Favourite dolls of 2025

I haven't been too excited about any releases this year, but I did like SD The Happy Prince! A sweet faced prince BOY with HEEL LEGS?? Gah!! My heart!! Volks can keep this up. I don't mind~

 

As soon as I saw MiaMia Blue by DollZone I knew I had to get her. I love anything lamb related, and she has a cute chunkier body type, which I absolutely love

 

PIPOS Charlotte re-release, for sure. Best cat sculpt out there, in my opinion, and it really didn't seem like they were going to make any more! Until they did!

 

I didn't pay close attention to very many newly released dolls this year, but that Pirate Lady, Margot, from SartoriaJ was easily my favourite! I did not get her, but can't wait to see pics from others who did. I also really liked Jellyfish Daya from Coral Reef, who I didn't get her either, but that doll put Coral Reef on the radar of companies I'd like to have a doll from someday.

As for dolls new to me that I acquired in 2025, I love all of them, however one of my old time favourites was Luts Kid Delf Lemon and I'd been drawn to her since her release in 2009. It took a long time to finally add her to my collection, but I finally have her. Before Lemon, I never had a favourite doll, loving all of them about the same, though she's become my favourite! What was knew for me about her (I came back from a long hiatus) were all the different body options -- I got her on the KDF45 body which fit a whole lot better for the character I had in mind for her.

 

Easily the goblin dolls by Dollpamm. I only skipped cause they're small and I'm hoping for a Neo rerelease

 

i didn't buy any, but i have been really interested in what Sartoria J has been coming out with this year. i didn't realize they had as many good looking sculpts as they do and i've become a lot more aware of them this year than i ever was before. i also discovered a sculpt from Miracledoll that i hadn't known about before and did buy-- she may have come out before 2025 but i first saw her this year (Zhi Shen).

 

This was a fairly low-no buy year for me... but some highlights for me were:

1. Coolest original doll release: The Ringdoll Omega girls and the Ringdoll Codename C.I.C. boy. The mecha bodies, transparent and chrome resin were so cool. I abstained... but its been pretty tough to do so!

2. My favorite re-release: Personally I was happy to see the Dollfie Icons come back again for an online lotto. The new color and sculpt combos were fun and I'm happy I won one! I was also happy to see Volks Luna return for collectors.

3. My favorite doll find: I found a long sold out Hypermaniac Kakiva for a great price at BJDC in Georgetown TX.

 

I became enamored with Asleep Eidolon this year! The Mian Mian body is so beautiful I love when dolls have curvy bodies with thick thighs. “Meat on their bones” as they say In particular I fell hard for Xi Nai in 1/4 size. She makes me smile; she just looks so cheerful! I’ve never painted a BJD with teeth, but I’m excited to give it a go! She’ll likely arrive next year but I can hardly wait lol

A recent find was Whispering Garden Lin. I love this little doll. I’ve been searching for just the right YoSD to wear all the clothes I had saved. Most of my YoSDs didn’t stick around cuz they didn’t click for me. I’m so happy I found her on the marketplace And I’ll def be watching for new sculpts. I’m so tempted to order Ling even though mature tinies also have a habit of leaving my collection

 

There was an elvish guy earlier this year, but I don't recall which company as I was only browsing....
Just saw Nefer Kanes upcoming release of a holiday elf & I have to go watch for further updates as she's the first new sculpt to draw me in recently.

 

Ringdoll always comes out with amazing looking dolls!
One of my favourite of theirs this year was 'Joker'.
I didn't get him, but if he stays around awhile, I might.
I really like dolls with sharp teeth and sinister smiles, and the ears are a bonus.



I also like Ringdoll's Pestilence and Famine. Although they don't really fit the style of dolls I have and I am not at that point in my collection where I purchase large dolls just to sit on a shelf and stare at because of how awesome they look. I love horror based dolls, but I don't have a lot of them because they don't fit into my storyline very well.

 

Not to be a stick in the mud, but I kind of feel like this was a pretty bland year for doll releases. They were all beautiful and lovely but nothing really grabbed my attention. Lots of pretty faces without that je ne sais quoi that makes me want to buy them. Did anyone else feel some of the dolls released this year were kind of dry for lack of a better description? Even Dollzone/Doll Chateau did not release any lovely little weirdos that I wanted which is unusual.

I think the only thing that got my attention was Maskcat releasing a cute little 11cm kitty cat I kinda wanna order. It's pretty cute.

 

What I liked about this year was that we finally got more dolls with actual expressions, way more smiles, grinning dolls, even grimaces and more personality overall.

Edward, 47cm Gem of Doll Boy - BJD, BJD Doll, Ball Jointed Dolls - Alice's Collections I think Gem of Doll's Edward was my favorite new full doll release? The Claws are nice and the 4 different faces too.

I don't really look for "cool releases" anymore, i just go for heads/dolls when i think they suit a character, so I might discover older dolls that never spoke to me while doing that.
For my favorite doll that arrived this year ... or got finished ... well it's 16 and it's hard to choose.



Maybe Qifrey my Coral Reef Rubellite? He's a pretty cool custom, but others were super fun to work on as well. Maybe my fav is even the new head I made myself but it's only a head so far

 

I fell in love with Lillycat SD dolls this year. I'm a late adopter as I mostly liked more realistic dolls in my 6 years in the hobby, but now I own Ellana and Indira in fantasy colors. They are just so unique and lovely and they feel very fresh somehow - there are so many dolls out there now, many that look alike, but they are very much in their own category. Hard to believe Ellana was originally sculpted over 10 years ago

 

I could have sworn Chimikko DD was announced this year. Hard to believe it was introduced in 2023

But it was new to me this year, and It's competing with MDD for my favorite DD body! Seeing that it's been around for so long already is actually a little encouraging that maybe it will be available as a base body soon... Hopefully it won't just go to Dream Choice to die like the male bodies and MDD angel body.

 

I think the only new release I bought this year was Aimerai Wicked. But a lot of cool dolls came out this year. Coral Reef has done some amazing dolls.

 

I think I have to second @cobaltconduct, the DollPamm goblin girls were so awesome and different. I wish I could have gotten one!

I also loved MisterMinou’s new Zorgah with the multiple expressions.

The dolls I ended up ordering this year were SartoriaJ’s Elf Edgar and Dream High Studio’s Catkin. Edgar appealed to a character I had wanted to shell and Catkin just completely captured my heart with those expressions!

Had these 4 releases come in a different order, I might’ve ended up with Zorgah or a Goblin over elf Edgar. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that my taste in dolls has gotten quite particular and it’s very hard to anticipate when a release I will really love will come out. I think having a doll “emergency” fund for such cases would be helpful…if I can manage it! XD

 

I'm also going to echo all the votes for the DollPamm goblins. It was love at first sight for me. The fantasy colors, the huge jointed ears, the curves, Hilda's exceptionally sweet face--they really ticked all my boxes! I also loooooved Haru's new girl Kuri (and her twin Kuro). I passed on her in the last preorder in favor of Geurim, but she is on my wishlist for 2026 or 2027.

I'm a huge fan of Youpla Dolls' new bodies as well. They are so delicate and elegant. I would love to add a Yoon or Anya on the new body to my collection one day.

Then there were all the dolls whose design I loved but don't personally collect. Ringdoll's Frankenstein blew me away, and I'm so excited to see owner pictures. I feel like I could keep listing dolls all day, but that sort of defeats the purpose of picking favorites I suppose.

 

I’m on a strict “no-buy” hiatus because I’ve finally completed my collection. But the doll (actually released at the very end of ‘24 but arrived in ‘25) who trashed all that determination was the Dream Valley Ghost Moth. She simply blew me away with her 4 arms and elegant wings. Such a creative sculpt! I couldn’t resist.

 

They were late 2024, but didn't start shipping until early 2025, so I'm counting them--Xagadoll's conjoined girls, Boye & Sila! Fastest I've ever impulse bought a doll. I think it was about an hour from first seeing them to ordering them, and that was only to be sure I had the budget to manage it and choose the resin color.

 

Like @lully.lullers I was encouraged to see Asleep Eidolon's suite of "soft" female bodies -- 1/4 Mian Mian and 1/3 Ruan Mian were released late last year, and 70cm Rou Mian were released this year. My favourite big girl body is 2DDoll's 68cm girl, and ever since I'd been looking for 1/3 females that are similarly fuller-fleshed in a realistic way, who have thickness in the waist and notable subcutaneous fat around the hips and thighs. 70 Rou Mian is the most realistic one that I've seen since 2D68 girl. I'm hoping that she catches on and there will be more clothing service for these tall curvy girls, and if I ever get another tall girl, 70 Rou Mian is a strong candidate for hybriding.

I have all the dolls I want so not much tempts me anymore, but Bardo Research's Engineer caught my eye. I adore Oxana Geets' handiwork - I once owned one of her dolls and it was exquisite - but she sculpts in a scale that I don't enjoy, and she makes exclusively female dolls while I generally prefer male dolls. The Engineer is her first male BJD, and man, he is terribly cute. I've made peace with enjoying Bardo Research dolls from afar, but if Oxana continues to sculpt males, my resolve may erode...

Of the dolls I did buy this year, I was most excited over Whale Tower's two snakes. I'd wanted to get an animal/creature BJD for a while, and their snakes were totally up my alley! So the Little Snake was the first pet doll I ordered! That kinda opened the gate, because I've bought a second pet BJD and it's already arrived. Little Snake will arrive next year, and I'm very very keen to receive it.

There was another doll body that I was waiting the whole year to see and was glad when it was finally released, but it's not verified on-topic for DoA.

 

My favorite new release this year, and the only new release, I bought is Aishavoya Wren, who was first available at NYC Doll Convention, where I got mine. She's got such a lovely face and body and poses so well.

Dollpamm's goblin girls are super cool, too, and Dream Valley keeps coming out with creative dolls.

 

My favorite this year is probably my first ever resin ball jointed doll, that is not a pet doll, the fox version of gem of doll's Orion! Loved the fullset, the outfit, how good and intricate and fancy he looked, even if his legs and ears are little odd (especially the legs) but at least they look cool? Holds poses well too.

Second favorite has to be the dearmine bean Lupy (white and lavender) and the honor is shared with the new-to-me dream valley young dragon griffin.

There were also dolls I liked that I didn't buy, the Ringdoll Joker mentioned earlier with the red hair and cat ears, and the Bardo Research Engineer. The Joker has such a cool and striking expression it was hard to miss, and the Engineer had such a unique and for me likeable design style. I have reasons for passing on both of them but I think they both look cool!

I'm not considered any dolls are I ordered but haven't arrived yet, like the perfectly classic dream valley blank werewolf. Those will be for next year!

 

My favourite dolls this year are Dream Valley Sonata - a stunning sculptural beauty, and the aforementioned Dollpamm Goblin girls, seeing the progress from nothing to fully fledged dolls on the creators instagram was incredible and Dr Mes has such clear consistent stylisation that is quite appealing to look at.

 

Coral Reef's Jellyfish Daya is so beautiful. I'm sad I missed out, I wasn't checking out new BJD stuff at all while she was being sold.

 

The doll releases that stood out to me this year were SartoriaJ's elves and Ringdoll's Pestilence and Famine. Very cool lines from both companies with incredible sculpts and outfits.

 

I have been loving a lot of Aleep Eidolon and Xagadoll releases this year, like Firefly Lumina, Moth-Titk, Neve and Iris.

 

The abundance of snake and naga dolls this year made my little heart thrilled (and devastated I couldnt buy them all)
Someday I'll definitely get my hands on one. I love fidgeting with my dolls and they look like a delight to play with

 

Became a huuuge fan of the Bad World Researcher Dolls- I managed to get one on pre order with the artist's face up.

 

My wishlist is getting smaller, and I think I'm getting a better idea of what I personally enjoy in BJDs, but the dolls I enjoyed in 2025, whether personally or admired from a distance, were:

• Ringdoll Alpha and Omega: The electroplating – actual metal coating over the resin – is interesting new BJD tech and works well for a cyborg/robot concept. It'll be interesting to see how it handles over time, and if we'll see more electroplated parts in the future
• Bimong Narae58 Eva: Ordered November 2023, received June 2025. I've never had a doll quite like her: she's incredibly light for her size, and just sort of falls into natural poses. I also like her mature face
• Granado Fortis body: I joined the preorder in late 2024 and received my body in August 2025. Crocus put a lot of work into prototyping and testing the Fortis throughout the production cycle, and it paid off: it's a very flexible body that also has amazing stability out of the box
• Volks's new legs for SD10/13: Finally, double joints, after 26 years! (Owner upgrade campaign? Please?)

 

I did not buy any new resin in 2025, though I did greatly enjoy the aesthetics of the latest Do Dolls Dream Miss Marionette preorder. I did, however, get around to deboxing the dolls I bought in 2024 and had to keep in storage. The biggest showstopper is Maskcat Astrid in tan skin! Her resin is unlike anything else I've ever handled and she carries so much presence that I find it hard to look away from her. I am beyond delighted!

 

My favorite doll I got this year is Miracle Doll Jing (five eyes)! I'm not sure when he was actually released but I know he's not a new doll, just new to me! I'm recently getting back into the hobby after many years so I am very out of the loop. But this doll is absolutely stunning and I'm so glad I was able to get him. He's inspired me to start creating worlds and characters again so I am grateful for that... however that means I now have so many ideas for future doll characters and my wallet is dreading what's to come in 2026