I was first introduced to Asian Ball Jointed Dolls (ABJD) by my friend Mary Pham (aka Mayuka13) in 2004. I've been collecting dolls since I was ten years old. It started out with collector Barbies. I was a huge fan of the Classique, Great Eras, and Hollywood Legends series. In middle school, I collected Gene dolls. In high school, I collected anime dolls. ABJDs (or "resin kids" as I like to call them) seemed like pretty little things to look at. I did not think a college student like me could afford one. I thought I'd never get one. 

It was not until Lunar New Year 2006 that I got my first BJD, a Cerberus Project Nara. My second doll was a gift from my godfather and brother as a graduation present - a MSD Mika. Originally, I planned on only owning one, but now I'm stuck with two of these kids!

Yes, at one point these resin children did scare me. I blame it on the Battle Royale director's cut. There was a scene where Mitsuko's (pedophile) stepfather (?) had a 1/6 scale dollfie and popped the head off. It was very disturbing. I won't go into further details, but I eventually got over my fear.

Outsiders often ask if ABJD will appear at FAO Schwarz. The real question is if we will see FAO Schwarz in the future! For now, I can see BJDs being sold through online stateside retailers. I think ABJDs will remain their own thing apart from fashion dolls, despite getting numerous attention from magazines like Haute Doll. Then again, I had my doubts about manga overtaking the shelves at Borders! Volks does not like the idea of mass production. The idea of mass producing BJDs upsets many of the people in the community. BJDs are already a regular feature in doll collector magazines like Haute Doll. I'd consider that getting mainstream attention by it's peers - the doll community as a whole. Yet, I don't see BJDs being something as mass produced like Barbie or Bratz at Toys R Us.

I think the hobby is expanding. I don't know much about the demand, but I have had several friends tell me that they would never ever get a BJD, but finally gave in - Tiffany, Lacie, Claudine, Patrick, to name a few. Now they have their own little resin kid living with them. Den of Angels, the online hub for the BJD community has grown from a Yahoo Group to an active online forum. Haute Doll will publish an article every now and then. In the summer of 2006, a BJD book was released. However, it is only available through a few online retailers. That means, you won't find it at your local Borders or Barnes and Noble.

Forgive my rambling, I often do that! I like ABJDs because it's a hobby that I can share with my good friends. I never grown out of dolls. I still enjoying "playing" with them. Even my significant other enjoys making video stories of Cosette and Eponine. It's also an opportunity to express my creative side - storytelling, sewing, and photography. Very few dolls have this attribute. I'm happy with the two dolls I have. At this moment, I feel no need to shell out any more money on another. I'm happy with my Cosette and Eponine.

This site is copyrighted by Victoria Erica January 2007. Please email her at rose.assassin@ gmail.com  for more information. This site was made with Dreamweaver and Microsoft Photodraw. Thanks to dreamhost for the webspace.