After a short time with the 20cm plush dolls, I realized that I wanted something more than they could offer in terms of customizing, posing, hair styling, etc... something more reminiscent of the fashion dolls which I had always preferred over baby dolls in my youth. Buuuut I LOVE the anime aesthetic. My SO had actually given me a Barbie for Xmas, and while it was fun to unbox one for the first time in decades, I ultimately just couldn't connect with her features and eyes. So, I literally went searching for "anime barbie dolls" online.
Eventually I was led to BJDs/MJDs (ball-jointed dolls). And my initial reaction was a hard NO. They seemed too complicated, too delicate, too… niche? (just realized that those are 3 things that I generally dislike about myself lol)
But after seeing some very cute anime faces that made me squeee out loud, I decided to try it out and I ordered a "cheap" one from AliExpress. I agonized and took days to decide what to do, but after I placed my order I felt happy and went to look for an online BJD community. I found my way to the /doll and /BJD Reddit and immediately discovered what a "recast" (knock-off, unofficial copy, stolen design etc) was. As an artist and general follower of rules, I just cannot condone this. Horrified that I had possibly unknowingly purchased one of these, I immediately 1) cried, because I hate making big mistakes, especially social ones thanks to years of ASD trauma, 2) cancelled my doll order, and 3) began the deep dive into learning more about these dolls, their history, where to get them legit, and the community.
After learning where to safely buy these, I also discovered that there are actually vinyl body options, most of which are anime designs, and then I was totally in. I ended up choosing a 1/6 Tinyfox doll "Little Fox" that I purchased from Jane's Dolland as a birthday gift to myself and totally fell in love with her. This is "Kit"…
For the most part, she is everything I was looking for! Lovely anime face/eyes, cute features, reasonably poseable, and fun to dress up. Although that cute chubby body does cause some outfit issues. lol
I also purchased a "real BJD" with strings etc, a 1/6 UFDoll anime design, but she arrived with a damaged knee (Jane's Dolland will be sending a replacement part but it could take 10+ weeks) and she doesn't have a face-up yet, so her birthday is TBD.
Finding 1/6 size clothing and stuff has been really easy and I have a nice, little collection of things for my girls. (So many cute shoes!) I had initally chosen the 1/6 size because Barbie is something I'm familiar with and it seemed like it would be great for posing and customizing. But after sewing a couple of pieces of clothing for her, I have realized that I would definitely like a bigger doll to make outfits for. It really is just harder to make tiny things… something I learned from my time hand-sewing fabric art dolls a few years ago. (See? Dolls dolls dolls! I can't escape my love of them, even in my art <3)
So, now I'm on the hunt for a bigger doll and trying to figure out the best size and brand for me. I won't promise that I will never buy other dolls of various sizes (because, lies!) but I'd like this to be my "forever size" to focus on and sew outfits for.
So yeah, the search is on! <3
