A ball-jointed doll (shortened to BJD sometimes) is any doll that is articulated with ball and socket joints and strung together. They are also “usually designed to be easily customizable by the doll owner”. (Ball-Jointed Doll Wiki, n.d.). Customisable dolls are called One-Of-A-Kind, or OOAK for short, meaning the owner has touched up or commissioned someone to paint/make the doll for them, and it cannot be replicated by another person due to its’ unique look.
The History + Characteristics of BJDs
Doll with articulated (moving) joints have been present since Ancient Greece and Rome, but a modern variant appeared in Europe during the 19th Century. These dolls would be made from “materials such as bisque and porcelain and were often modelled after popular literary characters of the time” (Asenva BJD, 2023), which could also be considered fanwork or early merchandise of media aswell. Other early materials noted were “leather, cloth, fur, woven fibers, or anything that could be shaped into a humanoid form for play” (capitamortua, 2021).
My main focus of BJDs are modern, mass produced BJDS typically produced in East Asia, and fashion dolls. These dolls, also known as Asian BJDs or ABJDs, will often have an cutesy, innocent anime aesthetic, which is what draws people to them. These dolls are typically made for collectors due to how elaborate they are. A popular example of this is Japanese Manufacturer VOLKS Inc., who launched the Super Dollfies line in 1999, which is the first instance of modern ABJDs being popularised.
Types of Materials used in BJDS and their uses:
| Name | Their Uses |
| Resin | Can be used to create moving eyes effect, create accessories or make the base of the model |
| SuperGlue | Gluing hair to the head base, accessories/pins/clothing parts together etc. |
| Clay (Sculpey, Apoxy) | To create the model |
| Acrylic Paint | To paint the model |
| Masks/Respirator | To not breathe in the fumes of the sculpt… |
| 90%+/- Isopropyl Alcohol | To wipe off excess or old paint (if you are doing a repaint of a pre-existing doll) |
| Elastic Cord | To thread the doll |
| Q-Tips/Cotton Buds | To wipe away excess |
| Model sealant | These produce a paper-like tooth., or texture, which is ideal for painting and doing makeup on. (capitamortua, 2021) |
Some brands of BJDS (1999 – 2010s)
| Super Dollfies (1999) Created by the company “VOLKS Inc.”. Known as the first customisable dolls, they have lots of mobility. | Blythe (2001) These dolls are characterised by a round bobble-like head, blinking eyes and a small body. The character Blythe from LPS was based on these. | Pidgin Dolls (2010s) Ball-jointed dolls made by Joshua David McKinney. Characterised by vintage aesthetics and expressiveness. |
BJD Owner Culture + Collector Community
Ball-Jointed Doll Collectors and Owners, and Doll owners in general have stated how pricey the hobby is. Looking on the Volks site today, a lower end doll could go for about £550, while on the highest end, it could go up to £1,000, or even more, due to the cost of materials and production of the doll. Therefore, many collectors can actually be priced out of the hobby, and it remains an exclusive niche to many. Knockoffs and dupes are highly discouraged, and many members of the BJD community strongly discourage the practise of doing so.
As Capita Mortua Arts, BJD collector and owner since 2014 states: “…with most hobbies that become a specific interest, there are spaces that define BJD differently. This hobby’s community is militantly anti- knockoff or counterfeit (recast) and their definitions of what a ball-jointed doll is are similarly strict.“
Forums like Den of Angels or DoA give their own personal opinions on new releases, as well as common in-group discussions like what counts as a BJD.
The international community for BJDs is massive, with demand across the globe. Many BJD owners are also apart of other niche subcultures, like EGL wearers, Elegant Gothic Lolita, a clothing style born in 1970s Harajuku that prioritises frilly, girly and doll-like looks with a 50’s skirt silouhette. Owners who like this style often dress their dolls in it too, and go to meet-ups with other enthusiatic BJD owners, similar to the culture in EGL, where one would go to meet up with their local community, or comm for short, to have tea or explore their city while dressed up in the style.
References
Ball-Jointed Doll Wiki. (n.d.). Ball-Jointed Dolls. [online] Available at: https://bjd.fandom.com/wiki/Ball-Jointed_Dolls.
Asenva BJD (2023). The Enchanting History of Ball-Jointed Dolls (BJDs): From Antique Origins to Modern Culture. [online] The BJD Life Newsletter. Available at: https://www.bjdlife.com/p/history-of-bjd-dolls.
Capita Mortua Arts. (2021). Capita Mortua Arts. Available at: https://capitamortua.com/blog/2021/7/18/essential-materials-for-bjd-ownership [Accessed 10 Oct. 2025].
Capita Mortua Arts. (2021). An MFA’s Definition of Ball-Jointed Dolls (with pictures!). [online] Available at: https://capitamortua.com/blog/2021/7/28/an-mfas-opinion-on-the-definition-of-ball-jointed-dolls-with-research.
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