The Facebook debacle & other issues

1 hour ago, Suiseiseki said:

So... an American-centric thing that a British/Chinese(?) man living in Japan has apparently done? Not to be rude or anything, but this really feels like reaching at straws.

Yes. Agreed. My fellow citizens tend to think the world revolves around them.  While folks from other counries may have read/heard about it, most people don't know what the term "Jim Crow" refers to - many in this US don't even know what it refers to.  Sad but true.

I thought "Jim" was a reference to the fictional character Admiral James T. Kirk?

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2022 by Vickie386
afterthought

46 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

I'm sure that what he's going for here, but he's face-planting and not taking ownership of his mistakes.

Deferral of blame is a really bad look too, and he doesn't seem to realize or care what that says about him. This is definitely a real world thing and it seems to drive some of his customer policy and bans

Yet again why I think he needs a PR team. I see regular, ordinary people do this all the time, which is ultimately what he is as well; he just happens to own a doll brand.

Normally someone doubling down on something wouldn't be such a big deal, but since he owns a brand it makes the whole thing look bad. 

Of course, I know he's said time and time again he won't do this... It really would help though. 

It just occurred to me that Danny complaining about people telling him to not make cocoa dolls is so hypocritical, when if you pop over to the discontinuation thread, you'll see how cocoa dolls are disproportionately discontinued compared to tea and cinnamon dolls. He can't pretend to care while cancelling them left and right. 😑

(I don't think Danny is a nazi... but this is the billionth time he's doubled down over reasonable criticism. And it's not a good look, especially this time.)

1 hour ago, Katsudon said:

It just occurred to me that Danny complaining about people telling him to not make cocoa dolls is so hypocritical, when if you pop over to the discontinuation thread, you'll see how cocoa dolls are disproportionately discontinued compared to tea and cinnamon dolls. He can't pretend to care while cancelling them left and right. 😑

(I don't think Danny is a nazi... but this is the billionth time he's doubled down over reasonable criticism. And it's not a good look, especially this time.)

the look isn't in fashion this year.  

I love how in his apology, he reverts back to his medical devices and cocoa doll options as a smokescreen to sweep the current issue under a rug. The fact that he claims people have messaged him telling him not to make medical devices or cocoa dolls I find incredibly arduous to believe. Love Smart Dolls and their owners, but I not support Danny Choo, and he will never see another cent of my money.

I'm honestly not at all surprised by his response. People don't change over night. I don't expect DC to suddenly become humble and reasonable simply because this post seems to have garnered more outcry than in the past. I expected him to double down and he did. I also don't think it will really affect the business very much. People will still want to get their dolls and there are people who are too far deep into relating to him as well. But I suppose it all depends on the topic at hand and what will be the straw that broke the camel's back in terms of turning off his followers to the point of boycotting Smart Dolls. However I will say I'm sick of him always bringing up the dark skinned dolls because frankly, I don't think I believe it. I imagine at least half of the appeal his brand currently brings in is because he puts out the image of someone who is all about empowering the marginalized, the bullied etc. That can be appealing these days especially since activism has become so trendy. Yet he betrays himself in his words and behaviors as being the opposite. His habit of always comparing himself and/or his brand to a marginalized group is irritating. 

It's ironic he goes on so about entitlement. Smart Doll is less of a business and more of a personal toy box for him and it's he that behaves in an entitled fashion when he would rather people not buy his products than admit when he stepped over the line. 

6 hours ago, Vickie386 said:

Yes. Agreed. My fellow citizens tend to think the world revolves around them.  While folks from other countries may have read/heard about it, most people don't know what the term "Jim Crow" refers to - many in this US don't even know what it refers to.  Sad but true.

I thought "Jim" was a reference to the fictional character Admiral James T. Kirk?

While Americans have a terrible habit of centering our culture and world view in most conversations, Danny "not being from America" is a weak excuse when his goal is to be an international brand. The United States is England Jr. after all and our countries, at their core, share several similarities. Racisms definitely being one of them. The US is one of, if not the largest, consumer of CJ Products, which means it would be in his best interest to do a *shred* of research while in the middle of product development. Several other international brands both big and small do this. A company the size of CJ really has no excuse. He wouldn't be in this situation and would have avoided several other is he did sensitivity screenings/research first. 

The problem has never been DC doing accidentally controversial things, because other companies/influencers have done that as well. The problem has always been his reaction to someone pointing out that he accidentally did something offensive; no matter how polite or justified they are, his first reaction is always banhammer followed by passive aggressive non-apologies and deflecting. He's allergic to admitting mistakes.

At some point Volks is gonna figure out to make dark skin DD and male DD more accessible, and he's gonna lose one of his biggest excuses to hide behind.    

12 minutes ago, monkeypizzasonic said:

The problem has never been DC doing accidentally controversial things, because other companies/influencers have done that as well. The problem has always been his reaction to someone pointing out that he accidentally did something offensive; no matter how polite or justified they are, his first reaction is always banhammer followed by passive aggressive non-apologies and deflecting. He's allergic to admitting mistakes.

At some point Volks is gonna figure out to make dark skin DD and male DD more accessible, and he's gonna lose one of his biggest excuses to hide behind.    

Man I HOPE SO. I sound like a broken record but I will continue to say it. The only reason I would buy from Smart Doll is so I could have tan and dark vinyl options (but when he started making purchasing so difficult I just decided enough was enough.) I hope Volks does figure it out and soon. Anthy Himemiya looks promising but the problem is I don't want to have to buy limited or special release dolls in order to obtain one. That's one thing I will say DC did right; making these darker vinyl options standard. 

5 hours ago, monkeypizzasonic said:

The problem has never been DC doing accidentally controversial things, because other companies/influencers have done that as well. The problem has always been his reaction to someone pointing out that he accidentally did something offensive; no matter how polite or justified they are, his first reaction is always banhammer followed by passive aggressive non-apologies and deflecting. He's allergic to admitting mistakes. 

Exactly! I like to think that a persons reaction to constructive criticism tells a lot about them. It's just another way to gauge what they really are like - it's in the same category with "the way a person treats the waiter tells me more about them than any conversation". And his fake apology, banning of people with genuine concerns and trying to make himself seem like the good guy while he's being an ass to people... That's a really bad look. I've known toxic people like that, and they'd rather "burn the place down" than admit they did something wrong.

14 hours ago, DollyDearest said:

the look isn't in fashion this year.  

Well, it's not made by Hugo Boss anymore 🤣

12 hours ago, monkeypizzasonic said:

At some point Volks is gonna figure out to make dark skin DD and male DD more accessible, and he's gonna lose one of his biggest excuses to hide behind.

 

12 hours ago, ladyandlion said:

Anthy Himemiya looks promising but the problem is I don't want to have to buy limited or special release dolls in order to obtain one.

IMO Volks is doing what they want to do in terms of toy making. While I'm sure they listen to their customers, they are focused more on creating the toys they want to make. 

They are one step closer with the current Icon release, the matching joints show a commitment, I expect these will remain limited releases or special order options as opposed to becoming standard sale items though. 

1 hour ago, BeyondTime said:

IMO Volks is doing what they want to do in terms of toy making. While I'm sure they listen to their customers, they are focused more on creating the toys they want to make.

That goes back to the intended audience issue, honestly. Volks has an international market, but their primary concern first and foremost is their Japanese consumer base. The international sales are icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

Danny is specifically trying to appeal to a western audience (wide range of skin tones, disability rep, etc). Volks isn't interested and few other companies have the resources to compete, so Danny ends up being the only real option in a lot of cases no matter what he does.

1 hour ago, fishbuttz said:

That goes back to the intended audience issue, honestly. Volks has an international market, but their primary concern first and foremost is their Japanese consumer base. The international sales are icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

Danny is specifically trying to appeal to a western audience (wide range of skin tones, disability rep, etc). Volks isn't interested and few other companies have the resources to compete, so Danny ends up being the only real option in a lot of cases no matter what he does.

Understandable, but kind of discouraging.  

1 hour ago, fishbuttz said:

The international sales are icing on the cake, not the cake itself.

Agreed, although I think Dollfie Icon is focused more on the western market. 

37 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Agreed, although I think Dollfie Icon is focused more on the western market. 

...and by "western" we mean US, because you cannot get Dollfie Icons without proxy in Europe

...I may have also posted this in the Hobby Drama subreddit (the "scuffles" thread). The consensus over there seems to lean towards the doll design being problematic.

Also, uh, hi! I'm a longtime lurker. I will now slide back into the shadows.

1 hour ago, EagleVision1999 said:

...and by "western" we mean US, because you cannot get Dollfie Icons without proxy in Europe

...I may have also posted this in the Hobby Drama subreddit (the "scuffles" thread). The consensus over there seems to lean towards the doll design being problematic.

Also, uh, hi! I'm a longtime lurker. I will now slide back into the shadows.

Welcome to the forum! Yeah, poor Europe seems to get shafted a lot in terms of releases/ease of purchase/etc compared to the States and some regions of Asia.

I went to the thread because I was curious about what you wrote and the opinions of people outside the hobby. I know all too well how easy it is to get caught up in your own little corner of the internet and forget you look absolutely nuts to the general public.

Turns out, it's not just us little hobbyists who immediately saw the issue. Shocker.

Edited August 4, 2022 by fishbuttz

6 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

They are one step closer with the current Icon release, the matching joints show a commitment, I expect these will remain limited releases or special order options as opposed to becoming standard sale items though. 

Isn't tan skin an option for d'coord or dream choice during summer months? I know that doesn't really help for the international market. But they are offering different skin tones.
(unless the tan hue is considered too light?)

5 hours ago, fishbuttz said:

Welcome to the forum! Yeah, poor Europe seems to get shafted a lot in terms of releases/ease of purchase/etc compared to the States and some regions of Asia.

The Shigeta family’s son and daughter were educated in the US, and the son lives here. They have strong ties here, so we’re lucky in that regard. I think in general the US and Japan have an affinity for each other, but in the US we have an affinity for Europe too so I do wish EU folks had a Volks EU. 
 

3 hours ago, Yumeiro said:

Isn't tan skin an option for d'coord or dream choice during summer months?

Yes, and sometimes during special event lotteries and limited releases. Their tan is nothing like Cocoa though. 

i have another question, why do people in fb groups consider this forum, & oursleves  entitiled?

Edited August 4, 2022 by DollyDearest

51 minutes ago, Yumeiro said:

Isn't tan skin an option for d'coord or dream choice during summer months? I know that doesn't really help for the international market. But they are offering different skin tones.
(unless the tan hue is considered too light?)

This feels very limited and strange to me personally, based on the limited window of availability (although I remember someone somewhere saying it's technically available year round?) and only 3 skin tone choices. That's being said, SmD is also limited to 3 (maaaaybe 6 if you can afford it), but at least tan and cocoa are easily accessible.

I'm also hoping the Icon improvements are a good sign.

Edited August 4, 2022 by Veravey
comment about SmD tones

2 hours ago, Veravey said:

This feels very limited and strange to me personally, based on the limited window of availability (although I remember someone somewhere saying it's technically available year round?) and only 3 skin tone choices.

For Dream Choice they offer SwS in the winter and tan in the summer. SwS parts are available globally all year round though. 
 

2 hours ago, DollyDearest said:

i have another question, why do people in fb groups consider this forum, & oursleves  entitiled?

As their chosen influencer, Danny tells them what to think and feel  

What I'm really hoping for is for them to bring the DD Dream Choice system to Volks USA as an online custom preorder every few months like they have for the resin dolls. They would probably offer tan more often there - they have the darker tan option available in resin for sd-16, which I don't think the regular one ever has, so they know this side wants tan more. 

 

1 hour ago, BeyondTime said:

For Dream Choice they offer SwS in the winter and tan in the summer. SwS parts are available globally all year round though. 
 

As their chosen influencer, Danny tells them what to think and feel  

the prophet speaks & the followers walk into sea & drown. 

5 hours ago, monkeypizzasonic said:

What I'm really hoping for is for them to bring the DD Dream Choice system to Volks USA as an online custom preorder every few months like they have for the resin dolls. They would probably offer tan more often there - they have the darker tan option available in resin for sd-16, which I don't think the regular one ever has, so they know this side wants tan more. 

 

It would be great if they did that, but I don't think they will because those are exclusives linked to specific stores in Japan  

Volks likes doing exclusives through various shops, and in a way the Dollfie Icons getting released here first is the exclusive for Volks USA. I just wish they would allow USA to release some things like Jewelry Box releases every once in awhile. 

Edit: I think USA gets some SD exclusives like SD16 FCS releases too.