10 facts about Ball Jointed Doll's

How are BJD's different to others? Are they anything like porcelain or reborns? And why are they so expensive? Find out the answers to these questions and more below.

How are BJD's different to one another?

Ball Jointed Dolls, like many forms of art have their many fans. They also suffer from counterfeits, reproductions or fakes. These are known in the BJD realm as Recasts.

What is a Recast?

Recasts are stolen or copied sculpts. They are often moulded from existing dolls and may have inferior joints, unsealed resin, or faulty casting defects such as large bubbles or deformities in the resin.

They usually have less details than the originals, because of the way they are cast, and often

don’t come with certificates of authenticity. Generally they sell for 50% of the original’s retail cost, and can be more prevalent than some of the special limited edition dolls, who may only be in production for a short time. Making them a cheaper option for anyone trying to enter the hobby, however they are often

frowned upon as inferior quality and “fake” so they have little to no resell value compared to the originals which often increase in value.

Are BJD's anything like Porcelain or Reborn dolls?

Usually a Porcelain Doll is created at the same size, in the same colour of porcelain as all the others and painted in much the same way unless an Artist chooses to do their line of dolls differently. Similarly, Reborns are created in numbers and customised by Doll Artists who then sell them to their eventual owners. BJD's are created in limited numbers, sometimes with limited outfits also known as Fullsets. Basic Dolls are made to order and usually come without hair or clothes at all. Leaving much of the customising up to the owner

What about Fashion Dolls / Artist Dolls?

BJD’s are slightly diff erent to Fashion Dolls in that Fashion Dolls have primarily been created

to display clothes and generally have smaller more “human” proportions than that of BJD’s

which can vary widely from one company to the next.

Fashion Dolls are usually one size (60-65cm) and have smaller eyes, arms and waists than

BJD’s who generally have more anime-like features. Artist Dolls are created the same way as

many BJD’s, however they aren’t mass produced and are generally one of a kind, many are

also contrived of different materials / elements such as hair that may be glued directly to the

dolls scalp rather than a wig being made to suit.

Renata - Collections of Dolls and Heads

Why are BJD's so expensive?

BJD’s are so expensive primarily because of the nature of the material they are produced from.

The resin used is highly toxic in its powdered and unsealed form, causing cancer and respiratory

problems in most cases. It also has a long curing time dependant on the weather and humidity, in

such countries as Korea (a major manufacturer of BJD’s) production will even grind to a halt in

certain seasons as the weather makes it impossible for the parts to cure correctly, causing undesirable

defects in the resin.

The process of producing a new sculpt is also extensive. As the form must be sculpted from raw

materials, a mould made and a series of casts made to test the mould before any production can

begin. In some cases companies have even cancelled or removed a whole product line because of a broken mould or faulty castings (Such as Fairyland 2015). Sometimes the resin itself may be inferior quality or the colour mix added may not be right either.

Also because BJD’s are fully customiseable, cute and sometimes realistic many people desire to have them. Making the product an easy one to sell. With demand high, many companies have trouble keeping up with the demand given the amount of time it takes to produce these dolls, assemble and in some cases

create outfits and face-ups to suit each and every doll.

What is a Face-up or Body Blushing?

A face-up is the paint or pastel added to a dolls face and/or body (also known as Body Blushing) to give it, it’s appearance. This may or may not include details such as: Nails (fingers and toes), Veins, Facial Hair, and Tattoos to name a few.

This involves cleaning and sealing the resin first before anything else is applied,

which may otherwise stain the resin and permanently damage the doll. Then

Watercolour, Acrylic paint, chalk pastel or a combination of the three and sometimes even

epoxy resin (see “modding”) is added to suit the doll or it’s owner and create the

desired look.

What is Modding and/or Sanding?

“Modding” is modifying a doll, and relates to adding or in some cases subtracting resin from

a doll to change its appearance. Common “Mods” are opening closed eyes, closing open eyes,

or cutting into the resin to create scars, some also like to drill holes through the ears of their

BJD’s to add things such as earrings. Although these can also be attached to the resin with epoxy

or other adhesives as long as they don't “eat” into the resin itself or damage it.

“Sanding” relates to literally sanding resin off the doll. This could be to correct a casting error,

to reduce the mould’s seam lines in such places as the legs, or to completely remove an

anatomical feature such as breasts. This is sometimes used as a method to turn dolls into the

opposite gender or to reduce breast size or the obtrusion of nipples when clothed.

"Modded" Ball Jointed Doll - Artist Unknown

Where do you buy them from?

There are many, many BJD companies currently in operation, there are also just as many private sculptors

and manufacturers. A few of the well known brands include but are not limited to:

• Angel Fantasy (Netherlands)

• Doll Chateau (China)

• Dollzone (Spain)

• Doll Leaves (China)

• Fairyland (South Korea)

• Iplehouse (South Korea)

• Lilycat (France)

• Luts (South Korea)

• Resinsoul (aka Bobobie) (China)

• Soom (South Korea)

• Souldoll (South Korea)

• Supia Doll (South Korea)

• Volks - Dollfie Dream, among others (Japan)

What are some common sizes of BJD?

The most common size of BJD are the SD models these range from 50-60cm’s tall and are easier to carry around than some of the bigger ones. YoSD 16-20cm’s are one of the smallest. With MSD 25-45cm being the next size up, followed by SD and SD17 size which is 65-70cm’s tall being the largest for most companies. However, this is constantly changing with Iplehouse for example releasing a 74cm “Herculean” doll at the start of 2017. And new sizes and types of dolls are being created all the time.

What do you do with a BJD?

Many people like to display their BJD’s in their homes or offi ces as personal mascots, or inspirational meme’s. Others enjoy posing and photographing their BJD’s, by themselves or with others, with props and backgrounds or out in the big wide world.

Most also enjoy “Meetups” where they get to meet up with other BJD Collectors and see, touch or play with dolls from other companies that they may not otherwise have access to (with permission of course!) Others like to write books / novels about their characters, or create whole artist displays dedicated to them. Th ere are a variety of activities and pursuits, though most agree their BJD’s are more than just a collection of dolls.

How can I make my BJD look different?

BJD’s are fully customiseable, you may add diff erent colour eyes, hair (wigs), face-ups and clothing just to name a few. There are almost limitless combinations depending on the type of look you’re going for. And not everyone is able to make or achieve the look they’re after at first. Th ere are also shoes, jewelry, props, and photography methods to consider.

Some people enjoy their BJD’s purely as they come from the company, with many companies selling dolls in “Full-sets” where you may buy a doll as well as whole outfit - including shoes, props / weapons, clothing, wigs eyes and accessories already included. These full-sets are oft en extra, though they do allow the owner of the doll to enjoy them straight away, without any added costs involved aft er shipping. However, many people already have a character or idea in mind when purchasing a doll and want a specific look that many companies don’t cater to. Weaponry and armor for example are highly sought after, as are knit-wear Socks, hats, and shoes for some kinds of BJD’s may have unusually sized feet, or dimensions making them more difficult to source clothing for.

And that's where Knittinja comes in!

If you're looking for a custom made outfit or accessory you can't find, check out our store or send me a message, I'm only too happy to help you find what you're looking for.