What dolls do you consider iconic & why?

I got into BJDs in the mid 2000s, so when I think "iconic" I think of the old CP Luts, Dream of Doll, and Elfdoll.
Even saw someone do a cosplay of the Elf Ducan fullset from DOD.

 

Volks and DOD.

 

The Volks 4 sisters sculpt is iconic to me. It’s so classic but has been styled in so many ways over sooo many years, has been made into different sizes, and has stood up to the test of time and still looks great and is valued today.

 

I instantly thought of the first BJD I could recognize, Fairyland's Puki Puki Pong.

 

I'd say probably the sculpts that were incredibly popular and kind of defined an "era" of the hobby. So CP El, Dream of Doll Ducan, Migidoll Jina (these were EVERYWHERE for a while), Minifee Chloe, the old Dollshe boys, and probably a lot that I'm forgetting. Just the dolls you saw all over the place, the ones that were the first you thought of when you thought of BJDs.

 

Volks Four Sisters.

 

Some were already listed, but I want to list them as well:
- Volks Four Sisters, School A, Williams
- Luts El
- Dream of Doll Ducan, but pretty much all their big classic molds like Sha/Shall, Lahoo, Camine etc.
- Soom MD from 2008-2010, like Heliot, Amber, Sard etc.
- Old Dollshe Hound, Saint, Bermann etc.
- Fairyland MNF Chloe
- Unoa Lusis/Sist
And more I just can't remember right now

Some of these are very defining for a specific era (like El), some were the beginning of something that hadn't existed like that before (Soom MD, the big Dollshe guys).
The Volkses are harder to describe, but especially the School A (and all its siblings that have similar faces) was and still is around everywhere. He always felt like the Japanese El to me.
The DOD ones were and are unique in how they managed to even captivate people outside the hobby (cosplay, their photos printed on cheap fashion accessoires). Unoas with their kits, but also unique setup that no other company to this day has attempted...not to mention that they have this nostalgic charme to them still.
And Chloe, that to me felt like she became an icon of a new generation of people that got lured in by Andreja's videos back then.

Of course I might be a bit biased due to when I entered the hobby, but I have a very hard time labeling newer dolls as iconic already.
There are certainly a lot of infamous ones though

 

Volks and CP/Luts.

The first BJDs I ever saw were Dollfies, in the early 2000s.

 

Got lured in, can confirm. I never got one, but she is the first doll that comes to mind when someone asks about popular dolls or I see a thread like this. To this day, I keep an eye out for Chloes on threads, shop models, anything and smile a bit inside when I see one.

Maybe the Dollfie Dreams, since the anime style is so distinctive and helped kickstart that genre.

Or even Resinsoul Mei, although she may be more popular than she is iconic. Not so much of an era but of a concept. She’s an inexpensive sculpt but can look great when painted right. I guess she just always felt to me like she’s a sort of symbol- a way to have a “popular” doll that looks good, but won’t break your wallet and can easily fit a popular size of clothes.

 

I would have to agree with lots of above opinions.

5th Motif Venitu
Dollshe Saint
Dream of Doll Ducan
Fairyland MNF Chloe
Soom Dia
Zaoll Luv

Over the years, these are some of the sculpts that have seemed super prevalent and popular.
Some of them are a little newer maybe, but Venitu got SUPER popular super fast.

 

I am going with the " widely recognized and well-established" definition.

-Volks (especially the 4 sisters ) (first company, widely popular and well-established)
-Luts (widely popular and well-established)
-Doll chateau (especially the spider body) (particular aesthetic)
-Fairyland (especially Minifee Chloe) (particular aesthetic)
-D.O.D. (all of their SD sculpts) (widely popular and well-established before going under)
-Popovy (all of their dolls) (particular aesthetic)
-Resinsoul (especially the Mei sculpt) (first widely affordable and available dolls type company. I believe that since they offered low-cost dolls, they have their place on my list as they offered new opportunities from an economic standpoint even if I don't consider their aesthetic to be widely recognizable (but feel free to disagree!))
-Dollshe (especially the Saint and Hound sculpts) (widely recognized but also infamous for the wait times? Are they widely recognized mostly because people complained so much? XD )

From a concept point: the monthly LE Soom dolls.

Edit: added dolls, because I mainly talked about companies

 

I'm in the position of having just joined the hobby like 4 years ago, and to be honest I have difficulty telling a lot of "classic" sculpts apart.

For me the most iconic sculpts are the ones that have existed across multiple sizes... So, like, Fairyland has Chloe (and a lot of their sculpts) in 60cm, mini, and tiny sizes. For me personally Dollzone Carter and Miracle Doll Baiye are very iconic because their faces are instantly recognizable and they come in multiple sizes.

I guess what makes a doll "iconic" to me is when they transcend "doll" and become a recurring character/"actor" for their company/sculptors.

 

Definitely here to agree with previously listed dolls lol.
Volks is THE iconic company. Pretty sure their influence spans beyond Resin BJD as their designs have gone on to influence [off topic] doll designs. On top of that, Dollfie Dreams are well known among non-doll collectors for their portrayals of iconic anime characters. I know people who had never heard the term BJD before but were familiar with the Hatsune Miku DD or other DDs of popular characters!
Other iconic dolls would be the Luts CP/Delfs, namely Shiwoo, El, and Soony. I feel like a lot of people were introduced to BJDs through them (myself included lol). Fairyland Minifee Chloe has become a staple sculpt in the hobby and her influence can be seen throughout many newer sculpts & companies.
Unoa Lusis was also a highly sought after doll for such a long time, she became an icon. I'd also say the same about Soom Amber. I remember a lot of people were after her when I joined the hobby! Dream of Doll was huge and had a very recognizable style. Their dolls were everywhere for so long, and so popular, I never understood how they went under!

 

I find this thread FASCINATING! Back in college (like 2008ish) was the first time I saw BJDs in anyone's possession. I might have seen one or two at an anime convention but it's all vague memories. I can't tell you if they were Volks, Luts, or some other company!

I joined here in 2009 but I don't think my involvement really took off until 2015. So I have missed a lot - including Dream of Doll apparently! But from my perspective, there are iconic companies. Volks, Luts, Fairyland, Soom...after that it's all new to me and I enjoy learning about companies I have missed out on, might not want anything from at the moment, or are just starting out!

 

Volks SD Suigintou!

 

Volks SD F-01 (Four Sisters) for sure.

It was the first face of modern BJDs and has been consistently popular over the years. It is the face that launched an entire hobby.

 

Minifee Chloe
5th Motif Venitu
Dollshe Saint

 

Personally, my first introduction to BJDs was accidentally coming across a photo of Isao Nanjo from Volks Tokyo Boys Story line while searching for something anime-related. It was the first time I'd ever seen a customizable male doll that looked (kind of) like an anime character and I wanted one so so so badly, but his price tag... I'm no longer interested in him now but he'll always be iconic to me, and I think he was one of Volks' earliest male dolls that came with a backstory??

Luts/CP and DOD are also iconic to me as they were super popular when I first got into BJDs, mostly everyone in the local doll community had dolls from one of these companies. For Luts/CP, El and Breakaway were the names that I saw everywhere back then! XD

For DOD, if I remember correctly, they only sold 1/4 dolls in the beginning? The four guardians - Hoo, Yu, Si and Wi of the DOC line were especially popular and they all had little backstories. Actually, I think all their dolls came with backstories. And I remember that people were always looking for splits for their Too and Bee-a as they had to be bought as a pair and couldn't be bought separately due to their backstory of being lovers? I don't think any other company did/does this (i.e. require you to buy dolls as a pair). Also I think DOD was the only company back then that sent their DOC dolls in a carrier bag instead of a box which made them seem like quite a good deal! I still have the carrier bags and they are still holding strong!

Oh, and I almost forgot about Custom House and Dolkot! Custom House was more of the go-to for more 'realistic' child-like dolls while Dolkot's Kiss was very sought after and he is still quite recognizable today.

 

I tend to think of the unusual, but easily recognizeable sculps and the once that was talked about a lot when they came out. Those are the ones I really remeber, anyway.

Doll Chateau Alberta was one such doll who really put the company on the map. She was unlike anything other companies did at the time.
Doll Zone have a similar story with dolls like Anson and Moment. They were so unique and so different. While they were not made for very long, a fair number of them found their way to very talented customizers and seemed to spark the imagination like few other dolls and you got to see them painted a flowers, fairies and even one i remeber where the owner hade taken advantage of the large surfaces of the petals and drawn entire little pictures on them.
Ring Doll's Frankenstein also were a big thing when it first came out, and so was their Zombie Sol, because while gore mods were verey much a thing in the hobby with amazing customizers like One Grey Elephant and others churning out wonderfully gruesome mods, that was the first time a major compnay sold dolls not just styled, bet also sculpted to that aesthetic (as far as I can remember, anyway).
Batchix original Machina doll is also one that I really remember, as fun as the zombie/vampire doll made before was (what was his name, Adrian?) and as cute as the mini machina dolls are, that first little robot girl will always hold the place as one of the very early independant artist dolls that got a pretty wide recognition that I saw.

 

I’m going to nth what everyone else is saying and point to dolls like Volks F01, Williams, Lieselotte, and also LUTS Delfs, Fairyland Chloe… dolls that have a strong following and have been around long enough to kind of represent their companies. I remember the El army when I joined the hobby being a huge thing, and with the number of companies around now, it’s really hard for any one mold to gain that kind of a hold on the collective imagination of the whole hobby anymore.

 

I started in 2004 and I would have to name Dollshe Bermann for starting the trend from animeish/ partly realistic to realistic face sculpts, but also because his 2006 Tensiya Sales have traumatized a whole generation of BJD collectors

And, I'm kinda surprised he hasn't been mentioned yet, Iplehouse Akando, their first EID line man, for
1. starting to commercialise the whole circus/ freak show theme which is now pretty stock in trade in BJDs
and 2. being the first real buff, 'manly' man doll with a grown up face mold (compared to what was standard then), a type which to this day remains one of the most common and best selling segments in the hobby
We all went a bit crazy when his teaser pictures appeared in 2008

 

Volks Four Sisters, hands down. They were kind of there from the start, and I don’t think we’d have the hobby as we know it without them.

Also, I see everyone calling Minifee Chloe iconic, and I won’t argue that she is….but also Minifee Shiwoo walked so all the other Minifees could run, so to speak

 

I think it largely depends on when you first got interested in the hobby. I didn’t know anything about BJDs until 2016-ish, so a lot of the older sculpts and companies you guys have mentioned I’ve never seen or heard of, because I haven’t found it necessary to go digging into archives.

 

For me, it's Dollzone Mo and Megi. I started the hobby in 2008, and it seemed like everybody had either Mo or Megi, and I was actually talked into getting Mo as my second doll. Mo and Megi have also been released in tiny, 1/4 and 1/3 sizes, so that makes them pretty iconic to me.

 

For me, it's Zaoll, because of her enigmatic face. Then Elfdoll Vivien, because she is really alive and it's a masterpiece of Rainman. Venitu is next. Soom Chrom perhaps... And Dia, of course.

 

Volks Four Sisters
Volks Williams
Luts CP El
Dollzone Mo
Soom Dia

 

Volks 4 Sisters…have one
Luts CP Delf El
Iplehouse EID Luo
Dollzone Moment and Anson…have one
Doll Chateau Alberta and Elizabeth…have one of each

To me, these were iconic because they made me see the hobby in a whole new light, expanding my ideas of what a doll can be.

 

I agree with most people on what molds are truly "iconic" in the way that they left a huge impression on the hobby, whether you owned one or not, and people knew them. They knew other collectors who owned those dolls and everyone wanted one because someone else had it and made it huge.

Volks Four Sisters, Lilsolette and Williams and the Chris/Lucas family
CP Delfs - specifically El - who else had their own army??
Dollshe Hound and Saint (moreso than the rest of their molds)
Early Soom Monthly's - and when everyone found out Sard was Dia, Dia
Iplehouse EIDs, which started the giant-men-doll revolution
Migidoll Ryu, and Miho and Jina...which were some of the earlier sculpts that were somewhat realistic back in the day
Unoa
Zaoll Luv
MNF Chloe

Personally I think MNF Chloe was the last iconic doll. Both, because as was mentioned, there are SO MANY companies out there now, and so many dolls, that it's hard to pull one out of the millions - but also because there are so many more people in the hobby. There aren't as many "popular" owners (if any) out there that literally everyone knows, and obsesses over their dolls...so it's harder for one person to start a buying spree for one specific sculpt that everyone wants.

Also there is a HUGE emphasis on the new in the hobby now that wasn't there 10 years ago. The newest doll releases is the flavor of the day, until the next one comes out and suddenly it's the one that is the one. Then the next release comes out and it just keeps on going.

And with current wait times being what they are, there isn't time to even enjoy one doll before the next one is on the way, so most people won't even know it exists and then it's been replaced. In a lot of cases, dolls don't even make it to their owners before the next most new doll is released.

Basically there isn't even enough time for a doll to become "iconic" in the hobby now before it's swept along in a tidal wave of new dolls.

 

@VampireAngel13 I think you really hit the nail on the head. I feel like I get an email from Soom twice a month as opposed to once every 3 or 4 months now with a new release. If I wait two weeks and check Luts, there are NEW dolls. Sure, sometimes it is a re-release of older head sculpts but it's at a new size or has a new expression or something.

I remember specifically I had just ordered Elf Saiph from Soom last June or July and within a week I was ordering Azur from them (he was a grail doll so the timing was just poor). You're right that the constant new releases takes away from people having time to enjoy what they have already or just ordered or just put on lay away. It's more a sense of "fear of missing out" than "wow look what someone did with their dolls!"

 

.

 

Hmm... I'd go with a Supia Rosy, because it seems like a decade ago or so everyone had one... ah the good old times when I looked up the BJD pics on DeviantArt mostly, then I discovered flickr So, 10 years past its phase, I finally got it

People mention Zaoll Luv and Four Sisters... I also got them both. I also had a Migi Jina and still have a sentiment. As far as the Resinsoul dolls are concerned, I think lots of people had a Song at some point... and I had Seng. I wish I had a Song though. And these are the dolls I remember very affectionately I think what makes them 'iconic' is that they're 'idiot-proof' because they're so generic. And I only own such dolls xD After several dozens of dolls I have to admit - I'm lazy. I just want the 'easy' dolls that look decent even with my crappy faceup skills I think this is what makes dolls iconic.

I'd also mention Doll Chateau Bella/Colin, Customhouse Ange Ai, Napidoll Chesi, Leeke Mikhaila, Fairyland Ante, Switch Shiho... IOS Sezz/Mezz, Crobi Lance, DoD Duncan, Volks f16 & school A, Little Monica Chloe, Iple Jessica/Bianca/Stella

 

I don't know if anyone has mentioned her, but to me Bimong's Dandelion (the original one) is iconic, and was one of the first bjds I could recognize.

Volks/Luts/Fairyland/generally big-eyed sweet faces style has never appealed to me that much so I wouldn't be able to recognize them, but some other dolls that seem iconic to me are:

Pasha Pasha dolls - I feel like they have had a big impact on fashion MSD dolls and their popularity, plus the advent of more nifty shoulder joints among all sizes of dolls.

Twigling/Artifex Kindred dolls - I feel like the unique faces and bodies of these dolls have given them an iconic status in the hobby. Lilycat might be in the same category (although I'm not very familiar with those dolls) because the sculpts seem to have influenced the body proportions of many newer dolls. Dust of Doll as well, for that matter!

Enchanted Doll (although not really common in the hobby due to how expensive they are) also seem very iconic to me. They were the dolls that made me fall in love with bjds!

Many Dollshe sculpts seem very iconic to me as well, especially Saint and Rosen - they have unmistakable faces.

 

I think, for me at least, it would have to be the Volks 4 sisters dolls (Megu, Nana, Sara, and Kira) because you see her everywhere *my avatar >.> * She is a common and popular sculpt and you see her on LeekeWorld modeling wigs, and in many many other places. It doesn't help that she's completely adorable

 

I agree to some extent, but i still think some newer molds have reached iconic status in my mind, paticularly venitu and chole.

 

Agree with much of the above…
Adding the Dollmore Model line, and Lusions.
The Rainy dolls.. and UNOSS, before the unoas came.

 

I’m sure perspective on this depends on where your hobby focus is, but of those two Chloe (who I did mention) was released in 2010 and Venitu in 2014, so the “new” part is relative. We’re talking 7-11 years ago.

(Disclaimer: I still think of them as new, too. How does time even work?)

 

I showed up to say I feel some iconic sculpts for me are the old Dollshe bodies + original sculpts, Hound, Saint, etc., was worried I was just biased because my first BJD was a Dollshe Hound but I was surprised to see how many others feel similarly!

Doll Chateau Elizabeth is a huge one for me as well, alongside the DOD sculpts I'd say. I've never been too knowledgeable of the Volks dolls (just not my style) so tbh I'm not sure I could even pick them out of a lineup. Interesting how we all have our particulars!

 

My list is something like... ((see if you can tell when I got Into BJDs)

Volks F-01 - Most enduring of the oldest of the Volks.

Volks F-16 and all Lucas-alikes - Kind of the template for a lot of male dolls, even now.

Delf El/Lishe/Shiwoo/Chiwoo/Soony - Hugely popular dolls that I think established a lot of the non-Volks aesthetic conventions for BJD.

Unoa (Lusis/Sist/L-bi/B-el) - Some of the earliest mature minis, and if you count Unoss, first mature female BJDs in general.

Narae/Narin - Not as popular now, but I always used to see these along with Unoa for the same reason. Very early slim, mature minis with a semi-realistic aesthetic.

Dollshe Bermann/Hound/Saint - Progenitors of the 70cm mature male size... Bermann is the original, Hound was the most popular when I started, but Saint has the most enduring popularity.

Migidoll Ryu - SO popular in his day! More realistic in proportion than most of the super-popular dolls up until then.

DOD Ducan - Just another doll I think was a peak popular example of a certain aesthetic.

Elfdoll Soah/Sooah - One of the earlier more mature, realistic girls and a very popular one. I remember this mold for being very popular among people who didn't come into BJD from the anime aesthetic side - you see her a lot modeling wigs and shoes from US stores/manufacturers.

Iplehouse Cocori - One of if not the first Black BJD I remember ever seeing. And IH in generally really pushed the overall aesthetic further from the anime-influenced roots.

Bobobie Sprite - Probably the first popular inexpensive BJD (besides tinies). Super cute!

Resinsoul Mei - Slightly newer than Sprite but fills the same niche as well (and definitely more popular by now). Instantly recognizable aesthetic.


To me, "iconic" means something like "influential, classic and recognizable". It makes sense that the answers would be weighted towards early dolls because you kind of have to look back on something to see if it's a classic. Plus it's easier to see the biggest branches earlier in the family tree, so to speak.

I also want to shout out some dolls that were ahead of their time... I remember nasty comments about Soom Dia when the mold first came out as a girl. Leeke Mihael had very realistic sized eyes and people disliked them. And Dust of Dolls has been around a long time but only recently have I seen them be talked about much. Trailblazers!

 

Gosh has it really been that long for venitu? Yes probably not so new then. Time just move slower when you get this deep just dolly land!

And yes, I think pidgin/popovy/pashapasha are probably iconic to a certain crowd but they barely register on my radar.

 

I would have to agree with the old CP Luts and Old DoD being iconic as well as some of the newer/unusual DZ/DC sculpts. They are the ones that really stand out to me.

This is the reason I fell in love with and learned about DoD. I'd still kill for him and his fullset but the odds of finding him complete and affordable for me seem like it'd be impossible. Unfortunately I'm a picky b**th and will settle for nothing less.

 

Yes, I was initially lured by her because of her doll costumization videos and her Minifees are so beautiful. I fell in love with Chloe and many other minifee sculps. I would watch as a teenager dreaming of owning one. Now I have 4 yay

 

In the BJD world when I think about iconic I think about dolls and companies that popularized a look or style, and influenced other artist and makers. People have already mentioned the likes of Volks who started it all and Luts with their CP Delfs, and other companies. One company I haven't seen mentioned though or I just missed them was Lillycat. While she didn't start the "cutesy pear" look I definitely think she popularized it. Lillycat walked so Culur could run so to speak.

 

Has anyone said Soom Sabik?

 

Spent some time trying to think of dolls that stood out to me years ago in the hobby.

Notdoll Belladonna, feel like she got a considerable amount of attention because she's very distinct.

Glorydoll Louis, also very distinct, quite a few of them.

MSDoll Drayton, soooo many of these, and mods too! Multiple releases which always seemed popular.

KDoll Kill_U and Kill_U SP, they had a handful of largely popular ones, but I remember seeing these a lot.

DIM Flowne, Larina and Benetia, DIM was never hugely popular for their own molds (mostly minimee was a massive deal) but these ones were always cute and pretty popular.

Dolkot Kiss, there was a pretty noticeable amount of them years ago.

Crobidoll Lance, so many people snapped him up as soon as he came out! Still popular too.

 

I feel like the most 'iconic' sculpts end up being the fad dolls. Back when I first joined the hobby in 2005, Cerberus Project was still selling their dolls through Luts, and Delf El was EVERYWHERE. CP seems to be great at creating sculpts with mass appeal, because the same thing happened when Littlefee Ante came out, EVERYONE needed to have one. Same story with Minifee Chloe. These sculpts had massive appeal and massive reach. Volks sculpts will always be iconic because of their 'flagship' status in the hobby, but their prices and limited availability prohibited the sort of 'viral' spread that a few of CP's sculpts experienced.

 

Oh goodness, I remember that... there were tons of preorder group orders for the initial soft launch for LTFs, and almost everyone was getting Ante! (I felt so out of place getting Piki instead.)

I'm personally not always the greatest at distinguishing sculpts until I get really interested in them, but the early CP Delfs were absolutely everywhere when I started, and I couldn't honestly tell you specifically which ones because I didn't see the appeal then. (Now? Yes, absolutely, I love my old CP Delfs.) So to me, it's more the "look" of certain lines than specific sculpts. That classic CP (Delf) style, the very doll-like Volks style, and the earliest Soom fantasy sculpts are the ones that most stand out to me as iconic of when I started; now, the look I'd consider more "iconic" of the hobby is the more realistic look like Iplehouse, or the extremely anime look like Dollfie Dream (both scattered around multiple companies).

 

I know when I got into the hobby in 2011, the go to brand was Volks, Fairyland, and Dream of Doll.
Goooood I miss DoD T_T

 

Oh neat! I had no idea Yuegene was cosplaying a BJD :O

DOD Ducan is one of those sculpts that I see come up again and again even though it sounds like he was discontinued long before I had an interest in BJDs! It seems like a very loved sculpt.

5th Motif Venitu always comes to mind when I think along the lines of beautiful BJD hands. I recall hearing that his body shape was also pretty atypical and a bit tricky to dress (slender with wide shoulders? super V-shaped?).

Other sculpts that came to mind due being easily identifiable and popular (at least around the time I spent a lot of time on BJD instagram) are:
- Migidoll Jina
- Soom Dia
- Fairyland in general (I feel they have a signature look that's fairly easy to recognize)

 

Of course VOLKS F-01!
That will always be the most iconic of iconic sculpts for me *is super biased*

Some other iconic dolls, as others have said, would be those that everyone seemed to have or have on their wishlists back in the day like...
-VOLKS Nono, Kun, Mika, Toppi, Renee, the Rozen Maiden girls, the Tokyo Boys and Harajuku Memories dolls, Unoss
-CP Delf El, Lishe, Miyu, Chiwoo, Shiwoo, Bory
-DOD Ducan, Shall, Lahoo, Too & Bee-A, Petsha
-Soom Dia and their monthly LE dolls (particularly Sard and Beryl)
-IpleHouse Akando
-Dollshe Hound, Bernard, Saint
-ResinSoul Mei and Apollo
-Fairyland Puki Pukis (especially Pong Pong)

probably missed some but this is what I can come up with off the top of my head

 

For me, one of the most iconic was the DOD Ducan... because he was my grail. I had the good fortune to manage to afford him back in the day. Another iconic one for me was the Dollzone Hid; I think I actually saved the company fullset pic to stare at back in the day; but never managed to get him. Another one that seems iconic to me is the Bobobie Apollo. For some reason it seemed all my friends either had one, or wanted one.

 

Well, I joined the hobby in 2010, and there are sculpts I remember most fondly for being from distinctive companies or being very popular, or I guess, just ones I personally loved (Many I'll echo from other posts):

Volks 4 sisters, lucas/Chris, Unoss
Migidoll (others said jina but I always think Ryu, Miho, Cho
Elfdoll Soah, Lydia, Eun-a, Sian, Vivian...
Dream of Doll Duncan and Code no 02
Immortality of Soul guys
Dollshe old 70 guys: bermann, hound, saint
Iplehouse
Notdoll
SQ lab
Bimong narin and narae
K-doll
Crobidoll
Dollklans
Unoa
Old dollzone sculpts like Mo
Angelheim
CP/delf shiwoo, chiwoo, el
doll in mind guys: Lloyd, achernar
(Can you tell I was mostly looking at boys? Lol)
I also would consider dust of dolls and lillycat, super iconic. And after the huge fiasco, and extreme popularity they gained the leekeworld art body girls such as mikhaila and others.
Little Rebel is newer than those I began with but I think they became iconic as well.
Doll Chateau of course, when they appeared
Pipos
Doll leaves

 

To me, the most iconic dolls would be Volks Four Sisters and the Rozen Maidens. I also had an odd fixation on XagaDoll's Zoe when I was younger... so her as well I guess?

 

I think a lot of people hit on the dolls that I immediately thought of... but one missing from this thread that I was thinking of was LUTS Kid Delf Bory. Good lord that doll was EVERYWHERE for a time!

I feel Luts felt he was pretty iconic as well... they made him in practically every size they offer. Although, I don't think anything ever beats out their original sculpt. Such a beautiful little pout!

 

Luts Kid Delf Diez gets my vote. And absolutely all the other Diez sculpts!

 

Realpuki SoSo
Resinsoul Mei
The DollsTown girls, specially on the ElfBody
Early Dollzone dolls especially their fantastic Moment and Anson
Iplehouse Circus dolls

Some of the iconic dolls from when I joined the hobby in 2009

 

Because I'm so new in the hobby I feel like I've got front row seats to the newest trends. I rode into the hobby on the MNF Chloe wave (don't own one but I have an Unoa on a MNF body because I like the cuteness of that overall look) and am now debating how to get a Cute Pear Doll (Lillycats, Leekeworld Art Bodies, Dandelion Moons, Rapp Dannis) because Cute Pear Girl with Instagram Features seems to be the thing. Bigger noses, overlined pouty lips, teeny torsos with thighs for days is definitely a Look across multiple sculpts.

 

To me Doll Chateau have always been iconic just from how unique and recognizable they are.
Hathaway with their window, and the extra neck and ankle joints.
I hope they keep making unique doll for a long time.

 

I lurked in like 2006, and absolutely agree about the ubiquity of El and Lishe. DoD Too and Bee-a were also emblematic of that period to me, perhaps because they were so affordable? (Cute too!)

I also think that in modern times, Ringdoll fullsets in general are somewhat well-known outside the hobby. My partner had several pinned to his costume Pinterest even before I rekindled my interest in BJD.

 

Volks and DOD for sure!