Pullip
Encyclopedia
Pullip is a collectible
Collectible
A collectable or collectible is any object regarded as being of value or interest to a collector . There are numerous types of collectables and terms to denote those types. An antique is a collectable that is old...

 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...

 created by Cheonsang Cheonha of South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...

 in 2003. Pullip has an oversized head on a jointed plastic body, with eyes that can change positions and wink. Pullip was first marketed by Jun Planning of Japan
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...

, but since early 2009, it has been marketed by Groove of Korea. Pullip (풀잎) means 'blade of grass/leaf' in Korean. Since the release of the original female doll, other lines of dolls have been added: male companion dolls Namu (나무, tree) and Taeyang (태양, sun), his younger sister doll Dal (달, moon), and Dal's best friend Byul (별, star).
Since 2011 the doll series gained a new member Isul (dew), who is supposedly Pullip's little brother.
There is also a miniature line of Little Pullip and Little Dal. (Now called Little Pullip/Dal+) Pullip dolls are often customized. Later releases have wigs that can be replaced and the eye color can easily be changed.

Design

The Pullip has a unique eye mechanism that allows the eyes to move back and forth and wink, using levers on the back of the head. Pullips released after 2008 can keep their eyes closed. Pullips are highly articulated and can be personalized or customized. They are about 12 inches tall with oversized heads (on the 1/3 scale.) The body is about 9 inches tall (1:6 scale), the size of many fashion dolls such as 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....

 and Jenny
Jenny (doll)
right|thumb|Takara Jenny is a 10½ inch fashion doll produced by Japanese toy company Takara since 1982. The doll was originally known as the Takara Barbie, but became "Jenny" in 1986 after Takara ended their licensing agreement with Mattel. The differences between the Takara Barbie and the Western...

.

The articulated Pullip body has gone through several changes. Early dolls had Marmit-type bodies with visible screws, the "Type 1" body. The first three dolls (Moon, Street, and Wind) have necks that can snap easily, though this was fixed with later releases. Another common problem is vertical splitting between the two halves of the legs. These Type 1 Pullips are the only type with rooted hair, all later models would wear wigs.

Starting in January 2004 with the release of Venus, Pullip had a new body. The "Type 2" body had no visible screws, a soft torso, and joints that could be pulled apart. This body had more realistic proportions, and to date is the most poseable body. Disadvantages of this body include the limbs can fall off or pull apart too easily, the soft torso 'pops' out of the hip joint, and the plastic of the body has a tendency to melt under certain environmental conditions, mostly high heat and humidity.

With the release of Lan Ake and Lan Ai in 2005, a newer body was created. The "Type 3" has less articulation, a smaller more child-like form, and hinged wrist and ankle joints. While sturdier than its predecessors, this body is the least poseable. A common problem with this body type is cracking at the wrist.

January 2009, with the release of Neo Noir, brought another body type. The "Type 4" is more poseable than the Type 3, and uses a peg-and-hole joint for the wrist to prevent wrist cracking. Common problems with the Type 4 body are loose-fitting pegs for the joints at the wrist and at the knee, causing limbs to easily slip apart. The vertical leg split common to Type 1 bodies has also been known to occur at the knees of Type 4.

Releases

New editions of Pullip dolls are released on a monthly basis. Additional limited-release exclusives are sold occasionally. Each has a unique name with distinct face make-up, hair, outfit, accessories, and box.

Between 2003 and 2010 there have been over 100 Pullip doll releases. The regular monthly releases of Pullip are 'limited' in that only a certain amount are made, this number is known only by the manufacturer.

Occasionally a limited release exclusive Pullip will be made in a quantity between 300 and 20000, and sold in addition to the regular monthly release. Some stores that have had exclusives are Toys-R-Us Japan (Enjoy Arietta and Carol), Magma Heritage (Singapore) Mitzi, Bianca and Oren, HauteDoll (Haute New York and LA) (U.S.), TBS shop (Japan), and pullip.net (Korea). The limited sales exclusives came with a certificate showing their production number, until the September 2007 exclusives that did not include a certificate. In early 2006 with the release of Fall Purezza, Jun Planning announced that it would no longer make exclusive dolls due to the dolls cutting in on the demand of the regular releases. They apparently changed their mind in early 2007 with the release of the first U.S. store exclusive, Haute, by HauteDoll, which was later followed by multiple Japan exclusives.

In anticipation of the 5th anniversary of Pullip, five dolls were released as part of the "Another Alice" limited edition set including Another Alice, Another Queen, Another King (Taeyang), Another Rabbit (Dal), and Another Clock Rabbit (Dal). These were inspired by Alice in Wonderland. Pullip collectors often refer to this set as the "Golden Alice" set. Their original release date (August 2007) was postponed in order to include the new eye-closing feature on the Another King Taeyang. Persons that ordered the complete set received a bonus flamingo figurine. Only 500 of each of these dolls were released.

In 2006, Jun Planning began releasing licensed Pullips of the characters from the anime/manga Rozen Maiden
Rozen Maiden
is a manga series created by Peach-Pit. The story centers on Jun Sakurada, a young hikikomori boy that forms a bond with Shinku, a living doll of the "Rozen Maiden" series, who was created by the mysterious dollmaker Rozen hundreds of years ago...

 series. These were not limited sales with the exception of the final Rozen Maiden Pullip, Kirakishou (which was an exclusive to TBS/Japan). Several other collaboration Pullip dolls have or will be released including H. Naoto
H. Naoto
Naoto Hirooka, better known as H. Naoto is a Japanese avant-garde fashion designer. H. Naoto's style of clothing and accessories could be classified under Japanese punk and gothic lolita, and he has been called the "most visible and successful of the labels fixated on that style."He graduated from...

, Hello Kitty
Hello Kitty
is a fictional character produced by the Japanese company Sanrio, first designed by Yuko Shimizu. She is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States...

 and My Melody from Sanrio
Sanrio
is a Japanese company that designs, licenses and produces products focusing on the kawaii segment of Japanese popular culture. Their products include stationery, school supplies, gifts and accessories that are sold worldwide and at specialty brand retail stores in Japan...

, Rei Ayanami
Rei Ayanami
is a fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, a Japanese anime from Gainax. She is the First Child and pilot of the Evangelion Unit 00....

 and Asuka Langley Soryu
Asuka Langley Soryu
is a 14-year old fictional character from the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. Within the series, she is designated as the Second Child and the pilot of the Evangelion Unit 02...

 from Neon Genesis Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise
The franchise is an umbrella of Japanese media properties generally owned by the anime studio Gainax. It has grossed over 150 billion yen since 1995. The central works of the franchise feature an apocalyptic mecha action story which revolves around the efforts by the paramilitary organization...

, Grell, Sebastian and Ciel from Black Butler, and Angelique Limoges, Rayne, and Erenfried from Neo Angelique Abyss in 2007 through 2009. Holly is based on the character Holly Golightly (Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn was a British actress and humanitarian. Although modest about her acting ability, Hepburn remains one of the world's most famous actresses of all time, remembered as a film and fashion icon of the twentieth century...

) from the film Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Princess Ann is based on the character from Roman Holiday
Roman Holiday
Roman Holiday is a 1953 romantic comedy directed and produced by William Wyler and starring Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. It was written by John Dighton and Dalton Trumbo, though with Trumbo on the Hollywood blacklist, he did not receive a credit; instead, Ian McLellan Hunter fronted for him...

. Also Sabrina from the Hepburn movie Sabrina
Sabrina
-People:*Sabrina , a feminine given name *Sabrina , British entertainer*Sabrina *Sabrina *Sabrina Salerno , Italian pop singer aka Sabrina...

. The Rozen Maiden, Hello Kitty, Evangelion, Black Butler, Neo Angelique Abyss and H. Naoto editions are not exclusive or limited sales dolls but have higher prices than standard dolls due to licensing.

Prior to 2006, Jun Planning released some editions that bore close resemblance to popular characters and celebrities but are not officially licensed. Fantastic Alice is similar to Disney's rendition of Alice in Wonderland. Rida bears resemblance to Nana
Nana (manga)
is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Ai Yazawa, serialized in Cookie published by Shueisha. The manga derives its title from the name of the two main characters, both of whom are called Nana. Nana Komatsu is a small town girl who goes to Tokyo to follow her boyfriend and...

. The Happy Birthday 2 doll set is a Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...

 Pullip named Sacagawea
Sacagawea
Sacagawea ; was a Lemhi Shoshone woman, who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition, acting as an interpreter and guide, in their exploration of the Western United States...

 and Namu named Geronimo
Geronimo
Geronimo was a prominent Native American leader of the Chiricahua Apache who fought against Mexico and the United States for their expansion into Apache tribal lands for several decades during the Apache Wars. Allegedly, "Geronimo" was the name given to him during a Mexican incident...

. Principessa bears close resemblance to some images of the Japanese musician/designer, Mana
Mana (musician)
Mana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, best known for his role as leader and guitarist of the visual kei band Malice Mizer. His clothing label, Moi-même-Moitié, helped popularize Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement. Mana is currently working on his solo project Moi dix...

.

A set of Vocaloid
Vocaloid
is a singing synthesizer application, with its signal processing part developed through a joint research project between the Pompeu Fabra University in Spain and Japan's Yamaha Corporation, who backed the development financially—and later developed the software into the commercial product...

 dolls is also set to be released in 2011 based on the characters Hatsune Miku, Kagamine Len and Kagamine Rin.

Namu

Namu was the first male counterpart created for the Pullip doll. Namu was 34 cm tall, and had an oversized head with an articulated body. His eyes could be moved back and forth, and blink, using levers on the back of the head. Namu could be customized similar to the pullip doll. Clothing for the doll may be exchanged with many 1:6 action figures and dolls.

There were six releases of Namu in 2004 and one in 2005. Namu was retired in May 2005 under the story that he and Pullip 'broke up'. The Last Namu released was the "Happy Birthday Namu #2" also called Gerimino. Over a year later a new male doll, Taeyang, was released to become Pullip's new companion.

Taeyang

Taeyang was introduced in 2006 as the second male counterpart of the Pullip doll. He is profiled as having a 13 year old younger sister, Dal. He is about 34 cm in height; taller than Pullip and the same articulated body as his predecessor, Namu. Starting with Hash, Taeyang eyes can remain shut then released using a lever on the back of the head. He can be customized similar to Pullip dolls. He can exchange clothes with many 1:6 action figures dolls and modern Ken doll. Taeyang is released on a bi-monthly basis by Jun Planning.

There were six or seven releases of Taeyang each year beginning in 2006. Some of the Taeyang dolls are styled after, or bear close resemblance to, popular characters and celebrities. The Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands
Edward Scissorhands is a 1990 romantic fantasy film directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. The film shows the story of an artificial man named Edward, an unfinished creation, who has scissors for hands. Edward is taken in by a suburban family and falls in love with their teenage daughter...

 Taeyang is licensed from Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...

's character. Shade bears close resemblance to Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...

. Another King was inspired by King of Hearts
King of Hearts (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
The King of Hearts is a character from the book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.-Alice's Adventures in Wonderland:He seems to, when compared to the Queen of Hearts, be the moderate part of the Wonderland government...

 from the Alice in Wonderland story.

Dal

Dal is a smaller doll of the Pullip line, introduced in 2006. She is profiled as Taeyang's 13-year-old little sister who considers Pullip as her rival in fashion and style. As Pullip is approximately the same size as Fashion Dolls such as Barbie and Jenny, Dal is similar in size to 'little sister' type dolls, such as Skipper and Licca. Dal is 26.3 cm in height, and comes up to about Pullip's shoulder.

The Dal body is articulated similar to Pullip. Her eyes move from side to side like Pullip, but do not blink. Dals can be customized. Jun Planning announced in the beginning of 2008 that a new Dal will be released every month. Dals cannot close their eyes.

Byul

Byul, introduced in 2008, shares the Dal body type and height, but has a different face mold.
She is profiled as Dal's 13-year-old best friend and has sectretly lost her heart to Isul. Byuls cannot close their eyes.

Little Pullip and Little Dal

Little Pullip is a miniature version of Pullip, Little Dal is a miniature version of Dal. Often called a 'mini', the little versions stand about 4.5 inches tall. Several editions of Little Pullip and Little Dal are miniature copies of previously released full-sized dolls with similar name, clothes, hair, and makeup. The little dolls do not have the articulation of the original larger dolls and the eyes do not move or blink. Despite their small size and limitations, however, they are customizable. They can be re-wigged, given other eye/colors, and new makeup painted on their faces. The others are unique to the little line and do not have a full-sized counterpart. There have been separate distinct themes for the little line, such as the western horoscope signs.

Isul

Isul is Pullip's 15-year-old little brother. His release date is February 2011.
He has debuted as Apollo to match with the steampunk collection.
Some facts about him: he is studying in a High School in San Francisco, USA, likes to play soccer and read university literature (he is a real prodigy). For his character he's said to be very calm, tender and helpful.
His name 'Isul' means 'dew'.

Pullip Costume

Pullip Costume/Fashion are clothes and accessories sold by Jun Planning for Pullip dolls. This includes complete costumes, articles of clothing, and accessories. Pullip Costume items are released sporadically.

Petit Luxury

Petit Luxury are display furniture for Pullip released by Jun Planning of Japan, starting in January 2008. This includes classic French armchairs and other pieces in resin.

Magazine

In July 2005, Jun Planning authorized a Pullip Magazine book that is 88 pages long and written in Japanese. The magazine book includes the full catalog of each Pullip released up to that point, concepts, interviews with the designers, collaborations with popular clothing lines, guides on customizing Pullips, and outfit patterns of brand name fashion designs.

In August 2010 a second book "Pullip Complete Style" again printed in Japanese, became available both separately and as part of a special box set with limited edition Pullip Bonita. This book is 133 pages and features photographs of all dolls in the Pullip line from 2003 to Autumn 2010.

Customizing

Like the more expensive 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, these dolls are easily customizable. Pullip dolls released prior to March 2004 had rooted hair, but the scalp pieces can be swapped with other Pullips. Dolls after this point have wigs, and their hair can be changed more easily.

The head and eye mechanism can be taken apart with a simple screw driver. Changes range from minor such as wig or eye-color swapping, to custom dolls of completely new designs. More intensive customization can include resculpting of the face or body, and painted or carved tattoos.

Controversy

The doll originally designed for July 2005 was "Beressa," a 'lady spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...

', who came with a black uniform and cap with gold braids and red details, including a red arm band and a pistol. Although no swastikas were visible on the doll in photographs, the resemblance of the uniform and gun design made it appear to some that the doll was designed after a German SS officer uniform. Jun Planning announced the cancellation of Beressa out of respect for the 60th anniversary of the Holocaust. Lan, the doll that was to replace her, was delayed for a month and as such there was never a doll for July 2005.

External links

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