Strange discolouration on Cocoa body

Since receiving my Chitose Cocoa in September she's only been wearing her camisole set with a pair of long white stockings that cover her legs up to her hips joints. However, today when I was going to redress her and sew some clothes I noticed these strange darker spots on her legs. Has anybody else noticed this on their Cocoa?

 

 

The knee joint discolouration in particular makes me suspect it's the vinyl colour itself bleeding and not an external source, because when the legs are straight the dark lines are inside the knee joint.

Have you tried giving her a quick sponge wash? If it's surface bleeding (or the dye seeping out of the vinyl), you might be able to get it off with a little bit of elbow work.

Have you tried giving her a quick sponge wash? If it's surface bleeding (or the dye seeping out of the vinyl), you might be able to get it off with a little bit of elbow work.

 

I tried with a damp cloth, but I don't think it helped. I also sent an e-mail to Smartdoll, asking for advice. I'll post here when they reply.

I tried with a damp cloth, but I don't think it helped. I also sent an e-mail to Smartdoll, asking for advice. I'll post here when they reply.

Good call. It does look like an issue with a dye in the vinyl, over saturation maybe. In any case if there is a problem with one of their batches of vinyl, they'll want to know about it ASAP.

This is one of the reasons manufacturers don't like making dark skin colors.

I got a reply asking for pictures of the white socks. So they're quick on it, at least!

 

Meanwhile, I am a little sad that my doll is looking like this. I hope it's fixable. It's winter here right now, so I wasn't planning on her going bare-legged, but eventually the weather will be warmer and she might wear shorts/skirts. I also really want to know what it is that is causing the staining.

I would hope if they find out that it's their fault, they might offer you replacement parts...at least to buy them, as some BJD companies do...

I would hope if they find out that it's their fault, they might offer you replacement parts...at least to buy them, as some BJD companies do...

Smartdolls have a one year warranty so if this is the fault of the vinyl itself they should send you replacement parts at the cost of shipping.

Got another reply after sending additional photos.

 

Thank you for the pictures.

According to our seamstress, nylon does not cause chemical reaction on the outer skin in such a way. Our best guess is that either the stocking or other clothing that she tried on caused the staining. Even white/gray-ish fabric can cause staining depending on how strong it was pressed against the outer skin. Some stains can occur in a matter of seconds.

You can try treating the outer skin with sandpaper, thinner or other material

 

So, essentially they're saying that the stockongs caused the staining but at the same time they didn't. Anyway, I will try their cleaning suggestion. Going away over the weekend, so won't be able to do that until Sunday evening at the earliest.

 

I will keep you all posted!

Did she touch anything else that could have been heavily dyed, such as your jeans when you were holding her, or maybe a dark carpet?

Plasticizers from vinyl can migrate, or come out of the vinyl. I wonder if the color was migrating with the plasticizer toward the surface of the vinyl, and the stockings just held it on, instead of allowing it to evaporate "naturally"?

 

Linda S.

galatia9

Ive had Harmony since she was released and have not had any staining issues at all with any of the Smart Doll clothing ect I hope you are able to remove the stains

Plasticizers from vinyl can migrate, or come out of the vinyl. I wonder if the color was migrating with the plasticizer toward the surface of the vinyl, and the stockings just held it on, instead of allowing it to evaporate "naturally"?

Linda S. galatia9

This does sound like a plausible theory. I went to a specialist shop, where they sell model aeroplane sets and similar, and a staff member said he thought it looked like colour bleeding from the vinyl itself rather than clothes having stained it. So your suggestions might be true, because I kept her wearing those long stockings thinking it would protect her from outside sources. Stupid me.

 

Did she touch anything else that could have been heavily dyed, such as your jeans when you were holding her, or maybe a dark carpet?

No, not that I can remember. I don't have any carpets at home. The discolouration is too wide-spread for it to have been just an accidental touch.

Upon further investigation, I also discovered it is inside the knee joint, which makes me really wonder if it was a clothing item that caused it.

 

Ive had Harmony since she was released and have not had any staining issues at all with any of the Smart Doll clothing ect I hope you are able to remove the stains

I've tried sanding and using a thinner, but nothing budges it.

 

Sadly, I have not received a reply from Smartdoll in several days now. I don't really know what to do.

Sadly, I have not received a reply from Smartdoll in several days now. I don't really know what to do.

 

Contact them again. I know Danny is busy with Dollism but he takes customer service very seriously. So I'd send them a polite reminder and state that the discolouration is also in the knee joint.

Update!

I just got an e-mail (speak of the devil - LOL!) in which they apologised for the delay in replying. I am offered a replacement body for 20,000 yen + shipping. I think it's probably a good idea to accept, since the guarantee only covers broken limbs.

 

Even if the discolouration may disappear over time (if it is the material leaking), I would really rather have a perfect doll.

 

What do you all think? I was sort of planning to invest in another doll for Christmas, but I suppose that can wait.

To be honest that seems kinda lame. It wasn't your fault that happened and they're making you pay that much. It's odd to me that breakages are free but this isn't, considering breakages are more likely to be someone's 'fault' than some freak vinyl occurrence.

I agree. That sounds like (for lack of a better term) a d*ck move. Your product had a defect, and now they're "granting you" with the option to buy a new body for ~$200 PLUS SHIPPING? That's a lot of money, and they won't even admit that what happened to your doll might not be your fault. That's just really really bad imo. I'm actually upset reading it haha.

Are you sure Smartdoll isn't Apple in disguise?

 

Because that seems like the same exact service they would give.

"Oh your item is defective?.... Well we can offer a replacement for $200!"

 

This is quite a load of BS(excuse my language).

But this makes me mad as well, if I was the company I'd offer replacement parts for free and keep an eye out for other defects.

 

Judging by these "stains" they look like bleeds. Something that the vinyl itself would of caused.

Are they trying to outdo volks with crappy customer service? Seriously that's bleepish. I've seen enough stains to know what a stain from clothing looks like, and those marks don't look like they came from clothes at all, they're on the insides of the vinyl and they're splotchy and uneven. Clothing stains look more uniform than that, and stay consistently to high pressure areas when they come from socks or pants like that. This really does look like it came from vinyl issues, and seeing them not even consider it a possibility that their product was faulty is just so out of left field. I've always expected better from them.

The staining inside the joint mechanism made me pause. I don't think I've seen even normal staining go that badly. Unless she was wearing some really strange specialty deeply dyed item, I have no idea how that happened. I am so sorry, its really weird. I hope it doesn't happen again to you.

I have to agree with what everyone else has said that it's not fair that you have to pay 200 USD for a replacement for a faulty product. These stains don't look like they were caused by clothing. It looks more like a bad batch of vinyl.

You definitely should not agree on these terms. Instead, send them the picture of the inside of the joint and ask if they are sure it is not a pigment bleeding, as the stains from clothing do not look like this.

 

Did you get the answer from Danny or someone else from his team? I guess the response could be like this because Danny is not around to supervise it.

 

Maybe try to take a look to the inside of the vinyl parts - if you find the stains there, they will have no excuse.

if its a bad batch vinyl I guess more people will start complaining about the problem , until then I would remove the vinyl from the lower leg and see if its also inside and if it is send Danny another email with pics , cause it the stain is actually inside where there is no possibility of clothing touching then He can not deny that's its a vinyl problem

Yes, absolutely show the inside stuff. Don't just accept them blowing you off without showing them this. Seriously hoping that's enough to convince them.

Well... if the waranty only covers broken limbs it might be time to get a hammer out.

You can tell from the lines on the front of the shins that it is color bleed from vinyl because those lines are exactly where the knee joint vinyl overlaps and rests on the shins when the doll's legs are outstretched/standing. That exact line is proves it is not clothing staining, it had to come from the vinyl itself touching other vinyl. If it were a clothing stain, it would have stained the top of the knee much more so than the top of the shin because the knee is more raised and would rub against the clothing. That is clearly not the case. I hope that makes sense.

 

The other areas look like the dye has collected at the ends of the vinyl pieces, like the backs of the knee, the bottom of the shin, top and toes of the foot.

 

No one can tell you what to do, of course. We are all just giving advice and observations. However, unless you just want an additional body and can make do with the staining...then I would push for replacement vinyl pieces. The last thing Danny wants is for his company to become like some "others" we have horrible customer support experiences with. Hopefully they will make it right if you can get in touch with the proper person in the company.

 

Wishing you the best,

Misheru