BJD - articulated dolls

The name BJD is an abbreviation of the English word combination ball-jointed doll, which, in fact, means - hingeddoll. Such dolls are made of polyurethane, although many mistakenly believe that it is made of rubber, because the English name of this material is resin. This plastic is inelastic, hard, to the touch like porcelain. The composition of polyurethane varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and they try to keep it secret.



Parts of the body of such dolls are connected byHinges, the arrangement of which repeats the location of the main joints of the human body. The parts are connected by an elastic band, giving the necessary tension. Due to this design, a pivot doll can be given almost any pose. Despite the fact that BJD does not have a rigid skeleton, they can stand upright.



The first articulated dolls were created in the 1930s in Germanythe puppeteer Hans Bellmer, and were more like art objects. Modern articulated dolls, later called BJD, began to be produced in the early 1990s in Japan.



There are basic criteria that allow you to assign this or that doll to BJD.

• The articulated dolls are made of polyurethane (resin)


• The mobility of the doll is provided by means of hinges


• parts of the articulated doll are connected with the help of elastic bands


• The head of a doll consists of two or more parts, the eyes can be changed


• BJD can be dressed in clothes and shoes


• on the head of a doll can be a wig


• Hinged dolls suggest customization (the ability to change individual sculptural and cosmetic elements of the doll)

The sizes of the hinged dolls range from 9 to 90 cm. Depending on the size of the BJD are divided into several groups.

• Tiny - growth of 9-19 cm


• Small - growth of 20-39 cm


• MSD - growth of 40-49 cm


• SD - height of 50-69 cm


• 70+ - height of 70 cm and more

At different manufacturers the sizes and proportionsthe figures of pivoting dolls may differ, and some BJD manufacturers use their size markings. But lovers of articulated dolls prefer to use a uniform system of sizes to avoid confusion.



Hinged dolls - hobby is not cheap. The most inexpensive doll will cost you about $ 200, and the price of limited BJD can reach $ 1000. The high price of hinged dolls is completely justified - they are all cast by hand on special equipment. Doll models are usually created by professional sculptors. At lower prices, the creation of BJD simply would not pay off.



When ordering a pivot doll from the manufacturer, you can choose the doll's own set.



Basic equipment (nude, basic) - this is the so-called mold, the base doll. Only the collected body and the head of the doll will come to you. The basic equipment does not include clothes, shoes, make-up. Some firms do not include an eye and a wig in the basic configuration, some include (although not allowing the buyer to choose their own eye color and wig type). If you need a doll with already made make-up - you can order it for an additional fee.



Full set, or fullset is a doll with makeup, eyes,wig, already dressed and even, perhaps, shod. Ordering a complete set is a good start for a beginner, but experienced owners of articulated dolls usually choose the basic equipment to modify the doll at will and make it unlike the rest of the same mold.



Limited edition (limited edition, limit) is a doll that is releasedlimited edition. Such dolls are sent in a complete set, as well as a fullset, the set includes shoes and often - additional accessories. Some firms offer to order also a "sleeping" head, which has closed or half-closed eyes, but you need to pay for it additionally. Limited edition can produce unusual hinged dolls (for example, centaur dolls) or so-called minimization (from English mini me - mini me) - BJD, which are miniature copies of famous people.



You can order a doll's head from one firm, and the body- the other, but you need to be careful - the head should approach the body, and the skin color should be as similar as possible. Among the additional services provided by manufacturers of pivoting dolls for a fee, you can mention body painting (blushing), make-up and sanding. But all this can be done by own hands or entrust to a more experienced doll owner.



Some manage to make a hinged doll with their own hands. This is a rather labor-intensive process, requiringpatience and perseverance. There are special courses on the creation of hinged dolls with their own hands. Some masters who have the experience of creating pivot dolls with their own hands, share it on the Internet, lay out whole master classes and tutorials.



But even if you do not think you can do ithinged doll with your own hands, you have the opportunity to make a custom-made from the manufacturer BJD unique. Change of eyes and a wig, original make-up, clothing shoes, piercings and tattoos can make even two representatives of the same mold absolutely different from each other. Many doll owners themselves sew clothes and shoes for them, make wigs.



What to do with the hinged doll? This is your choice. You can use it as a photomodel, you can sit on a shelf and admire, you can play with it (after all, BJD was originally conceived as a game doll). Owners of hinged dolls unanimously admit that this acquisition has brought a little bit of joy and variety to their lives.



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