Realistic-Idealized & Mature Vs. Stylized Youthful-Dolls: Which Do You Prefer?

Can't answer this question. Too new to BJDs.

Can't answer this either.

Can't answer this, I'm old.

I am in my 40s and my mother is in her late 60s. We have vintage and new dolls at home. All our dolls, both new and old, both girls and boys are NOT the realistic mature looking type like Barbie and Fashion Royalty. We are not into Himstedts because they are too realistic.

At this moment, I only buy boy BJDs between ages 13-19. If older, than 19, the boy must look at most 19 and they must be beautiful. My mother has no age preference for boys except that she reminds me that boys must look like boys. She dislikes my 12" Karl Heineken (Volks Lost Angels) because he looks like a girl. She likes my 12" Kenshin (Volks) because his face is scarred and he carries a sword which makes him look like a boy. She has not met my 23" Isao, I'm sure she will approve of him, Isao looks like a boy....to me at least he looks like a boy. I am bringing Isao to Toronto to meet my mom in Feb. She will be disappointed if he looks like girl. Age is not the issue.

Similarly for BJD girls, I prefer the young, sweet innocent, cute look no more than 15 years old, if older than 15, they must look at most 15. Like boys, they must be beautiful.

I think age is not much a matter. Through observation, older people in their 60s who grow up playing with large plastic dolls (Pedigree, Palitoy, Ideal etc) tend to prefer dolls that are cute and young.

For me, BJDs are a fad for sure. When the fandom ends, I'd store the dolls away in the closet with other vintage dolls. In future, I'd be interested in BJDs again and the fanatism cycle repeats itself.

About culture and regions: Culture and region affects the type of dolls we grow up with and love. For example, we lived in Singapore, a British Colony in South East Asia. I played with my mother's big British plastic dolls in the 60s. Later, our family worked with Japanese business partners, we had Japanese neighbours and we are familiar with Japanese doll brands. We never had dolls made in Korea or China. A photo shows we had an IDEAL doll in the early 60s, made in the USA. I watch Japanese anime since late 70s, so I like the anime doll but they have to be original anime characters and not a generic head mold customized by an individual to look like a certain anime character. I'm old school.

I strongly disagree that as we mature, we prefer mature looking realistic dolls. I like the cute, sweet, young, innocent look especially girls. There is a difference between girl and boy dolls. I feel uncomfortable a mature looking and realistic SD16 girl but a similar type SD17 boy seems ok with me. Don't ask me why because I don't know! I think my preference is influenced by the type of anime I watch: Bi-Shounen and Mecha.

Different people have different taste and preferences. There will always be a group of collectors who love the mature and realistic look.

 

I prefer more realistic and interesting faces whether it is younger or more mature. There are so many choices and for me, many have a very simliar look so the ones that stand out to me are more real and have more of a character face. I can't get many dolls so the doll I select has to meet many criteria. I odn't want a doll that I will get bored with.

 

My purchase style is definately toward realistic. I love the overly beautiful faces but do appreciate those with character as well. I am not a fan of the overly disproportionate heads nor the younger looking faces with the highly developed bodies though I do own very young sweet girls who had a long kiss from the puberty fairly and will be needing the bras with the wide straps!
I do like children dolls and adult dolls. I would like to see the "teen" looking dolls have more modest bodies that fit their slender frames. It would make some of the fashions look less provacative and while maybe a little sexy, sexy in a subtle way.
I am fine with the nip tuck looking body on dolls meant to be adults.

I would vote: youthful realistic, and trending toward idealized. This is where I prefer to invest my doll-ars.

Denise

 

I always tend to look at more realistic/stylized dolls. I just can't seem to find myself wanting a youthful/more cartoon-like doll, maybe because I don't see them fitting in my family anywhere.

 

In your opinion, has the BJD market changed, is there now more demand for "mature-realistic looking dolls"?
From the sculpts that I am seeing, YES.

If yes, what do you believe brought about this change?
In your opinion, has the BJD "world" matured, are older (long-time) bjd-followers now seeking more mature-realistic looking dolls?
If you agree, why do you believe this is so
It could be that the industry is growing together with its majority fan-base. Typical marketing strategy.

Do younger (10?-18-years-old) BJD-owners prefer the younger, "less-realistic" looking dolls? Why, why not?
Not necessarily. Depends what is the main source of influence - anime, manga, TV, parents, etc

Do older BJD-owners (19-100?-years-old) prefer the more 'realistic,' more adult-looking dolls? Why, why not?
Regardless of age, do you have a preference (realistic/and/or/mature vs youthful/and/or/stylized)?
Personally, I prefer the more mature and realistic looking sculpts. These are more pleasing to my own eyes. Blame Chucky... Since young, I have been freaked by dolls with unrealistically large eyes and somewhat scary makeups. Infact, to a certain extent I still do. Alot of my age-group friends are still apprehensive about dolls due to that movie.

Is it just a fad, in a constantly changing hobby?
For some - YES. For true collectors - NO.

Is it do to the joining of a completely new audience?
Yes. People like me, are considered a new audience. I can afford them now, hence the interest, not before.

Is it just because BJD companies are growing, maturing themselves, and they want to make more 'real' looking dolls?
I believe so. It's called "growing together with your customer". However, there will always be consideration for the younger fans. Again, these younger fans, if they are influenced by an older person, their preference may mirror that of the older person. Take music for example - I know of pre-teen kids who love listening to music from the 60s.

Does it have anything to do with age-group, or is it related to culture, region or other?
Highly possible. Environmental influences are always a major factor in a person's upbringing, preference, thinking, etc. We cannot discount that.

If you have other views, or opinions of why more 'realistic,' and mature looking dolls are suddenly popping up, please give me your insight, I am curious to know what you think!
Another thought is WHY you are purchasing these dolls. I believe there is a community here that is attracted to these dolls due to their artistic & photography potential. For such, perhaps a more realistic looking doll works better.

The general younger community nowadays are much more knowledgeable and open minded that about their bodies. Perhaps that is why, more realistic dolls with realistic bodies are better accepted, compared to some of us who only knew Mickey Mouse whilst growng up. :P

Finally - price... That could have some bearing on the preference or type that one can afford.

 

I like the realistic dolls as well, I suppose its my predisposition to believe dolls should resemble reality in some way.

I think age doesn't have much to do with what dolls people are going for but the over all look the person is into.

 

Hmm.... I prefer younger looking and possibly less realistic sculpts. (In the age range of believably 14 to 20 ) This is possibly because I'm 20 myself, but I just don't feel right playing with a doll that looks much older than I am... (Even -I- have eyes bigger than some of those sculpts! ) And also because I don't find them as beautiful--to me, at least.
I play with them to escape reality for a moment, haha. (And as inspiration for my graphic novel) When they're artistic models, they suit my drawing style much better as more youthful and "anime inspired". (<-- Though I'm picky about this. I don't really like the Dolfie Dream dolls and molds that are more towards that style, because it's a little too extreme)
I do notice that companies are tending to respond to the demand for more realistic sculpts though. And I can't very well blame them for not catering to the minority-- they wouldn't do well just going with my tastes, would they? XD But I do hope they continue to make at least a few more of the type of sculpts I like occasionally, instead of making it a mass evolution-type event such as the change in style of furniture or music every ten years or so. (And it hopefully won't be that way, or that dramatic)

 

I fall into the older (nearly 40) demographic, and I do prefer more realistic sculpts - no matter the age the doll is representing. I have moved over from fashion doll (Barbies, Genes, etc.) collecting.
I have always been drawn to the fabulous fashions and photography for BJDs the last few years, but I have only started getting interested in purchasing my first doll after I found the realistic-looking ones. I like the boys to look like boys and the girls to be pretty.
I like the anime style, although surprisingly I'm not drawn to it in doll form. It truly comes across as too stylized for me with the big boobs and tiny waists, big eyes and tiny mouths. Yet as I write this, it seems kind-of odd that this would bother me, since i have always loved Barbie.
I love seeing the variety of dolls available now in all forms (even Barbie). I love seeing the fantasy creations, anime styles, different cultural representations, etc. It's great that dolls reflect a broader range of society and dreams.

 

I think it's all about a person's personal asethic, regardless of age. These dolls are all about bonding, so their sculpt must strike a very deep personal chord within the individual collector. I think companies have simply discovered that the realistic sculpts will appeal to certain collectors' asethics and have responded to that, market-wise. But the more stylized forms continue to have very strong followings as well. It's nice to have choices. I'm an older collector and my collection is quite varied. As I've developed a character, I've gone in search of the ideal sculpt to bring to life. Because of this, I have carefully chosen everything from a mildly stylized El, to an emotionally complex realistic Dollstown, to a super realistic minimee, to a robot, and I'm now in the process of searching for the perfect, very stylized sculpt to portray a young Pokemon trainer. It's all about finding the perfect sculpt for the perfect character. Variety is the spice of life for me!

 

I surely prefer more realistic dolls. I always wanted to have a little projection of a human to play with. Also it's fun to see and have a possibility to do faceups of an interesting mature face to achieve as much realism as possible. Many respects to Soom for their dolls! I also like to look at Minimee custom dolls very much.
I made two dolls by myself and one of them is an old bitchy-looking necromancer. I had a great time sculpting all those sagging cheeks, sharp nose and frowning forehead. Beauty can be shown in many ways and not always those that mass culture proposes.

 

Well, I wasn't really active in the market years ago. I only started looking at BJDs seriously about a year ago. So I can't really give an opinion on this. But however, looking at what others have said, I think the change comes from more and more people becoming interested in BJDs. It's not just people within the Asian market, but people from around the world in different cultures are now into these dolls. What is popular in Asia may not be popular in other parts of the world.

I think that as we get older, our perspectives and interests change within our hobbies. For example, I've always loved animation. But I'm not drawn to the same sort of animation I watched as a kid... like Saturday morning cartoons. I now look for animation with more mature themes though not R rated. But when looking back at the animated movies I enjoyed as a kid, I now look at them artistically instead of solely for entertainment value. The same goes for any hobby really. As a child, you may go for the little innocent princess. But as you grow up, you may grow to love the scruffy underdog character because he relates to your frame of reference better.

As with BJDs... I would assume that for most younger people, especially with anime, manga, and anything remotely Japanese being extremely popular. (I have a 13 and 14 year old niece and a 17 year old nephew who are heavily into anime, I know how it is for them.) They would be more prone to looking for younger sculpts with large eyes and small mouths. But the main reason why I couldn't find myself getting into BJDs was that while I've been in the anime/game fandom for 10 years, I just didn't see most of the dolls that were around as interesting... since I have moved on in a way. Especially in my own artwork. Finding more mature / realistic sculpts prompted me to get into dolls. Although my more realistic doll is going to be my 2nd.

But overall, I think it depends on the person, their personal preferences and their interests.

As far as age and preference goes, it depends on the character I want to create. For my adult characters, I prefer more mature sculpts. For childlike ones, I'd go for more youthful and stylized. Though there are certian sculpts that don't really attract me, and it tends to be wide eyes and very, very tiny mouths. But the more mature sculpts really tend to draw me in much more.
I don't think it's a fad. I just think the scope of the hobby is growing. I also think it has to do with more artists getting into this business. Each artist has their own unique style. Even within anime/manga and western animation/comics, each artist has their own way of interpreting people and animals. There are going to be more differences as more artists get into this. It also has a lot to do with the background and culture of the artists, and also as a business, their target market. If they start seeing orders coming in from all over the world, they may look into making dolls that appeal more to these people.

 

Only discovering BJDs 4 months or so ago i'm pretty new to the hobby but i've always preferred the really realistic sculpts. I think being someone who loves tiny little details and is fascinated by the realism and the personality that these resin beings seem to have means that nothing can compare to them. Having been avidly doing my research ever since i saw my first i've skimmed past the more stylized and youthfull dolls and only stopped for the really striking realistic sculpts that have caught my eye. When it comes down to it i think its just about personal preference, now with the emergence of talented sculptors showing off their skill for realism its enevitable that the hobby will produce such things but there hasn't been a decrease in the younger/stylized sculpts being made there is just more variety now.

 

Age: 19
Artist
Preference: Realistic and mature

As you age i think your sense of aesthetics merge more with reality rather than fantasy as you see more of real life, experience more things and meet more people.
Perception of beauty just changes sometimes and as you mature it keeps moving forward.

In a way, Companies are also maturing little by little, starting from iconic, ambiguity and vagueness to something more complex.

 

Do older BJD-owners (19-100?-years-old) prefer the more 'realistic,' more adult-looking dolls? Why, why not? I'm 22. I prefer the less realistic molds. Mostly because I do honestly find highly realistic molds to be a little creepy.

Regardless of age, do you have a preference (realistic/and/or/mature vs youthful/and/or/stylized)? Youthful and stylized, please


Other less specific, but related questions:
Is it just a fad, in a constantly changing hobby?
I don't think so. I think with the hobby branching out, you're obviously going to get a wider variety in sculpts and whats available.
Is it do to the joining of a completely new audience?
I think the newly joining audience just lets more and more companies branch out more and more. Just due to the fact that the more people in the hobby, the more likely theirs going to be a market for anything a doll company would want to do.
Is it just because BJD companies are growing, maturing themselves, and they want to make more
'real' looking dolls? I think it's a higher skill to make more realistic molds. So maybe as scultpers get better at their craft, companies feel more comfortable making more realistic scultps.
Does it have anything to do with age-group, or is it related to culture, region or other? Not that i've personally noticed.

 

Yes, absolutely. When I first encountered the hobby, highly stylised dolls were all there were, and so I went urrgh, creepy, and ran away. My first encounters were with pictures of dolls with stylised faces, anime mouths and big glass eyes and it didn't help that they were posed as a cross between real child pornography and hentai, with the emphasis on the sculpted genetalia ond submissive/abused poses with the big, inhuman, anime eyes and faces... ick ick ick. I don't think I can be blamed for running away.

Then I saw more realistic dolls from DIM and Elfdoll, much, much later, and was in love.

I agree with two points raised above: 1) the influx of collectors from outside anime or Japanese doll collecting fandom, who are more interested in realistic, human-looking dolls and 2) more variety, more experimentation, more sophistication, and less big garage models.

Also... people have just looked at the beautiful, realistic models and wanted them. Demand creates supply.

More choice on the market!

Not necessarily. It depends why they came into the fandom, and what captures their interest.

I thik there are plenty of adults collecting stylised dolls. But again, as above, doll collection in general is less dominated by teenage otaku, and new people cossing iover (from, say, Tonner or reborning fandom) changes the pattern of collecting.

I don't agree with the blurring between mature/realistic and youthful/stylised. Nothing I like better than a realistic child or baby doll.

I do tend to prefer realistic dolls (in a sense! I love vampires, mermaids and elves, but with human proportioned features), of all ages, to anime-styled ones, if we're talking either fashion dolls or bjds. I agree with an earlier poster that actual anime models tend to be a far better translation of anime characters anyway. My little ultra-posable Yotsuba doll with her interchangeable limbs, faceplates and expressions looks and has the feel of her character far better than, say, the Volks Maria-sama Ga Miteru dolls, who capture nothing of the characters they are supposed to be other than their outfits. Even when I have anime cosplay plans, I'd prefer a doll that looked human to me - as if she was a representation of a live-action version. The anime-styled dolls just really don't appeal to me.

 

I'm 20 years old and for me I feel like my age and what I like reflects on the type of doll that I like. I prefer the more mature that looks around my age sort of dolls. Also I like the one that look more realistic because I've never really been into all that sort of fantasy ideal humans. Though I do like a lot of mangas and animes that deal with fantasy I always prefered the ones that dealt with more human like features. And about the doll companies changing...I think over time things just start to change. Nothing stays the same and people always have new ideas and designs. Technology is always changing and so is the fashion, television,...etc...so many things change over the years that it just seems normal to me.

 

I haven't been back to this thread in a long time. What's ironic is that some of my oldest characters are embodied by my most stylized sculpts. Stylized sculpts are much more versatile than they are often given credit for--there's an automatic assumption of youthfulness, however, by being a highly stylized image of a human, it allows them to take on may different looks and aspects. A highly realistic doll that is meant to be in a certain age bracket is going to have a harder time breaking out of that bracket, since being realistic is being true to life. With a stylized doll it is largely up to how the owner chooses to portray them and what kind of feeling they give off. For me, this is really a benefit as with a wig change Cait's doll body can represent her over a great deal of her life, but I couldn't do that with my most realistic heads. If anything, I lean more towards stylization now than I even did when I posted in this thread originally (with the exception of my minimees, since they're intended to be portraits of specific people), though I've seen a few realistic non-minimee dolls that I do find attractive here and there. So anyway I'm now 32 and have really not been big on the trend towards greater and greater realism.

 

I haven't been into this long enough to notice trends, but I can speak for myself here. (I'm 20, by the way)

For me, it depends on the doll size.

MSD and larger, I tend to prefer more realistic, mature sculpts. They are closer to the aesthetic I prefer in art in general, and I think that they come closer to achieving the human ideal of beauty, as well as just looking more natural. I like more detailed, realistic (but not exaggerated) bodies as well in this size range--not totally smooth, but not inhumanly ripped either. There are more stylized sculpts that I really enjoy looking at, but a, still searching to see if I find one I love enough to own. I also love fantasy dolls, but still prefer them to have more realistic features.

For tinies, though, I tend to prefer slightly less realistic sculpts. There are some that look more realistically like children, and I am not nearly as drawn to them as I am to otherwise similar, but less realistic sculpts. I also dislike tinies that are styled to look like small adults, or proportioned too much like infants.

In any size, though, exaggerated features kind of bug me. I'm used to big eyes, but too big, and I won't like a doll. I like the heads to be in moderate proportions to the bodies. Some amount of stylization, I like--I don't always enjoy the "too realistic" molds--but I want a sort of idealized reality.

 

I really don't think it does (at least not across the board--maybe in your own case, I don't know), because while you've started gravitating towards more realistic dolls others (like myself) may have done the opposite. I still don't think there's a big age breakdown between realistic and stylized doll owners. HOWEVER, I do think it's normal for tastes to change as time goes on, and we're exposed to a wider variety of things. The trend for realistic dolls has really picked up over the past couple years, so there's a lot more choices out right now. I know my own tastes have changed somewhat over the past almost five years--not just in individual dolls, but what I do with them, how I relate to them (I've moved in the direction of more stylized dolls and highly story/character driven 'play'). I think if we stick around long enough we all sort of evolve as hobbyists.

 

I can't remember if I ever replied to this thread or not before, but I have to say for me, as someone who is 29 and who has been involved with this hobby since 2003, that as I have grown older and spent more time collecting, my appreciation for realism has changed, in that I more and more actively DISLIKE the hyper realistic dolls. They're an instant turn off for a company for me.

I love artistic stylization, and I don't want my dolls to look like perfect tiny people. I want them to look like interesting dolls. My tastes really have not changed over time. My favourite companies then are still my favourite companies now. I've simply just gotten more set in my ways.

 

In your opinion, has the BJD market changed, is there now more demand for "mature-realistic looking dolls"?
If yes, what do you believe brought about this change?

Generally, there are so many new owners [including myself!] that I think, across the board, demand for bjds have increased and companies are trying to meet said demand.

Do younger (10?-18-years-old) BJD-owners prefer the younger, "less-realistic" looking dolls? Why, why not?

I like stylistic dolls. Don't get me wrong, it has nothing to do with age, I lust after mature looking ones too! Its got to do with artist style. I am a very stylistic artist, and as such, my dollies reflect my tastes. I don't like them too off though, pulips and blythes have never been my thing. I like mature dolls though! I can't stand youthful looking dolls for some reason. Unless they're kids.

Regardless of age, do you have a preference (realistic/and/or/mature vs youthful/and/or/stylized)?
Stylistic dolls. I prefer mature though!

 

I see what you're getting at -- I misunderstood and thought you meant that getting older meant gravitating towards more realistic sculpts. I'm still not so sure it's age, but time in the hobby. It's hard to stay exactly the same in all ways when you've been involved in something for a long time -- that's what I'm discovering now in terms of what I'm doing with some of my characters and storylines (ok, not sculpt related exactly, but same basic idea). I also agree that previous tastes and how people come into the hobby can play a part as well. There's also plain old more available at the moment, so people who have been around awhile might not have had some of those options when they started out, but are able to get them now and are taking advantage of it.

 

If you have other views, or opinions of why more 'realistic,' and mature looking dolls are suddenly popping up,
please give me your insight, I am curious to know what you think! When I started the hobby there was fewer dolls available and that dictated my taste. Now that more mature/realistic dolls are available I'm finding myself gravitating towards them. As for why more mature/realistic dolls are showing up, I suppose it comes with the hobby maturing, and also the skills of the artists involved, and also the artists finding more potential in BJDs.

 

Personally, I like them both but for different reasons. I came into the hobby through hearing about them at anime conventions so at first, I really liked the ones that imitated the anime aesthetic I was (and am) used to. However, overall, the determining factor in what doll I want to get has more to do with the character than the realism of the sculpt. Characters that are supposed to be younger tend to fall into the anime style for me as the realistic ones look too much like young children in my opinion. Whereas characters who are older seem to fall into the realistic looking ones. Overall, I think I'll always have a small soft spot for the more anime-inclined set, even if it's only a tangential influence.

 

In your opinion, has the BJD market changed, is there now more demand for "mature-realistic looking dolls"?
If yes, what do you believe brought about this change?

I don't think it's that the market has *changed*, as much as that it's expanded-- the desire for more mature/realistic dolls doesn't lessen the desire for stylized ones, as far as I've seen, it's more that now the hobby has grown enough that people who like all different styles have been able to find it and to support different artists.


Do older BJD-owners (19-100?-years-old) prefer the more 'realistic,' more adult-looking dolls? Why, why not?

Well... 19-100 is quite the age range! I can't really speak for anyone else in the several age groups there... but I do think that older collectors likely have broader tastes as a group-- younger collectors are often just discovering the hobby, and often the first dolls one sees when discovering BJDs are stylized ones, so you're likely to first be drawn to one of those, before discovering others/having your tastes change or expand with time. It doesn't mean every older owner stops liking those more stylized or youthful dolls, but the longer one has been in the hobby, the more time you have to get used to all sorts of aesthetics.


Regardless of age, do you have a preference (realistic/and/or/mature vs youthful/and/or/stylized)?
I love the look of mature/realistic sculpts, but I also like many that aren't at all mature/realistic... I don't really like child characters so much, which affects my tastes some, but a stylized sculpt doesn't need to represent a young character, and even a 'child' sculpt can be used to represent a fantasy character who isn't a child. So there's room in my collection for those sculpts should I like one.


Is it just a fad, in a constantly changing hobby?

Definitely not that-- I think that this broader range of available sculpts and styles is here to stay as much as anything else in the hobby is. Now that we've got more choices, there's always someone who will want to stick to the mature/realistic look, or to mix styles in their collection.


Is it due to the joining of a completely new audience?

I don't think so... I mean, I think it's difficult to break down the hobby that way because there are always new people discovering it, but I'm sure there are people who collected stylized sculpts from the start but would have bought more realistic dolls back then if they could have, just as the 'new' side of the hobby includes people who have different tastes.


Is it just because BJD companies are growing, maturing themselves, and they want to make more
'real' looking dolls?

That may be. I think it's natural for artists to want to grow and challenge themselves and try new things! I can see how a sculptor who had never really tried for realistic dolls before might want to give it a shot, even if it meant going outside their previous niche. Not every company will, and some sculptors will just do different things on their own time as one-off passion projects without trying to change the look of the company dolls, because to change a well-known aesthetic might be a risk they wouldn't want to take... But some companies do take those risks.

Does it have anything to do with age-group, or is it related to culture, region or other?

I think a lot of it is personal taste, but culture has an impact. What you love in other art forms influences what you're going to love looking at in a doll, after all-- so if you're a big anime/manga fan, maybe you'll prefer those more stylized dolls (not that it's a prerequisite to enjoying them, and there are other stylized things out there too), but a fan of western superhero comics might strongly prefer the more realistic sculpts because most companies' stylization leans closer to manga. Or a fan of a particular movie/show might just want a realistic doll to look like a favorite actor/character, either a replica or just a realistic sculpt that resembles them. Someone might only want childlike dolls because they grew up with childlike dolls and preferred the look of those to fashion dolls, or they might prefer a realistic sculpt because they always hated child dolls when they were a kid and want to get as far from that as possible.

 

I'm turning 40 in a couple of months, and I've been in the hobby for about 7.5 years. I really don't think age has anything to do with people's tastes in doll aesthetics. I think it has to do with the personality and interests of the collector more than anything else. I have always preferred more realistic toys, dolls and figures, even before I got into BJDs. The more real it looks, the more I like it. I love the more realistic and mature (although idealized, I admit!) sculpts like those offered by IMPLdoll, Granado and Iplehouse. Photography is one of my hobbies as well, and I love how the realistic dolls look in photos.

 

I am not knowledgeable about the bjd marketplace. I only know my personal tastes. I prefer my male dolls to be more realistic looking. My female dolls are all younger in age so I like them childlike which lends to a more stylized look.

But mostly I like odd sculpts. Doll Chateau style fantasy creatures. That's what my eye is drawn to. I see quite a few people here feel that way too... I am very new to the hobby and I can say this. I thought bjds were just the stylized, childlike female dolls. Now I'm seeing how diverse the dolls are. More diversity in style is always a good thing IMO.

 

I have a whole range of CHARACTERS ranging from babies to 80+, so I have ALL kinds of sculpts ranging from very juvenile-looking SDs (Volks Kanata shelling a 14 year old boy) thru some Iplehouse EID guys. So I run the gamut. I started this hobby in 2010 - got the first doll in 2011. I WAS looking for mature looking guys, cause those are my favs and were hard to find - not so much anymore But I've got 40+ dolls now (for my photo stories) and they are quite a variation. Like any group of people would be.

 

I've been dying looking at Iplehouse male dolls... They are gorgeous! I think one of them will go on my wish list. Imma build myself a dolly boyfriend! Lol Where can I get a Xia Junsu doll?! That's what I wanna know!

 

I've managed to find a Changmin LOL but haven't seen Junsu nor Jaejoong Not for lack of looking LOL

 

A friend of mine keeps showing me pics of a Jaejoong doll she saw online somewhere. But she hasn't seen a Junsu either... I'll settle for the real thing even if I can't keep him! Lol
I'd love to see pics of Changmin!

 

Found her link!
[Pic] Jaejoong and Junsu Ball jointed dolls

But that doesn't look like Junsu... =(

 

Here's my Rosen Garden Rui:

Ban Min Ki by Cheri Teleri, on Flickr

 

I got into the hobby pretty young (around 2008 and I'm 20 now) and I think that I did prefer the cutesy sculpts. Now I like both and it really just depends on the dolls personality. I think overall I prefer more mature sculpts now though. And I think from being in the hobby for so long, there has been a definite trend towards more mature dolls while I think the cute, youthful sculpts got even more childlike. I used to see a lot more people owning msd sized dolls and now I see more SD sized. So yeah, I do think theres a trend and I personally prefer mature sculpts now.

 

When I first saw a bjds on the internet, I loved their realism. The more realistic doll was, the more impressed I was.
But it's been a long time since then, and my tastes changed completely. I would say, that it was 180° change! xD Now I like really dolly-like dolls. With big eyes, and round faces.

 

For the most part I prefer more realistic and mature looking dolls. Which can be hard when looking for dolls smaller than SD sized Realistic dolls are what got me into this hobby, and I don't see that preference changing anytime soon. However, I do like certain more childish looking sculpts, but that happens less often.

 

Sometimes I wonder if coming in to this hobby via Anime and conventions influenced me to liking cuter dolls? I certainly appreciate all beauties but I feel like I gravitate towards the cuter BJD. I've been told I have a weird view on what 'cute' is though, I like 'creepy cute' stuff alot to :>

 

I don't really have a preference. I love both stylized and more mature-looking sculpts.

 

I think I prefer sculpts that are somewhere in the middle. Although, if I were forced to choose one of the extremes, I would go with stylized. I'm not into anime. But I still like the aesthetic and uncanny valley is sometimes an issue with me.

Though I must say, the more realistic sculpts often tempt me. They are just amazing.

 

The older I got, the more I started liking cartoony styles full of characters.

As a teen I was all about that ANGSTEY HYPER REALISM (which included my writing, art, and also doll tastes), but after moving out, getting a degree and a first real career, dealing with depression and settling into the 7th year of my relationship.... the angsty hyper-realism it got boring really damn quickly. I like (and draw) cartoony, emotive styles now, and I think that transfers over to the dolls as well.

I mean I still appreciate realistic detailed dolls a lot (some people have absolutely breath-taking Iplehouses, sooms, dollstowns, whatever) but, I'm willing to spend $1000 on a pretty, hyper-stylized ray of sunshine, but not willing to drop the same amount on realistic dolls.

 

I've been following the hobby for a few years and the first company I was introduced to was Iplehouse which is definitely on the more realistic side of the spectrum and I was absolutely in love with the look of them I was as about 15 at the time and I was convinced that that was the best company which makes a lot of sense considering that I came from collecting hyper realistic 1/6 scale figures so I don't think age has too much to do with it as the years have passed I have definitely started leaning towards the weird little valley of dolls that are somewhere between being realistic and stylized my first doll was an immortality of soul guy I got earlier in the year and I do plan on getting more dolls that are capable of pulling off either look

 

I like dolls that are a mix of realistic and stylized. Actually, I like dolls that best remind me of my favorite art style, the kind of realistic-proportioned but soft and smooth-skinned and idealized Chinese digital art like heisejinyao's work (although funnily enough I don't think HZ dolls are the best interpretation of her style, haha). That's probably why my favorite companies are all Chinese, because they tend to make dolls that most closely resemble that style. (I find Volks on the too cartoony side, most Korean companies on the too realistic side)

 

i wouldn't come to bjd if they wouldn't be realistic perfection. independently of age, i was always looking for mature looking beautified realism. yep even when i was a little kid. i always liked adult people and imagined princes in fairytales in the same way i do now ^_^

 

I don't think I have a preference. If the face looks good then I like it. It could be the more realistic or more chibi like, so long as it has a pleasant-looking face. Maybe I like an in-between.

 

I like both, but for a long time I couldn't stand the incongruity of having them together. A (very stylized, big head) Volks Lucas and a (fairly realistic, small head) 5th Motif Venitu look awful side by side, a total clash of aesthetic sensibilities. Yet I love both sculpts, and now I own both.

My solution is to split my bjd collection into two collections. I consider my big-head, unrealistic dolls part of one collection, the stylized doll collection... and poor Venitu is currently an island unto himself as the sole member of my nascent realistic doll doll collection. I do plan to get him some company by 2017 though.

I think these days there is actually a smooth gradation from the one end of the spectrum to the other, as you have plenty of in-betweeners like Soom sculpts which look more stylized than, say, (new) Dollshe, but still have small heads and relatively small eyes and can look right with the realistic dolls as well as with some of the more stylized dolls.

 

I mostly prefer more realistic dolls. Even on the more "cuter" dolls I own, I still mostly prefer more realistic faceups and wigs.

I wonder if a lot of this is due to me just absolutely not being a fan of anime/manga/video game characters. I do like a few gaming characters (Princess Peach or Rosalina dolls would be awesome!), but overall, I just prefer realistic characters and dolls.

 

I like stylized dolls with realistic faceups, actually. A bit of both. I don't like small-headed realistic sculpts at all.

 

While my general preference still tends towards the "old school", more doll-like end of the spectrum, this is pretty much where my collection is too these days... I have everything from a pair of very cartoony Volks F-17s to a quartet of fairly realistic IpleHouse EIDs, with a lot of the crew falling somewhere in-between. I just refuse to pose or photograph the more realistic ones with the more stylized ones. I keep them in different cabinets, and that cuts way down on the "aesthetic whiplash".

I'm 46, and have been at the doll thing for 11 years now... and what's popular and what's seen as dated style-wise absolutely HAS changed in that time. It'll keep changing in the future, too, I'm sure. That's just the nature of the beast.

 

@Brightfires yes, I'm sure 3-5 years on from now we'll be seeing the decline of the currently red hot minifees and Switch boys and some other look will take center stage. It's impossible to keep everything matchy-matchy without missing out on a lot of great sculpts and styles.

I think another reason my stance shifted was because at the start (like 8 years ago), bjds were the only doll I was interested in, I wasn't very open to other types of dolls at all, and so I felt like my bjds had to adhere one standard because this was the One True Collection and I'd have no other.

But nowadays, I collect different types of dolls/toys, not just bjds, and as my overall doll collection tastes have diversified, so has my taste in bjds. I wouldn't expect my azone pure neemos or my max factory figmas to match my bjds, so I also no longer expect my bjds to all match each other.

 

I find I greatly prefer stylized or fantastical as far as what I'd actually want to own. I appreciate all the realistic sculpts, and can also appreciate the smaller and cutesy dolls. But I don't really want to own a doll that looks like a mini person. I personally can't see that being a thing for me right now, it might be in the future, but for the moment, I want weird over realistic.

And I think I don't want a mini super realistic person because I suppose the idea is a little eerie to me.

Mind I am very new to BJD, i don't even have one yet, I just am relaying what I have noticed thus far for me.

 

I tend to prefer more realistic, mature dolls, especially dolls that are so perfect and pretty. Funny enough I am finding myself also drawn to anime dolls and in fact just got my first Dolfie Dream. Ultimately I think it comes down to the personality of the doll and whether or not I think it's a good representation of a particular style.

 

I definitely tend toward childlike and stylized. All of my SDs are old school dolls I got second hand other than my DollGa Noella, who was a Leeke re-release in 2013. I have a Volks DearSD on the way, and she's a Nono, one of the oldest, most stylized sculpts. I love the absolute beauty of Iplehouse sculpts, though. I'm more interested in the JID line though since they're more child like without being actual little kids. I can appreciate a lot of the newer, more realistic sculpts out there, but I don't know that I'll ever own them. In addition to the Nono, I have my eye on a old school Volks girl I found online and I'm paying off my PW Goldie on Friday. What can I say, I love those big eyes!

 

Definitely on the stylized end of the spectrum. My collection hovers somewhere between the very stylized (old Delfs) to the somewhat-less-stylized (Elfdoll boys) and then one girl that's somewhere in between those two. The trend toward hyper-realism does absolutely nothing for me; I just don't find the look appealing. Part of what I love about the stylized dolls is that they're very obviously dolls.

Yup. Trends shift in doll-collecting, like in anything else. I know my collection is considered 'dated' but I prefer to look at it as 'retro'.