Your view on 'Grail Dolls'

I have one, I bought him, and he happened to be expensive, but that's not why I bought him. I am very careful of him because he can't be replaced, and I was not disappointed.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yep. My grail doll is a Crobidoll Nao B.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
No, but I'm going to! I have plans to get him early next year.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
I don't have him yet, but no, I wouldn't.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No. The reason he's a "grail doll" is simply because he's so gorgeous I literally made up a character for him just so I could "justify" getting him, and because I never thought I would actually get him. He is expensive, especially since all my dolls thus far have been less expensive minis, but... well. I'm getting him!

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
N/A.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?

Yes! My grail dolls are Volks Tsukasa, Volks Williams, and... one more that I don't want to jinx.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?

I have Tsukasa and Williams. I had actually given up on Tsukasa, then found one "cheap" and went for it even though I didn't like the rather famous faceup. Ironically, a friend of mine traded me her Tsukasa head because the one I'd gotten had been a grail doll for her! I ended up with a Tsukasa head painted by Poppy, my very favorite artist... making him the supergrail! I have been dreaming of a Tsukasa since his intiial release in 2003.

My Williams I got in NY this summer through the help of my beloved Sher.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?

I treat my Tsukasa a bit differently, but it is only because he is one of my few dolls who has a faceup by someone else. I consider his faceup very precious, so I handle him more carefully.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?

Mm... it depends, I guess. For it to be a Grail doll, there has to be something about it that is unattainable. So to my mind, it needs to be either expensive or rare... rather than just being something I could get at any time. I think your grail doll may not be your all-time favorite, but it is one that was a trial to acquire and had an element of exciting hunting!

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?

Nope. I love my grail dolls.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes, Angel Regions Limited Edition Natural Tanning Kai.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Yes! I don't know how it happened, but I saw one on the MP here on DoA last year at an excellent price. It was the first and last one I've ever seen on the MP since. So I got rediculously lucky!

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Not really. All my dolls are more for display, I don't really play with them much. But he is an absolute treasure in my collection.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No, like I said, my grail was an absolute steal. I just think a grail doll is that hard to find persona of complete perfection for each individual collector.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
I'm still completely smitten with my Kai.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yep.
If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Yep.
Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
He's my only doll, so...
Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No. I think that only personal taste should matter.
Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
I actually feel that he's even more beautiful in person, even unfinished. ^^

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Not yet. I still have one doll to find for my family, so who knows

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Not at all! The doll that you love can be any price. Besides, for some a $300 doll is expensive.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Totally, for me I have more than one "Holy Grail," seeing as I just define them as dolls I must have, and don't think I'll get, or at least easily.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Yeeeeees, in fact I've been getting back-to-back grails recently. I got my Volks F38, which I never thought would happen, I also got a CP Woosoo a while back, and I'm waiting on my Volks YoTenshi Mamu as well! >w<

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Eeeer, I'd like to say they don't, but I realize I love my grails just a tiny bit more than most of them, though, I guess it helps that they are the ones on bodies too. LOL

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No, I have basics that are grails too. I just consider them dolls that may be a bit harder for me to get~

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
NO WAY! D: So far I've loved all my grails! I don't think I can truly part with any of them...

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
I've had several, yes.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Thankfully, yes! All of them

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Oh nooo, I am not partial to any specific doll I have. They all get my love and attention.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
No way. My Igon was a grail doll for me, and it was just 125$ per head.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Nope! They're all as dear to me now as they were when they first came home

 

Have you ever had one, or not? Yes.
If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection? Yes.
Do you treat it differently to your other dolls? No, but he does get a lot more looks in his direction.
Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls? No. A grail doll is a doll that you love above all others. Money can't buy that.
Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it? He's part of the family and I could never be disappointed with him.

 

My absolute one "Grail Doll" is getting the one I'm sculpting cast in resin. I've been working on him for. . . almost two years. Otherwise, getting a doll worthy of representing a particular character is always something of a grail to me. . . so all the dolls I currently own qualify.

 

Have you ever had one, or not?

I think everyone, at some point, has a Grail Doll, honestly, whether or not they call it that. But yes, I have.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?

Just recently, I've managed to obtain one of my Grails -- a SOOM Vesuvia.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?

I tend to let local doll friends borrow my dolls, but with Vesuvia, I've been clinging to her like crazy. XD I finally let a very trusted friend borrow her for a few days, but I'm already antsy over it.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?

I don't think it's a matter of expense. To me, a Grail Doll is that doll you just haven't been able to obtain. That doll that always seems juuuuust out of reach, that you pine over and go over your budget six different times to try and fit him/her in. I don't think a Grail Doll is defined by expense, so much as it is defined by attainability.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?

The only thing I'm disappointed in is how hard her tail is to figure out. But I think I know what needs to be done, and as soon as I get her a new faceup I will be a very happy woman. ^_^

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes, I'm pining for a Ylisande and have been ever since I first saw her pictures

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Nooo, not yet. I suppose if I stopped buying less expensive dolls I could manage to pay for her, but so far temptation keeps rearing its ugly head and I haven't been able to save up the $600++ needed!!


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Have you ever had one, or not?

Yes, Yo Tenshi Yuki.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?

In 2005 when I first decided I need a Yuki they were hard to come by but not impossible to obtain but I refused to pay the then going rate of $800+ I kept hoping that somehow I would be able to get my own Yuki. In 2007, Volks re-released Yuki as a pre-order at a Sato event. I attended the event and pre-ordered my Yuki, so I got him for original price!

(though the event itself was a completely miserable experience that I would not wish on my worst enemy.)

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?

No. He's not even my favorite. But because of his character he does tend to go on trips with me.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?

No. It's also how hard it is to get a doll.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?

I'm odd person out on this since I have been slightly disappointed. I still love the Yuki mold, but I've realized I hate the old rubber band system Volks use to use for headcaps and I so wish Yuki had magnets!

 

This is the first time I've seen the term Grail applied to BJDs I'm used to the "HG" (holy grail) in makeup so I can relate haha.

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes, I covet Soom's Super Gem "Ivory" and will forever ._.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
I don't think I ever will. She's not entirely expensive and not even LE or anything - I just can't bring myself to want or like dolls bigger than regular MSDs.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
I'm pretty sure that if I ever got her I'd treat her entirely differently than any others, basing off the fact she'd be bigger, heavier and harder to handle, also a lot more carefully because she's just too pretty

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
I think I'll consider a Grail doll just about any doll you fall in love with and MUST have. Just like I do with makeup

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Well I haven't and probably won't, but if I ever get Ivory I'm really hoping she'll be just everything I think she is

 

Have you ever had one, or not?
Yes I've had grail dolls. I've felt the undying need for 3 specific BJD: Volks SDG Kun, Fancyboots Liebchen, and Lusion Dahlia.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?
Yes and no. I managed to get Kun as my 2nd doll, a Liebchen as my 4th doll. I have yet to make Dahlia happen and it is going to be a lot of work.

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?
Not really, but in the case of my last grail, I'm willing to reconfigure my doll collection as a whole in order to raise funds to bring her home. I guess part of what defines a grail for me is what I'm willing to do before they arrive in order to make that arrival actually happen.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?
Well, it is more the looks and overall impression the dolls offer, that instant of breath-caught-in-your-throat that they inspire, but in the case of Dahlia, she's mega-expensive. When I wanted Kun, I was pretty new to the hobby and she was the most expensive thing I'd bought, period. So yeah. I guess there may be a monetary aspect, but there's also finding them, too. Liebchen is a limited release doll, and I had to find her on the secondary market, it took a lot of waiting and MP stalking, heh.

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?
Well, I had a moment where I thought I might have to let my Liebchen go, but that moment has passed. Otherwise, I've been gloriously happy with my "grail" girls to date.

 

Lol, yeah. These buggers like to wait, huh? Glad to know that taking two years to finish a doll isn't out of the ordinary. Good luck!

 

Have you ever had one, or not? Kinda? Im very fickle, and fall in love with dolls easy. And fall out of love with dolls i dont already have easy. Right now my "grail" would be Volks F-38. I have a lot of dolls i want, but the only way i can think of a doll being "grail" is harder to get than just saving the money. Though i do get major "omgineedthatdolllust" for a lot of molds.
If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection? nope
Do you treat it differently to your other dolls? I dont know if i would or not. Probably for a little while, he would be more pampered than the others. I have a discontinued doll that i sometimes beam over getting him when he is harder to find now, but overall i love my dolls about equal. I imagine once the excitement wore off, hed just be part of the gang.
Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls? very high cost, Limited, discontinued or hard to find would also be grail for me. I wouldnt consider a doll i could easily save up for a "grail"
Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it? n/a

 

Have you ever had one, or not?

Two, actually, Cecile the Scarface and Dive Seimei.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection?

I'm lucky enough to have both in my collection, as my second and third doll ^_^

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls?

Mm....a bit. They're more expensive than the others and hard to replace, should anything happen to them. I'm mainly more careful with my Cecile and where I take my Cecile because Seimei is so unknown, hardly anyone knows about his rarity, but quite some people know about the value of a Cecile. I may sound cynical, but I don't want to get him stolen so I'm careful about taking him out. Other than that, I'm careful with all my dolls and I know Cecile and Seimei are sturdy, I'm more anxious about handling my Narae and Glorydoll, who seem more fragile.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls?

No, but to me a grail doll is one that was hard to obtain, the chance of getting it seemed unlikely and you had to wait, to hunt, and eventually bring it home. I adore my Chiwoo, but he's not a grail doll-I only had to save the money and buy him, not watch Y!J 5 times a day looking for good deals and waiting and searching like with Cecile and Seimei. But I think the idea of 'grail doll' changed with the time and the hobby too, it used to mean 'doll hard to obtain, most likely expensive' and the term was mainly reserved for dolls like Bermann or some very limited Volks. Sometimes, it even seems it was used for dolls you did not expect to ever own. Now, the term is used much more loosely, more like 'my first doll' or 'my favorite doll'. Stuff changes fast in this hobby. I guess I'm still old fashioned! XD

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it?

No, I adore my Seimei and Cecile ^_^ However, once Sweet Dream Lucas was one of my grail dolls, but then a friend of mine bought him and when I saw him irl, I decided he's beautiful but not for my collection. I'm happy I found out before I got one!

 

Have you ever had one, or not? Yes a Volks School D. I had wanted one when the head first came out, but gave up for a while thinking it just wasn't going to happen for me.

If you have, have you finally managed to have it in your collection? Yes, thanks to a couple of wonderful local doll friends

Do you treat it differently to your other dolls? Yes because it took a while to get her and I had been looking a while to find the "perfect" girl doll for me.

Do you only consider the very expensive dolls as Grail dolls? No. I think it depends, for some it can be a very expensive doll, for others, a doll that is limited or harder to get etc...

Have you managed to buy your Grail doll, but then been disappointed in some way with it? No, I am not disappointed at all.