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What are these dolls?
These dolls you're seeing are known as Superdollfie or by the acronym BJD (ball-jointed doll).
Superdollfie is a dolls brand created in 1998 by the Japanese company Volks. They are an "upgrade" of the older and simpler dolls called dollfie, another Volks creation. Dollfies are vinyl articulated dolls in Barbie's size with a manga and anime look. The name dollfie is a mixing of doll and figure. The first Superdollfie was a one of a kind doll sculpted by artist Akihiro Enku as a gift for his wife. Enku was inspired by the ball-jointed and strings system of the 19th Century porcelain dolls. However, he used resin instead of porcelain and sculpted his doll in a more contemporary look. Volks liked his doll so much that soon after that first doll, regular Superdollfie dolls started to be sold.
And soon after Volks started to sell Superdollfie dolls, many other companies -most of them Korean- began to manufacturate similar dolls. Superdollfie, or even just dollfie, are sometimes erroneously used as generic terms to refer to these Korean dolls, since they share similar materials, structure and look. All these dolls -Superdollfie from Volks and Korean dolls- are known as Asian Ball Jointed Dolls or just BJD.
The most significant feature about Superdollfie and BJDs is that they're meant to be customized. It's easy to change their hair, eyes and faceup. Even the body is made of easily interchangeable pieces. They wear clothes and can be dressed up in any style.
Superdollfie and BJDs are collectible, customizable dolls marketed to adults. They're not toys. The world of BJDs is not cheap, but like dollhouses or train modelisme, it offers a lot of fun and entertainment.
Sizes, types and prices
The earliest BJDs were all around 60 centimetres (24 in) tall, but as the market expanded they have been produced in many different types and sizes. There are roughly three main size categories for BJDs: full size (60cm), mini (40cm) and tiny (25cm or smaller). In the last years, larger dolls (70-80 centimetres) are becoming very popular. There are male and female dolls in many different skin tones, and dolls meant to look like babies, children, teenagers or fully grown adults.
Another important feature of BJDs are editions. There are regular and limited editions. Limited editions can be much more expensive than regular ones, and often they're released for a dolls party (dolls conventions) or any other special occasion. Superdollfie dolls and BJD are expensive, and range in price from US$100 to over US$1000, even more for limited editions.
Nowadays, most of the BJD stores are based in Japan, South Korea and USA. Anyway, the most common way to purchase a Superdollfie or BJD is through the Internet. Most of the BJD companies have an online store where their dolls can be purchased. You can find a list of some of the most important BJD manufacturers on the links section of our website.
