What doll got you into the hobby?

Loongsoul's Wei Yue Yan (Dan)! I'd been interested in BJDs years before but it was seeing that sculpt that reminded me how much I'd wanted a doll and she was too beautiful to resist!

 

I don't remember what sculpt the two dolls who got me into the hobby. The first doll was probably a Volks MSD though I can't be sure. I was walking through an anime convention and she was sitting neatly on an artist's table. I was so shocked by how pretty she was that I asked my then boyfriend now fiance what the doll was. He laughed as he knew I'd be interested in it and told me what it was. Later that weekend there was a panel about ball and jointed dolls. Sitting in the audience people came in with their totes and dolls on their arms. My mind was blown.

Then the woman next to me sat down with a Luts boy and she asked if I wanted to hold him. I was hooked as soon as I touched him. I learned how much they were, but also how much of a community there was. I signed up for this forum, saved up and bought my first doll... and, now here I am.

I think it's funny I never bought a Volks or Luts. They might have gotten me into the hobby but they weren't the sculpts I was attracted to.

 

one of my friends actually got me into the hobby. I had first seen some dolls online but I thought I would never spend so much for a doll, no matter how pretty (boy was i wrong). But when my friend got her first doll and i saw it in person i had to have one xD eventually she left the hobby but i fell in love and have been in the hobby on and off for awhile. I just recently got back into it again because I found a second hand doll that i really loved and so here i am once again lol

 

Wow, that was so long ago…way back in 2006. I went to a lecture on ball jointed dolls hosted by a local doll club. The speaker passed around a Luts msd girl (although I no longer remember which one) and once I held her, I was hooked! It was the way she moved and the weight that got me. I went home and immediately signed up on Den of Angels, and I’ve been here every single day since.

 

Luts CP Delf Yder is the doll I credit with getting me into the hobby in probably about 2005--that was the first BJD I ever saw in person, owned by a friend who let me pick him up and carry him around for a bit. I was 100% sunk after that.

 

Lati Red M & DoD Camine. They were the first 2 I'd ever seen and as a general dolly person, I couldn't help being interested in a new (to me) type. Many moons, dolls, and $$$ later, I'm still completely in love - tho I've never owned either of the two that got me started.

 

It was sort of a string of dolls that got me here-- none of which I own the same sculpt of.

First it was seeing Bishonenhouse doll photographs on deviantart. Then at a convention with my sister, she got FULLY on board when we saw other doll owners in person for the first time (could not tell you the doll sculpts or companies, but they were certainly all cute!), and then it was handling her Shiwoo that won me over completely.

 

Volks Tokyo Boys Story Shirou Tachibana was my enlightenment.

 

I don't know which doll it was anymore, but someone on different hobby forum posted a photo of one of the little Lati White dolls. I believe it was a limited series, in a red kimono. That was the first time I've ever heard of BJDs, and I was smitten. I didn't get that doll though, but I did get another Lati (MSD sized) as my first doll.

 

Obitsu was my gateway drug. First with the smaller dolls; then when I saw how much fun my online friends were having with their SDs and MSDs, I bought a 60cm Obitsu.

It was all down hill from there...

 

For me, it was another doll hobby that was the gateaway to BJDs. At first, I was into pullips; and slowly, BJDs were more and more present into that community, until I was sold.
But the way I got into the doll hobby at all was by sheer.. luck?
I was bored, scrolling through blogs about Japan, and pullips came up a few times- maybe 3 to 5 times before I started investigating.
At first, i though they were creepy. Then, I wondered why I saw them twice already; after the third time, I was curious.
And i got into pullips; and then, as I said, people that were into Pullips started collecting BJDs too, if they hadn't already; and I just made the switch after a few years.

 

Minifee. For me, it is all about Fairyland.

 

My first BJD was a Resinsoul Wu. I still love him to bits.

 

Soom Humpty Dumpty, I knew about BJDs before then but my friend had a Humpty Dumpty and I loved him, so I looked up Soom and found The Gem and Idealian websites, it was definitely love at first sight.

Oddly though the first BJD I got was actually a Dollshe Bernard…

 

First doll I have bought is Dal Sakura, but my first bjd is Dollzone Mini Shoyo (or Shyo? haha). Still have both of them

 

My Maddy Bear Elle!!

I was lucky enough on the very first preorder in 2021 to snag her in Golden Hour!! She was my first doll in the hobby and my first preorder doll ever.

 

My BFF got me into the hobby. I realized that Square Enix was never going to make a action figure of my favorite Final Fantasy VII character, which they did after I given up. I realized the possibilities and potential of a BJD being any character that I wanted and I was hooked. After looking up different companies and what different dolls were out there I decided on DIM minimee service, basically a custom head of any character as long as there wasn't 10 already out there of the character. So I jumped on the opportunity and got my favorite character done, Rufus Shinra.

 

Back when I first started in the hobby (circa 2006) I had come across a Volks SWD Nana while searching for anime things on ebay. That was the doll that made me start researching into the hobby and triggered the obsession! I couldn't go back! It was her face sculpt that did it for me!

 

Resinsoul Su <:3 I was sculpting my own art doll and looking at a lot of videos about doll customizing for tips on painting/sculpting and sealing, and a few of these youtubers had vids on BJDs, which reminded me that they exist (I knew of them but didn't really think I wanted such an expensive toy if given the chance)

Out of curiosity one day I looked up info on "affordable" companies and Resinsoul obviously came up, went to check out their site, and was struck by how reasonable all the prices were. Then I saw Su... and realized, with her super long elf ears, a pointy nose, she could probably be styled to look like one of my Warcraft ocs! And I was obsessed with the idea for days following, during which I feverishly researched both the hobby and the specific doll. I was concerned I could barely find any pictures or reviews of her as opposed to Mei, a more popular and smaller sculpt, but I was so enamored with Su... I decided to pull the trigger and buy her.

Then I found out Resinsoul will mix and match doll features for you upon request??? And that was the beginning of the end (said with love)

 

The very first ABJD in my country: Volks Tsukasa Konoe by the name of Uno (pretty sure my fellow old-school BJD owners know who Uno is and what band he is a member of ) was the one who kick-started my interest in anything and everything BJDs (circa 2007). Initially, I thought only Volks creates these beauties but eventually found out that there are Korean companies like Luts and Dream of Doll (now discontinued, unfortunately ).

Although I do not imagine myself owning a Volks doll anytime in the future, I'm beyond content that some of the characters I created in my head can be brought to life via BJD's of other brands.

 

The doll that made me want to start collecting was DollZone's Wing, a 65 or 68 boy, I don't rightly remember which. My best friend got him as a fullset and he was just gorgeous, so she showed me the site where she got him and that's where I met my girl!

 

For me it were Unoa dolls, Sist and Lusis... I got one of each and a Chibi, too. I love them to bits. They're classical beauties.

 

On the art gallery site Deviant Art there was this artist who used BJD to show their characters from a story they were writing called Frankie*Snatch. Their doll for their character Bonhwa was the very first BJD I ever saw and started a rabbit hole dive I've never recovered from.

 

I remember being absolutely floored by a picture of a Unoa Lusis- a picture of one with blue eyes and brown hair that's been reposted so many times that I genuinely don't know the source (the only place I can find it is a recast aliexpress listing ). I remember being stunned by her soft features and just how expressive her face was... I was doomed.

 

The first doll that caught my eye and drew me into this hobby was volks Chii, I've never seen her in real life yet but if I can never get my hands on her. I would be happy just to see her once.
Compared to my first doll that was on the cheaper end of the scale and vinyl, my 60cm Obitsu with two heads sharing the body Gretel and Haruka at the time.

 

I guess dolls from Crobidoll! I really got interested in BJD because of the videogame Nameless ~The one thing you must recall. In the game, the protagonist owns a couple of BJD that turn into humans. I was very fascinated by these dolls and looked up how much they would cost... yikes!
Now I can finally afford one... hm, maybe I should get Lance from Crobidoll.

 

I have this game on my Steam wishlist!

For me, I became interested in the hobby three years ago when I first saw pictures of a doll which I later discovered is Fairyland's FeePle65 Moonlight Elf Chloe. She was, and still is, probably one of the most beautiful dolls I've ever seen, as well as Angell Studio's Kana. I will not include these specific dolls in my own collection since I have learned I prefer smaller dolls and certain proportions, but some day I intend to recreate the Moonlight Elf Chloe in the form of a hybrid I'm planning with a Dollshe fashion Diana.

 

For me it was dolls from Fairyland in general. Fell in love with their Minifee dolls back in 2015 and that's what got me to look more into different bjds. Never ended up getting a Minifee myself, but maybe someday.

 

@CatWedding
They really are so beautiful aren't they? I'm always amazed with their fullsets. It looks like so much goes into making all those intricate clothes and accessories

 

The doll that initially made me want my own is Dollzone's Rosemary! It was posted two months ago on Mercari and I sadly missed it, which is what led me to try to seriously start looking at other dolls to buy.

 

Doll Chateau Snowborn was the one that made me bite the bullet and order my first BJD.

 

The doll that got me into BJD's is a Volks doll that was made to look like Malice Mizer's Mana. I came across her picture while searching for something else and she just took my breath away. It took me years to figure out that 1. she's from Volks, 2. what her sculpt name might be, 3. confirmed her sculpt just to find out she's long discontinued, 4. finding her on the second-hand market.

I am really thankful to say that I've finally found her. Finally.

 

Years ago I remember being on Pinterest and seeing a photo of a beautiful lady wearing a renaissance dress. Imagine my surprise when I realized that lady was a bjd, an Iplehouse Carina, I believe. I had never heard of bjds before, but didn't think a whole lot about it at the time.

My sister later started learning about bjds and got us both wanting one. In 2016 I found ACBJD, and saw Loongsoul's Wei Huo Hu and immediately fell in love with him, though he was far out of my price range at the time. Years and many bjds later, I now have him. I never thought I would be able to because by the time I was able to get a doll like him, I figured he would be discontinued. Thank goodness for my sister who remembered his existence and tracked him down for me!

 

I watched a tv show called outsiders and on this one episode a woman who collected dolls namely bjds showed her collection and the first doll was a Delf Soo She was so beautiful and after that I turned to google and dolly youtube, and it all snowballed from there

 

It was a limited edition SD-sized doll from Fairyland which name I no longer remember cause it was 15 years ago or so. I saw it in a convention and it was lovely customized, very fairy-like dressed in purple with jewelry and everything, and I found her really appealing but also too big. Not much later I found they did come in a few shapes and sizes and... here we are.

 

If we're going to go way back, around 2009 is when I learned about the hobby and wanted to get involved. I saw a picture of B&G Dolls Afra and thought it would be so cool to get one to customize. Unfortunately I was 14 and knew the hobby was well beyond my budget, so I put that on hold for a decade.

After that, I think it was Villitunes' Minami and Mimi-Chu that really made me want to dive into the hobby for sure. I had started collecting vinyl dolls by then as well, so stepping into the resin space at that point wasn't too daunting.

 

Joining the Unoa Lusis club. She is so pretty and has such a unique face! But at the time I was intimidated by the size so I gravitated more toward 1/6 size dolls and started my collection from there. I still don’t have a Lusis of my own, but I love looking at pics of her.

 

Bimong Dandelion. I saw an owner photo of her on Flickr one day and absolutely fell in love. She wasn't the first doll I ordered, but she still remains the goal post in many ways. I actually have several Dandelion heads now, I just need the right body (Bimong's 53cm Fusion body is lovely, but I need something more child-like for my OC).

The other doll that got me in: Rosengarden Hana (the little one in my avatar)! She was the first doll I ever received and I thought I was crazy to take the plunge (I had never spent so much money on a personal purchase before). I still love her dearly, even though she still has no faceup or proper wig X)

 

The first one I saw was on a now long gone forum, I think he was a Elf Doll because that was my first 3 BJD's. Sadly once the one's foot fell off and I saw how Elf Doll did feet I sold all 3 and never bought another Elf Doll. I went onto Soul Doll, Dollstown and many, many X infinity it seems; others. Last count was around 600 in my 16 years.

 

A japanese classmate began with these dolls from Angel Region and at the begining I was reluctant until I began to see dolls on websides and a DOD Ducan just catch my eyes.

 

The first one to intrigue me was an Angel Region Lillica belonging to an online friend. But the first one I couldn't get out of my mind was was another one of hers, a Dollstown Seola who I was smitten with at first sight. I was accustomed to fashion dolls with their cheery (sometimes manically cheerful) expressions and I couldn't get this somber little girl out of my mind. I was lucky enough to bring her home about eight months later and I still have her almost ten years later.

 

Here’s a response full of irony. The doll who got me into the hobby, the first doll I ever ordered, I STILL AM WAITING FOR. Still waiting almost four years later. Have you figured out which company it is??? If you guessed DOLLSHE you would be correct!!!! I ordered a Dollshe Diana in honey resin, sapphire blue, and paid in full. So yeah, I’ll probably never get her and it’s too late to get my $$$ back. First, I waited a year, then two, then Dollshe stopped making honey resin, but said they’d still make mine, then stopped making fantasy colors, insisted he’s still going to honor my order, then stopped responding entirely. And here I am. Still waiting. Luckily, now I’ve amassed about 30-40 other dolls from about 15 great companies with 4-8 month waits. I can do those standing on my head after Dollshe. And still I wait for Diana. Someone should make a book called “We Waited for Dollshe”

 

I'm in the same boat. Been waiting for a Saint for over two years. I've accepted I won't get him and now looking at other dolls to replace him

 

Soom Sabik was the first one to catch my eye...it took me a few years, but I did eventually get him.

 

That’s so wrong. This is unacceptable, Dollshe should be ashamed of himself

 

I ALMOST ordered a Saint through Dollshe a few years ago, but chickened out...I JUST got him second hand a few months ago, so I will cross my fingers that you get yours eventually.

 

Yes, I think secondhand is the only option now. I'm not sure exactly where to look though. I don't use social media and from what I understand, many deals take place there now. There's always eBay and other such sites, but I'm unsure how reliable they are.

 

It was, I think, a DoD Shall way back in 200... I want to say 7? I must have stumbled upon the fullset pictures through deviantArt and got sucked into a rabbit hole. I was obsessed with bjds for a few good years, looking at pretty pictures on dA and scrolling through company websites, but as a teen with no money I never managed to buy one. Eventually other priorities took over, I had forgotten all about it by the time I started uni and chugged on with life. At the end-ish of last year I had a project I had to make marionettes for, guess what I checked for inspo? I soon found a doll second hand "just for reference" and well...

I'm so sad that DOD is gone but glad I finally found my way into the hobby 1,5 decades later.

 

I think it was 2006 when I first saw BJD's on Deviant Art...and it was someone with a Dream of Doll Camine. I was blown away by how cool he was but, finances and other things made me take a hard pass....2 years later in 2008 I rediscovered BJD's and became obsessed. I ended up getting many other dolls first, but did finally manage to pick up a Camine of my very own off the secondhand market in 2013, and I'm so glad I did, since DoD is long gone now.

 

I saw Volks Ami Ayase on the cover of a doll magazine at the bookstore, Barnes and Noble!
After that I went down the rabbit hole and ended up staring at the Dream of Doll (RIP) website daily, I really wanted a Si! I actually have never owned either of those dolls! Maybe one day!

 

Hujoo Freya and Freyr got me into the hobby after seeing their customizing video by YouTuber Dollightful. I wish they were still around, though. I've only been able to find one listing on Ebay for a Freya doll.

 

Danny Choo's dolls!

 

I'd seen BJD's a few years before I became interested in them. It was Souldoll Harace that really made me want to get into the hobby in I think 2010, but I didn't get my first doll (a second hand Soom Kremer) until 2015. I did eventually get a Souldoll Harace second hand in 2018, and he even still has the original company faceup I loved so much! To this day he might still be my favorite doll.

 

Iplehouse Cordelia JID. I wanted her for about 6 years before I bought a bjd.

 

Dream of Doll Tender Yen and Twing-key. I had them both, adored them, but moved to 1/3 size not long after and sold them long ago.

I still remember that first wait/arrival though. Pretty magical, honestly.

 

I love how many people have mentioned Dream of Doll here. As for me: Dream of Doll Homme Ducan, I was googling something related to gothic lolita style and I found a picture of him. After that I got more and more into BJDs. I never owned DoD Homme Ducan myself (I got DoD Camine at some point), but he was the doll that got me hooked.

 

Oh, interesting question.

The first doll that ever got me interested in BJD was Dream of Dolls DOT E-an, and to this day I still have a strong soft spot for her. If I ever managed to find her, it would be amazing. Full set version, because it was the full set that got to me.

The first doll I ever bought that made me realize I really liked resin BJDs? It would be my little Resinsoul pup, Basil Vincent. He's just so adorable, and I can hold him in my hand and he makes me smile to look at.

 

3 years ago, I have no knowledge that BJD exists. Then I saw this beautiful male doll on a local shopping site, and I instantly fell in love. I did some research about BJDs, and the rest they say was history. My first BJD was Iplehouse's Bichun FID. He was the one that started it all. I have more than 30 fashion size BJDs from 4 different companies as of this counting. There are more dolls I want to purchase. I am even planning to buy my first SD size BJD.

 

I remember seeing dolls on my Instagram explore page and wondering what they were. I kept going back to them and decided to start researching and here i am now!