NOTE: Bold, green/blue font are links to what I reference.
I found these fashion dolls by accident. My original search started with Kokeshis, a Japanese wooden doll I had seen at our local Cherry Blossom Festival. Among the images of wooden dolls stood a petite, plastic fashionista dressed in an elaborate outfit. I clicked on her and discovered that there is an entire collection of these dolls!
The company, Jun Planning, who had designed them no longer exist. So, the only way to attain their dolls are through online sites like Amazon and Ebay. Two types of their dolls that I have become acquainted with are…
J-Dolls are close to a Barbie doll’s height ranging up to 10″ tall. They’re more petite than their western counterpart and much more fragile. Note: the Japanese fashion dolls are not for little kids; their joints can be easily broken and their small accessories (shoes, etc.) can fall off. The way they’re made gives off the impression they’re meant to be handled like a porcelain doll.
Their faces are fair and heart-shaped, expressions lingering in surprise as if they just spotted someone familiar, and their eyes, which are what draw me in the most, are richly painted within glass. Fun realization: they’re all named after streets and places around the world.
The Ai Dolls range from 4″ to 5″ in height. They have bigger eyes reminiscent of a Japanese anime character and have baby-like bodies. I haven’t actually bought one since I’m not as taken with them as I am with the J-Dolls, but they look very delicate and I find of few of them to be quite adorable.
The only off-putting thing about these dolls are their prices: starting from $45, which is doable, to $300+, which is crazy! The designs and details are great and you can tell right away that the fabrics they use aren’t cheap. But, if I’m spending anything past $50, I would hope that the body is strong enough to be moved around for posing (especially if it’s purposefully made to do so with jointed limbs.)
I bought my first doll on a whim. I had been only perusing the different dolls that existed but kept telling myself not to waste my money. I caved after seeing Gran Via. I felt she looked just a little similar to me minus the green eyes. She was $49.99 at the time but her price has risen since. It took about a week to receive the package and when I did, I was excited and very nervous; she looked so fragile. Even when I took her out, I was afraid to hold her too long.
I had to release all her accessories from the box they were tied to and carefully put each item onto her. Everything was going great until it came time to put on her short jacket…I had heard a snap…
…a heart-wrenching snap.
Her hand had broken off at the wrist as I was pulling the coat around her and trying to get her other arm into the sleeve. I muttered a curse and angrily thought “Is this why the company no longer exists?!” I tried gluing the hand back but it was broken in such a way that one little push would break it off again.
I spent 50+ to get this doll, lol, I wasn’t going to just let her sit in the corner hand-less. The only sturdy parts are her torso and legs (though the knees seem questionable.) I quickly began a search for a replacement hand.
This search led me to Obitsu, the plastic manufacturing company that brought these sturdy headless doll bodies to the market. They were made and designed to out-do their predecessors with stronger materials and joints. The bodies (all parts except the head) can range between $20 to $27. When purchased separately, the arms, legs, hands, and head can range from $6 to $14 depending on which part(s) you’re getting. I purchased the body without a head through Amazon from the following vendor.
The package was delivered earlier than the estimated time and everything looked pristine. The hands and torso are made out of vinyl; everything else is ABS and PVC (both strong and lightweight plastics), which [unlike the J Doll bodies] don’t make rickety noises when the joints are moved. Not all torsos come in vinyl; I’ve seen ones made only in the ABS and PVC materials. My package also came with three extra neck attachments that are different sizes for the different types of Japanese doll heads (i.e., Pullip, Blythe, Momoko) that exist.
After researching the Obitsu dolls, I decided I would perform a doll head transplant, lol. It seems crazy that I did all this to save a doll but I liked the dang thing. Once the transfer was complete, the doll now had a strong body that could pose much better than the first.
The only downside is the skin color is lighter than her head. This isn’t going to always be the case with all J Dolls, my J Doll just has tan skin. Though it is highly not recommended, I’ve been using the sun to lighten the skin tone of the doll’s head. I don’t leave the head out all day, just an hour or two whenever I get the chance. So far, it’s lightened decently. I figure it’ll be okay since her skin is pretty tan but if you were to do this with an already pale head, it will start to show a yellow tinge.
I have changed her clothes since the bra and shorts don’t fit well and having her dress on alone was a bit too scandalous since it’s made out of see-through material. To see all the types of clothes I have purchased and how I transferred the doll parts, I have made a page called: “Customizing J-Dolls”
Anywho, you’d think I’d be done with the matter after all that mess but nope. My over-imaginative brain that had been too affected by the Toy Story movies felt that my poor doll looked so lonely in the corner. So, I got her a friend.
I bought the doll I had lingered on before deciding to buy the brunette, J Doll DE 9 STRAAJES; Hair as red as my best friend’s and eyes a dark blue. What really pulled me in though was the outfit! I found her for $45 on Ebay (direct link active in the image to the right) though with shipping it went up to $52. Unfortunately, the price has been slightly raised.
I faced new issues with this doll, lol. She arrived unscathed just like the doll before her and her body had more maneuverable joints but they creaked like an old ship. Her hands sadly are the same flimsy sort that the first doll had. Another peeve is that her shoes fall off, her jacket sleeves are a bit too long for my liking and her blouse a bit too loose for her petite chest. I guess the best part of her outfit is the skirt, crinoline underskirt and knee-high tights, lol. The hat falls off too since there’s no ribbons to keep it on but I could always glue on little ribbons later.
She received a change of clothes. I will also be giving her Obitsu arms and legs to replace the rickety, delicate ones she currently has.
If you would like to see the complete list of J-Dolls wandering out there, you can find them at this link: http://pullipsandjunk.com/pullips-company/j-doll/j-doll-release-list/
the what and where of my lil' collections 