BJD Information

A quick guide to ball-jointed dolls

So you're curious about ball-jointed dolls. Awesome!

Ball-jointed dolls (BJDs from here on out) are dolls created from resin, plastic, porcelain, or similar materials. They are made in pieces, and these pieces are articulated using elastic and, of course, ball joints. The elastic creates tension, so the dolls stay together and can even stand on their own, but it also gives them a great range of articulation. The joints are how they move and pose, and are often a cup-and-ball shape (though other shapes are common). BJDs are typically made in Asia (China, Japan, and South Korea) but there are brands in the West as well. Each BJD is handmade, and they are highly customizable, with paintable faces, changable eyes, removable wigs, clothing, and more..

BJDs are sold as either a head, a body, or full doll. Many parts allow for hybridization, or combining a head (or other parts) with a body from another doll. The dolls come in several different size categories, based around a standard set of sizes. 1/3 dolls range from 60-70 centimeters (there are also 70+ dolls), 1/4 dolls range from 40-50cm, and 1/6 dolls range from 20-30cm. Smaller dolls are often called "tinies", and there are many inbetween sizes (those are just the most common).

Like me, many people create characters or at least personalities for their dolls. They may base them on existing characters from games, anime, or other media, or they may make original characters (as I do). As they are considered a creative hobby due to all the customization, these dolls are often inspirational for creative projects- hence this site.

If you have any additional questions, I have an FAQ on my blog, which you can find here. (It isn't reproduced here because I dislike redundancy.)