Dolls Party in Volks USA Website

I've been trying to get people to join an IRC online chat (even created a channel and posted about it), of course... i'm not volks. But people really hate to go away from what they know... and what they know is FORUMS. So i'm guessing that volks will add a forum to their volksusa site. (maybe a gallery too)

 

I hope there isn't a need for high speed access to see/do anything, cause if there is, I'll have to sit it out, unless I decide to go somewhere where I can grab wifi. (My comp's set up for it, I have never used it however!) As for buying anything...I'm already broke...

And the way the airlines are going, it'll be hella expensive to travel to one anyway! That's if you can even GET to an airport with these gas prices!

 

I am happy with this development. I have never been to a physical Dolpa, and I would love to go one. I am sure this is not the end of all US Dolpa's ever. I think instead they are trying to have an event that is more inclusive of US Volks fans. It is a neat idea that will include many many US fans. US Dolpa dolls and items were never really available at After Events or on line before from Volks directly they way other Dolpa items are, were they? They say it is in celebration of the 10th anniversary and to show appreciation to fans who can not make it to physical dolpas. I think it is very lovely and nice of them to do. I doubt this is the end of all physical dolpas ever. Instead, it is a generous opportunity for more people to enjoy an event.

 

Same way I feel about my not getting to go to Japan so I could get the Sato-only items I'd love to get my hands on or the Japan Dolpa exclusive items -- So sad, too bad. It's just a fact of life that living in Japan gives the folks living there the perks of all the different Dolpas w/o the major hassles of overseas travel. I hope that the EU gets something soon just for them like the LA store that the U.S. has been gifted with. This on-line Dolpa maybe a testing ground for something for y'all. Like everyone else I have to plan & budget & save for a major expense like Dolpa. Since I live in Texas both the LA & NYC Dolpas are doable for me travel-wise. But even so I have to budget/save to be able to go and can only go every other year unless I get very lucky.

Oh I'm POSITIVE that the Dolpas in Japan are cheaper for Volks to put on than the ones here by an order of several magnitudes. It might be better for them to only hold one a year here in the States. (More on that in a bit) I think that socializing @ Dolpas is different between Japan & the U.S. for a number of reasons not the least of which is the shear difference in size between the two.

The reasons I was giving very serious thought to attending this Nov's Dolpa were:
1) visiting the dolly doctor
2) the workshops
3) seeing all the dolls up close (as someone else mentioned sometimes Volks' pic leave a bit to be desired)
4) shopping the Dolpa exclusives (whither or not I buy anything)
5) the one-offs
6)the games/give-aways

Sorry but you can't do the first 3 over the web. Especially the dolly doctor. And as for doing a Dolpa workshop over the web, there's already a boat load of video tutorials out there already. I wanted a guided hands-on experience.
And as for the last three, as JennyNemisis said above, I can shop on the web any old time. It's the excitement & energy of a group of actual real people in the same room that makes it special. I'm enough of a social recluse w/o a trend of making things web based.

Yes I'm very much aware how very lucky I am to be living in the U.S. for any number of reasons & I wish that everyone had my advantages.

Now about holding only one U.S. Dolpa a year. I think their best bet would be to hold one a year that moves regional location from year to year. East Coast, North Central, West Coast, South Central for example. That would give people 3 years to save for it before it comes back around to their neck of the woods again.

Morgan

 

Ya know, we haven't got any info really yet. It could be better than you may expect, it could not. But from what I know of Volks, is they try different stuff, and are going for something new. They are trying to get all their fans together for their 10 year anniversary, so I'm all for them trying something new! Go with the creativity! I can't wait to hear more. Then, I can make a informed decision on if it's looking like a good, idea, or one that will need more work, or not so good.

 

I totally understand that and agree that it's a nice gesture.
But unless they make some sort of Mega Tenshi-no-Server birthed out of Mother SD...

It'll be a nightmare and a half.

 

Ditto! I went to a Japanese Dolpa last year and had a blast! The only difference is that they are a whole lot bigger than the US ones! I loved meeting people and the dealers area was overwhelming with choices of items! It was also funny to try to communcate with the fans there dressed up in anime costume! (I can't speak Japanese!) But the atmosphere is just the same everyone having the same love of dollfies!

 

Sorry, I didn't mean for my post to look like I was saying the Japanese dollpa isn't a social event, I didn't mean it to be read like that at all. I was just trying to say that I have read after reports and such from people who have attended dollpas and to me from what I read it still seems like they are still really different.

Of course its really easy to misunderstand what people are writing or trying to say by just text alone, so I'm really sorry if people thought I was being offensive and saying Japanese dollpas weren't social events. I really didn't mean that.

 

No worries~ I didn't think you were trying to be offensive at all. Dollpas were something I looked forward to tremendously while I lived in Japan and can offer my perspective on them.

I don't think anyone is really being rude in this thread at all, it's just something very different from usual so people have a lot of thoughts about it.

 

Profit is important, but how the Japanese run their businesses is a bit different than other countries.Customer apreciation is very important to build a lasting relationship between company and customer. There are a lot of customers that the online dolpa can reach that the normal dolpa cannot.

Anyway, I see this idea for this dolpa as a way to reach out to more of their U.S. card carriers that cannot go physically to a dolpa. I'm in Washington and it's still hard for me to go to the LA area. Ironically it's easier for me to go to Japan than it is to LA. XP

 

Considering that volks coined and originated the term Dolpa who are we to classify what the minimum requirements for their online version should be.

Edit: Not say that some of those suggestions are not good. I think a few implemented would be great.

 

I love talking to Mikey... she's so nice... I have pictures I need to give her because I told her I would at the NY dolpa.

And I was so looking forward to it because it might be the last one I can go to. As of February I lose my flying benefits (I'll be 25).

I also really really need to see the dolly doctor because I just relized/ found out that my FCS dollie was broken... and I think she came that way... There is a little 'bridge' inside of the waist that was sitting down inside of her. I always wondered why she didn't sit right though......

And my mommy just got a new Volks doll so she can acually have one at the event as well... That's why I got her a Volks... Oh well, we shall see ^_^

But I'm going to treat this as a 'normal' event and take my days off from work. However, that is my LARPing event weekend. I break the news to my group tonight. Man are they going to hate me. Its our Halloween game and it was supposed to be kick ass. I was going to be a HP Lovecraft inspired character and mess with people... Oh well, doll are the first priority on my obsessions list. >.< A bit wired since I'm on the LARP planning staff.

Obsessions List:
* Volks Dolpas
* BJD Conventions
* LARPing
* Cosplay
* Pratchett
* Stargate
* Star Wars
* Comics

*has nothing to do with anything* My Glod it's hot today.... I really need to sew when I get home from skool... man are the guys going to be mad when I tell them I can't go haha

 

samcarter I'm so glad to meet you and your mom this summer. I was wishing I could have spent more time and taken photos of Aree-chan and Dixie. So sorry to hear that Dixie has issues.

Unrelated to dolpa it would be nice if overseas owners could send their dolls in for repairs.

 

As much as other people ae either all for or against this, I have to say I'm on the fence. This DOES mean that I get to 'attend' a dolpa after what will end up being a very expensive anime convention. But I think that there's something wanting for the social aspect, as others have said. Though I have to say I don't think I'll mind a chat room as much. I'm somewhat shy when i first meet people in person unless I'm behind a doll or an Artist's Alley table XD.

I'm just gonna wait and see how it comes out

 

Have you ever been to a Japanese Dolpa???

I've been to quite a few and while I'm not Asian, the Volks staff does take the time to say hello to you and talk to you at a Japanese Dolpa despite the crowds. And since I've seen them do the same for their Japanese fans I would think it would be the same for you even if you are Asian.

Not to be awful, but if people are upset about missing the interaction, particularly those who have already saved the money... why not just go to the Japanese Dolpa on the 7th. You can meet some of our lovely members who live in Japan, still see One-Offs and get to see what a Japanese Dolpa is like. If you want to try something smaller you could even look into instead trying to go to the next Sato event in October. ^^;

Personally, I agree with a lot of things said by Kim and Neverything. While slightly OT, I remember just trying to plan my wedding when I was living in TX but was getting married in NY and the long distance issues were a nightmare and I had no language barriers. I think it is a lot of work to organize a Dolpa Internationally and in LA Volks does not have the support of FDQ who I'm sure does a lot of the leg work in ensuring all forms are filled out and a space is available.

While I can understand being disappointed, I think it's also nice to be realistic and it is a lot of difficult long distance and expensive work for Volks.

I personally really appreciate the fact that Volks (and FDQ for that matter) worked so hard to give us the events in the US they have already given us. And I appreciate how much easier they've made it for people living in North America to actually get LEs from Dolpas.

 

While I certainly understand Volks reasons for doing it, I'm pretty crushed myself. I have seen very few Volks dolls in real life, and was so looking forward to seeing all the variations, talking to people about their dolls, etc. And although the web idea is fun, it doesn't compare to the live human experience of seeing and touching in person.

 

Oh yeah! Went in 2006 to the golden week Dolpa in Tokyo! Lugged home 3 limiteds and also clothing from the Ginza and Ahkibara(sp) shops! Stood in the limited lines and everything, got the whole one-day Dolpa experience! Stuck around for the one-offs but missed the bingo when my friends started pooping out (and didnt know about the bingo in the first place).
I wasn't going to assume that any of the staff would recognize me from the mansion party (think there was only one so far at the time) so I didn't approach them and I didn't know any words in japanese - so imagine my surprise when they did recognize me at subsequent US dolpas....
Alex

 

I'm sure if you'd given someone the chance they would have recognized you then at a Japanese event. ^^; (You just need to be sure if you go to a few Volks realize you live in the US and not Japan lol ) There can be just as much interaction at one. I know it was at Doll Show in 2000 or so that I first met Shino-san and when I went to my first Dolpa in 2003, she remembered me right away.

I just think we need to have realistic expectation and deciding what we think a Dolpa means is ridiculous. To me having first gone to several Japanese Dolpas before ANY US events, none of the US events have "seemed" like a Dolpa. Whatever Volks decides constitutes an on-line Dolpa is an on-line Dolpa.

 

I've never been...and hope I can go to this one. But I have issues of speed. Dial-up is not speedy internet.

 

That made me laugh SO hard.
I am curious to see how they pull this off and as always, I am anxious to see what new dolly faces we will meet. I just hope they will still hold the lottery and update the server to handle the insane amount of web traffic this sort of event will give them. That could be, in the end, the biggest issue they might face.
Heck, I for one will miss the one on one interaction with the other collectors face to face, but saving on airfares and hotels right before the holidays might not be such a bad thing in this economy.

 

Heh. Glad I can provide some chuckles. XD

But yeah, other than the possible traffic issues, it's the loss of getting to socialize that saddens me.
I can't really comment on the monetary aspect since I live in the LA area, but I can understand how this would be a load off minds and wallets.

 

In response to your earlier comment, I think it will be a lottery system for many things with emails and such as to not bog the server down too much. Also, events may be limited in number and you need a password after registration to access the page and different events could be held at different times. I am pretty sure and hope that there will still be physical dolpas. This is a chance for those who cannot afford travel to get US Dolpa goodies at first hand prices. ^_^

 

i can understand the disappointment in not having a physical dolpa, but you guys in America can still have an online dolpa!
is still a dolpa, right? some of you should be contented-_-

Requirement: Volks USA members
http://www.superdollfie.net/en/10th_sd/schedule/schedule.html
so i guess other people may not be able to join this dolpa@@

i totally agree Onihime.! Volks really needs a server like that!XD
not only for the upcoming online dolpa and also for the after events!

No matter why Volks decides to hold an online dolpa, i think we can sit back and see what Volks is going to show us!

 

Yes! I am also just itching to see which dolls and pieces they decide to release!

 

I hope that's the case. It would be much more reasonable.

I'm finally getting used to the idea of the online Dolpa.
It sucks that some major fun things are being left out, but I just remembered that I'm going to have other events to attend that month.

 

That would be really sad if Volks decided not to do live dolpas on the coasts anymore because of people complaining about the airfare.

 

As an IT Guy, there's nothing more frustrating than wonky web servers. I remember trying to buy Amelia at a Volks JP after-event, and their servers were just dreadful. An hour of Jen and I cursing as we got Amelia into our Cart, but we couldn't complete the order processing, as we received the dreaded '404 error'.

Jen gave up, but I finally got Amelia for her.

Mike

 

Well, I myself got pretty excited for this online Dollpa regardless of the reason why Volks is doing it this year. Airline ticket is quite expensive even if I&#8217;m gonna be in Washington state by November, besides the fact that it&#8217;s not when I have a break from school. This is rather nice news for me ^ ^.
I&#8217;m just can&#8217;t wait to see how they&#8217;re going to do this online Dollpa thing.

 

Well, for my part I don't like the idea at all.

I would never have gotten into this whole dollfie thing if not for the Tea Party and LA Dolpa. I went to the Tea Party as a guest, and ended up with a One-Off. I then went to the LA Dolpa as a member the following year and met the artist who did the face-up in person. None of that would have happened had it all been virtual.

I've also met some really wonderful people, including all the staff at Volks who were at these meets, and it will be very sad not to see them this year. Online is just not the same.

I sincerely hope they change their minds and hold an actual event.

 

I would like to see a dual physical and virtual Dolpa-that way those that want to and are able to go to an actual event can. Some people have been planning and saving for a whole year to travel to this event-and they must be crushed.

 

I have to agree with Bruce...It's the one on one aspect of the community that draws me to it....Meeting the people behind the dolls.
I had the artist sign the inside of my Ruby's head cap last year. That would never happen online.

I am just not the type who can sit, finger poised over the keyboard for hours on end, refreshing.

If online is the only way to participate, I will likely sit it out.
I would have driven hours on end to participate but I can't sit in front of a computer screen all day.

 

It also came to my attention that the Volks Staff can't perform welcoming ceremonies through this method. I was so hoping to experience a ceremony for one of my dolls.

 

Just because Volks is holding an online Dolpa this year doesn't mean that it's the end of all US Dolpas forever. =/ There's always next year. I think we're lucky to have Dolpas at all, in whatever format.

I think this is a great idea by Volks to include those that just can't feasibly attend a normal Dolpa. I'm excited that I'll be able to attend this online affair, whereas I wouldn't have had the time nor money to fly out to LA to attend it otherwise. I expect Volks to pull something really great out of their hat and surprise us all.

 

Very well said, every bit. *nods*

 

I am glad to see someone else feels the same as I do. I was starting to feel lonely here

 

I know it's not the same socially as 'sitting in the Dolpa NYC line chatting', but what if people around the country who have wifi access held meet ups on those days? Everyone could bring their laptops, dolls, etc and share in the experience together. It would be more of a glorified meet up that way, but at least everyone could still share their dolls and the excitement of the event together. I don't know. Just a thought.

 

Even if Volks does keep this as a web-only dollpa I hope that they atleast have the limited dolls and outfits and one-offs (if there will be any) in their store so people have the opportunity to see them in person.

Also, wouldn't it be fun to have local meetups throughout the US for this event? I'm sure I'll be meeting up with local doll friends for the event- it just wouldn't be dollpa to me if it were just me and my dolls.

 

Exactly my idea!

If my apartment was big enough I'd host such a craziness, that's for sure

 

So who's house are we planning to invade this time?
I don't have wi-fi at the moment, but I might by then.


Plus in the off-chance they do have stuff going on at the store, I live the closest to Torrance.

 

Wow, that's a really neat idea!!

 

Very well said! I bet Volks is going to surprise us with something fantastic!!!

Oh, wow!! That's a terrific idea, Brandon!!! It would be so much fun!!

 

I am totally gonna try and get my friends to come over for this. I love the idea of having a meet and doing this together. Hopefully it is on a day we can meet up. ^_^

 

The problem that a few of us are foreseeing isn't that it's a bad idea, but the site might crash.... A lot.... Like it does on the main volks site when the after event sale starts. Can you think about that on a BIG LEVEL? It might be a nightmare....

 

I am just quoting myself in response to the website crashing comment. I mean, we really don't know how it will happen yet. There are ways to get around it crashing and I really hope they implement them whatever they maybe. They did say they were redoing the website as well. I am gonna try and stay positive about the whole thing because it could be a really neat and awesome opportunity. ^_^

 

I know my local mall has free wifi in the food court. Other places might as well, since we tend to have a lot of people in the area. One house might not be enough.

I'm hoping that there will be something at the store as well. They haven't announced that it will be closed that day yet.

 

Whoops. I was talking specifically about my circle of friends (I know Ebi personally).
And we are a small group, so we'd fit just fine.

But if someone in the area wants to host something on a larger scale, by all means.
It'd be awesome, but I'm not sure if I'm capable of doing it myself.

 

Well, I have a wireless connection at my house that I am happy to share with my local Dolpa fans if they want to plan a meet up at the WS studio those days. Let's see what Volks unfolds as the weeks go on and if meets ups look like the way to go, I can host a fair share of people here if they provide their own laptops.

 

It's sound like a cool idea. There are a lot of ups and down about this, but I think it's worth a try. ^^

 

I'm a bit disappointed, I was going to go to the NY one, but alot of the usual people going werent going to go, and so i decided to go to the LA one as a way of praising myself for finally graduating... and also to see my few friends in CA. But theres not really anything to be done, just see how this turns out, and schedule a time to see my friends.

 

I have lots of house space, a Mac based, but PC friendly wireless network, AND a hot tub... Maybe I can host something for those in the 510/925/415 area? A potluck/BBQ/Martini party sounds fun. Martini's AFTER the ordering/entering/watching frenzy of course. Or maybe... *puts pinky in corner of mouth, a la Dr. Evil* Maybe we will have the Martini's before....

 

Oh, not at all. I love BTSSB outfits and accessories, too. I really want to see more of them.

 

^ Ditto on more Baby. You really can't have enough Baby.

 

I hope if they ever do mote BTSSB outfits that they do more like the old ones... the new ones are so... how to say it.. over the top. I wear lolita often but never anything like the dresses they have released as of late

 

I agree (although I can admit to owning the red riding set in human size, lol, it is overwhelming to wear but so cute!).
I am also hoping for MSD/Yo-SD sizes!
Can you imagine Yo-SD size rocking horse shoes!
A re-issue of the sets that came out with SD Momoko would be a dream come true... *le sigh*

I am just hoping for fun news, and interactive activities.
Dont worry guys, I am sure Volks is smart enough to set things right with the server issues, of all people, I am sure they know a thing or two about site crashing! It happens at least once during every AE event! lol

*jen

 

Though the fact that it crashes at every AE is what's worrying me about this Dolpa...>_>

I'm thirding and fourthing everyone else on the more Baby thing XDDDD.

 

I was hoping to see some dolly friends and catch up at LA Dolpa (ToT)... but at least I'll have more cash to spend on the web site Dolpa !

I wonder if the LA store will be open that day... Nov.1st is a Saturday .

 

It probably won't be open. They always seem to close during events, I think the staff will be pretty busy!

 

I'm in the same boat!
No high speed access, only dial-up. >_<

I might be able to get high speed wireless access with my laptop if I go down into town...but I can't see sitting in my car in the hot sun in some parking lot all day, or hanging out at Borders pretending to drink Starbuck's burnt bean coffee, in order to try and attend an online Dolpa.

Besides, my laptop came pre-installed with Microsoft's wonderful Vista. >_<
So even with high speed wireless access it's slower than molasses! :P


*Sigh*
Combining a meet-up or a get-together with the online Dolpa would make it lot more fun too, but I'm the only Volks member on this Island...so I'm out of luck there too.