Geraldine Ee
Colourful sweet creations greet you as you step into the small hall at Suntec City. It is the first store you have chanced upon and it is lovely macaroon store.
Tempted to taste these little sweets, you look on further and decide to purchase some macaroons but there is only one problem, if you do not have a ball-jointed doll (BJD), these creations may just be a pretty decoration for your room.
Specifically created for The Doll Affair 2008 (TDA’08), one of the many booths that graced the event with their jaw-dropping booth was the MAGIC HOUR. Interested non-doll owners and doll owners alike could purchase a box of cute doll-sized macaroons in a bag for $10.
Looking around, you might find yourself surrounded by people – be it young or old, male or female – cradling or studying what seems like miniature humans posing at various booths. These BJDs, varying in sizes (and prices) have swept many off their feet with their beauty and versatility.
With TDA’08 in it’s second year running, the event has provided a haven for doll enthusiasts and owners to come under one roof to share stories and updates.
Originating in Japan by the company Volks, one BJD made of resin can cost an owner up to $2000 or more depending on the availability of the dolls. Other items such as clothes, eyes, wigs, accessories etc. may quickly add up expenses to another $1000 or so in a year.
Korean companies such as LUTS and Dream Of Doll are popular with the many owners in Singapore as well.
Fully customisable dolls – Right down to the joints
Besides the physical beauty of BJDs, they are also fully customisable. If you don’t like a sharp nose for example, you could sand it down to make it shorter and rounder.
Eyes too small for you? You can opt to enlarge the eye socket by sanding open the doll’s eyes. Not only can you change the eyes of your doll, you can give your doll a complete makeover with wigs and even make-up (or known as face-up in the BJD community).
No one doll looks remotely similar despite having the same sculpt and mould. With their ball joints, BJDs can carry various poses and this draws many towards it for photography purposes.
Modified LUTS Delf BREAKAWAY Limited-Bloody Valentine sleeping version.
Caring for BJDs
BJDs do break and most owners put in a lot of effort to care for and look after their dolls. These include cleaning away stains, avoiding larger crowds and keeping them away from the sun for too long etc.
With the amount of money spent on beautifying and caring for their doll, you would expect only a very small group of people to be collecting such delicate beauties and if they do, you might also presume that they are of a much older age group as it is after all a financially draining hobby. However, in just 2008 alone, the local BJD community in Singapore had a boom of new and younger BJD owners, as young as 15 or so.
Booth for promotion of Angell Studio dolls.
The Doll Business
The boom of younger and new owners of BJDs could be attributed to the rise of Chinese companies that are invading the community, providing beautiful dolls at lower prices. Local stores have leeched onto this boom and have clenched distributorships for companies such as Angell Studio and Abio Angel.
Many BJD owners have also taken to starting their own businesses. With a total of 22 booths at TDA’08 (twice the size of last 2007’s event), many doll enthusiasts have made a sustainable income for themselves. They do this by selling clothes (some even with original designs of their own), wigs, eyes, accessories and photography prints of their dolls and providing aesthetic services such as face-ups.
Sassy Strawberry showcasing lovely photo prints.
Tété-a-tété Creations showcasing outfits for dolls.
Not just any child’s play
Owning and making businesses out of BJDs is simply not child’s play with the amount of work, money and passion one can places into keeping a doll. And this is not just exclusive to the ladies.
Indeed, many males have also found BJDs intriguing and have even started collecting them – many straight males too, this writer might add.
Although the local community welcomes new owners with open arms, it is always wise for anyone considering to become an owner to do all forms of research regarding BJDs and the typical “Dos and Don’ts”.
Interested collectors may find such information on the largest doll forum dedicated to BJDs, at DenofAngels.
As most owners prefer to channel their creativity in the forms of photography and fashion design for their dolls, be warned that it would be an insult to say that these owners are merely “wasting their money”. Majority of BJD owners are open to questions and are happy to educate and inform the general public of the origins, cost and personalities of their dolls.
Just don’t call BJDs Barbie dolls.