Dollfie
Encyclopedia
Dollfie is a brand of vinyl doll created by the Japan
ese 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 different heights ranging from 23–29 cm. Dollfie dolls generally come blank, i.e., their heads are not painted. When an artist paints a Dollfie, the technique is referred to as a "face-up" or "make-up". Dollfie dolls are much more flexible than typical Barbie-style western fashion dolls of the same size, because of the much larger number of joints in the body.
Dollfie are often confused with Super Dollfie
, a larger 1/3 scale 60 cm/2 feet range of resin dolls, also made by Volks, or even similar larger Asian ball-jointed doll
s from other companies. The name "Dollfie" should accurately only be used for Volks's line of 1/6 dolls though.
Volks Inc. originally manufactured dolls with doll-crafters and artists in mind. For those with less skill, doll-crafting short-cuts were introduced, such as pre-rooted hair and stick-on eye decals. Later, finished dolls were issued. There are various body types, male and female, with several forms and skin tones for both as well as a line of child-sized dolls. The company also makes tools and materials to customize and maintain dolls.
Dollfie Dream is a line of 60 cm soft-bodied vinyl dolls made by Volks, similar to the smaller Dollfie dolls.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese company Volks
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 million, as of 2008....
in 1997. It is a highly-poseable hybrid of fashion doll
Fashion doll
Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adult collectors. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, though child, male, and even some non-human...
and action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
. A Dollfie doll is about the size of a Barbie
Barbie
Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by the American toy-company Mattel, Inc. and launched in March 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration....
doll, 1/6 or playscale, though there are variants in different heights ranging from 23–29 cm. Dollfie dolls generally come blank, i.e., their heads are not painted. When an artist paints a Dollfie, the technique is referred to as a "face-up" or "make-up". Dollfie dolls are much more flexible than typical Barbie-style western fashion dolls of the same size, because of the much larger number of joints in the body.
Dollfie are often confused with Super Dollfie
Super Dollfie
, often abbreviated SD, is a brand of ball-jointed doll, or BJD, made by the Japanese company Volks. They are made to be easy to customize and are primarily marketed to adult doll collectors and customizers. They are cast in polyurethane resin, a porcelain-like, hard, dense plastic...
, a larger 1/3 scale 60 cm/2 feet range of resin dolls, also made by Volks, or even similar larger Asian ball-jointed doll
Ball-jointed doll
A ball-jointed doll is any doll that is articulated with ball and socket joints. In contemporary usage when referring to modern dolls, and particularly when using the acronyms BJD or ABJD, it usually refers to modern Asian ball-jointed dolls. These are cast in polyurethane synthetic resin, a hard,...
s from other companies. The name "Dollfie" should accurately only be used for Volks's line of 1/6 dolls though.
Volks Inc. originally manufactured dolls with doll-crafters and artists in mind. For those with less skill, doll-crafting short-cuts were introduced, such as pre-rooted hair and stick-on eye decals. Later, finished dolls were issued. There are various body types, male and female, with several forms and skin tones for both as well as a line of child-sized dolls. The company also makes tools and materials to customize and maintain dolls.
Dollfie Dream is a line of 60 cm soft-bodied vinyl dolls made by Volks, similar to the smaller Dollfie dolls.