My personal history with Danny Choo

Back in 2015/2016, reading through Danny's blog, his design philosophy and his philosophy in general, I found him to be inspiring. While I liked toys in general before I got into 60cm-class dolls, reading his thoughts on his blog made me want to drop money at his store. I wanted to support his positive energy, inspirational ideas, and help promote his philosophy by dropping money at his store.

 

May of 2016 was the first time I went to the Mirai Store. I got there before opening and I had the opportunity to speak to Danny before and after the store opened. I built (classic) Kizuna via the workshop. I also bought a headless Smart Doll body and clothing. I dropped a total of about 90,000 yen during that visit.

 

I had some actual business to attend to elsewhere so I couldn't stay and chat with him for long. (I wish I could have.) Speaking to him was fun and awesome. The weather worsened during my stay so he gave me a Mirai umbrella. I would have paid for it but he gave it to me. I cherish that umbrella to this day.

 

Traditional marketing is ineffective with me. However, Danny's blog detailing his life and design philosophy was effective. Again, I wanted to drop money at his store because I believed in what Danny had said in his blog. I even got to say this to him in person while I was at his store.

 

Looking at what Volks offered with its dolls, the prices on Volks products are slightly lower for comparable products vs. the Smart Doll line. I didn't care - since I wanted to support Danny, the slightly higher prices vs. what Volks offered was a "support Danny Choo" tax I was willing to pay.

 

As time went on, I started to pay attention to Danny's Instagram and Twitter feeds. He often came across as less than professional but I glossed over whatever he posted on social media.

 

As time went on, his e-mail newsletters also had bits of unprofessional behavior. In one e-mail, he basically called people who demanded certain products be available at all times morons who don't understand how businesses work. Even when that's true, you don't want to call people stupid when you run a business. People who demanded certain dolls/characters always remain available also had valid gripes since Danny implied his products will be available "forever". (I can't find the actual text of Danny saying this on any web site now. However, I do recall there being such an implication due to him thumbing his nose at Volks in one way or another.) The text in question might have been deleted over the years as a stealthy way to change company policy but I'm obviously not the only person who was led to believe all characters would be available "forever". I then glossed over Danny calling certain people morons via e-mail.

 

Then came August 17 of this year. Danny posted a horrible translation of what Volks' policies are concerning Dolpa. When he was called out on it, he responded with "lol", "lolol", or deleting comments. I glossed over his previous behavior on social media and e-mail. I couldn't ignore him acting like an insufferable git anymore. Whatever positive feelings I had when I was new to his philosophies were gone. I no longer found him to be an inspriring person.

 

Having said all that, I'm not in the "boycott Danny Choo" camp. I don't hate him and I won't boycott Smart Doll products. I had a great time speaking to him when I could and I appreciate the fact I have the Mirai umbrella. What I'm feeling now is a sense of disappointment because the image he put out as an inspirational businessman isn't necessarily who he actually is. Did fielding stupid questions or unreasonable demands on a regular basis change him, or was he like this long before I met him? I have no idea. What I see now is a Doll Cult Personality instead of an inspirational figure.

 

Now that I no longer find him to be an inspirational person, I'm no longer willing to pay the "support Danny Choo" tax. What the products now need is to provide value at whatever the asking prices are. (That is to say, if I pay X number of yen for something, will I get X amount of value from whatever it is I purchased?) Looking at the prices of Smart Doll products makes me think they're too high and I won't get value. I get better bang for my money buying Volks or third party products instead.

 

As of this writing, there's a "Time Sale" going on at the online Smart Doll shop. Some items are heavily discounted and I see the current prices as what the items should cost at all times from a value standpoint. Since the good feelings I used to have for Danny and the Smart Doll line are now gone, I now look at the products in a cold blooded way: If I pay this much for this item, will I feel it was money well spent? Unless there's a time sale for a product I specifically want, Smart Doll products now lack value to me.

 

Next time I'm in Japan, I'm not sure whether I should bother going to the Mirai store. I pondered buying Aniversary Kiz... Taylor Swift but now that her release is delayed (due the issues with the Trinity mask), she probably won't be available next time I'm in Japan. I'm pondering dropping by to see if I can find some deals on outlet items. Even then, the excitement I used to have toward Smart Dolls doesn't exist anymore.

 

I'm not angry. I'm just sad I no longer have the positive feelings I used to have toward the Smart Doll brand.

 

As for Smart Dolls I already own, I love them. I love threads like this one:

 

viewtopic.php?f=51&t=17379

Some of the stuff I have read about Danny lately makes me think of a certain American auto company owner who has recently said and done some things publicly that he shouldn't have.

 

I will say this, brilliant and creative people don't look at the world the same way we do, and sometimes they behave in ways that don't make sense to the rest of us. It makes sense to them at that moment, and smart people often lack a capacity for self-examination. Days or even years later the light bulb goes on over their heads, and they're ashamed.

 

I'm not suggesting it excuses the behavior, but in Danny's case I doubt he's a bad person; I just think he is using poor social judgement. At some point he may see that and kick himself.

As time went on, his e-mail newsletters also had bits of unprofessional behavior. In one e-mail, he basically called people who demanded certain products be available at all times morons who don't understand how businesses work. Even when that's true, you don't want to call people stupid when you run a business. People who demanded certain dolls/characters always remain available also had valid gripes since Danny implied his products will be available "forever". (I can't find the actual text of Danny saying this on any web site now. However, I do recall there being such an implication due to him thumbing his nose at Volks in one way or another.) The text in question might have been deleted over the years as a stealthy way to change company policy but I'm obviously not the only person who was led to believe all characters would be available "forever". I then glossed over Danny calling certain people morons via e-mail.

I mostly said my piece in the feedback thread and won't rehash it here other than saying I mostly agree and especially agree the stuff starting August 17th in reference to Volks not allowing other dolls at Dolpa was really a new low and the one thing he's done that's really ugly in my opinion.

 

But I wanted to add something to the quoted bit. We both know there used to be text on one of the "about" or "philosophy" pages about how all items were to be in stock at all times so that buying dolls was a less frustrating experience. That text seems to be completely removed since neither of us can find it now.

 

In one of Danny's emails he explained that the realities of business and an expanding product line means making everything forever is no longer feasible. That's completely understandable, but it is also understandable that customers that have seen that earlier statement are going to ask questions or be upset, so reacting to them negatively isn't a good thing. It's not a good thing even if customers are being unreasonable of course but it can be understandable.

 

I also think he should have left that text on whatever one of those pages it was on, and added to it what has changed and why; that would answer a lot of the complaints and would be something he could point to when someone asked.

 

At the end of the day, his products stand on their own, or don't, for everyone, like they do from other companies. It's just a little sad that that extra bit of wanting to support a really cool guy over products from more faceless companies, has been squashed by some of this behavior.

I know how you feel. After the Volks debacle last month, I distanced myself a bit from Danny Choo and Smart Doll community for a while. I even said that I'd never buy from them again.

 

But my friend is currently in Japan and had offered to pick up items from the Mirai Store, thus allowing me to save on shipping and custom fees. Together with the time sale, it was an offer I couldn't resist so I got a couple of items that I'd been eyeing for quite some time. It'll be a long time before I make another order there. I've definitely lost a bit of enthusiasm about the company and Danny.

 

Nonetheless, I can't deny that I'm still interested to see how the company will evolve.

Edited September 16, 2018 by Guest

Just to make sure I wasn't recalling anything incorrectly, I tried to take a look at the past e-mail newsletters Danny sent. I deleted a few and didn't keep them all. I have a gap between 5/14 and 8/22. I don't have anything between those dates.

 

The 5/9 newsletter has him rambling about "why isn't X available anymore" and related issues. He doesn't outright call anyone a moron in the 5/9 newsletter. It was a long winded and polite way of explaining why he shifted his business strategy. This by itself wouldn't have raised any eyebrows. Then came the 5/14 newsletter.

 

The 5/14 newsletter has him venting about customers who are upset certain items not being available anymore (again) and Haruka (hair color, height). He then explains at the end of the newsletter how he wouldn't have a business anymore if he listened to other people. He explains how it's best to believe in yourself when other people don't believe in you. Based on 5/9's newsletter and what he complained about in 5/14's newsletter, this last paragraph seemed to me like a condescending and not so subtle way to say people asking for X are morons who don't know how businesses work.

 

Now let's say for the sake of argument I read too much into what Danny said in his newsletters. That doesn't negate the fact he was stirring up drama with his utterly horrid translation of the Volks Dolpa rules and then chose not to address the fact he was in the wrong when he was called out for it.

 

It wasn't just one incident which made me lose confidence in Danny as an inspirational figure. There was a buildup, and then the 8/17 incident was the straw which broke the camel's back.

 

Some of the stuff I have read about Danny lately makes me think of a certain American auto company owner who has recently said and done some things publicly that he shouldn't have.

I pondered taking photos of my smart dolls as crash test dummies in a wrecked Tesla but that's an expensive joke I can't afford to make.

 

It's just a little sad that that extra bit of wanting to support a really cool guy over products from more faceless companies, has been squashed by some of this behavior.

This is a very good and succinct way to describe the point.

I think I have all the emails still--you're missing three, June 8, July 20, and July 28.

 

The June 8 email has some talk about "the power of your mind" that's basically the same as this article:

https://info.smartdoll.jp/en/posts/your-most-important-asset

 

The July 20 email talks about decluttering your life; I'm not sure if there is a website article with that info.

 

The July 28 email is only about sending in pictures for the collage and the free mask if your picture is used.

 

I know there was discussion of the 5/14 newsletter in the feedback thread and I felt that one had gone over the line because now he was griping to his larger customer base rather than responding to specific people on twitter or instagram.

 

But the stuff in August about Volks and Dolpa is what really did it for me. Being snarky and a little egotistical to customers and potential customers is one thing; basically lying and misrepresenting what your competitor is doing, and then "lololing" it off when challenged on it is really pretty despicable.

 

That text that used to be there about items being perpetually available is the best illustration of the change in attitude, really. There's a perhaps subtle, but very important, difference between diffrentiating yourself from competitors by saying (paraphrased) "My stuff is always readily available making the hobby and buying experience less frustrating than the typical way of this business where everything is mostly limited" and saying (again paraphrased) "Voolks (sic) won't allow Smart Dolls at Dolpa--I'd never be so petty and not allow other dolls at my store"--one is "tooting one's own horn" without directly disparaging someone else, while the other is doing exactly the complete opposite. That's without even getting into the dishonesty of the second statement.

But the stuff in August about Volks and Dolpa is what really did it for me.

I think it's safe to say we're not alone.

I think it's safe to say we're not alone.

 

It's the main reason I'm not considering his Mika. I think I'll either hope Volks makes her, or I'll make a custom. I'd rather not even buy the outfit after market.

The thing that really screws it up worse is .. um.. how to put this.. unlike a big 'faceless' company, Danny presents himself _as his entire company_. He never credits any of the other people who work on the dolls, unlike Volks who credits face sculpts and whatnot... therefor far as internet sees it, yawp he is the company so individual & specific things he says in all the social media reflects completely & utterly on the company and makes it that much worse when he willingly missleads people (Volks Dolpa comments, all of them)

The thing that really screws it up worse is .. um.. how to put this.. unlike a big 'faceless' company, Danny presents himself _as his entire company_. He never credits any of the other people who work on the dolls, unlike Volks who credits face sculpts and whatnot... therefor far as internet sees it, yawp he is the company so individual & specific things he says in all the social media reflects completely & utterly on the company and makes it that much worse when he willingly missleads people (Volks Dolpa comments, all of them)

Absolutely. I alluded to that above (in much less specific terms) and I think brought it up in the other thread, but I feel exactly the same way.

I still have unresolved issues as far as Danny is concerned. It's not as easy as "don't buy anything".

 

Several people who work at the Mirai store recognize me. They can't instantly recall my name but they know what I look like. They know me as the crazy American who visits the Mirai Store before it opens in the morning because I head there immediately after landing (early morning) in Japan. (I have other traits the Mirai store employees know me by but I won't get into them.) I also made a few out of the ordinary requests while I was there on more than one occasion. Each time, they bent over backwards to fulfill my requests. Even though Danny presents himself as the entire company on social media, the fact his employees dealt with me when he wasn't there proves reality is something we knew all along - Danny doesn't run the company by himself.

 

I like the people who work at the Mirai Store. I like the pleasant atmosphere the store has. I like going there and spending a few hours to use the workshop, shop, and chat with the people there.

 

Now there's a backdrop of the company's face being an insufferable git. I don't want to go there, meet the employees, and then talk crap about their boss even though the crap is true. Based on how the carefully crafted and polite e-mail (brought up in the "Feedback for Danny Choo" thread) showing concern over his recent behavior was treated, Danny's not listening to constructive criticism. Period. I think it's safe to assume he won't have a reason to listen to me in person either. If he happens to be at the store on the day I visit, I'll assume he'll tell me to GTFO from his store if I bring up how damaging his online behavior is.

 

Not visiting the store seems like the wrong decision (because I feel like I should do *something*).

 

Visiting the store and then pretending nothing is wrong seems like the wrong decision (because I might as well not have visited the store).

 

Visiting the store and then trying to force the issue seems like the wrong decision (and I explain why a few paragraphs down).

 

I'm not asking for advice on what I should do here. While I haven't made a final decision yet, I'm fairly certain what I'll end up doing. I'm only pointing out all the options I have seem like the wrong choice.

 

I know what the least damaging choice is: Don't visit the store.

 

If I go to the store and pretended nothing is wrong, then I wouldn't feel good about that. Whatever purchases I make while I'm there will be tainted by knowing I did nothing when I had the chance to do something. If I go to the store and forced the issue, I would potentially cause a stir, make the employees who work for Danny uncomfortable, and potentially cause some kind of confrontation with Danny himself. At that point, I would feel worse than pretending nothing is wrong.

 

Silently fading away as a customer may seem like I'm protesting or boycotting. I'm doing neither. All options are wrong and bad. Not visiting the store just happens to be the *least bad* option available.

 

I've put way more thought into this issue than it deserves.

Silently fading away as a customer may seem like I'm protesting or boycotting. I'm doing neither. All options are wrong and bad. Not visiting the store just happens to be the *least bad* option available.

 

I've put way more thought into this issue than it deserves.

Best just to fade away in my opinion. Danny can deal with losing customers from his online behaviour. It's really seems he doesn't want to hear critique and improve. It's definitely not your job or duty to tell him again. Just enjoy your dolls!

Silently fading away as a customer may seem like I'm protesting or boycotting. I'm doing neither. All options are wrong and bad. Not visiting the store just happens to be the *least bad* option available.

 

If you have a good relationship with other people in the store, then making trouble in the store is definitely not fair to them. It negatively impacts their work environment, may put their boss in a bad mood, and can reflect badly not just on you but on other crazy foreigners. It seems to me like you are making the right choice.

Silently fading away as a customer may seem like I'm protesting or boycotting. I'm doing neither. All options are wrong and bad. Not visiting the store just happens to be the *least bad* option available.

 

I've put way more thought into this issue than it deserves.

As Wolf and Yukamina have already said, this seems like the only choice.

 

It all comes back down to the Dolpa thing. If I was in your situation, and understood Japanese as you do, I could go there and ignore the earlier attitude and snark towards customers on social media. But with his intentional misrepresenting what Volks said in their message with his "translation" he, as far as I am concerned, lied and slandered his competition. He intentionally misspelled "Vooks" and "Doolfie" in some kind of attempt to make the posts not searchable by Volks who might do such a search to see what is being said about them. I wouldn't know how to pretend these things didn't happen, yet bringing them up is problematic (I hate what that word has become, but it's appropriate here).

 

Something has been on my mind a while about the whole Dolpa business. If I have any details wrong or misrepresent anything I apologize for that, but I can't go back and verify it all considering Danny deleted some of the comments made by others if not his own so the conversations are now incomplete.

 

I suspect he thought he could misinterpret the Volks message in Japanese thinking that none of his English-speaking audience could read the Japanese; of course that's not true with various people who speak or read Japanese as you and Torino do. So first someone found the Volks USA version of the message on facebook, to which his response was "But the Japanese message is different!" then people who could read it showed that it didn't say what he said it did either, then the response changed to "but see what this person on Japanese twitter is saying"...which only said something to the effect they thought Volks should allow other dolls, a simple opinion, not a "Volks sucks and I'm boycotting them" or any such thing. Basically Danny just doubled down on his initial statements, and "lol"ed at those who questioned him and started deleting posts.

 

I just can't accept that particular level of behavior, yet there's also nothing to do about it other than just walk away from it. As you mentioned, the letter sent by various members here was ignored. Comments made on twitter and instagram are ignored or worse ridiculed and deleted.

I feel like you just wrote what I have been thinking. It is a surreal.

 

Danny and his original old “Culture Japan” blog site is one of the very reasons that my husband and I got into the 60cm anime style dolls. Seeing his posts with his Aoi and then he got a few others, it was exactly what we had been searching for with regard to our collecting. Plus we loved his philosophy and zest for life and he was also a British ex-pat like my husband from the same generation, so there was a lot to relate to.

 

We followed the Doll career the whole way. I had my own Mirai custom DD long before he ever even mentioned his concept. I just adored the character. I stood up for him when people would bash him in the early days for whatever reason. I really believed in him. He said his dolls would be readily available and less expensive, etc. He spoke of the “smart” doll that never happened (my husband really wanted that one). Many folks were in to the 1/6 size concept that never happened. Now he smarts off at people who asks about those items. He put tons of time into the big Mirai and then when it had come to fruition he quickly turned all attention to this new “plastic” endeavor. Maybe I am the only one who doesn’t want too see this genre of dolls turned into injection molded children’s toys.

 

I had been losing heart in Danny for a while, just not believing what I was reading. I even asked myself if this was the same person writing this stuff compared to the one back on Culture Japan. But the whole debacle when he posted about “Vooks” and “Doolfie” simply did me in. It was so rude and insulting. But that is demeanor these days unless you are one of his super fans. My comments to him were respectful but I said what I felt and they were all deleted. I wrote personal messages to him because I was truly upset. This is someone I admired and respected. I never received a response and I was nice.

 

I am also not one of those “boycott Smart Doll” people, but I am a “boycott Danny Choo” these days. I have one SmD, my lovely Kizuna, who I adopted from another person. I would be open to another girl like that in the future...maybe. However, I will never buy directly from Danny. Not now.

 

It seems like he has tried to grow too fast and be too diverse with many faces and heads alongside the three colors. Of course there is no way he could keep everything that he has produced in stock or in production. But why continue to push out so many different dolls only to discontinue others who barely had a run? Isn’t that the same as a limited edition like Volks which he claimed at first to really dislike (the policy, I mean). He also said he would only do his own characters and not other companies, that it was not about the money. He only wanted to take Mirai and doll collecting to the world. I don’t see much of Mirai these days. All I hear now are all of the licensed dolls he is making (most of them plastic) and it sure seems like he is going after the ones that Volks already produce. They used to be chummy, so something got up his craw to do this kind of stuff.

 

It is all just petty and childish, imho. He cannot take any type of less-than-positive feedback and he is dismissive of his audience. His whole philosophy has turned around. Maybe reconnecting and collaborating with his father wasn’t the best thing for him. Something sure changed and not for the better.

 

I unfollowed and unsubscribed to everything of his not long after the Volks deal, so I don’t know how that was received or what went down afterward. I didn’t even know others felt this way until I saw this thread. In one way I am happy I am not alone because I almost felt guilty. In another way I am sad that others also are hurt and upset by Danny’s attitude and actions. *(

To add to my above comments, I had not been keeping up with the threads about the email the group sent and feedback concerning Danny. I am just appalled and astonished.

Best just to fade away in my opinion.

It seems to me like you are making the right choice.

As Wolf and Yukamina have already said, this seems like the only choice.

My decision is now final. When I go to Japan later this year, I will not visit the Mirai Store.

 

I recently needed to spend 681 USD to have my car repaired. That was money I originally set aside as my "support Danny Choo" budget. Since I blew that money on repairing my car, I can no longer afford to buy another Smart Doll from the Mirai store.

 

...but seriously: Instead of going to the Mirai Store, I'll spend that time on going to a different part of Tokyo.

Originally from here:

 

http://blog.doll.cafe/2018/09/wrong-skin-care-product.html

 

The images at the link above are identical to what you see below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If Danny Choo hadn't created these girls, this photo comic would not have been possible.

 

I thought about rambling over possible reasons for Danny's recent behavior, the relative lack of consequences for his behavior, and speculating on the business reasons for his recent behavior. I then decided typing such things out would be more effort than it would be worth to me. If I were to ramble about such topics, they would deserve their own threads anyway.

 

Danny's recent behavior didn't result in a situation as simple as "not buying from him again". There were deep seated reasons I couldn't just walk away but that's exactly what I'll need to do. I can't just lolol my way out from this situation because more than my faith in Danny was destroyed. Some of the plans I had were as well because they involved visiting the Mirai store and chatting with the people who work there. More money will go to Voolks for Doolfies now.

 

On a more positive note, I love the girls Danny created. I love the fact he offered the workshop and I was able to build Kizuna and Moonlight. I appreciate the fact Smart Dolls exist and I was able to welcome them into my home. While Danny's recent behavior has left a bitter taste in my mouth, nothing he ever does will negate the fact I love the Smart dolls I built.

 

This closes the book on my personal history with Danny Choo.

I thought about rambling over possible reasons for Danny's recent behavior, the relative lack of consequences for his behavior,

 

I think that can be part of the problem. As I said earlier, I see this as very poor social judgement on his part, as opposed to a malacious nature. Social judgement will never improve absent social consequences associated with bad choices, and even then it can take a lot of consequence along with time spent reflecting on how you ended up where you are.

 

 

On a more positive note, I love the girls Danny created. I love the fact he offered the workshop and I was able to build Kizuna and Moonlight. I appreciate the fact Smart Dolls exist and I was able to welcome them into my home. While Danny's recent behavior has left a bitter taste in my mouth, nothing he ever does will negate the fact I love the Smart dolls I built.

 

That is definitely what saddens me. SmD are a nice product, and he makes good stuff. I was almost about to get one, but not now.

I thought about rambling over possible reasons for Danny's recent behavior, the relative lack of consequences for his behavior,

I think that can be part of the problem. As I said earlier, I see this as very poor social judgement on his part, as opposed to a malacious nature. Social judgement will never improve absent social consequences associated with bad choices, and even then it can take a lot of consequence along with time spent reflecting on how you ended up where you are.

Social consequences are not what I had in mind. I was thinking of financial consequences. Danny's August 17 social media posts didn't offend enough people to the point where they punished Danny by not buying anything.

 

I need to define certain categories of people to make the point below.

 

1.) Actually took offense from Danny's recent behavior.

2.) Proclaimed (s)he will not buy from Danny (again).

3.) Actually did not buy anything from Danny after 2018-08-17, including during the recent Time Sale.

 

People who can answer "true" for all 3 conditions ("Group A") are not large enough in number to make an impact on Danny's sales. As for myself, I answered "true" for only #1 and #3. I'll call the group I'm in "Group B". Group A and Group B combined is too small in number for Danny to care. I know this because if Group A+B was large enough to be significant, we would have seen an apology, a change in behavior, or even a reply to the carefully crafted e-mail written by the combined efforts of people in these forums.

 

Business will shed customers on a regular basis so in order for a business to stay viable, it needs a mixture of new and current customers. Danny often mentions his customer base consists of such a mixture. If anyone becomes a former customer, then a new customer will just take the place of the old one. People in Groups A and B can be shed because the total number is too small for Danny to care.

 

This is what I mean by there's a relative lack of consequence. There's online outrage but that doesn't affect sales enough for Danny to care about his own behavior.

 

On a more positive note, I love the girls Danny created. I love the fact he offered the workshop and I was able to build Kizuna and Moonlight. I appreciate the fact Smart Dolls exist and I was able to welcome them into my home. While Danny's recent behavior has left a bitter taste in my mouth, nothing he ever does will negate the fact I love the Smart dolls I built.

That is definitely what saddens me. SmD are a nice product, and he makes good stuff. I was almost about to get one, but not now.

...which adds another layer of sad because all Danny had to do to make you a customer was to not act like an insufferable git.

Social consequences are not what I had in mind. I was thinking of financial consequences. Danny's August 17 social media posts didn't offend enough people to the point where they punished Danny by not buying anything.

 

I should clarify a bit too. When I said social consequences I meant the consequences of alienating people to a degree that results in the person being shunned by friends, customers, business partners, investors, etc.

 

I also think I should probably clarify a bit when I say I don't think he is a bad person. I define bad people as people who deliberately prey on others for profit, or the pleasure of causing pain. To me this is different from an otherwise normal person who may suddenly start behaving like they are full of themselves; say as the result of a general swelling of the head due to pride.

 

Life has a way of popping swollen heads, but sometimes a person has to hit rock bottom before that happens. As long as someone has thousands of twitter followers giving them props, this is not going to happen.