Doll Obsession: Liv Doll

December 9, 2009

I’ve been obssessed about dolls for quite some time. I want to make clothes for dolls, dress them up, take photos, then make more doll clothes! But I don’t want some doll with only one pose, I want a poseable and realistic doll. Ball jointed dolls are first on my list:

 

Shall of Dream of Doll. So pretty right?

 

These BJDs are cult favorites, and is one of the most coveted collector items in the cosplay world. These dolls are way too expensive. I know several people who collects these dolls, and they never disclose how much they spend on these babies since they’re THAT expensive. Meh, I’d rather buy a laptop than buy one of these. So to vent-out my frustration, I dressed up my mannequin Jack-Jack a few months ago:

 

 

He looks so pretty.

 

I made these clothes by hand and was pretty impressed with my work. This is the first doll dress I made. The boyfriend wasn’t very pleased with the idea that I dressed up my male mannequin like this (he gave this mannequin to me).

 

Since BJDs are expensive, I decided to look for a perfect alternative. The first candidate was an obitsu doll:

A finished obitsu doll sample. Forgot her name.

 

They look exactly like BJDs. The only difference is the material used to make obitsu dolls - BJDs are usually made of polyurethane resin while obitsu dolls are usually made of vinyl. Vinyl dolls are easier to manufacture, thus less expensive. BUT, to assemble one will still cost me thousands. I can buy parts one by one, but I don’t think I can be patient enough to wait for months just to complete one doll.

 

My second candidate was Barbie.

 

 

Barbie Jazz Baby Series

 

New generation Barcies are moveable, usually with 12 points of articulation. Not bad since with 12 points, I can make them do a lot of poses. After Googling, I wanted to have one of their Jazz Baby series (the brunette one). Unfortunately, they’re a part of the Gold Label Collection, with less than 25,000 pieces available. Apparently, Mattel produced less than 5,200 of the brunette Cabaret Dancers. Haay… Another thing I don’t like about Barbie is the was their face looks. Since their eyes are painted, they give a very unrealistic look. Plus, I don’t like their make-up (except for some few models).

 

After Googling some more, I found this:

Liv Fashion Dolls

 

These dolls are pretty new in the market. And according to this article, they’re topsellers in the US. Now who wouldn’t want a doll with 14 points of articulation, has very realistic eyes (their eyes are inserted to the skull, not painted), and has changeable wigs (YAY WIGS). At $19 each. I WANT.

 

I’m planning to get either Sophie or Daniela since their looks can fit *wink wink* gothic lolita clothes. Or maybe Katie, since I love her green eyes. Gah, I’m getting excited.

 

Now if only they’re available here in the Philippines. I haven’t seen one of these in toy stores. I don’t want to order online since I’m not very comfortable about the idea of sending money to some person overseas. Also, shipping is very expensive. Bah, I just have to wait until they reach our shores.

 

Now, if any of you guys happen to know when these dolls will be available in our friendly toy stores, just leave a message here. I’m excited to make doll clothes.