, often abbreviated SD, is a brand of ball-jointed doll, or BJD, made by the

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

ese company

Volks is a Japan-based corporation that produces garage kits and mecha kits as well as the Dollfie, Super Dollfie and Dollfie Dream lines of dolls. The company's headquarters is in Kyoto, with some 30 shops worldwide, and annual sales of about $50 mil ...

. They are made to be easy to customize and are primarily marketed to adult doll collectors and customizers. They are

cast Cast may refer to: Music * Cast (band), an English alternative rock band * Cast (Mexican band), a progressive Mexican rock band * The Cast, a Scottish musical duo: Mairi Campbell and Dave Francis * ''Cast'', a 2012 album by Trespassers William * ...

polyurethane Polyurethane (; often abbreviated PUR and PU) refers to a class of polymers composed of organic chemistry, organic units joined by carbamate (urethane) links. In contrast to other common polymers such as polyethylene and polystyrene, polyurethan ...

resin In polymer chemistry and materials science, resin is a solid or highly viscous substance of plant or synthetic origin that is typically convertible into polymers. Resins are usually mixtures of organic compounds. This article focuses on natu ...

, a porcelain-like, hard, dense plastic. The most common standard models are about 60 cm, or 24 inches, tall, taller and heavier than most comparable

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

dolls. They are designed in a style which is both realistic and influenced by

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

, and most models are anatomically correct. The various body parts have ball joints for articulation, and are strung together with a thick elastic cord. The term "dollfie" is a portmanteau formed from the words "doll" and "figure". The original

Dollfie is a brand of vinyl doll created by the Japanese company Volks in 1997. It is a highly poseable hybrid of fashion doll and action figure. A Dollfie doll is about the size of a Barbie doll, 1/6 or playscale, though there are variants in differen ...

dolls are

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...

sized vinyl figures, and the term "Super Dollfie" was introduced to distinguish the larger resin dolls. Super Dollfie, or even just Dollfie, are sometimes erroneously used as a generic terms to refer to BJDs made by other companies. However, both Super Dollfie and Dollfie are registered trademarks and should only be used for Volks products.

Overview

Super Dollfie dolls are made to be easy to customize. The hair is a

wig A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for periwig, which makes its earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare's ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona' ...

that can easily be changed. The head can be opened to change the eyes and adjust the stringing. The face paint can be removed and the head repainted. Optional hands and feet are available, and heads and other body parts are removable and interchangeable. The resin parts themselves can be carved or sanded to reshape them. Super Dollfie are not widely distributed, and, with a few exceptions, new dolls are only available directly through Volks own events or stores, either online, or through their

brick and mortar Brick and mortar (also bricks and mortar or B&M) refers to a physical presence of an organization or business in a building or other structure. The term ''brick-and-mortar business'' is often used to refer to a company that possesses or leases r ...

stores called ''Tenshi no Sumika'' (angel's nest), located throughout Japan, in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

and until March 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Super Dollfie are collectible, customizable dolls marketed to adults. They vary in price from about 36 000 yen (about US $400) for the smallest, unassembled standard models, up to about 150 000 yen (about US $2000) for the most exclusive larger limited dolls that come with outfits and accessories. On the secondary market, limited and skillfully customized Super Dollfie often fetch a price far higher than the original. There is a thriving second hand market online, where dolls are bought and sold on auction sites, as well as forums. New models are regularly released at ''Dolls Party'', or ''Dolpa'', ( :ja:ドールズパーティー) promotional convention-like events organized by Volks several times a year in locations around Japan. Here fans can buy and sell limited and customized dolls, accessories and clothes. Dolpas have grown in scale over the years and the Dolls Party held at

Tokyo Big Sight , officially known as , is a convention and exhibition center in Tokyo, Japan, and the largest one in the country. Opened in April 1996, the center is located in the Ariake Minami district of on the Tokyo Bay waterfront. Its most iconic feature i ...

regularly has 15 000 attendees. ''Tenshi no Sato'' (angel's home) in

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

is Volks headquarters and Super Dollfie museum. Here exclusive doll models are sold, and events are held where special limited editions are released. Doll repair services are also available and classes are held teaching various customization methods. Tenshi no Sato is surrounded by a traditional

Japanese garden are traditional gardens whose designs are accompanied by Japanese aesthetics and philosophical ideas, avoid artificial ornamentation, and highlight the natural landscape. Plants and worn, aged materials are generally used by Japanese garden desig ...

where visitors can photograph their dolls. To gain entrance visitors have to book reservations in advance. Following the introduction of Super Dollfie an increasing number of Asian ball-jointed doll companies have been established, most of them based in

History

In the late 1990s Volks produced a line of 1:6 scale articulated vinyl figures for hobbyist customers to finish to their own taste. Volks named these figures ''

'', a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsresin figure kits, and the early Super Dollfie were made and sold similarly to resin kits, in very small quantities (almost

build to order Build to Order (BTO: sometimes referred to as Make to Order or Made to Order (MTO)) is a production approach where products are not built until a confirmed order for products is received. Thus, the end consumer determines the time and number of ...

), and in parts, for the customer to assemble. Volks has stated that they were trying to create a female market for resin kits, which were male dominated up to that point. The first generation SD bodies were highly detailed, but had some difficulty remaining standing, and their ball joints were very prominent. All Super Dollfie dolls were female, until 2001 when the first boy doll, Licht, was released. The first release was a limited run of only 50 dolls, but sales were so successful that the doll was rereleased two times, and many other male dolls followed. In 2003, Volks released a new 'skin type' (resin mixture) of the dolls called "Pure Skin". Super Dollfie Catalog 1 Pure skin has a less plastic and more skin-like, translucent look and feel. The Super Dollfie body was improved with better poseability and less conspicuous ball joints. During the change, Volks gradually phased out production of "old skin" dolls in favor of pure skin. Old skin body parts were available separately, so buyers could easily get pieces and assemble their own custom doll. After the change to pure skin, only certain hands and feet are available to buy as optional parts, and only a few pure skin head molds and body types are readily available as completed standard models. Super Dollfie Catalog 2 The majority of Super Dollfie models are now only available as limited editions, already assembled, painted, and fully clothed. Following the 2003 changes of the dolls, Volks expanded their business internationally. The same year they held the first Dolpa in South Korea, and also opened the first Korean store. In 2004 the Super Dollfie museum ''Tenshi no Sato'' was opened in Kyoto. In November 2005 Volks USA opened their first American Tenshi no Sumika store in Los Angeles, California, and they have been holding Dolpa events in New York City every summer since 2006. In 2008 Japan Today reported that Volks annual sales were $50 million and that they have about 30 shops worldwide.

Culture

There is a sizeable community dedicated to Super Dollfie and other ball-jointed dolls. The largest English BJD forum has over 30,000 members as of March 2011. Doll owners customize their dolls and share photos and photo stories online. The dolls are usually named by their owner, and sometimes assigned individual characteristics and personality traits. In the West, enthusiasts organize offline doll meetups and conventions, which include other BJDs along with Super Dollfie. In Japan, Volks hold Dolpa conventions and Tenshi no Sumika store meetups. These are exclusively Super Dollfie events, and other BJD brands are not allowed. Super Dollfie is associated with the

Gothic Lolita is a subculture from Japan that is highly influenced by Victorian clothing and styles from the Rococo period. A very distinctive property of Lolita fashion is the aesthetic of cuteness. This clothing subculture can be categorized into three ...

and

Lolita fashion is a subculture from Japan that is highly influenced by Victorian clothing and styles from the Rococo period. A very distinctive property of Lolita fashion is the aesthetic of cuteness. This clothing subculture can be categorized into thre ...

subcultures in Japan, as well as the

Cosplay Cosplay, a portmanteau of "costume play", is an activity and performance art in which participants called cosplayers wear costumes and fashion accessories to represent a specific character. Cosplayers often interact to create a subculture, ...

subculture, with some dressing their Super Dollfie up as famous characters. Volks have a history of collaborating with Lolita fashion designers going back to 2002, when they released limited edition Super Dollfie with clothes designed by

Baby, The Stars Shine Bright is the name of a Japanese clothing brand created in 1988 by Akinori Isobe and his wife, Fumiyo. Baby, The Stars Shine Bright specializes in Lolita fashion. The company's flagship store, opened in 1999 in Daikanyamachō, Shibuya, was relocated t ...

, Black Peace Now and Atelier-Pierrot. The character Momoko from the Lolita fashion-themed movie

Kamikaze Girls ''Kamikaze Girls'', originally released in Japan as , is a 2002 Japanese light novel written by Novala Takemoto. The story centers on the friendship between two students named Momoko Ryugasaki and Ichigo "Ichiko" Shirayuri. These two are fro ...

was released as a limited Super Dollfie, wearing a Baby, The Stars Shine Bright outfit, coinciding with the release of the movie in Japan in 2004. Baby, The Stars Shine Bright have created several other Super Dollfie outfits as well. Some sold separately, some with limited edition dolls. They have also made matching human and doll sized outfits, like the outfits worn by the limited edition Toppi and Luna released in early 2007. The Gothic Lolita fashion designer

H. Naoto Naoto Hirooka, better known as h.NAOTO (born 1977) is a Japanese avant-garde fashion designer. H. Naoto's style of clothing and accessories could be classified under Japanese punk and Gothic Lolita, and he has been called the "most visible and suc ...

created an exclusive outfit for a limited Super Dollfie in 2006, Super Dollfie Catalog 3 and have since created several other Super Dollfie outfits. Super Dollfie are influenced by the anime style, but they also have some more direct ties with anime and manga. In 2003, the android character

Chi Chi or CHI may refer to: Greek *Chi (letter), the Greek letter (uppercase Χ, lowercase χ); Chinese *Chi (length), ''Chi'' (length) (尺), a traditional unit of length, about ⅓ meter *Chi (mythology) (螭), a dragon *Chi (surname) (池, pin ...

from the manga and anime

Chobits is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by the Japanese manga collective Clamp. It was serialized in Kodansha's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Young Magazine'' from September 2000 to October 2002, with its chapters collected ...

, as well as Yumi and Sachiko from

Maria-sama ga Miteru , often shortened to , is a Japanese light novel series written by with illustrations by Reine Hibiki. Originally written as a short story in 1997, Shueisha published 37 light novel volumes from April 1998 to April 2012. The story f ...

were produced as limited edition Super Dollfie. The

main characters A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

in the manga and anime

Rozen Maiden is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Peach-Pit. It was serialized in '' Monthly Comic Birz'' between the September 2002 and July 2007 issues. The individual chapters were collected and released into eight ''tankōbon'' ...

are all BJD-like "living dolls", and five of them were released as limited Super Dollfie dolls in 2005 and 2007. Super Dollfie have also been featured in various work. A fashion shoot with Super Dollfie was featured in the November 2007 issue of

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

Nippon. The virtual band Mistula is composed of customized ball-jointed dolls, several of which are Super Dollfie. The 2006 ''Kawaii'' episode of the British TV series

Japanorama ''Japanorama'' is a series of documentaries presented by Jonathan Ross, exploring various facets of popular culture and trends of modern-day Japan. Each episode has a theme, around which Ross presents cultural phenomenon, films, music, and art th ...

featured a segment on Super Dollfie.

Super Dollfie models

Super Dollfie, or SD, was the first model, introduced in 1999. The current pure skin models are about 55 cm (22 inches) tall, while the original version was slightly taller at 57 cm (23 inches). Among fans they are sometimes referred to as ''Super Dollfie 10'' or ''SD10'' to specifically refer to the size versus the whole line of dolls. Super Dollfie 13, or SD13, are more mature and slightly taller than the plain Super Dollfie, SD13 boys are 60 cm (24 inches), and girls 57 cm. When they were released in December 2001 they were an improvement on the original SD body, with less prominent ball joints. Mini Super Dollfie, or MSD, are more childlike and shorter, about 42 cm (17 inches) tall. They were introduced in September 2001 The standard names SD, SD13 and MSD, or just "mini", are sometimes used to describe the size of BJDs from other companies as well, compare with Ball-jointed doll sizes and types. Yo-SD, from the Japanese , are only available as limited editions, but they have been released several times. Younger looking than MSD, they are 26.5 cm tall, and were first released in 2004. DearSD, or Dear Super Dollfie, is the latest available Super Dollfie model. It was first released in 2015, in commemoration of the 16th anniversary of Super Dollfie. The DearSD is very similar in height to the MSD, standing at 43 cm tall. However, the proportions of a DearSD are more childlike since the DearSD is meant to depict a toddler. The DearSD body is asexual, allowing owners of this doll to customize it into a boy or a girl. The DearSD is currently a limited model, made available for sale in small batches to collectors in Japan. It will be sold again in limited runs, but a date for the next sale has yet to be announced. In addition to these models, there are also the limited edition SD16 and SD17, which are more mature than SD13 and about 65 cm (25.6 inches) tall, and SDCute, which are about as tall as MSD, but more mature. The regular SD versions are anatomically correct, but there are also limited genderless ''Tenshi'', or angel, editions. Sei-Tenshi and Rei-Tenshi are smaller than Yo-SD and not for sale, but only given out at promotional events. Super Dollfie buyers can also create a customized doll with the ''Full Choice System'', or FCS. Through FCS, the buyer selects from various options including body type, head mold, eye color, wig style, and cosmetics style, and the doll is then assembled by Volks. Different FCS head molds are distinguished by numbers, not names like the pre-assembled models, with for example F-16 being a popular mold. FCS is not available online, but only through Volks physical Tenshi no Sumika stores or through Tenshi no Sato, where the FCS service has additional options.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book , year = 2007 , script-title=ja:スーパードルフィーパーフェクトカタログ 3 , trans-title=Super Dollfie Catalog 3 , publisher = Asahi Sonorama , location = Japan , isbn = 978-4-257-03739-2 , ref=Cat3