted based on Levi of Attack on Titan, with all his clothes and gear perfectly made and so on. I don't even know who the photo belonged to or which sculpt it was (shame on me), but I found him so amazing and almost wished one for myself. But then I realized that I wouldn't be able to do anything with him because there was no way to improve the character. But it's only my inability I guess, because such characters could be very inspiring if you could also make their friends and environments or make them enter a new world as they are, who knows..?

In the end, it looks like this depends on the owner. But making a character based on a celebrity with her own original personality and life... Hopefully I'm going to try that in 2016

 

I think they are awesome and all. However, I would personally never have or buy one.

For example,IOS had a take on Black Butler's Ciel and Sebastian. They are both really cool and gorgeous, but I wouldn't buy them. For one, they are expensive and I would much rather spend that money on dolls who I can actually customize to my hearts content.

On top of that is the fact that I feel as if though you cannot do much with these dolls, they will mainly serve as decoration. I mean, I can't randomly pop a Ciel into my character's(OCs) world.

I don't know.

 

I really want a doll version of Kylo Ren, but then again, he doesn't fit into any of my stories, so I'd only want him for the sake of having my favourite character in resin form. That being said, if I ever got wind of a Minimee order being held for him I'd jump on that in a flash, and just make a new character who happens to like Star Wars cosplay and looks like Kylo :P

 

I think you're referring to Immortality of Soul's Levi, which was a licensed product made as part of a partnership with Kodansha.

And what's wrong with decoration?

 

I will say that I MAKE my dolls' cosplays (and my own) rather than BUY them. That seems more creative for me. But then, I can't do face-ups so have to get somebody else to do that. Some people can do it all and I just bow in awe. Some of the cosplays I've seen on dolls here just amazes me. Those David Bowie ones OMG - Dante from Devil May Care, others. So you'd not see me BUY that IoS Levi - I'd MAKE the costume.
And please do not get me started on the non-issue of cosplay as somehow stealing because it is not. Even making and selling cosplay items usually is not. I reference the 'Jayne hat' snafu, in which Fox proved for all time that they ARE the Alliance - they have no rights to that Peruvian knit hat pattern nor to the color scheme. And Adam Baldwin has told us to call them 'Baldwin hats'. Because it was calling them the name from the show that made them quasi-legal LOL Take that away & nope, fine.

 

I do plenty with mine. I've customized them myself, and lately I probably take more photos of them (and take them out more) than the OCs. It's really all in your mindset: there's nothing wrong with getting one to be "decoration" (the first of mine was meant in this way), but don't think that's all anyone could ever possibly do with them.

 

I used to be of the opinion that there was less to do with character dolls but I've been proven wrong so many ways. I found planning three of them from the save verse a huge challenge, because I needed heights to work, I needed them all (reasonably) the same style. Finding a head I liked for one of them was insanely difficult. (She needed crazy cheekbones and a really strong jawline.)

That said, I've since found the sculpt I want, and I find the ideas for making costumes (the 1900's attire, potentially a fantasy au outfit or two, a modern universe outfit or six...) and then photos to be just as exciting and diverse an opportunity as I have with my dolls not based off fictional characters. This may be because I write fanfic about these three already, and like to plot out alternate universes where all three of them survive.

 

There are anime characters with special face markings that I enjoy and would like to recreate on a doll. However, my doll wouldn't BE that character, they would just have a similar face. They'd have a different name, different eye color, different type of fashion. I think that you can be creative if you want with them, or you could just have an exact replica and either is just as valid as the other.

 

Oh, I certainly don't! I completely understand where you are coming from with this. I totally get that some people find something to do with these, but personally I wouldn't.

This is just me and my thoughts on them. I'm genuinely happy that you enjoy them that's great!

Nothing at all is wrong with decoration, I never stated that something was wrong. I was simply answering the question in my point of view.

My opinion does not represent everyone else's and I am aware of that. However, I was answering the question as to why I personally avoid owning one of these dolls.

Nothing is wrong with decoration. I personally know that if I had one of these dolls I would not be able to customize it. Some people do, but I wouldn't because sadly I'm just that kind of person. So to me, it would only serve as decoration in my room. Which is totally fine, but I would rather invest in a doll that I can allow my imagination to run wild with. Again, this is just me and my reason behind not purchasing them.

 

Oh he's amazing! Great, now that I've seen him, let's see how long I'll be able to resist wanting characters, especially Levi

But the one I was talking about is not him, but this. I actually I came across him on Pinterest, a much better, ambient photo but without any credits or info about the artist / photographer. Yesterday I was able to find this on Flickr and learned that he was designed as part of a contest.

Thank you so much for sharing the Kodansha version! Never too many Levis

 

Not sure how I feel about dolls based directly on real people, but I love dolls based off of fandom characters--this includes books, movies, video games, and anime. I actually find them easier to work with, and it is always interesting to see other people's interpretations of said characters. i also love seeing original characters for fandoms, but that mostly comes from my role playing experience.

 

I'm planning the same thing with the same character sometime in the future I also adore the dude, so much that it's become a running joke among my friends any time anyone mentions Star Wars. I say do it do it, if not just for fun, I'd love to see doll versions of him, in-universe or no. If there is ever a Minimee I'd be all over that as well, I seem to be all about acquiring guys with more and more nose. I guess he would be my grail in that sense, I don't expect to see a company doll with a face like that.

I don't see the limitations here either, don't feel like they have to be wearing their default canon outfit all the time or anything. It's fun to come up with other things they might wear or do. Not everyone is into that and some are major sticklers for accuracy which is fine too, I just don't feel the same.

 

I love dolls models off of characters, but no so much real people. I find it a little uncomfortable.

 

I'm the same way. Characters are awesome, amazing even! But real people is vaguely weird for me? Like. It's cool that someone is so impassioned that they wanted to make a doll of someone, but I'd never ever do it myself.

 

I don't think dolls based on characters are boring or something like that, I suppose they can be as playable as all other non-character dolls though I'm pretty sure I will get bored really soon if I had one.
My main problem is that I choose my dolls based on my own concept of beauty, and most of the time I can't find real beauty in actual people, even though my dolls are all realistic-looking at this moment.
Besides, if I were a celebrity and someone made a doll with my face (a realistic doll, not like character-inspired Barbie dolls or action figures, etc) it would be a little weird. For some time I considered getting a doll that looked exactly like a singer that I love and know personally but I ended up giving up the idea because maybe he could see the pictures in the social networks and feel weird about it.

 

To be honest, I would feel really, really weird about having a doll be a character that doesn't belong to me, or of a real person. It feels a bit like a violation of the person/person who created them. Besides, everything's already there for me, I've got no work to do, no character development to work out, nothing to change as I go because a character has changed in my head. I'd be too scared to play with them for fear of making them "out of character". They're pretty to look at, but I don't think I would ever make/own one. :c

Kinda like the figures/action figures I have, they just sit there and look pretty, which isn't why I got into BJDs.

 

To each their own and all that.

For my own collection? I do have a few dolls who are based on characters from someone else's IP... an El with a massive ear mod who was based on the Nue from Harukanaru Toki no Naka de, a little Banji version of Issun from the video game O-kami, a Yder styled as D from Petshop of Horrors and a kid/chibi version of Scirocco, one of the Arachnos archvillains from the City of Heroes MMO. I don't see anything wrong with having a resin version of a favorite fictional character, even if you weren't the one who invented them.

That said, dolls styled after real people do trigger my "creepy factor" somewhat. I'm not going to try to tell people they shouldn't do it... but it's just taking celebrity affection a bridge too far for my own comfort level. That kind of thing feels like edging too close to the line between Uber-fan and person-with-an-obsessive-fixation, I guess.