VolksUSA Dolls Party in LA 4 in 2019

Those doll-sized badges are so cute! I'll also be attending and I'm really excited. I have so much to prepare before flying out on Thursday and it feels like all my time is escaping from me. I haven't even decided which doll(s) to bring! How does anyone choose?

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone soon!
Iori is coming with me this time since I couldn’t fit anything bigger than DDP in my luggage now 😄

Also she has a nice look for the fairy and princess theme, very prim and proper.

We’ll be at the doll panels and tea party Saturday, and hawking eyes, books and other goodies on Sunday in the domestic dealers den. 

49 minutes ago, jadepixel said:

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone soon!
Iori is coming with me this time since I couldn’t fit anything bigger than DDP in my luggage now 😄

Also she has a nice look for the fairy and princess theme, very prim and proper.

We’ll be at the doll panels and tea party Saturday, and hawking eyes, books and other goodies on Sunday in the domestic dealers den. 

Can't wait! I saw the book you'll be selling, hoping I can get one! 

Probably should have asked this a few weeks ago, but what is the best way to carry a doll or two around at a Dolpa?

9 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

Probably should have asked this a few weeks ago, but what is the best way to carry a doll or two around at a Dolpa?

Not Dolpa-specific, but I have brought dolls to other cons before.  When I flew out to AX, I brought my doll in a canvas totebag that I'd used as a carry-on.  It worked well for the con as well.  There's a zipper on the top, so I could tuck her down inside it and close it up on the subway or something, but then unzip it and position her so she was peeking out at the con itself.  It felt much less risky than just holding her, and it wasn't as bulky as a doll carrier.

I was pondering something like a messenger bag, but I worry a bit about staining. 

16 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

I was pondering something like a messenger bag, but I worry a bit about staining. 

Do a bubble wrapped doll sandwich with the doll without wig if it has dangerous colors, and sit her in your messenger bag. For holy grails don’t forget the hard pastic mask and a couple of elastics.

2 hours ago, Singer Yuna said:

Do a bubble wrapped doll sandwich with the doll without wig if it has dangerous colors, and sit her in your messenger bag. For holy grails don’t forget the hard pastic mask and a couple of elastics.

For taking them there I have the volks carry bags, wrapping blankets, and face masks. I'm also within driving distance, so I don't have to deal with travel.

I was just wondering the best way to cart them around on the floor at the event.

I know this is much too late for anyone going to LA Dolpa but just for anyone’s future reference, I really like clear bags. If you search clear acrylic tote bags you might be able to find one in a suitable size. I found this one from an Australia-based shop called Glassons - it actually came with an insert (the actual bag) that I took out - it’s too small for a DD but it’s the perfect size for MDD, and....look how cute. 

I took him to a convention like this.

there are dealers at doll events in Japan that sell bags especially for dolls like this, namely Yuriqlo Doll. I don’t think they sell the window carry bags online but I’d really like to get one the next time I go to a doll event in Japan. I think they’re super cute.

Edit: I don’t have a photo but the last doll event I went to I had Tilo sitting on my camera which was around my neck (he had his arms around the straps to hold him there). I’d gotten the idea from seeing other people do that with MDDs at previous events. It’s dangerously cute.

Edited September 7, 2019 by Monty

I wanted to wish everyone who is going to LA Dolpa a good time and hope you successfully get anything you were looking to buy and if anyone is trying for the one-off lottery limited dolls like Sasara, good luck.

First event at LA Dolpa: faceup panel

Second panel: SD/DD body maintenance

Third panel: Dollfie Icon

Icon close-ups:

Thanks for the lovely photos! 

 

On a side note, I really wish the joints matched the skin tones for those Icons.  It's an odd choice to me not to have matching ball joints. 

They’ve announced SD Disney Princess collabs. 

9 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

They’ve announced SD Disney Princess collabs. 

Haven't they had those before, in Japan, as one-offs that they auctioned for charity?

Yes, but these will be the regular limited editions. 

I expect if they do any of the one offs the outfits and faceups will be different than the charity auction dolls. 

That makes sense. I was mainly just thinking this wasn't a completely new thing, and also that they should be really nice if they look anything like those one-offs.

I’ve only bought DD not SD before but the Disney collaboration would change that. 

Do SD releases work in the same way as DD? I remember vaguely that Oscar was really hard to get....

46 minutes ago, Cthem said:

I’ve only bought DD not SD before but the Disney collaboration would change that. 

Do SD releases work in the same way as DD? I remember vaguely that Oscar was really hard to get....

In general it seems like SDs are made in lower quantities than DDs, mostly because their faceups all have to hand-painted and thus take a lot longer. (DD's are done with stencils/masks) I think they've had some preorder dolls in the past (like the Blackjack ones??) but its not common. I expect these ones to be pretty sought after and a double whammy because Disney fans can already be pretty gungho about rare/limited things no matter the price so combining that with SD fans may be explosive 8'D Either it will be even harder to get one than normal due to a higher number of people entering, or they'll make a lot more than usual in anticipation...but I'm not gonna hold my breath on that. But if you mean 'the same way' as in lottery(/the recent dreaded clickwar that I really hope hasnt replaced it) then yes, it just seems like much lower odds although this depends a lot on the popularity of the doll and just like DDs there are the ones that are available on the site for a while as they didnt sell out.

I also saw on the announcement that they're confirmed for winter, so December Dolpa. That would mean that there may not be any SD rereleases as the Dolpa dolls...don't know what that means for DD rereleases.

Edited September 8, 2019 by Monty

I kept my earlier post short because Volks staff were talking, and I didn’t want to be rude. This is huge, at least as big as the SmD Marvel collab, but with resins it’s over the top. 

If they made Belle I’d be getting another resin for sure. 

I’ve never been a huge Disney fan, but you can’t under estimate how big a deal this is for Volks. 

The tea party was nice, the Volks President, Vice President, and their product design manager were all there’s, as well as the manager of Volks USA & his team. They’re really nice people, and it’s clear they have a major commitment to the US market. It’s not just about the market for them, they’re committed to the US as a place. 

I hope they open in the EU eventually, but at least I am confident that Volks USA is here to stay. 

Thanks Monty! Guess we’ll just have to wait for more news at the moment, but this is very exciting:)

That was totally worth it. The entire event was pretty cool, and it was a lot of fun. 

The Volks staff really like putting on a show, and I got to meet a few people. 

I also got to show my group iM@S photo to the their product design director, and told her thank you. She said she’s going to take that thanks back to Japan and pass it to her staff. That was a high point. 

I’m definitely going to the next one. 

Edited September 9, 2019 by BeyondTime

Just realised since Disney is such a big thing there’s also the chance that they will be released at a Disney event by Disney, rather than Volks, so I’m not sure how much we can use prior resin releases as a reference. I’m really interested to see what happens.

Glad everyone had fun at the event!

Edited September 9, 2019 by Monty