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Ball-jointed dolls gained international popularity in 2000s which created many local and online communities revolved around the hobby. Forums (such as Den of Angels) were places where the hobbyists could share their dolls and knowledge and connect with other doll collectors, sometimes resulting in doll meetups in real life.

The community activity has somewhat fizzled out since heydays of 2000s, but hobbyists are meeting each other on forums and in local events to this day. BJD communities can be found also on Facebook, Instagram, discord, reddit and tumblr. Doll Conventions, such as IDoll Japan and UKBJD Con, are still held with thousands international attendees.

One of the key selling point of ball-jointed dolls is the high customizablity. The most basic customisizing one can do is painting a doll's face (aka face-up), but the possibilities do not stop there. Modification of a doll adds more room for creative fulfillment and it can be subtractive and additive. One can reshape a doll's feature by subtracting (opening closed eyes, flattening boobs etc) and adding (piercings, closing a doll's eyes and giving a doll extra pair of arms).

Face ups can be done by the doll company (if option available) or face up artists selling their services. One can do face ups themselves using supplies, such as sealant, soft pastels and acrylics, but for a single face up the cost of the necessary tool is a lot pricier than ordering a custom face up from the doll company or a face up artist.
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Some prefer to buy clothes for their dolls, some prefer to make the clothes themselves. Same goes for doll wigs. Making clothes for a doll is not so different from making a clothes for a human, but with a smaller scale in mind.

One has to sew in smaller detail, but also choose appropriate fabric for the cloth. Easiest dolls to make clothes for are the biggest dolls (1/3 scale), since you can have more variety of fabric and more room for details.
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Doll eyes are separate from the doll itself, and can be attached with putty. Resin, glass and acrylic eyes are perhaps the most common types of eyes to be used.

Often a random pair of doll eyes are part of the basic doll order, but not always. Doll eyes can be bought directly from doll companies or other hobbyists, but they can also be handmade.

When choosing correct sized eyes for a doll, it is also good to consider the whether the eyes have a high or a low dome and what size the iris is. These can also factor into how the eyes look on a doll and how the light hit their eyes.

Here I will give an introduction to ball-jointed dolls for those new to the hobby. This page does not offer a thorough discussion for these topics, so I advise to research each topic further. Mind you, that I am a simple BJD hobbyist and not a professional, that has only ever collected cast resin dolls, so my knowledge reflects that.

Ball-jointed dolls are typically sorted into two categories; artist dolls and company dolls. Company dolls are made by small company of artist, commonly in China, Japan or Korea. Artist dolls are made by an artist or two artists. This type of doll business is more typical internationally, as doll business isn't as lucrative as it is in East Asia. Most established Company doll brand are Volks, Luts, Iplehouse and Fairyland. For Artist doll brands, Popovy and asjas are good examples.

Here are some basic terms commonly used in regards to ball-jointed dolls:

• SD or 1/3 scale doll = Doll whose height is above 55cm
• MSD, mini or 1/4 doll = Doll whose heigh ranges within 35-45cm
• YoSD, tiny or 1/6 doll = Doll whose heigh ranges within 20-30cm
• face-up = doll's painted face
• hybrid or hybridization = Doll whose body is build from doll parts made by different companies, most commonly a head of one company and the body from another

Owning a ball-jointed doll

Doll hobby offers different appeals to different people. For some the draw comes from the collecting aspect of the hobby, for some its the approach of dolls as a personal project. Some people give their dolls names and backstories, some their dolls can remain nameless and characterless, but loved all the same. This is to say, there are many unique ways to approach and participate in the hobby.

If I were to try to describe BJD hobby as simple possible, it would be as a creative hobby that comes along with many other hobbies.

I learned about BJDs from a family member from whom I got my first bjd almost 20 years ago, which also started my journey to learn how to sew and make wigs etc. My original dream dolls were Fairyland minifees (especially Marcia), though I only ever owned a Shushu and a Chloe (that I later sold). Ultimately what drew me in, was the character building aspects of the hobby.

LE's BJD wiki BJD Wiki academic article about BJDs academic article about BJD culture in China Doll Database BJD Collectasy for the latest doll releases
A ball-jointed doll can be purchased from a doll company/artist directly, a dealer (essentially a middle man) or secondhanded from other hobbyists online or in person. Doll companies and artist generally make and sell dolls in limited numbers and as a pre-order, so the dolls are made once the order has been received. Waiting time for a doll to be finished and shipped differs between companies depending on the company size and popularity. A few months is an expected waiting time, and some bjd collectors

BJD community also engages in its own trade in forum and other online spaces. It is recommended to be wary of so-called recast dolls that are commonly sold on Ebay, Facebook or Instagram in cheaper prices. Recast doll refers to a doll that is a knock-off of an actual brand doll whose mold has been stolen and copied by unauthorized third-parties. One can verify a legitimate doll by evaluating different factors, such as quality, difference in features and a certification of authenticity.


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BJD hobby has been known for being costly. This is due to the fact that ball-jointed dolls aren't mass produced like barbies, but handcrafted one by one. In my experience, a new doll's price typically ranges from 150 to 600 dollars depending on size, but it is good to keep in mind that a blank doll is not the only part of the hobby that is a money sink. One should budget in shipping fees and potential tariffs, when ordering a doll. Customisizing, especially the tools for it, sewing and photograpging also can take a lot of money just to get started. However it is possible to lower the budget by buing the items secondhanded, getting customizations done by artists/doll companies and reusing material, such as one's own old clothes for doll clothes.

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