doll north 2017? May 26-28

Full con for me, but I'm also staff at the Cafe Nocturne event so it's pretty much mandatory that I'm there the whole con. I do go to DN every year though. I try not to spend too much on clothes and the like. Sometimes I'm successful, other times not so much. I like getting to see friends there, too, who might not be able to make it to the local meets all that often.

 

There's a lot of cool stuff at DN, including photobooths for doll photography, a market place where you can buy clothes, wigs, eyes, props and even some select dolls/heads. The charity raffle is always a hit in my books, too. There's also workshops, panels and contests you can enter. I'm not sure what those last three will be this year as it changes from year to year.

How northern Ontario are we talking? past North Bay? Up by Timmins? Cochrane? Moosenee? Over the other way by Thunder Bay? I grew up in a tiny town (aren't most northern Ontario towns tiny?) about 40 minutes NE of Timmins, so I've got a pretty good idea of how difficult it would be to meet with other doll people in the north just due to the low population and general remoteness of the area.

 

I've been considering going! I've only ever been to AN in the past, not DN, but I think it could be fun to meet some BJD people. If I go this year, it would probably only be DN for me. I imagine it's difficult living in Northern Ontario, so maybe you should take the opportunity to go! I think it's nice meeting people in real life who share the same niche interests as you.

 

It is a niche hobby, so finding like-minded people in small, remote areas can be challenging.

I would think that if you're coming from Manitoulin, you'll likely be coming for the whole con, right? At that point, it might be best to bite the bullet and get the con pass. You may want to jump on that soon as the passes do sell fast, especially the Saturday ones as that's the "big" day. I'm not 100%, but I think there's also an early bird thing on pricing if you buy before a certain date. I know that for my event, the special After Dark is already sold out and one of our regular shows is as well and tickets just went on sale Jan. 1st.

 

I only mentioned the event I'm part of as an example of how quickly things can sell out for AN in general. The weekend passes typically go very quickly as they offer the best bang for your buck (as opposed to buying individual day passes for the whole con) if you intend to be at the con for the entirety of it.

If you'll be staying at a hotel during the con, there are rooms in several of the hotels that are available at a special con rate (the info should be on the AN home page). Again, those go wicked fast (some people book rooms for the next con the day after the con ends) so you may want to jump on that as soon as you can.

 

I understand that. I also expect to be spending a fair bit on doll things :P Absolutely! I haven't been on DoA long, but I imagine it would be really fun to finally meet people in real life you've been talking to online. Also there's a possibility of meeting a doll friend closer to your area because maybe they just aren't active online, or they thought that there wasn't anyone nearby so they didn't seek anyone else out.

 

It's also pretty cool (in my opinion) to meet some of the sculptors that come as guests. I first met Batchix at DN and she is just a lovely person to talk to (not to mention her awesome dolls). There was also a Spanish sculptor that I spoke to (who's name I totally forget right now *head desk*) that was there 2 years ago and her dolls are beautiful. I made her laugh when I said my wallet was happy she only had girl sculpts as I don't collect those and so was safe from temptation.

I don't know if it's been posted yet, but the general AN page should also have a link to the DN page where you can see who's going to be there (guests and vendors) as well as the panels, workshops and contest themes/prizes.

 

Oh how cool, I didn't even realize there would be sculptors! That must have been really amazing to speak to such creative people, and especially get to know some independant sculptors. Haha that's very lucky for you XD

Yeah I noticed there was a DN section on the website, but it looks like they haven't posted anything specific yet. I'm excited to see what there will be though! It's pretty amazing that they're able to organize for all those things.

 

To the best of my knowledge, ticket sales for the con only opened up on January 1st so the organizers for DN may not have all the guests/vendors lined up yet or are still waiting to hear back from assorted guests/vendors about whether they'll attend or not. I would assume that for some of the one-person-sculptor type of companies, it'll depend largely on how the dollar is doing (theirs and ours) and if it would be financially viable for them to come.

If memory serves me, I believe there is a FB page for DN and I think over years past they have posted teasers of who would be coming and some of the items that would be in the raffle or given as prizes for the contests.

 

Ahh that makes sense! That is reasonable. It would be nice if someone found it worthwhile to come, but understandably it would have to be financially viable.

Thanks for the tip on the FB page! They don't seem to have a lot posted yet for this coming con, but I'll definitely keep checking to keep up with it. I suppose it's awhile off, but it's easy for me to get excited way ahead of time haha.

 

I've been going to Anime North every year since 2007. I'll be at doll north all weekend this year. I might even be doing a panel or workshop but it's still being worked out.

 

Just a PSA to people who are looking to get AN memberships:

There is a club called Project A out of the University of Toronto-Scarborough that is currently selling AN memberships for $50. They DO NOT have have the authority to do this and any memberships purchased this way will NOT be honoured.

This comes direct from the top of AN (something will be posted to the AN FB page shortly regards this). If you wanted to buy a membership, your best course of action is to go through the AN site.

 

I'm going to be going to the full con with my husband and daughter. It'll be our first time attending the Doll North portion though. Any tips on what to expect as a newbie?

 

I visited Doll North a few years ago, just as something to do since the main convention turned out to be kind of a disappointment, and I felt really out of place, I was in cosplay and I didn't know very much about bjd's or any type of doll at that point. But I would like to try going again this year to see if it feels different now that I'm actually somewhat involved in the hobby. Slightly terrified of bringing my doll with me though. D:

 

@Violetx0x I know what you mean. I really want to bring a doll with me but I am nervous about people bumping into me or having an appropriate bag for my doll.

 

Generally speaking, the people attending DN are fairly careful of other attendees because they are also doll people. Not to say something couldn't happen, but they do tend to keep more of an eye out.

I would highly recommend a doll bag for carting around your boy/girl. They get surprisingly heave rather quickly when you're holding them in your arms. A doll bag (or some type of secure, padded carrying thing) is also highly recommended for getting your doll to the site of DN. I had 2 MSD's with me one year and took a nasty header on the sidewalk while going back to my hotel with them. Because my dolls were in a padded bag, they were fine. Me... I had impressive bruises and ugly scrapes but I healed eventually.

I've attended with 2 SD's at a time and if you want to do that, be prepared for tired arms after only a short period of time. MSD's are much more manageable and tinies are a breeze. Also keep in mind any magnetic parts your dolls may have as those can be lost wickedly easy. I thought I'd lost one of the magnetic ears to one of my tinies while at Dollism and was in a panic over that since he was a long sold out limited doll (I found it later tangled in another doll's wig so it was okay). I now keep small, easy to loose parts like that stored in the doll's head and only put them on when necessary when out in public.

Bringing dolls with you is a great way to test out clothes, shoes, wigs, etc. They also have photo booths to take pictures and of course it's fun to show off your doll or even introduce a sculpt people may not know about. I'm not sure of the timing of it, but I might be able to bring Sondo (Akhmel Nathan) and Rhas-Khan (Soom Gluino ID51) to DN this year. Considering how there's only 20 Nathan's worldwide and the Gluino was just released at Xmas in that size, people will likely want to see them and I'll be doing my part to spread the dolly love.

 

@Iron_Dog Thank you so much for all the information! I will definitely figure out a good bag for my doll. I don't think carrying will be much of an issue. If I get too tired carrying a doll I will probably hang it off my daughter's stroller. Ha ha. There are some benefits to having a secure spot behind such a mommy tank. We are probably going to rethink transit versus taking our vehicle.

 

I actually purchased an... I guess overnight bag is the right word, from Wal-mart while I was in the US recently and my main reason for the purchase was to be able to safely transport an unexpected doll buy back home (I was able to buy a body for one of my boys that I never thought I could since it was long discontinued from a doll owner in the very city I was visiting). The body was in a padded doll sleeping bag and I wrapped towels around the body and it made the trip home just fine as part of my carry-on luggage. The body was an MSD and the bag was... $20US? Obviously, not being a purpose made doll bag, I can use it for other things, too.

Transit vs vehicle. I'd suggest checking the hotel's policy on parking as some charge, some don't and prices will vary. Your own car will make transport to the con easier especially with baggage for yourself as well as for any doll(s) you bring. For the con itself, unless you're in a hotel quite a way away, you can walk to all the con spaces or take the shuttle bus the con provides for con attendees. I have no choice and must use transit to get there. It's a pain in the butt to have to wrangle my stuff plus my dolls on a 2-hour transit journey (1-way involving a bus, a train, subway and another bus and then a brief walk from the stop to the hotel) but I do it every year.

 

I'm hoping to come to Doll North on Sunday, if I can get a Marketplace table. I normally go all weekend for the full convention, but every year I just feel older and older and it just gets more and more crowded. So I'm sitting the main con out for the first time in fifteen years. But I hope to see some of you at Doll North, at least

 

I'll be there all weekend! I had so much fun last year and made so many new friends. It's so nice to connect with people that understand the doll hobby, and the workshops and panels are awesome.

 

I would love to go!! My favorite cosplay group Fightingdreamerspro is also going to be at Anime North!

Has anybody had a good experience purchasing dolls from doll north?

Getting there is my problem. I live in the Toledo, Ohio area so Toronto would cost me an arm and a leg

 

I will be there for both AN and DN. I may spend a great deal of time at DN this year though because I don't know how much photography I'll be doing with cosplayers.

 

I'm coming for sure this year! I have hotel and ticket already taken care of and my boys arrived monday so I'll have them for that. I've made great progress with them so I'm for sure bringing them. I'm going to mostly be going to DN itself but plan on going to the con aswell, mostly my interests at AN are DN and the lolita stuff so I'm pretty sure I'll mostly be at DN, though I wouldn't be surprised if I get dragged away to different things by friends. I also don't have a carry bag for my boys but I think it's okay to have your dolls in a regular bag (as long as it's big enough, and you're careful) even if you don't mod it, though a modified regular bag is my idea for this DN. (I'm also going to be cosplaying so I don't know how much of my time that'll take up.)

 

I'm very excited about doll north. I'm hoping to being my big boys with me. I have two Chrion Centaurs. Poor lad never get out so this year. Its going to be a pony year.

I just have 3 photo shoots for Star Wars and then spend the rest of my time at DN.

 

It was honestly so much fun! There were so much stuff for sale (for good prices) and everyone was really friendly, I'm going again this year and I'm so excited, i also love going to AN so its a perfect mixture being able to do both.

 

I've been going to Anime North since 2009, and this will be my second year going to Doll North as well. My roommate and I will be at the main con the majority of the time since we have a table to take care of, but we're hoping to go to Dollar North a lot more for the panels this year.

 

I've gone to AN a handful of times but never dared go to Doll North. So this year I'm definitely going to try to at least pop in!

 

I'm also going to Doll North this year! It will be my 3rd year at Doll North and I will have a vendors table this year~ I seem to have lost interest in Anime Northm and just stuck around Doll North to hang out with the people there.

Doll North is such a lovely place to be able to meet people in the same hobby. Everyone is so incredibly nice; not to mention that the workshops and panels are a lot of fun too!! Hope to be able to meet some of you there!

 

I go to the full con every year but I drop in at Doll North at least once a day. I try to make a point of participating in the charity raffle every year though >w<

 

is anime north in Toronto every year? I currently live in Toronto but I won't be here for the convention this year so I was wondering if it will happen here in Toronto next year

 

Yes, AN is every year, the 3rd weekend in May. I believe this year is our 20th anniversary.

 

Thank you, that sucks I wish I was here for it

 

I'm assuming you know that it's the 26th-28th of May this year. Does that help at all?

 

Yep, it's just that I am going back to my home country for my sister's high school grad and for summer and I won't be back till August or September. Hopefully I am here on time for Fan Expo.

 

Last year was the 20th anniversary, this year will be 21

They celebrated by the Consul-General of Japan conferring a commendation to Anime North for its contributions toward promoting understanding of Japan and deepening Japan-Canada friendship. The Commendation was accepted on behalf of Anime North by its founder, Mr. Donald Simmons.

Consulate-General of Japan Helps Anime North Celebrate 20th Anniversary

 

Has anyone else bought workshop tickets yet?
This will be my first convention, and my first time seeing bjds in person, I am completely psyched!

 

I just purchased a ticket to the Miniature Book making workshop. Super excited! I love minatures and have wanted to make mini books for aaages.

 

I went the last two years but I'm not sure if I can go this year due to time and money constraints, but thankfully I live in Toronto so if my situation changes for the better at the last minute it'll be pretty easy to go.

 

I purchased a ticket for Call me gorgeous faceup workshop! I've done some faceup for my dolls but I have a weak point on drawing lower eyelashes and eyebrows. I've always wanted to learn about this part and when I found out about the workshop and the special guest that DN was bringing just made my day! I think it would be perfect opportunity to meet new people (I really hope to make some friends >_<) and learn from a skilled & professional faceup artist! It is my first time attending to DN! As for AN, I've been attended just once back in 2013?4?ish.
I am reallt excited!

 

I'm so very ready for doll north. 3


i'm super excited to see everyone again~ No workshops on my end so far, but I love doing all the contests. >w<

 

I'm signed up for the faceup workshop, last years was amazing! I cant wait to meet CallMeGorgeous, she did one of my dolls faceups years ago so itll be really neat to see her in person.

 

I'll be at DN a little, my first year not selling in a while. TBH it's the first year I'm not all that excited for the DN offerings, I'm more excited to just go see people (well, that and Lillycat's dolls because how could I not be excited about that?) It's the same face-up teacher as last year and the same MH customizer for the second or third year in a row, and while they are great so this is no reflection on them, it feels a little stale. Im hoping next year will have some more new offerings and that the repetitiveness is just a one-off this year. We'll see how i feel once I get there though, I could end up 12 shades of excited once I'm in the door.

 

Super ready! I'll be joining some contests for sure! I'm really stoked to go, as always, and can't wait to get right into the thick of things, especially the nail-biter that is the charity raffle and my most favourite activity there: Project Runway: Doll edition.

 

Super excited to buy lots of clothes and such. Its always fun to not be looking at a computer screen when buying BJD clothes lol

 

@sleep_pattern Sorry to hear you're feeling that way. Just to clear up some misinformation in your post both face up artists are different from the face up artists that hosted workshops at Doll North 2016. Studio Darjeeling was the BJD face up artist instructor at DN 2016, and Call Me Gorgeous is the BJD face up instructor for this year. CMG hosted the face up workshop once before in 2015, we agree it is nice to switch up the face up artists for variety but we think it is fair to invite back guests who are in demand and led workshops that received a lot of great feedback.

As for the monster high face up workshop at this time due to budget restrictions it is difficult to invite more then two guests so we have been lucky to secure local customizers to help with this workshop. Even though we have to keep it local the workshop instructor for the Monster High class is different from the instructor last year. The instructor for 2016 was Marianne (a DN staff member) and this year Azure + Copper has generously offered to return as an instructor.

We think there are some great additions in store for this year with the inclusion of a lot of new panels by new panelists who we have not hosted at DN before, the designated meet-up area in the Doll North lounge which will run hour long theme meet-ups all weekend long. On Friday we will host a BJD tea party with snacks, drinks, and cookies for the first time ever, there will be a $5 admittance fee collected at the door for the tea party to cover food costs. We hope it will be enjoyed it's something we have wanted to add to the DN program for a long time. We will also have two doll-maker Q&As this year Lillycat and doll maker Pidgin Doll . Our schedule has just been finalized and will be released to the public soon, we hope your excitement will improve once you see the offerings for this year.

 

I'm going and I'm super excited. I spend a good chunk of my time being a hermit most of the year but I love getting to see the community and making friends. There's a new workshop I'm hoping to attend, I think it's going to be awesome~! I can't wait~!

 

You haven't even seen the program yet, lol.

 

You don't need to see the program to be disappointed that there are repeat guests. When it comes to Doll North, there is always a resin faceup workshop, a vinyl faceup workshop, the masquerade, a wig making workshop, Project Runway, some sort of doll care event whether by volunteers receiving absolutely no compenstation for their time or from DN Staff, and likely a few other things I'm forgetting. A lot of the meat and potatoes of Doll North is repeated year after year (which is completely fine), so I can understand that when the guests are being repeated (especially when both of them were quite recently guests) that it's a bit of a disappointment.

I'm very glad that they were popular enough to be wanted as repeat guests, and their work is absolutely lovely, but fresh faces are also great as they provide different perspectives and techniques with faceups.

 

OMG you know what I feel like such a tool! I completely got my years swapped around, I don't know how I forgot that last year was Darjeeling and not CallMeGorgeous. Thank you so much for correcting that, apparently everything has just blurred together for me this year including who taught workshops and when. I do agree it is nice to invite back popular guests sometimes, I just completely got my years smooshed around. My apologies!

 

As mentioned earlier, this year's face-up artist CallMeGorgeous was a guest two years ago, not last year as previously thought. Our other guest, Lillycat, is a first time guest for Doll North.

It sounds like you have a lot of feedback for Doll North. We welcome discussion and suggestions for new things to offer! We're always looking for feedback from our attendees and sadly it doesn't happen very often. Funny enough, the programming for Resin Rose this year shares a lot of similar events to Doll North. And of course with only volunteers running the convention (we are called 'staff' but in reality we're all volunteers) we all have to juggle real life and full time employment. It would help us a lot to make Doll North the best it can be if more people shared their suggestions or interests for what they would like to see at Doll North if they find they aren't enjoying the programming!

That said, we do have a new workshop this year--Miniature Book Making! We also have other programming we hope people would be interested in (we got a couple really interesting panels volunteered by our attendees this year!) and last year we introduced a new game--BJD The Price is Right--for attendees to enjoy (and potentially win prizes).

If you have a suggestion, please email [email protected] or message our Facebook page and we'll look into it for 2018!

 

I am well aware that CMG was not the faceup artist last year. I was just saying that having a repeat so close together (from 2 years ago) can feel a little stale. Unfortunately not everyone is wired the same way, so the way that one person teaches a skill may not work for everyone. If you have an artist return every other year and there are people who can't catch on to the way they work, it can be discouraging and prevent people from taking the workshop in the future. I am NOT saying this is the case for CMG (I never took her first class), I'm just saying the possibility is there.

Also, I wasn't complaining about the meat and potatoes of Doll North in the least. I personally love participating in Project Runway every year, and the entries for the masquerade are always amazing to look at. Giving the attendees the opportunity to learn how to do faceups, make wigs, and do other crafty stuff every year is also awesome. I know that when I first started out trying to make wigs it was absolutely daunting and I was very discouraged with all the product I wasted. Having someone to guide you instead of trying to wing it on your own is a total confidence booster, and there is less gut wrenching panic when you mess up because you have someone around to rescue you.

I will say though that one of the biggest disappointments for me with Doll North is the ability for the staff to enter into competitions with the attendees. It never used to be that way and is a fairly recent change (I think it started the year after the big staffing change?). Maybe a staff specific competition within the competition for 'bragging rights' instead of prizes would be better? It just feels like a conflict of interest. Maybe this has changed as of this year though.

 

Oh, well technically staff can enter, they just can't "win". Because staff has more contact with judges, if they enter alongside attendees, it's a conflict of interest if they are eligible to place in the competition. I think last year we may have asked the Masquerade staff not to enter since they are with the judges during the actual judging. The year before that, staff entered and we judged alongside the attendees but it made a mess of the placements when it came to announcing and it and it made things more complicated than necessary. We're hoping to bring back a "fan favourite" type competition for staff at some point as a middle ground for those who want to compete. I think two years ago there was also a miscommunication on how the staff winners were supposed to be announced which has since been dealt with. At the time staff were disappointed that they weren't allowed to enter and we were still working out how to give them an opportunity to compete. This was not an issue last year as far as I can recall.

Sometimes staff may wish to be judged with other attendees for the opportunity for an actual critique rather than a voting system in which someone wins but there isn't any feedback about the execution. Staff has never been allowed to win sponsored prizes for competitions and attendees have always placed and won the appropriate prizes.

Staff may, however, win a prize from Charity Raffle if their ticket is pulled. Staff who can enter Charity Raffle are only those who do not come in contact with tickets/prizes (everyone who isn't working the Charity Raffle table, Coordinators & Prize Treasurer).

All of our staff give up their time to work at Doll North during the weekend, and many staff work throughout the year to make Doll North the best it can be for our attendees. For many, this means sacrificing a lot of the events, competitions and prizes. We decided recently that barring staff from competing and entering the Charity Raffle was unfair and in many cases, unnecessary. After all, most if not all of our staff were at one point Doll North attendees and we want them to enjoy themselves too.

 

I'm pretty sure that in 2015 staff did win prizes from the competitions.

I just find it funny that up until 2015, staff were barred from even entering competitions for fun, and then when the big staff change occurred, all the rules were changed.

Staff pre-2015 werent even allowed to enter the raffle under any circumstances. I believe that the reason for this was because it was believed that staff entering the raffle and competitions would reflect badly on Doll North, and potentially even Anime North. Once again, due to conflict of interest reasons.

There have also been a lot of staff wins for the prizes (including raffle prizes). I know that there have been a number of people who have noticed this and felt uncomfortable with the number of staff who have won a prize (or multiple prizes in a single con).

 

Hi @Tallenvyaere I can assure you that rules regarding staff winning prizes in competitions or games has never changed. When new staff were brought on in 2015 to run masquerade they were former DN attendees and seasoned competitors disappointed to give up the chance to be evaluated. Our compromise was to allow them to enter their dolls, they could be evaluated by the judge and place in the competition but they could not win a prize for that entry. If you have a specific example of a staff you believe has won a prize in a game or competition please email us at: [email protected] and we are more then happy to provide the documentation we have for who the prize went to.

I will agree with @moonlitparadox that we did experience growing pains in the masquerade department in 2015 as is expected any time you have brand new staff running an event. Unfortunately the announcements were not made as we had planned, and at the time the staff who placed in the competition were to be acknowledged, and then move onto the next placement. The staff who placed could receive their ribbon but the prize was given to the next contestant.

There was a major staffing change in 2015, and as such the voices of the new staff have been heard and acknowledged and required us to make some very reasonable changes to some of our prior policies. A deterrent to a lot of joining staff was becoming completely ineligible from winning any prizes at Doll North, or being unable to participate in the competitions or games. We very seriously considered and discussed the issue and in the end decided on defined staff policies the entire team agrees are fair and respect the attendees, and the risk of collusion.

At this time DN Staff are eligible to enter the masquerade to receive an evaluation only, they will not place in the competition and they cannot win a prize. Staff are eligible to play DN games if they have free time, but again they cannot win a prize.

As @moonlitparadox has mentioned the only circumstance a DN staff can win a prize is at the charity raffle and they must be someone who is not involved in staffing the charity raffle or receipt/distribution of prizes.

I am sorry if you have been feeling uncomfortable feelings about the way prizes have been distributed, and I hope @moonlitparadox and I have cleared up some of your concerns. I also agree that there were a number of staff who won charity raffle prizes in 2015 but it was entirely due to the amount of money they invested in purchasing tickets, they improved their own odds by purchasing as many tickets as they could. If you look back at the prize winner album for 2016: Doll North There is only one DN Staff member who won a prize, and it was a ticket purchased by her fiance who was the winner, he asked her to be in the photo. The Staff member was a DN competitions staff and would have been eligible to enter the charity raffle if she had wished.

Again I do apologize for any confusion about our distribution of prizes, and we are happy to provide documentation to back up our statements regarding how prizes have been distributed, we keep all of the prize contracts on file. For many DN Staff and attendees Doll North is the only event specializing in BJDs with BJD related prizes they can attend, and it is our responsibility to come together as a community to create this event and allow staff who are just as massive BJD fans to have fair and reasonable ways that they can still participate and enjoy the event.

 

Because it is a charity raffle, and because the staff works so incredibly hard, I think it is entirely deserving of them to be able to enter and win prizes from this specific raffle. It's all up to chance. And more money made for the cause is always a good thing.