The Japanese have again proved themselves geniuses at adopting and improvising ideas with the emergence of a whole new breed of dolls, termed Ball Joint Dolls.

A doll’s a doll?

What makes these little companions stand out from regular dolls is their resemblance to the human body. With joints like ours, they can kneel, cross their arms, and pose in realistic positions.

The concept was brought to mainstream attention by the Korean horror flick Dollmaster, and Asian Ball Joint Dolls (ABJD) materialised in the form of Super Dollfie, which was created by a small Japanese company called Volks, a decade ago. The Super Dollfie is Volks’ line of dolls which sparked off international popularity of ABJDs.

These life-like dolls are made from resin, a form of plastic that gives them their porcelain look and slight rubbery feel. Ranging from pocket-sized to bigger ones which reach up to just above your knee, ABJDs are also easily customisable.

Their wigs, eyes, and make up can be replaced effortlessly, meaning they can go from red short hair and green eyes, to blue plaited locks with grey eyes within minutes. With a variety of outfits and accessories ranging from bags and sunglasses to necklaces, a single doll can be transformed into a multitude of characters in the skilful hands of a collector or doll owner.

Their customisability, along with their flawlessly crafted beauty, appeals to many art appreciators.

Not just for little girls in pigtails!

Through communities like Den of Angels, the largest online forum for thousands of ABJD lovers worldwide, Singaporean ABJD collectors often arrange meetings for ‘dollie’ photo sessions, and to simply share their love for each other’s dolls.

For student illustrator Sean Tey, 23, owning 3 of these dolls and meeting ABJD owners from both Sydney and Singapore has been a joy. “It started with assembling and painting Gundam (Japanese robot anime) model kits, and painting and building doll kits are the next step up,” he explained.

After meeting up with a group of Singaporean ABJD fans, UrbanWire understands that a typical ABJD lover also has more conventional hobbies such as Japanese comics, web and fashion design, photography and illustration.

It was surprising to find out that despite being one of few males who collect dolls, Sean hasn’t been teased with harsh stereotypes. “Most of my friends are artistic people. They are able to understand the dolls as works of art. My family, too, is into collectibles and similar stuff, so they can see the value in the dolls. My mum makes dresses for the dolls as a hobby!”

ABJDs are also a small part of the cosplay (where fans dress up as anime characters or Japanese rock celebrities) scene in Singapore. “Gothic Lolita” enthusiasts often accessorise their Victorian dolls-inspired outfits with these resin beauties.

Due to the dolls’ jaw dropping price tags (it depends on the size of a doll, but an average doll can fetch up to $800), most collectors are young adults who take it as a serious hobby.

More than just toys

UrbanWire had the chance to meet a handful of Singaporean ABJD owners during one of their meet-ups in Botanic Gardens and found them to be people with true passion.

Although most of them know that dolls are just dolls, they express their love for their dolls in ways most people treat pets as friends. This is easy to understand. Given the dolls’ lifelike features and pristine good looks, it is difficult to treat these ‘kids’ (as most ABJD owners term their dolls) as just plastic miniature models.

Vivien Ng, a 17-year-old polytechnic student, defends her hobby to those who think doll collecting is creepy for a grown-up and a waste of money. “First of all, I believe many teenagers still buy stuff toys and some 40-year-olds still collect teddy bears. Also, isn’t collecting DVDs, buying branded items and gambling a waste of money too? At least a doll’s value does not drop over the years and may even rise depending on the market demand. They are also fully hand-made, so the price is rather reasonable.”

“Tsurayuki, my doll, pretty much follows me everywhere, be it at home or outside. I also bring him to school every day, now that I’ve gotten a doll carrier to put him in. I talk to him occasionally, especially when I’m hyper or feeling down. Of course, I hug him while I sleep every night, after he changes into his pyjamas,” Vivien said.

They come alive in cyberspace

After spending so much time with their dolls, most owners tend to develop personalities and attitudes for their ‘dollie’ friends. Those of them who are LiveJournal members often post entries with fictional stories about their dolls told through still photos of these dolls posing and interacting with other dolls.

It is this bit of ABJD collecting that jshan, 22, a Singaporean LiveJournal member, mainly enjoys. “I like creating characters and slowly developing their individual looks and complex personalities layer by layer, and having them interact with one another in their little fictional world. I also enjoy sewing clothes and photographing them, but I like the character development aspect more than anything else,” she said in one of her entries.

Photography of these pretty dolls is also a widespread practice among ABJD lovers since they are remarkably photogenic, and look almost too real (and possibly scary) in photos.

Now you want to get one?

Sadly, there isn’t a shop in Singapore which sells ABJDs. Domuya at Riverside Point did have a handful of ABJDs, but it has since closed down. Although there isn’t much of a chance to see ABJDs in real life, you can spend hours feasting your eyes on these dolls on the vast amount of sites available on the internet. Be aware of the temptation to get one though!

A host of Asian companies followed suit after Volks’ success with Super Dollfie, and a multitude of Japanese, Korean, and Chinese websites has sprung up over the years. Prominent sites like Dollmore and Dream of Doll offer a wide variety of male and female dolls, as well as accompanying accessories. For an exhaustive list of the available doll websites as well as the type of dolls they offer, a Danish ABJD collector,Karina Gyldenkærne, has compiled a list of websites offering approximately 1,000 kinds of dolls.

Lest you’re not prepared to part with hundreds of dollars for a doll, there’s a second-hand market at the popular Den of Angelsforum. Although they are slightly cheaper, second-hand sales are not recommended as the dolls might be damaged, (there could be a reason for wanting to sell them off), or possibly a con deal.

Do remember: Research and browse extensively before getting a doll, and be sure that you’ll love it wholeheartedly because it’s what comes next (outfits and accessories) that will really empty your wallet. Of course, thereafter, you’ll have the power to bring your gorgeous companions to life and have them by your side all the time. Nothing beats having real friends around, though!