What's more important, the HEAD, BODY, or BOTH?

I also tend to be more focused on head/face sculpts, though I do look for nicely sculpted hands and tend to prefer more naturalistic bodies with smaller chests & less defined musculature (I usually think big chests and really defined abs look cartoony on most dolls).

I only have one doll, a Doll in Mind Larina with standard the Happy New Girl body, but I think she's perfect!

 

Both? I'm not sure what the right answer is for how I feel! So I"ll explain. Even with considering hybrids, I've never been brave enough to merge two companies together, so I look at the aesthetics of the whole doll: head and body. I can overlook some posing restrictions if I like the aesthetics (me with my Crobi, charming but can't do much) and I can overlook some aesthetics for their posing ability (Fairyland's knees, holds pretty much any position, but I hate the kneecap look).

I was most serious about attempting to hybrid with my Switch head, as their bodies are the most expensive of my collection. But in the end I felt too afraid to take the plunge, and saved up for the Switch body.

And then, I don't do well with floating heads. I had a time where two Little Monica heads shared one Little Monica body, but when one was out I missed having the other. So I also shy away from buying heads unless it's the only way to nab a sculpt I just have to have

 

Both, almost all my dolls are hybrids because I love certain head sculpts but not the bodies, so I end up looking for bodies I specifically would like to go with each head (had spent almost double the money a doll would cost me to get the "right" body for some of my heads), I can tell I love head sculpts as much as I love body sculpts, but I tend to forgive some posing issues over the looks of a body (almost every "body" has some posing issues, the only body I have found almost perfect poser was too "fragille" so I ended up selling it, but Ioved how it posed).

 

The first thing I look at is also the head, but if the body is also veeeery important to me. A well sculpted body with a lot of character and great poseability really draws me. So if the body isn't to my liking, it might be a deal breaker. I'm a very visual person, so aesthetics in a doll are what I thrive for. I'm currently still trying to find the sculpt for my very first doll, and after YEARS of looking I think that I have finally found it. I really want my first doll to be the manifestation of perfection that I will love even after many years.

 

Head sculpt is the priority for me. Posing difficulties can generally be addressed and clothing tends to hide any proportion quirks I'm otherwise meh on.

 

They're both important to me, I'm really picky about bodies. I never wanted to make a hybrid so I used to avoid dolls if I didn't like their body but now I'm becoming more open to the idea of hybrids and I've already got a floating head waiting for a new body from a different company. It's a bit of a pain but I think it's worth it to have a body that looks good and poses nicely.

 

Head's definitely more important to me. I'm very picky about bodies, actually, but I'm pretty fearless when it comes to making hybrids. Sometimes my problem is narrowing my body choices down to just one, haha.

 

for me it's the head, 'cause there are a ton of companies selling bodies while head can be limited only.

 

I'll say both for me. I'm quite particular on their facial features and their posability.
I don't only want a pretty faced doll but also want a photogenic doll who can pose as realistic as possible.

 

I do think about the body, but it's not as important to me as the head. Bodies can be sold anyway, but the head sculpt is more difficult to find >< So more on the head for me~

 

The head and the body are both very important to me since I don't hybrid. I care more about overall aesthetics than posing, but I do look for nicely sculpted hands and double-jointed elbows.

 

First and foremost is the head. It's the face shape and facial features that grab me. Then, the body comes secondary but in the end both are important because it shells a whole character. I do like good looking sculpted limbs and smooth joint transitions because I don't like them looking awkward or too sharp.

 

Obviously the head is the priority since it's the main focus, but both are almost equally important to me.
My dolls are always dressed, but if I'm gonna pay a few hundred dollars I want the whole thing to be quality. I'm gonna change their clothes fairly often, I want to be able to nod in approval at the body xD
At the very least, the hands have to be pretty! I was looking at cheaper bodies for a temporary solution but the hands and feet were too much of a turnoff xP

 

I have to like both, as I don't buy them separately because I'm too lazy to learn how to match resins! Most go after the head sculpt because it would be easier to get a body but the face sculpt would be retired one day.

 

Both! Mostly because I hate ordering from 2 places for what is essentially one item
But also,
The head: if I don't love the face I can't really "bond" with the doll. They are supposed to be pretty things to look at after all.
The body: I love variety, and one thing that keeps this hobby fresh beside buying another doll is all the things you can do with your own. I don't want to only be able to set them in the same 2-3 poses.

I agree! If the body at least looks like I paid a lot for it, that goes a loooong way.
Hands are so so important! Unless they have the option of multiple hands, most times you're going to be seeing the same thing day after day, they darn well better look spectacular!

 

I prefer hybriding, so definitely both head and body matter--and lately, hands and feet (my dolls, more and more, are becoming multi-company hybrids). And even after that, I usually need to do some modding to get what I want.

6/13 dolls are hybrids of three companies (and one within that is from three companies, but 4 different dolls), and 3 of the rest are two-company hybrids. I only have one SD that will likely remain all within the same company, and he's a within-company hybrid (new legs with an older body, and possibly jointed hands).

 

It's about equal, really.

The head has to fit my character and be the right size to be in scale with the other dolls in the same story, and I don't like the aesthetic to be too extremely different between dolls. I like a variety, but like extremely realistic with anime style doesn't work for me.

The body needs to fit the character, pose well, be aesthetically pleasing to me and match the head. I guess this sometimes makes body shopping even harder than head shopping, since with the head I just check size and appearance, but the body needs those two things plus engineering, plus proportions, plus fitting the head in style, size and at least color being easy enough to blush to match. I also don't like duplicate bodies. To me, having two dolls with the same body is like having two heads of the same sculpt. It would work for twins, or maybe siblings, but otherwise, not really.

The body is as important as the head because if, for example, my character is tall and thin and I stick her on a short curvy body, it just doesn't feel like my character to me.

 

For me, it's the head first as that is what attracts me to the sculpt in the first place. If the body looks good to me too, then it's easy. But sometimes I get an idea that the head would look so much better on a different body then I'll hybrid. This happened with my DZ Benjamin. You can only get the head on a specific body, they won't just sell his head, but I wanted a DC body. I did get a Benjamin, sold the DZ body, and bought the DC one. To me, he now looks more in style between the head and body. This is just a personal preference, as there was nothing wrong with the DZ body. I have quite a few hybrids I did in my collection by just trying different heads on bodies and was surprised at how much better they looked. The resins even matched as they are all white. Happy accidents, lol. (my avatar is a great example)

 

I've discovered that the body is very important to me. If it in my opinion looks ugly, odd, or I just don't like it then it's a no from me. There have been plenty of sculpts that I love, but see the body and change my mind. So I tend to stick to companies that I like the bodies from. And I like plenty different style of bodies as well. I'm not limited to one type such as only buff male dolls.

 

The head is important to me. I have received many dolls where I love the face and despised the body.

 

both. I like to buy the entire doll and don't want to have to deal with figuring out hybrids. So I have to know I like the body as well. Even if it's a sculpt I love I'm not going to get it if I dislike the body. There are just too many other stunning dolls for me to care.

 

The head.

 

HEART, HEART IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

 

For me the head is most important. That is because, then the doll is clothed I can see only the head and the body is hidden.
On another hand, I would never ever buy a body that poses and has a body sculpt like an old barbie, a body that can not make a natural sitting pose.

 

Both are equally important! I usually look at the head first but I do love a beautiful looking body too! It's very important that I am in love with the sculpt, while the body will start holding more importance to me the bigger the doll gets because I want to molest my hunks I like drooling over my boys.

If I like the head but the body leaves much to be desire, then I'd just buy the head and hybrid it. There are companies where I've love the heads but not the body because the sculpting is either too simplistic for a 60cm-70cm+ doll or too small that it makes the doll looks bobble-headed and they didn't want to sell the head separately so I ended up not getting it, but there are also times where I've love the bodies from a company but not really the sculpts.

Poseability is a BIG bonus but I find that if I reaaaaaally love the way the body is sculpted then I can close an eye if it doesn't pose as well compared to some other dolls. By that I mean that it still has to be able to hold basic poses like sitting and standing decently! For example, just recently, between a one-piece torso body and a three-piece torso I went for the former because it looks more natural and beautiful to me even though logic dictated that the latter would hold a variety of poses better. I guess I am more of an "aesthetic" person lol.

 

both both both!! a good chunk of my dolls are hybrids because both need to be just right. of course face is what will initially draw me, but the body is honestly so important because it's a big part of character imo. in fact, there are bodies that i want, and no heads that i want for them! darn you peaks woods and your hard to match resin!

 

For me, both. I've seen perfect heads for my characters, but had to pass on them because they were MSD sized, and I was looking for SD. Then there's the many times I've found the perfect SD head but didn't like the body it came on, or found the perfect body, but wasn't a fan of any of the heads available from the body's company. I need both for my characters. It makes shelling the non-humans more difficult.

 

For me the head is most important tbh, body is secondary as there are so many options which make it easy to hybrid the head with lol

 

I think, for me, both are roughly equal in importance! Initially, I'm attracted to the face sculpt of a doll, but if their bodies aren't something that looks right to me...that would really turn me off!

 

Well, I'm still new so this may change, but for me it's the head first. I think a doll's face says a lot about their personality. Their body usually comes second for me. But I'm also kinda picky, so if I don't like the body the head comes on, i'd probably try to find a body that I liked better.

 

Both! I think the natural thing people pick up on first and foremost is the face, but following that (for me at least), if it isn't matched by the body it would get pretty upsetting - pretty quickly...
...unless you plan on burying it in baggy/fluffy clothes and are never going to see it anyway.

I think that the above applies a lot more to a doll you own, and are going to spend a lot of time on. In passing, the face is probably more important.

 

To me the heads really make the dolls. Yeah it's important to have a body that matches you character, but the face holds the look and the personality of that character. Body's can change, but the face is constant

 

Both are important to me, but the head/face is moreso. If I like the doll's face enough, I am pretty sure I could deal with a less than pleasing body as long as the body wasn't horrible.

 

Both are important to me, and I will hybrid dolls all day long to get just the right body for the right head. Sometimes a hybrid just isn't an option, so the head is the bigger selling point, but I really love it when I can mix-and-match and get the result that makes me happiest. ^-^

 

While it's usually the head sculpt that draws me to a doll, bods are important too...

I want the head and the body to "match", both in terms of maturity and in style and scale. A head that's too young or too stylized for the body it comes with, or one that looks too large or too small for the neck it's attached to will really put me off of a doll. (Which is why I don't like a lot of the super mature 'manly-man' dolls. They tend to have tiny, narrow little heads and super-thick, tree-trunk necks. They end up reminding me of an acorn perched on a fence post. o_0)

 

Definitely the head, for me. The face is going to be most often seen and so it should convey the character well. Beyond that I just want a body that matches the head but I wouldn't go out of my way for one company vs another on body preference. Hybriding is nice if you can get a solid resin match and have the best of all worlds but since that's not always possible, I put my stock in heads.

 

First and foremost is the head for me. But if the body is not what I'm looking for, then I may try some hybrids. But a lot of my future dolls will be based of OCs, so that's just me ^^'

 

I think that both. But the head has slightly more importance. And of course after choosing "right" head, there come huge adventures of finding suitable body..

 

Both, but it is definitely the head that has to grab my attention first. I won't buy a head though if I know I will have a difficult time locating a suitable body.

 

Definitely the face is the most important part. I can't deny that body has a lot to do with it, though. But I'm willing to put up with a weird body if I'm in love with the face. On the other hand, I've yet to find a body I liked enough to put up with a weird face.

 

Being new to this hobby, I focus on the head. I feel the body with be covered with clothes.
Hands, however are also important to me.

 

For me, the body it's also very important. I have noticed that when I bought a BJD with an ugly (In my opinion) body, It was more hard for me to take possession of the doll. And finally I frequently sold dolls because of that.
So now, I check the head and the body before buying a new doll.

 

That's a great question! I think the head matters more, as I can't see myself liking an unattractive sculpt even if the body posed really well. But also I don't think I'd like a beautiful faced doll if the body was just... bad.
So I guess both, but if I had to choose, head would matter more.

 

I focus more on heads. I like a good looking, realistic body, but I put price before looks most of the time, with a few exceptions.

 

I've already fallen in love with Minifee bodies (I love their aesthetic and how they pose), so I mostly look at heads now.

 

Both! Most of my dolls are hybrids because I'll like a head sculpt but not a body (or vice versa). I like that you can mix and match things in this hobby.

 

I also focus more on the head, I usually try to save money on the body and get it elsewhere. But it also allows me to get a body with proportions I like better.

 

Heads! I do pretty much the same thing as you (OP) does
(It definitely does help save money to do so!)
Sometimes if it's a rare full set with the body included, I would like buying that too, though!

 

I'd reckon, the head. Facial features that suit my character are what I look for when I decide on the doll. Facial expression is most likely to draw my attention to the doll or put me off, I find them extremely important. While with bodies... well. They can be changed, clothed, modified id necessary. When choosing a doll to shell my female OC, I fell in love with a very feminine-looking male sculpt and decided to go for it. Female body from the same company looks just fine with it.

There is a special case though, when a character requires a special body type. Say... really muscular, or unusually proportioned, or having specific fantasy parts. Say, I'm expecting Doll Chateau doll to shell a monster character - their extra joints and interesting proportions are just perfect for this purpose.
On these terms body and head become equally important.

 

I think the body size and shape as well as the facial structure/look is what i look at when wanting to buy a doll.

 

When I'm browsing for dolls, I look for heads I like, but if the body isn't something I like, it's a real deal breaker for me! But actually, my first doll and the reason i got into this hobby was actually because I found a body I really loved and I found a head that I felt suited her! So maybe body is more important to me? I think the body is the foundation of the doll and without it, all you got is a pretty head.

I'm too nervous and too new to get into hybrids. Im too worried of getting a head/body that don't fit or colours dont match or looks odd...

 

Heads are what I look at first& then if I like the head I'll look at the company body. Since I usually keep my dolls sitting or standing around my dolly room, the posing ability of the body is not as important as it's appearance to me. I've bought a few cheaper bodies for hybriding, but I wasn't satisfied with how they looked. I tried ignoring it because I usually keep my dolls fully clothed, but I couldn't get over it.

 

Heads are definitely what I gravitate the most towards, though I do love nicely sculpted bodies. If I found a head I love I doubt the body would keep me from buying it, especially knowing it will mostly be covered by clothing.

 

For me, the head is the most important. When I bought my first dolls, I was really concerned about both. After a while, I felt that the bodies were less important because they are usually covered up by clothes. I only see the bodies if I am changing the clothing. I also like to buy heads alone and switch them out on the bodies I have. I converted from favoring both, to strongly favoring heads.

 

I need to say both because while the head is the first thing I look, the body also need to be aesthetic pleasing. I decided not to buy a doll because their butt was ugly, and is not like they would be naked, but I would know it was there. And also why I made two hybrids since I didn't like the company body.

Different heights is important to me too so the characters are not all of the same size, and I guess I prefer bodies that look natural - not sure if is the word- where the joints also don't look ugly. But is the body is pretty I can ignore joints. I dont even think about posing much, usually is an after thought I have.

 

Mmmh... this is a tough one. Since I'm planning to get dolls to represent my own (already existing) characters, I'd like for both their faces and bodies to be as close as possible to my mental images of them. However, I do also realise that this isn't always possible: sometimes a body is perfect, but the size is too big for what I need, while some other times the size is perfect, but the body is way too muscular for the character I have in mind and so on.

However, if I had to pick one, I'd rather have a doll whose body isn't 100% on point rather than a face I don't like/doesn't suit my needs. With the bodies, as long as the overall shape is somewhat appropriate (e.g., a supposedly thin/average weight character doesn't get a super hero body and vice versa) and the height differences are right (e.g., a supposedly short character doesn't get a 70 cm body while the tall dude gets a 60 cm body), I don't think it's much of an issue, even if the body itself isn't *exactly* what I had in mind. After all, as others pointed out, clothes will cover said body 99,9% of the time XD

 

I prefer hybriding, so definitely both head and body. I also love it when I add a new body that I didn't have.

 

I'd have to say both but more so for Heads. A good sculpt will sell a doll for me, but If i hate the body, Ill hold off and try to buy just the Head. And this is why I still have two Granado floating heads, I just dont like Granado bodies at all.
I can deal with a less than perfect body, but not a flat out bad body. Front Butt (where the hip joints stick out like the butt but in front) is one thing I just cant stand)

 

The body size is a consern (only for clothes and pricing) but the face is my main priority personally.