What is your grail doll, and why is it your grail?

My holiest of holy grails would be a Volks PS Bisque Yayoi. Likely unattainable as proxies won't buy them due to the Volks policies, and I don't live in Japan...
The somewhat more attainable (but still quite difficult to find) grails would be Volks SD Shinku and Suigintou. The originals pop up secondhand from time to time, but I always miss them. One-off models as well, but... That's a whole beast in and of itself. I've entered lotteries for a few, but no winners so far.

 

Luckily I was able to get all my grails, except one. I hope to get a Soom Narmer one day

 

My grail once was a Dream of Doll Homme Ducan... But I managed to get him several years back.

Now though, I guess you could say it's a Fairlyland Pukipuki Cupid 3

 

Venitu is my #1 grail. It’s the hands, I love well sculpted hands and his are just the most stunning hand sculpt
Venitu is also the sculpt of the very first bjd I saw that made me fall in love with the hobby.

 

Sleeping Elf Shiwoo and it's never going to happen

 

To me, a grail is beautiful but unobtainable/unreasonable to try to obtain. I found my holy grail the other day, an Aimerai Uki.

However, there are multiple reasons I can't have her:
1) She's too big for my bookcase (max size I can hold is 40CM).
2) I can't find bodies that are short enough that sorta match her skin tone.
3) I don't want a doll that will yellow faster (they only use environmental resin).

I might have found a close-enough match (with some modification needed) in SQ Lab's chibi Tsubaki. I'll need to save up for her and see if I can find someone who does eye mods on a YOSD head.

 

My biggest grail has always been Doll Chateau's male body. I have never had any spesific DC's doll as a grail, but I have always longed for their SD male bodies. They suit my aesthetics perfectly. I love their long limbs and a bit uncanny looking vibe. I also have a lot of chatacters that have this type of a body, so that makes me happy as well.

I would probably also consider Lillycat Ellana my grail these days. Lillycat's dolls have such a spesific aesthetic and it pleases me a lot. Ellana has such lovely cheeks and lips, she looks so dreamy and beautiful! I am also in love with her anatomy, she has gorgeous legs and the overall sculpting is just perfect in my eyes.

 

Lillycat Kitty Jolie, or any of the Volks Vocaloid Dollfies. I've wanted them for years but I can never justify saving up for one of them :')

 

The doll I want the most is Ringdoll’s Lan Wangji, followed by Ringdoll’s Wei Wuxian. Lamentably, I got into MDZS too late to buy the dolls, as I waited for the official English translation of the books to come out and I wanted to read the books before watching the donghua, drama, or reading the manhua. Now, I regret it, and I really hope the get re-released in the future or that I can find them secondhand .

 

My grail doll(s) are SDGr Mia and SD-F-100 tan (does that count as a grail??). I can't seem to find SDGr Mia. I guess she was either sold very limited quantities or people don't want to part with her??? The SD-F-100 tan is another one, particularly the latest one-off that Volks posted with the blue bonnet and dress. She kind of reminds me of when I was in preschool and did a ballet recital. I had been thinking of a proxy, but I'm not sure I can find one or afford one. Sorry if that sounds silly.

 

My current grail is Dream Valley dean V1 Giraffe version fullset. It seems most people who got him didn't get the fullset and I've only seen nude ones for sale, probably about 2 or 3. I adore everything about his fullset so I'm crossing my fingers that oneday a fullset Dean will pop up seco d hand

 

Looks like my holy grail changes the longer I am browsing discontinued dolls. Currently looking for a shell for an ongoing character of mine, sort of proxy etc. and DC Christina is an almost perfect match of what I imagine. Not too eerie and not too sweet, mature enough to pass for a >25 y.o.

I love lankiness and joints of DC bodies, but I also dislike how tall are female SD bodies though [would seek for something 55cm max if SD and Y-06 is 60cm] and I have no idea how much she would cost second-hand since it's an old sculpt.

 

I was able to obtain my grail, a Mori 9 Austaras but I would still like to get a Mori 9 Veles one day. I was able to get Hayato on this last order of hers so he will do tbh I am satisfied. Veles isn't a NEED, need. Just if I had the opportunity I would definitely pay a pretty penny for him.

Only other doll that is rare I want is a MBD Hobin but he isn't as unobtainable to get. I would like a The Voice Barr and Monsoon in grey and tan skin respectively and they have only been released domestically in super small quantities. Saving up now so I can try to get them both in her next international order. If I can't then they will become grails.

 

Mine would have to be a "Naiad" or as they are more commonly known as Lotus dolls by FaeWoodsDolls. In particular the kind that's got the blue or green with the white underbelly, 2-toned types. I'd die to own one of them!

 

My Grail was Soom Gluino. I have him now. It took over 7 years of me wanting him to finally get him.
He is the first BJD that ever caught my attention. He was the doll that lured me into the hobby.
I don't see me ever having another holy grail doll. There are dolls I want of course, but they are not unattainable like he was.
It's just a really good feeling to finally have that one doll I had been wanting for years.
I look over at him sometimes and just think 'Yes! You are mine!'

 

I'm so fortunate to have both dolls I considered my 'grail'. First was a Dollshe Saint..(of which I somehow ended up with 3. I don't know how that happened haha.. ) There's just something about his face that I can't quite articulate that is just...perfect. It sparks a level of joy in me I can't describe or compare. Something about his nose, his jawline, his small mouth...I don't know. it's just *special*. Even if he isn't' particularly rare, and I didn't have any issues getting him (thankfully well before the Dollshe fiasco), he still retains grail status in my eyes and I'm very happy to have him.

And my *Holy Grail* doll is Volks Williams. I....I just literally can't use words when I look at him. He is SO perfect and there is just something so so special about him that elevates him to holy grail status. It also took me waaay too long to get him (mostly due to his second-hand price tag..oof). But I'm super happy I finally did and I will always have both my Williams and my Saint(s).

Basically, it's a strong and likely irrational emotional response that is way stronger towards these specific doll molds than the rest. It's less about the character or the inspiration and customization, and more about the mold itself...if that makes any sense at all. lol I could literally put them on a glowing pedestal to be adored and gazed at for eternity. They tick all the boxes and spark all the joy.

 

I have about 5 dolls that I consider to be a grail, and two of them I'm fortunate enough to own!
Soom Gluino:
My first grail and definitely my holy grail despite the fact that I own him now! Last year I came across one secondhand for an AMAZING price (he's a bit yellowed so that's probably why) but now he's mine (the doll in my profile pic) and I cannot believe it. I spent so long thinking it would be 10 years before I ever got my hands on him. He's so incredibly perfect and every day I look at him and just feel like he can't be real!

SiCang Ahe (1/4 scale head):
This is the other that I own, he's also my second longest grail. I love his smile so much and I can't wait to finally do his faceup after being faceless for a year. He's on a Doll Chateau body and is gonna be a cute little clown boy!

Illusion Garden Unicorn Yuli:
His EARS oh my goodness that's the main part for me, plus his horn and pouty lips. He's so beautiful and I'm constantly waiting for IG to rerelease him since they seem to be cycling through their older sculpts right now!

Soom Edgar:
This one I'd definitely label as a grail due to being unobtainable for multiple reasons. One is the price, another is that I'm not a fan of the ID75 body so I'd probably just want the head, but then there's the task of finding someone only selling the head. The last reason is that I don't have a character right now that would fit him. I'm a little worried about the rapid growth of my collection, so I don't want to buy a doll unless I know exactly how they'd fit into my doll family

Last but not least... the ultimate unobtainable grail because he doesn't even exist yet... Mori 9's Heretic:
He just has such a unique and mystically beautiful face!! He was posted on their instagram around a year ago as just a digitally sculpted model, but if they ever release him I'll be punching in my info SO FAST lol

 

I've added a grail to my list recently...a Volks SD16 Diamond! I have a hard time even finding pictures of her due to her rarity (or maybe I just don't know what to search?), but since she's a newer SD I hope I'll be able to catch her next ordering period...Maybe at LA Dolpa?

I can't decide if I'd keep her on her SD16 body or move her to a DD one, though. I'm really bad with most humanoid resins, they just don't pose well for me. I'm too spoiled by vinyls!

 

My original grail was the first Soom Sard but I have him so I think my new grail might be a Spirit Doll Camphor. I haven't seen him around and I do love his face a lot so I hope I can own one someday.

 

My grail was Lieselotte but now we're just married

 

Mine is specifically the fullset of Doll Chateau’s Snowborn, when I first saw that doll I was blown away that he so strongly resembled an oc of mine. The hair, the eyes, and the outfit fit him to a T. Not to mention DC bodies fit my art style as well. I missed out on him but tbh I think I’ll be able to find his sculpt, it wasn’t discontinued a decade ago. But idk how many people bought the fullset, so that’s my grail.

 

Have you tried FaithZ. I think she still has some of the dolls.

 

Might be silly/not the most “rare” grail ever, but the Chat A Feuilles/YeMaoZi 1/4 Moon body! It’s just so adorable and perfect. I’m hoping we continue to see sculpts like this one too

 

I try not to use the word "grail" loosely and distinguish between grail and wishlist, but I have some specific company grails (ie, Fairyland grail, Peakswoods grail etc). I am extremely lucky to have everyone now and have my biggest unicorn, overall grail - Nabarro Har. It took me SO LONG to find him and cost me more than I ever want to admit for a head, but he was worth every penny. I have other grails, like pink and mint centaurs from Fairyland, pink bunny legs from FL, MNF Rin fullset and F60 Karsh / several F65 Chloe's now. I think those might be my biggest "grails" outside of Har. Har was definitely the definition of a grail though - impossible to find and had me daydreaming about him for many many years. I love him very much.

 

The Moi-meme-Moitie x Super Dollfie collaboration doll, it is both expensive and ridiculously rare, I would do basically anything for that doll but only 30 were ever put up for sale for the public. I also love the Hyde x Super Dollfie which is less rare but still pretty pricey I hope I can have both someday

 

Unoss Sienna. I had a Unoss a long time ago but didn't know how to sew then and the clothing options were extremely limited, so I ended up selling her. The U-noa bodies were the first doll bodies I really fell in love with, their shapeliness was so soft and attractive. I especially liked the small bust paired with nice hips and thighs of the Unoss and the solid torso piece made it all the better. I've bought and sold a lot of dolls in my time in the hobby and my Unoss is the only one I regret. I'd buy one back in a heartbeat if I could.

 

Cuartosdolls Antares. I know the chance is.. well how’s four to however many doll collectors or people who are searching for one? I can dream though. Maybe a more realistic grail is a Ketar, although they were also extremely limited from what I know of. Who knows though, I managed my boy Nebo, I might be able to manage another one day!

 

My grail doll is Legrand Lidia, and luckily I got her! There are only about 30 cast in resin and I have only seen two of those (including mine) be up for sale in the last 4 years. Most owners seem very devoted to this sculpt.

She is still one of the most aesthetically perfect dolls I have ever seen, and even if I sold off my collection I’d keep her.

 

For now (and it's only because all my past grails are gone (no longer in production): Yuxiu DF-A. She fits my OC perfectly. I found the wig and eyes for her to recreate my character but since I already have a 1/3 doll I don't know whether to buy her or not. But she haunts me in dreams. She is perfect for what I need. The doll I consider grail and will never get it because of its size - Loong Soul Wan Yu Xian Zun. He is also perfect for another character of mine but... he's just too big. :/

 

I don't have a grail doll per sey but I do have artists I want to purchase at least one doll from which are PashaPasha sanity in ebony silk, Joy Doll, and Chimera doll. The one I most love out of that list is Chimera doll which is currently at the top of my list because of the amount of fantasy sculpts in fantasy colors that she has available, and they are also coincidentally the least expensive.

 

Custom house St Mina (sad face). Everything about this sculpt is just ~ perfection ~ . Would also love happy face. Just. Mina

 

First Soom Idealian - Branon. And more than "just grail" - it's his fantasy face. I'm not sure that it had been produced and bought by anybody at all.

 

Of my holy grails I have 1 of them, which was a Lillycat Ellana. It seems silly, but I love them and thought I would never have one.
The other holy grails are from Cuarto Dolls, Antares and Hecate.... I know I'll never get them, but there they are.

 

My tastes have changed a lot over the years but there a few dolls I’ve always had on my mental wish list that have remained there since I saw them.

The more recent and at the top of my list is Fairyland’s Realfee Pano with horns and hooved legs. I so wish I bought him when he was available. That little faun face with the cheeky little smile. Such a perfect wee fae folk character. I’m just praying they rerelease him and it has to be with those hooves and horns as they’re such an important part.

Second on the list is Bimong Dandelion. At a time where realistic sculpts were few and far between she was not just incredibly beautiful but also a rarity. Even though realistic sculpts are now far more commonplace she still remains one of the best. There’s nothing like her.

Third on the list is Dollmore’s Catish Vnu. I loved the face, such a wonderful mix of feline and human. I don’t like the current catish faces, they’re rather dull and lifeless compared to Vnu who was full of attitude.

Lastly there’s Fairyland’s Shushu. Now I’m not a huge fan of overly stylised sculpts, they’re just not my thing but for some reason Shushu appealed to me, she had sass and mischievousness.

 

- I so agree with you. Shushu is one of the few sculpts I like with big eyes. And yes, that little, tiny bit of mischievousness lurking in her smile. I wish they put her in the basic line

 

Me too @Lady Mariko but more than likely she’d get the ‘Lookback’ treatment which may take away the very things that make her appealing and so distinctive. We shall see

 

My grail doll is my Lusion Dell. It's kida weird but to my she is like my baby. I can hug her, play with her hair, make clothes for her and I fell warm do in it, it's like my gothic baby but not alive. I know it's weird to explain, she is like an unimated daughter

 

I'd love to own a Lilycat/CeriseDolls Kitty Jolie in PNS or white resin someday, I just think it's such a beautiful sculpt. Less attainable but wished for regardless would be either of the Dream Valley Eternal Vow Mantids (even just the body), and either of the Doll Chateau Scorpion girls, Pluto and Charon.

 

Kusuriuri/ Medicine seller Mononoke collab from Dolk! He's been a comfort character of mine ever since the anime came out and when I saw his cast doll I was devastated I couldn't afford it, I hope to bring him home one day!
Second close is Obitsu Rosalie because it's the doll that made me fall in love with BJDs again

 

My grail is the Felix Brownie Small Comfort doll, I have a couple faceplates (regular Brownie faceplates fit them), but I’ve been searching for the actual doll itself for about 5 years It’s the perfect scale for me but it’s been out of production for about 15 years so my chances of finding one are very slim, unfortunately.

 

Tan skin soom vampire hyperon , closet sculpt shy of custom I can fine for my oc character ,he doesn’t exist in tan yet

 

Ballerino Roderich from LLT. I totally covet him...

 

The Asleep Eidolon x Nikki Tomorrow collab Sea of Stars Nikki doll.
I can't find much info about her, I think she was only released in China. I did try talking to a proxy when she came out, but never got a reply.
The amount she would cost would be hard for me, but I'd really love her!!
Especially the fullest.
And then I'd make her more outfits, like Nikki's starting outfit!
Maybe they'll do another Nikki doll collab in the future. Maybe when the open world game comes out?
I can dream