For the Love of Old-School

I bought a Dream of Doll Leya just out of nostalgia (I didn't have bjds back in the days, but always wanted to have one) and she is completly diffrrent from the rest of my doll crew and my future doll plans, I think I'm just gonna get her appart from the other dolls

 

I am also very nostalgic toward the older sculpts. I took a ten year hiatus from the hobby and returned to see all the new faces, sculpts, and companies, but I can't help but to constantly search for and look for older sculpts to bring home. I recently purchased a Volks Kun secondhand because of that nostalgia!

 

@Ilzar Leya is such a beautiful sculpt!

I like the looks and sculpts of most older dolls more than the modern realistic looking dolls. But when it comes to the body, I do prefer the more realistic ones which have the right proportions (like no extremely long legs or arms).
Especially the older volks sculpts from ~ 2010 and before that date are gorgeous! Recently I purchased a SDgr Okita Soji from 2010 and his sculpt is just perfect! Minoru Kamimura and Toshizō Hijikata are also one of my favorites.

 

OMG, Silk, you have a Seimei!!

I agree completely -- I have an eclectic collection of all sizes and ages, but it's tilted heavily toward the good old 60cm bobble aesthetic. (Original Customhouse 4EVAH!!) I don't consider newer dolls a trade-up; they're different from the older ones, but not better.

 

yaaaaasss. Most of my collection is over 10 years old now. My heart lies with the old CP Delfs. I miss them so much.

 

i'm one of you tbh very realistic dolls were never my cup of tea. i'm fond of big heads, eyes and that special dolly look. Love sd10 chubby bodies, and miss old delfs.

 

I am another fan of the older Delfs and Kid Delfs. I never really got into either the new Luts dolls or into Fairyland. I keep finding myself hunting down the older sculpts I missed out on rather than getting new dolls.

 

I'm not a fan of old school dolls, neither of too realistic ones. You didn't mention it but nowadays the trend is mainly disproportionate bodies I think (with large hips or heads for exemple). That's what I prefer The older ones seem inexpressive to me. I like dolls with a bit of fantasy in it (the fact I started with Pullip first is surely a reason, as they have a huge head). I hope you won't hate me for this

 

I still own Lishe, Choa, Soah and Ryung and Liz from way back then. I own a nyid Nancy and a Sid Isabel, and while they are beautiful I would never part with my old girls I sold them once and had to buy them all again.

 

Mostly, I prefer the more realistic styles of newer sculpts, but my first doll was an Angel of Dream Chen instock at JunkSpot, made in July 2007, and I bought him in April 2008. Ten years later, he's still hanging around here, though he doesn't fit with any of the others now. He's not as bobble-headed, anime-inspired or wide eyed as a lot of the early dolls (Volks, CP Delf, Dream of Doll, early DollZone, etc), but he still has that older look to me. His sculpt has been updated at least twice since mine was cast, and I'd never update him, as honestly, I think the newer versions of Chen are much less interesting and kind of blend in with a lot of their other sculpts. Original Chen had much more defined lips and nose, and his body posed better than their newer versions, and had better sculpting IMO.


Here's Amir, who is turning 11 soon:

 

Yesss!
I'm SO into the nostalgic dolls! I was early high school when I got into bjds. So that was about 12 years ago. I'm now getting ALL the dolls that I pined for at that time.
I recently bought a Delf Vampire Shiwoo with modded open eyes off of Ebay. I know there are recasts of this doll, BUT this one was spot on to my other normal Delf Shiwoo. Oh, and he was white skinned but is now has a lovely green under tone. He's legit.
I feel like I'm searching for all of the old school ones I wanted verses buying new ones (excluding tinies, they're pretty much all new)
I'm still hoping to get my hands on a tan CP Shiwoo, but I'm not thinking that'll be anytime soon.
So yes. Delfs are my addiction, plus old Dollzone's.

 

I love a lot of styles, but I definitely have a weakness for oldschool. The old Luts or Volks dolls are real classics now. I also own a Souldoll kid from 2007 when MSDs looked more child-like.
I also feel my collection is turning into a doll museum. About half of my dolls are more than ten years old. When some new BJD collectors visit me, they hardly ever recognize the molds. It makes me feel a little sad to realize that people don't know Customhouse, K-Doll or Elfdoll anymore.
Maybe I'm nostalgic, but sometimes I want to adopt all the "oldies" from the MP …

 

I love old school Volks and have a few, including 4sisters SD10 and SD13, a Kohya, an Isao, Madoka, etc. I also have a Souldoll Paris who is exquisite in all his yellowed glory. I do like a lot of the new companies and realistic sculpts, but my preference is for the older dolls. I'm not sure if it's because that's what was around when I started the hobby around 2005? They are my babies

 

I have both older and newer dolls in my crew, but the majority are definitely closer to the "Old School" look, no matter what their age. About as close to Realistic as I typically venture is that middle-ground between the two styles occupied by companies like Soom and IpleHouse. (So, yes, more realistic than a Delf or a classic Volks sculpt. But not so much so that the doll becomes a poster-child for the Uncanny Valley.)

My Granado V-07 is the one exception, and honestly, he's really pushing the line in terms of how much realism I'm willing to accept in a sculpt. I would never buy another doll that looks like he does... but I tolerate that level of realism in him because he makes a great Nemissary otherwise.

 

I just recently described my own tastes as leaning more "old school;" I'm a huge fan of that stylized, not-quite-anime-but-definitely-not-realistic look that a lot of the older companies and sculpts have, and while I do have dolls from newer companies, they all generally fall into that same stylized look, with the most realistic sculpt being my WithDoll boy. (He's gorgeous, and he's not so far into the realistic look that he doesn't look good with my other dolls.)

It makes me feel a little out of place watching some of the current CP/FairyLand discussions, with people raving over the newer sculpts while I want to see the older ones brought back out of retirement! Give me a new F60 Shiwoo and El to go with my classic Delf ones!

 

I definitely prefer the "old school" Volks sculpts to the newer ones! Sadly I only recently (within the past three years) joined the hobby so my access and experience with older sculpts is limited. My first doll was a Resinsoul Mei, whose sculpt was released in 2008, and I find myself preferring her large head-to-body ratio over the more common and more realistic proportions of my other doll.

 

While I can admire a lot of the newer more realistic looking sculpts, I still prefer (and adore) the older more stylized sculpts. Could explain why my collection is mostly volks and fairyland

 

It's not exactly the old-school aesthetics that I like. What does fascinate me is the age of those old-school dolls. It's like owning a piece of BJD history. That's why I'm so torn about whether or not to get my Volks Licht a different face-up. On the one hand, he could look so great and I really don't like the overly pink lips. On the other hand - it IS the original default face-up ...

 

Old school here, 90% of my collection is original Delf and similar era sculpts! At this point, I'm just carefully collecting all the ones I still don't have and honestly haven't bothered buying much that doesn't match that look new for many years. There's something very charming about their oddly proportioned selves that just makes me love them all the more as the years go on and the style du jour moves further into realism.

It does also mean you can grab previously out of reach dolls cheaply now because the majority of collectors are into the newer sculpts and sell off the older models, so it's pretty good, being old school now I think!

 

Oh! I am totally into the old-school aesthetic! I've been in this hobby for 12 years and it's those early dolls that still capture my heart! I have a real weakness for old Iplehouse oYIDs, early Dollzone, and CP/Luts.

Im so nostalgic for the older sculpts, I keep cruising the MP and looking for older sculpts.

It's kind of weird. I feel sort of redundant. Like the hobby has passed me by some how. I know the newer sculpts are lovely, but I just can't really get excited about them like I did the original, older sculpts. I look at the new Iplehouse boys and they are beautiful (there is no doubt about that) but I look at an old Iplehouse sculpt like SooRi, Lion, or Barron, and my heart melts.

 

I like plenty of new head sculpts just as much or more than old ones, but I do really like older bodies! I don't do a lot of complicated posing with my dolls, so double joints don't mean that much to me, and I like the aesthetic of a lot of older single jointed bodies. I also prefer slender boys and a lot of the big muscular types that seem to be more popular now aren't really my thing.

My oldest doll is a Volks F-20, who definitely has a bit of a melon head. I love how solid and substantial his body is!

 

After owning both old-school and newer sculpts, I've definitely found myself enjoying the old-school dolls in my collection more. I adore the big head and simplistic bodies from my 8-10+ year old dolls. I'd much rather own an older single joint body that looks good and compact than a newer double jointed realistic one with extra posing haha! I agree with most liking the older Volks and CP delf dolls.

 

@Rabbit-moon I've admired your Soo Ri for a long time.

My favorites are my old Elfdolls. My Soah will have her 13th birthday this year. Seems like only yesterday-- and a long time ago!

IMGP1579 by TFAsiduri, on Flickr

 

Old school all the way! So sad that when i first learned about Customhouse, they were already gone . I really love Cp luts as well as illusion spirit dolls!

 

I've been in the hobby for 13 years now and my dolly collection is a mix of VERY old sculpts (such as the old discontinued Volks F-07) and new, very realistic sculpts (Bimong Dandelion etc).
To me the old sculpts often have a unique charm to them that many newer ones are lacking...imho. But it's interesting to see how this hobby has evolved over the years and I'm curious to see where the hobby is going in terms of sculpts and styles :3

I do think my dolls, new AND old, look good together :3 I don't think my big eyed ol' skool sculpts look odd next to my newer ones... but maybe that's me being weird :3

@Silk ....congratulations on getting that dreamy Kanon doll- I was drooling over him when I saw him up for adoption! Please be kind and post MANY photos of him!!! ._.

 

I have 3 customhouse 1/6 doll, oldest from 2004. Love them so much but other than posing, i dont think they are much different from newer dolls.

 

Wow! Alewife, your Soah is beautiful! I have a Soah, too. She was the first girl I got back in 2006. Elfdoll/Rainman did some gorgeous sculpts back in the day. Its such a pity that he's not doing bjds anymore.

And, thank you for remembering my old Iplehouse SooRi (George)! That was so sweet of you. He turned 12 years old this month! And, I still love him like crazy! (Talk about old skool! )

Thank you Silk! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels strangely out of place sometimes. I also sort of feel a little overwhelmed by all the BJD companies that have sprung up over the past decade. Holy Cow! There's like a bazillion new companies, now! I can't keep track of them all.

I don't know who Kanon Louis is? I'd love to see a picture of him! I do remember your gorgeous Elfdoll K-ss! I've been in love with that boy for years!

 

Agreed, my old sculpts make me happier than new ones these days. I'm not sure if it's the aesthetic, or I'm just jaded.

@Rabbit-moon your George is the reason I got a SooRi, but I could never get mine to look as cool. It's good to see him again!

 

My collection is mainly old school, all my 1/3 dolls are earlier than 2009, most much older. I love my old dolls & haven't seen any new 1/3 dolls that really speak to me. My slim minis are also older dolls. In fact the only new dolls I have are Little Fee Ante & Chloe & those sculpts aren't new even though the dolls are.

Even when I find a new doll that I like, I think about my collection & know I have something already that I love more. It's good to know that others like the old dolls too as I thought I was collecting in a vacumn. I am hesitant about posting photos because I didn't think anyone was interested in the earlier dolls.

 

My realistic dolls seem to be way more "demanding" than my old-school ones. They need clothes that look fairly realistic too, and they are harder to handle in general.
The old-scholl dolls feel way more playful. They don't need perfection. Even if I can't pose their single-jointed bodies to look totally natural or if the buttons on their clothes are out of scale, it doesn't bother me. They don't strive to look like real people anyway, so I'm totally cool with their imperfections.

BTW I would love to see more of the older dolls in the galleries! I really miss them.
(There was this "old dolls watering hole" (?) thread some time ago when we had the "photo spam" forums, but I can't find it anywhere now)

Oh, I feel you … I'm very reluctant to wipe the company faceups of my CH Uri and my Volks Amakusa. They are not the prettiest faceups in the world, but yeah … ancient history.

 

We did have fun with the "old dolls' watering hole" thread, didn't we? But yeah, iirc it went away with the platform move, when the Photo Sharing forum was deleted.

I love the way you said that, evie the kid -- there is something really relaxed and playful about the earlier BJD style to me, too.

 

I completely agree with vicemage's explanation above when describing my own personal aesthetic. This point was really driven home when I innocently brought a gorgeous Withdoll sculpt into my collection a few years ago. I thought it was absolutely perfect for an elf character I was anxious to shell, and it had the most amazing body I'd ever owned, but it didn't last even two days...I couldn't get it out of here fast enough! So yeah, I'm definitely Old School in that I need that slight bit of an anime look to the dolls in my collection. I do have some newer companies represented in my crew, but they all still pretty much fall into that slightly anime aesthetic (like Doll Chateau or PeaksWoods.) And I jumped at the chance to pick up a pair of Customhouse Gabriel faces when Luts re-issued them with their big baby bodies. I also managed to snag a Volks DearSD 4 Sisters Megu when they were released. But other than that, I have been haunting the DoA marketplace to get my "old school fix" for years now.

 

Vicemage sums it up perfectly, I think! My favorite sculpts all tend to come from the 2008-2012 era, so just a little bit later. I loved the old YIDs from Iplehouse, and I wish they weren't discontinued (just maybe updated a little).

I think now companies are sort of polarized in their aesthetics? They tend to go very stylized/anime or very realistic.

 

I love the older sculpts too, and have a thing for the slight cartoonish proportions of the bobble-head old Volks. Bambi, my old F10, is my favourite resin girl! I do love some newer sculpts too though, and have a tan Volks Coco at home, but putting them next to each other they make one another look so weird. Bambi looks like Betty Boop proportionally, and Coco looks pin-headed. But separately they are lovely!

The hyper realistic dolls don't interest me, they are beautiful to look at, but I have no desire at all to own them. They just don't "speak" to me. I think it is something to do with dolls being totally about escapism for me, and I don't want reality creeping in at the edges!

Bow 1 by Flowergirl Fashions, on Flickr

 

Like many others, I adore the old delfs Not enough to get one (yet) but love to see them in others collections.
However I do find that old dolls have so much character to them, I always bond with them quicker then new ones.
I recently bought an old Soom Ai and before that a Zaoll Luv that dated back to the very first releases and it is so interesting to have them around with all that history behind the resin ^^

 

Yep! XD
He's who I always said I'd pick to play Nemissary if I were casting a production of Bright's Goofball Necromancer: The Movie.

That's why... in spite of the sculpt being a heck of a lot more realistic than the rest of my gang... I just couldn't resist adding a V-07 to the crew. He was too perfectly Nem to pass up.

 

Yes Cynthia in FlintHills, the "Old Dolls Watering Hole" was great fun! I loved seeing photos of all the old classic sculpts! And it was nice to have a place to share photos of the older dolls and feel like they were appreciated.

I agree, the earlier BJD styles, because of their fanciful doll-like sculpts were more playful and endearing. For me, the current hyper-realistic sculpts don't lend themselves to relaxed play. They look too real. As beautiful as my Iplehouse EIDs are, I don't play with them. But, my old YIDs are cuddly and really spark my imagination. I think if the sculpt is too real you can appreciate how beautiful it is, but the fantasy and imagination are removed because of its realism. At least, it seems to work that way for me.

Mustbemissa, so much love for the old YIDs!

 

I feel like this only applies to certain companies though. Like I've noticed that Iplehouse, Impldoll, and Dollshe have started with doll-like aesthetics, but shifted to proportionately realistic aesthetic. Companies like volks, fairyland, luts, angellstudio have remained to their dolly like roots as far as I've noticed.
I do feel like artist dolls these are more proportionately realistic as well, but I've never considered many of their dolls to be extremely doll-like (visually) in the first place.
Just my thought~

 

I really miss that "old dolls watering hole" thread!

Most of my crew is fairly ancient as well (by BJD standards, heh). Even though there are some gorgeous newer sculpts that I love, it's rare that I feel inclined to save up for one.

I do attribute some of it, personally, to nostalgia. As a new collector on a much smaller forum, the world of BJDs was full of excitement and possibility. Because there weren't as many sculpts to choose from, it was really fun to see so many different interpretations of the same doll. Everything was a fresh take then! Now that the majority of those sculpts have all but disappeared, re-encountering them is almost like greeting an old friend after a protracted absence. You know the face so, so well, but haven't seen it in such a long time it just gives you a delicious warm feeling when you finally meet again.

Actually, I have ended up buying several older sculpts that didn't appeal to me so much when they were around the first time. Something about those older, odder faces I have a real fondness for now that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe my tastes have changed. Maybe they've grown on me over time and I didn't realize it. Or maybe I just don't want them to be forgotten.

 

Wow! Sandwich, this really pulled at my heartstrings. So beautifully expressed.

 

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes!

 

In the "Photo Reference" or "Games" Section maybe?

 

I'm kinda sad I missed all the fun in the old thread now, I never think to look in other parts of this place tbh, so undoubtedly I miss vast swathes of stuff but I could definitely get behind the idea of an old school picture celebration thread!

I must also agree with a lot of others on this thread that the old style dolls lend themselves much better to 'easy play'. Hyper realism is a beautiful thing, but if you don't get everything on that doll absolutely accurate and realistic too, it always looks slightly off. Older sculpts with more stylised features are just so much easier to dress, paint and play with because there's no pressure for everything to be PERFECT, I think. Or perhaps it might be better to say that you have more leeway on them. Certainly I feel that way about my own old dolls, anyway.

I'm also a member of the "I want to change that faceup, but it's original and eleven years olddddd..." club!

 

The thread would end up getting mulched if it was in Games... I could see it fitting in Photo Reference, though. People are curious about the older dolls and (particularly after a certain image hosting service lost their flipping minds... <_<) pictures of them for reference are fewer and further-between than they used to be.

It might also work in the regular Gallery. I don't *think* there's a rule that says only one person can post pictures to any particular Gallery thread... I don't remember reading one, anyway.

Re: the ancient face-ups, I'm in the same boat with a few of mine. Ming (my Yori) is one of the first-release limiteds and still has her original. It's so plain and so simplistic compared to the more modern faceups... But I can't bring myself to have it replaced.

 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your Soah, Alewife! I, too am a huge fan of the old Elfdoll sculpts. It doesn't feel like it's been twelve years since I started collecting bjds. But, I feel the way many here do. Your Soah looks brand new. I love her faceup!!!!!!!!!! Any time I see one of the old original promo pics of the dolls I got or wanted early on, I have to stop and look and I'm still excited to see pictures of them when I run across them online.

 

I've been collecting for 11 years and some of my dolls are a couple years older than that. I definitely love the old-school sculpts. I have my fair share of CP Delfs and Volks, too. Bluefairy was my first love. I'm also in the I-don't-want-to-erase-the-original-face-up club. Especially on a Volks SDC Miko from 2006. And I'm becoming fond of my slowly yellowing white skin Delfs. I'm lucky none of mine seem to be from the "beauty green" batches. XD

I haven't posted on here in years, and I've kind of been on hiatus, but I want to get back into things. I'm not even going to try to keep up with all of the new companies that have popped up. Yikes.

 

@Brightfires, that's a tough call on your Yori's face-up; I'm one of those weirdos who likes a lot of the mid-2000s Volks face-ups, and I think she looks so natural yet defined.

I prefer to keep my SD13 Jun's default face-up, because to me it's so natural. I did change her eyes and wig, which was a simple way to add some sophistication --

(Sweater dress by squirrelmoon )

 

Does anybody wonder if it's going to eventually roll around to newer collectors seeking out 'vintage' sculpts? I also wonder if the companies will start reissuing some of their original sculpts if they are sought after enough. I started out in the doll collecting hobby, like everybody else, with Barbie, the "gateway drug" to doll collecting. Then, I went into vintage dolls. It's so funny now to hear of ten year old dolls being called "Old". I feel the same way as a lot of you here; I keep looking at the newer dolls and just haven't felt excited about anything. But, I think if you're in the hobby long enough, you know what you like and you can see from the pictures if the joints or the face is going to be what you want or if it's something you've already done before. When I was new, I bought a lot of dolls that I ended up selling. Now, that things don't all seem so new and different to me anymore, I find myself going back to the original artists and sculpts that I loved in the beginning. Does that mean I'm old or have I just found my niche in this hobby?

 

I love the original sculpts!! I would love to get my hands on one ^__^

 

The style may come back into fashion eventually, but as paranoid as people are about recasts and being able to prove provenance I doubt newer collectors would ever flock to buy actual older dolls. Given their almost-universal lack of CoAs and other documentation, they're just too much of a risk.

That leaves talking doll companies into reissuing their abandoned "classics" with modern paperwork, or just encouraging them to make new sculpts in the older style.

 

I could have written this myself. This is me.

I took a break from the hobby for a couple of years, sold off most of my dolls, and now that I'm back I'm just rebuying all the dolls I've owned and loved in the past. I can't seem to fall in love with new sculpts or new doll companies. But it's nice because I know exactly what I like in a doll and what I don't like so I'm pretty darn sure I won't be selling any of the dolls that I'm getting now.

I also prefer single jointed dolls. I find them so much nicer to look at and hold.

I joined the hobby in 2008 and most of my favourite sculpts haven't changed since those first few years of collecting. The nostalgia!!

And honestly, I love old yellowed dolls. They have so much character. I'd rather have a doll that's been around a while than get the same sculpt newly cast.

 

Welcome back to the hobby, Hyzenthlay!

I love your comment! I thought I was the only one who loved old yellowed dolls. There is so much discussion about how to remove yellowing from bjds, and I always wondered why? I see the yellowing as a lovely patina produced from aging. My older white dolls have mellowed to a soft creamy color; I think it's quite beautiful.

The other thing I noticed about my older dolls is how solid they are. My old CP/Luts Elf Chiwoo has such a firm heft to him. It's easy to play with him and not worry about breaking him. With my newer dolls the resin seems so much thinner.

If you don't mind me asking, what older dolls have you re-acquired?

 

Hyzenthlay, I don't mind the 'yellowing' either, since they're all going to take on that warm, golden look with time and it still looks like a normal skin tone to me! And, some of them haven't really yellowed much at all. The older dolls have such a nice, smooth, heavy resin to them as well.