I want to get a smart doll

I dunno, do you feel like being called "entitled" by the creator?

Smart Dolls are beautiful but you'll have the same issues with them that you have with most vinyl dolls. And I personally think there are vinyl dolls out there that can be just as beautiful and well-made, and for a fraction of the price. I love Smart Doll's face sculpts and the colors they come in, but it's just not worth $500 to me, especially since they lack so much articulation. The outfits are also beautiful... But I think that's where Danny's forte is and as beautiful as they are, they aren't worth the money to me personally. Also, you can't buy them unless you have a Smart Doll, from what I hear. Very exclusive, very elitist, and just not worth what it takes to be part of that elite. That's my opinion.

 

Technically the dolls are just under 480 USD because of the conversion and with that price comes a faceup, wig, eyes, and underwear . From what I've read, the only things that you can't buy unless you already have a legit smartdoll is the chaos heads and bodies (read: random body parts), you can buy the outfits or even download free patterns for the dolls online.
Also, as an artist, I respect the way that Danny prioritizes their art above all else. They're very transparent with their practices and everything they make is made in Japan for full wages. This is fair wage art that allows artists to work a reasonable. Not only that, these dolls aren't mass produced. That's expensive but it's worth it.
I haven't bought a smart doll yet but I have done a lot of research into them, they seem to have their flaws (they can break semi easily). As for staining though you can buy a body suit in the color of the vinyl from the company to keep as a protective layer between the doll and their clothes

 

normal precautions like having a light layer under dark clothes have been more than enough to keep staining off, but I have more experience with the darker-skinned vinyl than the light so not sure how different the materials react to stains.

as for the dolls being worth the money, I would say so if you like them? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I enjoy my gals so they were worth it for me.

 

This is so worth taking the time to read! Especially the paragraph about dismemberment and decapitation! I think I love these guys and sadly have no real interest in their dolls!

And I absolutely agree with @VentisetteStars . I personally buy nothing that isn't worth the money to me. No one else's opinion matters, and no one else's pocket book is affected.

 

@Marigold If you like the dolls, they're worth the money. :3 Simple as that. They aren't for everyone, but no doll is. If you find it beautiful and it brings you joy, then it's your doll.

But then, I have 3 Smart Dolls (Leili - my Justice, Satu - my blue anime Singularity, and an unfinished unrevealed cortex girl based on one of my comic ideas) with number 4 on layaway. XD I don't normally buy dolls in 1/3 scale, but they're lighter and feel more compact than the resin bjds I've handled of similar size, but that might just be me. The only downside is that it takes more fabric to make clothes for them compared to my other dolls XD but as my other dolls are mostly 1/6 and 1/12, that's hardly a surprise! I love my Smart Dolls a lot though, so I'm gonna be biased here XD

 

I might be misunderstanding some sarcasm here, but given that the page there was put up as Choo doing retroactive damage control after he cancelled someone’s order because she mentioned she wanted to use his clothes on a Dollfie Dream, I personally I find my eyes rolling out of my head when I read it.

Oddly, in spite of the widely varying sizes of 1/3 dolls, every single other doll company out there who offers clothes for their dolls manages to not need to cancel their customers’ orders if they get wind their products will be clothing a different brands’ doll, and never have I heard of any facing such a tide of complaints for doing so.

Like...good lord, can you imagine how people would feel if Soom or Volks canceled your wig and clothing order because they heard you wanted to put it on a Luts or Fairyland doll? Folks sometimes summon the specter of elitism in this hobby, but a company that hears you use its goods with other dolls and cancels them is next level disdain for customers. It’s also nonsensical, as SmDs have nearly identical measurements to DDs (having put my DDs and SmD side by side, they were clearly designed to have similar proportions so that folks could use DD clothes — which is just plain reasonable. Danny used to have five or six DDs, after all, and there’s lots of collector overlap. But now he’s claiming they have different “contours” and so the clothing compatibility won’t work the other way around?)

I strongly suspect he just doesn’t like the idea of folks putting his clothes on other dolls and this page is him trying to make it sound like professionalism instead of pettiness. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Oh, also, if you bought your Smartdoll secondhand like me you won’t be allowed to buy more hands or parts for them either. No idea of the logic there, as unlike resin BJDs he doesn’t need to worry about the parts going onto recasts or something.

They’re nice dolls. It’s a personal decision if you’re willing to overlook the rest of All Of This for the doll and give him your money anyway. It’s just a shame about their progenitor’s attitude.

 

I want to make clear, you absolutely should get a Smart Doll if you want to. They are, if nothing else, very beautiful. And if I could have gotten the Cortex Kits (boss mode!) before he stopped selling them “because people just wanted a cheaper doll and then complained they’re too hard to build”, I absolutely would have. I was really looking forward to building a doll like with the old Dollfies.

But I also agree with @evilhamster13 - it’s really a turnoff to feel like the company’s designer just absolutely does not care about you, and that anything you could do to make this doll your own seems like it would “ruin” it in his eyes.

Plus he really doesn’t seem to wanna release his guy dolls for a larger base. And that excludes me a lot too. Oh well.

 

For their price, I think it's good to know about their spine issue, that it might get broken pretty easily, (atleast what I have seen from other hobbyists. Dunno tho if they still use same spine for smd:s these days). They are pretty dolls, tho their face is pretty flat, so most good pictures are from front.

Also, the truth is that their maker is pretty... petty. Some other Smd owners have told that they are scared to tell if there is something wrong with their dolls or say their opinion in social media, as their orders might get canceled or get roasted/harassed in social media (by DC or his fans). For what I've seen, it is easier to own Smd if you are not part of the community.

Good thing is, that there is nice skin colors to choose from. I hope someday we will see some of those colors made by other doll companies aswell.

 

Is it "worth" it? Worth is subjective, but I would not buy a share in the dreams of an egotist who is disrespectful not only of his competitors but of his own clients. When you buy a high-end finished product like a BJD, or a build-it-from-parts doll like a custom Dollfie Dream/Obitsu, part of what you're paying for is the serviceability of the product. If you can't freely purchase replacement parts--and you WILL want replacement parts for any vinyl frame doll, the internal frames crack and the vinyl outer parts get stained--it's potentially shortchanging your (and especially in the case of SmD, a second or third owner's) investment.

 

There are tons of smart doll owners who love their dolls. I myself like the sturdiness of resin over the internal skeleton of vinyl. When it comes to staining, just don't leave them in dark colored clothing more than taking photos, or if you want to leave them in dark clothing then just take the time to buy some stain resisting under clothing (Danny sells white ones, as well as a flesh toned suit that covers the entire body). IF something were to break, as long as you have proof of purchase from the doll you can buy replacement parts (Unless this has changed in the last year). If you're unwilling to deal with Danny, Fabric Friends and Dolls is the only authorized retailer and they are usually a dream to work with. I purchase a lot of resin from them and my one Smart Doll was also purchased from them.

In the end, it is up to you who you purchase from. People want to talk crap on how Danny runs his business but there are TONS of pricks who run doll companies. Dollshe is a prime example of a jerk running a doll business...they just not as publicly open about being a jerk. If I can credit Danny about one thing, he's completely open about who he is and what he thinks. You're not shocked when he behaves the way he does because he is transparent. Some people enjoy him, others do not. I've always heard he's super nice in person so I take what everyone says with a grain of salt. I myself don't always speak the same way as others do, and I am often misunderstood, so I chalk it up to him being similar.

I will say, Smart Dolls are not cheap but then again they're about the same price as a resin doll of that size. Tons of people buy them and only a few have issues (beyond the cortex dolls breaking in common locations).

 

This! One can't judge Danny against other creators...because we know virtually nothing about the majority of them. He just happens to be very opinionated, and honest about his opinions. The others pretty much keep their mouths shut. In the end, it's all about the doll.

If you really want to know how Smart Doll owners feel about their dolls, about their 'worth', about stain prevention and removal, etc., I'd suggest making your way through this thread (and if that's not enough, moving on to part 2 ).

 

I have three Smart Dolls (one is a Cortex), both vinyls are a few years old now and I adore them! I plan to get two more in the future.
I have had no problems with breakage and love that they hold poses effortlessly. I also prefer their body proportions to Dollfie Dreams, but will note that my Dollfie Dreams have better range of motion. My Smart Dolls look great in photos effortlessly, most of my other dolls I have to work at to get the angles and poses right.

Some mention issues with the spine, I have had none and the spine was the feature that initially made me excited about Smart Dolls (all the way back in 2014)! I feel it allows a more natural neck, shoulder, and top-torso motion. I love the feature. . . it is the biggest problem I have with my Cortex. I have the hard plastic torso which means the spine is not too useful and it annoys me because Cortex looks so stiff compared to my vinyls.

Staining can be an issue if you have dark or not pre-washed clothing resting against the skin for any length of time. This is an issue with any kind of vinyl. If you are concerned about it you can get body suits from the company, Etsy, CoolCat, etc. I have not had much of an issue with it even without bodysuits, just need to be mindful.

Danny Choo himself. . . Is a bit annoying like others are saying. He has a self provided pedestal he likes to use and has a small crowd of die-hard fans who hang on his every word. I have never had an issue ordering from Smart Doll directly, but I also do not ask for extras, specific handling, etc.
I basically just ignore his nonsense.

Even if Danny himself is a bit straining, the products are lovely. Clothing is a premium but I have not found any other brands that fit as good, with that said some places are getting pretty close. I think the dolls themselves are priced fine.

 

I would never buy a smartdoll- just because of the drama surrounding Danny.
Of course, I don`t shame smartdoll owners.

 

So like others have said, if you really love the doll and want one for yourself then it's absolutely worth the cost. There are definitely problems and drama with the creator and some of the community but I don't really think that should deter you if a certain smartdoll is your dream doll. There are plenty of friendly and non elitist smartdoll owners that will make you feel welcome, and as with anything you can just do your best to ignore any haters. People have talked here a lot about disliking Danny, and well if you dislike him that much there is a thriving second hand market for the dolls, wigs, and clothing, so you can even start collecting without dealing with his shop directly. I got my own smartdoll second hand and I'm very happy with her. (she's actually now a DD + cortex body hybrid lol) I wanted one of those dolls a very long time because I just like the shape and proportion of the smartdoll body over other similar dolls. (DD, obitsu) People talk about staining on vinyl dolls a lot, and for good reason, but I have found its actually quite easy to prevent if you are committed, and worst comes to worse, given time and patience a lot of vinyl stains can be reversed as well.

TLDR: they are lovely dolls, so if you like one get one, and if you don't like the drama and elitism then just don't be a part of it.

 

If you like them then it's worth it. Have you owned any vinyl before? Personally I prefer the feel and weight of resin. But vinyl with their skeleton are more like action figures and can hold a pose without flopping or kicking, and are lighter. For some that's a plus. Make sure to find photos from all angles, as another poster mentioned they are quite flat faced and in my opinion don't look great from 3/4 or side. But look cute from the front.

I personally would never get one as Danny Choo I find incredibly obnoxious. But second hand is an option.

 

As others have said if you love them then get one. I had an ungodly amount of them, and was completely turned off by Danny and a lot of the other collectors. I enjoyed a lot of his sarcasm at first (as I have a sarcastic streak) and I loved a lot of his philosophy but over time it got more and more crazy and off putting. I sold all my dolls and probably won't ever buy more just because there was so much toxicity with him and his minions *cough* fans. The wigs and clothing are amazing quality, but lord forbid you get one of the rare problematic pieces becuse you just better be ok with the "wabi sabi" and dare not question is all I will say about that.
I would say do your research, but in the end if you really want one go for it.

 

@Marigold

If you like them, I don't see why not. There's nothing wrong with the dolls, they have a perfectly good aesthetic and are very easy to purchase directly off the site. Price-wise, they're pretty comparable to Dollfie Dream, but you can always keep an eye on currency fluctuations from Japanese Yen to whatever your local one is to judge when is best to buy. For instance, mine would've been about $50USD less had I bought him now instead of when he dropped in September.

At the moment a timer system has been implemented when dolls go out of stock to give you a rough idea of when they'll be back. Compared to the resin side where waiting months to even get a shipping notice is standard, potentially waiting a couple of weeks and being able to track the shipment through a service that doesn't cut out when it leaves the country is pretty great.

The "drama" is easily avoided, and honestly a lot of what I've seen has been misinformation spread like a particularly awful game of Telephone. Staining and "fragile" skeletons are just how vinyl dolls are, compared to sturdy, strung resin--Dollfie Dream, Obitsu, and Vindoll are all prone to it, you just have to keep an eye on how you're bending joints. Read through the site and keep in mind that a lot of the rambling is tongue-in-cheek (extremely dry) humor.

Oh, and if you do decide to go for it, remember to check the email you give them because you'll be sent a verification email asking to check if your address is correct and also asking why you chose the doll you did. It's only sent the first time, and subsequent orders just go through.

There's a thread for SmD here in Brigadoon if you want to chat with more owners here on DoA.

 

It's true that cortex is difficult, mostly because the final lots which were sold off were final boss grade. Which means lots of trimming sprue bits, sanding, and sometimes making cuts on the inside if the pieces don't fit exactly (I only had to do that on the bottom of the thighs, one calf, and a big adjustment in the torso to fit the newer frame. I still have to reduce the hand pegs, because frames come with 'dice 2' pegs as standard, which fit vinyl hands but not cortex hands. Gonna try construct a mod from the pegs just in case I do want to use my spare vinyl hands.) I'm very glad that I already had pretty much everything needed, either from bjds or from making warhammer miniatures. XD It's been rewarding putting the kit together though! Just be patient, and go slow, and test everything before using glue. I only glued the torso on mine, as that was my preference - I'd rather put back a piece that pops out than have it over-stressed.

The most difficult part is probably going to be finding a frame, as there are probably still some spare cortex shells out there. o_o I wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a first Smart Doll though. You gotta be really into the idea of building one. Plus only Mirai was ever made in cortex - while you can put vinyl heads on cortex bodies, if you have a doll whose look you prefer over Mirai, get that first. XD

I do think it's a shame cortex is gone, because it could have been great! (And I like mine)

BTW I am in love with the telescopic stands the dolls come with! It's a nice, compact, simple portable stand.

 

I don't own vinyl, but you can either wash the clothes before putting them on vinyl with a vinegar rince and/or buy anti-staining clothes (or, if you sew, line the darker clothes). This is true for vinyl and resin dolls.

Smartdolls seem to have a huge (and I mean, super huge) community. I am pretty sure that if there are so much people loving them since so many years, the creator must have done something right. Sure the creator was involved in a lot of very publicized drama, that even I who had no interest in anime or the Smartdoll aesthetic heard about it, but I am convinced there are worse business owners and way way worse people. Besides, some say, there is no bad publicity...and in this case, it's a very effective marketing technique. It allowed him to make his product known to people who might not have considered it, if not for the drama. If you just buy from him and don't mention Dollfie Dream (because of the creator's grudge) you should probably be fine.

If you love the aesthetic, have the funds, can justify it, want it and can see yourself loving it for the foreseeable future...then it's worth it (but isn't it the case for all dolls? ^-^)

 

I think theyre really cute, but i hate how the knees arent double jointed… I think it was because it ‘looks bad’ or something, but i dont really care about how it looks. I just like when my dolls can kneel

 

I got one with the apocalyptic school uniform. And I just could not get into her. Outfit quality was nice. Ended up giving her away to my friend.

I dont follow the dramas beyond what I see in my doll discords, so idk much about it but I say if you like them go for it?

 

You are entitled to your opinion but I want to share my experience which is the opposite of what you stated above.

I hear these things about Danny that we can't buy dolls unless you have one and even clothes but I have purchased clothes and eyes in the past without having a doll and just last week I purchased my first Smart doll without ever having one in the past. I had no problems with Danny or the company, they didn't ask me anything either and I got a shipping notification the day AFTER I ordered the doll! never in my life I have received a shipping notification SO FAST, not even for items that were already made and ready to ship.

and my baby came home very fast, I waited during shipping like 2 days. So far I've been very satisfied with the company and my doll is BEAUTIFUL. I even think $500 is cheap.

She is stunning, her face up is cute, her skin is so nice, color is perfect, joints are very sturdy. She is worth every penny I spent on her. I'm so in love with her that now I want to sell a few DDs I have to replace them for other SmD girls.

I really don't care about drama, all I know is that I never had a problem in the past when I had no doll and my first smart doll purchase was the BEST experience I had in the doll hobby because with BJDs and DDs I had to wait a long time for them to arrive.

I'm not saying the ones who had problems are lying. I'm just saying, if anyone wants to buy a smart doll go ahead, it might turn out good like it did with me.

 

I own 2 Smart Dolls. I really like them for their posing abilities, the prevalence of their clothing and patterns made for them on the market and because they have such a huge community on Social Media. They are kind of fun. I try to stay out of the drama. Their price isn't really that much compared with other dolls, especially if you buy from the Smart Doll store because of the currency conversion. I'm not sure what people are talking about, not being able to purchase parts or dolls if you don't already own one - that just applies to the chaos (or b grade) parts.

As far as staining goes, when I first bought my Smart Doll I was terrified to put her into anything other than white or very light colored outfits. Now that I've had them for a while. I have had them in jeans, red outfits, etc. I think you just have to be careful not to leave them for months in such outfits and as others have said, to pre wash outfits. There are also many ways to remove staining if it does occur. I've only had a little staining on my doll's feet that was easily removed.

I've always operated under the belief - buy what you like and what you can afford and for the price that you feel it is worth. One thing I will tell you, If you buy a Smart Doll and later feel it's not for you, you can always sell it. It appears that many sell for at least the price they were purchased for.

 

I would say that it depends upon what you're looking for in a doll.

A very nice local collector allowed me to compare his SmD and vinyl Dollfie Dream. For my purposes, I realized that I didn't really like SmD. They are made for aesthetics first, everything else second. Meaning that poseability and articulation are sacrificed for a prettier look.

As mentioned above, the knees are only single jointed, and even though the elbows are double-jointed, articulation is limited by the design of the sculpt.

Some prefer SmD over DD because there isn't the indent in the inner thighs on SmD - but that also limits the range of movement for the legs. SmD faces are surprisingly flat. There's a reason almost all SmD pictures are with the faces looking directly into the camera. It makes for beautiful pictures, but I found it a little odd from the side.

Also - my understanding is that replacement parts are pretty pricey for SmD - I would recommend trying to grab spare parts known for breaking (the elbows are somewhat notorious, apparently) when you get your first doll, whereas DD and Obitsu have lots of replacement parts in multiple forums. I think that's also a function of them being bigger and around longer, though. You can buy different heads for a DD/Obitsu body pretty easily. My understanding is that getting separate heads for SmDs can be a little more difficult. You might want to look into "Chaos boxes" for that. SmD head caps are currently bright orange - not the same color as the skin.

I was initially very strongly interested in a SmD due to them being the only vinyl doll company with brown skin. However, the lack of poseability and availability of spare parts ultimately made me decide to get an Obitsu body instead and try my hand at dyeing it.

Having said that, SmD clothing is beautiful and exactly my aesthetic - casual and grungy. On the other hand, if you're looking for beautiful, shimmery gowns, those don't seem to be something SmD makes.

I was told that production and shipping are much faster than BJDs, so that's a nice bonus.

Ultimately, it's going to depend on what you intend to use the doll for. And if you do have an issue, for ceiling cat's sake, don't complain in a FB group or message Mr. Choo on IG. Go through customer service.

Let us know what you decide! They are very beautiful dolls.

 

My smart doll is easiestly one of the best posers out of all of my dolls. A friend of mine pulls off amazing and crazy things with theirs constantly in photos. (Never uses photoshop either. That flying android? Yes, she's actually physically dangling in the air.) The main issue in posing I can think of would be the fact the knees only bend 90 degrees.

As for drama, I personally haven't run across any of the rabid fans people keep talking about. ‍Maybe they are on Instagram? I'm not on that. In my area we have an active group of people for meet ups, and everyone has always been super friendly and welcoming.

As for staining, I've had a few issues over the years and it's always been super easy to remove with acne cream. I even managed to turn her hands completely blue from a new shirt I was wearing while carrying her!

I have broken both a wrist and somehow a knee, but I used to also bring her everywhere. (She has had an active life.) I never had an issue with contacting the company for replacement parts either.

One last thing, orange head caps are only on the chaos things (chaos are things considered below quality standards) basic dolls should have matching head caps.

 

I have 2 SMD and I love them. Compared to Dollfie Dreams their aesthetic is much nicer, no bulky ball joints, comes in different colors that AREN'T limited to whenever the creator feels like releasing them and I really like the clothes.

All bjd stuff is expensive. But if you like them, buy them. It doesn't bother me that Danny Choo is very forward about his process etc...I mean, at least we get to see his process unlike virtually every other studio out there. Anyhow, I love them. Get them if you want them!

 

You should look for second hand smartdolls if money is a concern. I recently found a fullset for 350 (hair included). I dont think the clothing is really worth it but that is my opinion, and it is mainly because I like to support smaller sellers who don't overcharge. I love my smartdoll! I hope you do too.

 

As a long time owner of an Obitsu 60, a vinyl doll I got in 2006 and I also have a herd of 1/6 scale ones made of the same stuff, washing and/or dye setting his clothes kept most stains at bay. There were still accidents because life happens and he personally liked to travel a lot. When in doubt he has several skin tight base layers to wear. I wouldn't leave him in dark clothes for a long time and when he went into storage for awhile he wore something white.

He doesn't really show his age and the only hint one might get he's not fresh from the box is a general aged look that some vinyl gets but it's not distracting because it's been gradual and that's just him.

 

Yes I have heard about the drama around him but if I could get a smart doll second-hand I think that would be okay.