The Facebook debacle & other issues

19 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

I'd think cute, sweet, and friendly is probably fine. 

Yeah, I suspect they mean sexual positions being banned, not having two dolls stand close to each other holding hands or similar.

To shift things back to Smartdolls, have yall seen this?

It was posted today on the site's timeline, and I...sort of have mixed feeling about it? Assuming it's an actual collab and not just a one-off thing/joke. I'm a big Fallout New Vegas fan, personally. But I feel like lately there's been a pretty big divide in fans of the series on the direction they've been taking things? Basically, if this just turns into another grungy, dark and gritty, post-apocalyptic thing, I'll have no interest in it. I hope it'll have some of the silly 50s sci-fi elements are there.

14 minutes ago, PlasticJester said:

To shift things back to Smartdolls, have yall seen this?

It was posted today on the site's timeline, and I...sort of have mixed feeling about it? Assuming it's an actual collab and not just a one-off thing/joke. I'm a big Fallout New Vegas fan, personally. But I feel like lately there's been a pretty big divide in fans of the series on the direction they've been taking things? Basically, if this just turns into another grungy, dark and gritty, post-apocalyptic thing, I'll have no interest in it. I hope it'll have some of the silly 50s sci-fi elements are there.

Seen it and the post with some of the SmDs dressed up in them. Looks great especially the PipBoy

But i dont think its a collab... I would love to have one of it though but they probably are not selling it...

Edited May 10, 2024 by HongBee
Spelling....

Am 10.05.2024 um 3:35 Uhr sagte HongBee:

Habe es und den Beitrag mit einigen darin verkleideten SmDs gesehen. Sieht toll aus, besonders der PipBoy

Aber ich glaube nicht, dass es eine Zusammenarbeit ist ... Ich würde zwar gerne eines davon haben, aber sie verkaufen es wahrscheinlich nicht ...

Same material as Batgirl's suit, or is that misleading?

On 5/13/2024 at 1:45 PM, SonataAvalon said:

Oh, I'd love to see more 50's clothing for these dolls.

Eiji in a dapper suit and a monocle... Chitose in a red dress... 

Must have crinoline lol!!

So I was chaotic enough to read this whole thread, lol.

But overall it's upsetting and disappointing that such a great line of dolls is associated with Danny's frankly unacceptable behavior. I fell in love with Transcendence in cocoa (dolls with fangs are so cute) but I refuse to give him my money. And I'm worried about buying her secondhand and eventually needing a replacement part in the future.

The cult mentality is also bizarre. I initially watched a few YouTube videos about Smart Dolls to learn more about them and so many people were just praising Danny as a person, not the company, in their videos. It's so weird and immediately left a bad taste in my mouth. So I wasn't too surprised to read that so much of the fanbase is like that.

I really wish other companies would consistently make vinyl dolls with darker skin tones. It sucks that for the most part, aside from a few Volks dolls here and there, Smart Doll is the only option.

16 hours ago, CatGirl said:

So I was chaotic enough to read this whole thread, lol.

But overall it's upsetting and disappointing that such a great line of dolls is associated with Danny's frankly unacceptable behavior. I fell in love with Transcendence in cocoa (dolls with fangs are so cute) but I refuse to give him my money. And I'm worried about buying her secondhand and eventually needing a replacement part in the future.

The cult mentality is also bizarre. I initially watched a few YouTube videos about Smart Dolls to learn more about them and so many people were just praising Danny as a person, not the company, in their videos. It's so weird and immediately left a bad taste in my mouth. So I wasn't too surprised to read that so much of the fanbase is like that.

I really wish other companies would consistently make vinyl dolls with darker skin tones. It sucks that for the most part, aside from a few Volks dolls here and there, Smart Doll is the only option.

Yeah I think when people start focusing on a person and not the product or the company that's probably a red flag of sorts. I actually watched a video last night where a woman said she had to write an "essay" in order to convince Danny that she was committed to buying a doll because "he has to protect his company." She also did speak a lot about Danny himself more than the dolls or the company. I know she was joking but at the same time it seemed to be pretty much what people have had to do just to get one. Seems pretty stressful to me. I think a product and how the company is run should speak more on it's own merit. And I totally feel you on wanting more options for darker skin tones.

23 hours ago, CatGirl said:

So I was chaotic enough to read this whole thread, lol.

But overall it's upsetting and disappointing that such a great line of dolls is associated with Danny's frankly unacceptable behavior. I fell in love with Transcendence in cocoa (dolls with fangs are so cute) but I refuse to give him my money. And I'm worried about buying her secondhand and eventually needing a replacement part in the future.

The cult mentality is also bizarre. I initially watched a few YouTube videos about Smart Dolls to learn more about them and so many people were just praising Danny as a person, not the company, in their videos. It's so weird and immediately left a bad taste in my mouth. So I wasn't too surprised to read that so much of the fanbase is like that.

I really wish other companies would consistently make vinyl dolls with darker skin tones. It sucks that for the most part, aside from a few Volks dolls here and there, Smart Doll is the only option.

Also the x-Twitter dogpling on people are just asking questions/ or constructive critiquing/ criticism.  Like they some how dared insult sempai so yeah very culty

On 6/18/2024 at 3:22 PM, ladyandlion said:

Yeah I think when people start focusing on a person and not the product or the company that's probably a red flag of sorts. I actually watched a video last night where a woman said she had to write an "essay" in order to convince Danny that she was committed to buying a doll because "he has to protect his company." She also did speak a lot about Danny himself more than the dolls or the company. I know she was joking but at the same time it seemed to be pretty much what people have had to do just to get one. Seems pretty stressful to me. I think a product and how the company is run should speak more on it's own merit. And I totally feel you on wanting more options for darker skin tones.

Even if it was a joke, that's still a huge yikes 😬 If I have to convince someone to let me buy their product, that's way too much effort and they clearly don't need my money tbh.

And I agree! Buying a doll should be a positive experience. I can't imagine throwing $300+ at one and worrying if the company will even allow you to buy it.

23 hours ago, DollyDearest said:

Also the x-Twitter dogpling on people are just asking questions/ or constructive critiquing/ criticism.  Like they some how dared insult sempai so yeah very culty

That's just one more reason for me to not go on Twitter, lol!

It’s such a shame because I swear I remember DC stating while developing the concept that he wanted them to be more easily accessible for those outside of Japan while critiquing the exclusivity of a lot of Volks’ dolls, especially the lottery system. Am I just imagining that? Because it seems like most dolls are harder to get than something from a lottery, and that’s not even including screening you personally to see if you’re good and pure enough to own one of the company’s dolls. Sure CJ have frontline dolls, but Volks do too?

I was heavily considering buying from them to create one of those “mini me” dolls but they discontinued my skin tone then apparently stopped shipping to my country because a couple of people probably weren’t financially prepared for the custom fees. I’m not sure if they knew that we’re not used to paying customs here and that I think custom laws changed for us around that time too (and it’s not as if there was any grand announcement of it), those people might have legitimately and accidentally been caught out and weren’t able to pay them. 

On 6/19/2024 at 10:40 PM, CatGirl said:

Even if it was a joke, that's still a huge yikes 😬 If I have to convince someone to let me buy their product, that's way too much effort and they clearly don't need my money tbh.

And I agree! Buying a doll should be a positive experience. I can't imagine throwing $300+ at one and worrying if the company will even allow you to buy it.

That's just one more reason for me to not go on Twitter, lol!

Very true. It felt more like a cope as she laughed off the fact she had to jump through hoops to get the doll. I mean what would you even have to say in order to get one? How would you know what to say? I just get frustrated because most people don't talk about that when they make videos talking about purchasing Smart Dolls as well as the fact that no one questions why you'd need to do all of that in the first place. But unfortunately that's kind of the point you made that it started to feel like people were focusing way more on Danny then the business practices or quality of the product. I used to really enjoy his business model and marketing (except for the weird decision to use very young children for marketing and not actual enthusiasts.) But he started to show how sensitive he was about (mostly valid) criticism and it all spiraled. He went from making things straight forward and easy to difficult and nerve-wracking. 

In the process of selling my entire collection of doll stuff and yet, his new smart dolls make me want to dive headfirst back into the hobby. Despite all the issues with Danny, those smart dolls have a grip on me that I cannot explain. Anyone else? 

3 hours ago, sunlightandtea said:

In the process of selling my entire collection of doll stuff and yet, his new smart dolls make me want to dive headfirst back into the hobby. Despite all the issues with Danny, those smart dolls have a grip on me that I cannot explain. Anyone else? 

yup.especially certain sculpts and the endless, fruitless return of smd boys lol

16 hours ago, ladyandlion said:

I mean what would you even have to say in order to get one? How would you know what to say?

Makes me think of the amount of snark on his website - imagine how fast you'd be declined service if you'd reply in kind.

Oh lord, the snark. Every few months I go through the new items and blog posts with my girlfriend and do dramatic readings of parts of them. Once again- I LIKE most of the Smartdoll products! But the descriptions, particularly the "here's why we don't want you to buy this", are just so passive-aggressive. It's a real turn-off.

6 hours ago, PlasticJester said:

Oh lord, the snark. Every few months I go through the new items and blog posts with my girlfriend and do dramatic readings of parts of them. Once again- I LIKE most of the Smartdoll products! But the descriptions, particularly the "here's why we don't want you to buy this", are just so passive-aggressive. It's a real turn-off.

I regrettably have to agree. I found it witty and charming at first, but it's kind of gotten to the point where it's clearly just trying to say "Look at me! Look how edgy and hip I am!"

8 hours ago, Yumeiro said:

Makes me think of the amount of snark on his website - imagine how fast you'd be declined service if you'd reply in kind.

Honestly makes me worry that there will be something in the endless amounts of paragraphs on that site that would magically get you access to buying a doll and if you don't read it all, you'll miss it...like who wants to read all of that! I'm not buying an Iphone, I'm buying a vinyl doll. In the end it's just a way to shield himself from criticism. If you see a flaw and don't immediately accept it as wabi-sabi then he can go ahead and make a post about how people don't read the posts on the website about purchasing etc etc. 

I remember I talked to a doll collector when I was selling a Disney Limited Edition 16" doll to her and I can tell she used to be a Smart Doll owner, since she said to me that she had a very bad experience from buying a Smart Doll and then she refused to elaborate further. I don't know if the buyer at the time was banned from DC's store. This was almost four years ago!

What happened here?

Edit: Seems to be fixed, must have been a Twitter glitch 

Edited June 28, 2024 by sunlightandtea

I want pose a question. I mentioned dogpling on constructive criticism.   when does it become an issue, when someone makes a 2 part video on someone feeling that DC doesn't represent the LGBTQ+a community with smart doll?

47 minutes ago, DollyDearest said:

I want pose a question. I mentioned dogpling on constructive criticism.   when does it become an issue, when someone makes a 2 part video on someone feeling that DC doesn't represent the LGBTQ+a community with smart doll?

After watching the videos in question, I'd first say that only one of the videos covered that topic because it was a continuation of a stream by the looks of things.

Anyway, I'm always rather wary when I look at content from Danny Choo/Smart Doll super fans as I already know there is a bias so I take it with a grain of salt. That being said, the LGBTQ+ community isn't a monolith and I'm sure some people don't mind being pandered to while others do. I'm sure some would rather profits go to organizations that benefit the community while others are content enough with only visual representation. Personally, I don't get the sense that Danny actually cares that much and the way he's going about it feels like an afterthought. That being said, I don't know enough about these dolls beyond the photos I've seen. I'm also going by all of the other dolls he's produced and his hyper-focus on representation of various physical conditions and states among other things (though ironically has been dragging his feet with creating male dolls and iirc, made some some questionable comments that are contrary to his current actions with creating Pride-themed dolls.) Either way I think it's good to question companies and their sincerity when it comes to using identity politics. Representation is good, when it's good. The problem is, I just feel like there's already a weird cult of personality mentality around him and the brand so...I don't know. The waters feel muddy to me. I don't know Danny personally and just going through this thread his personality just doesn't seem to mesh with the kind of person who I'd associate with being charitable or sensitive to the nuances of certain communities. 

This topic may end up being too political for this forum but here is my two cents. 

4 hours ago, ladyandlion said:

After watching the videos in question, I'd first say that only one of the videos covered that topic because it was a continuation of a stream by the looks of things.

Anyway, I'm always rather wary when I look at content from Danny Choo/Smart Doll super fans as I already know there is a bias so I take it with a grain of salt. That being said, the LGBTQ+ community isn't a monolith and I'm sure some people don't mind being pandered to while others do. I'm sure some would rather profits go to organizations that benefit the community while others are content enough with only visual representation. Personally, I don't get the sense that Danny actually cares that much and the way he's going about it feels like an afterthought. That being said, I don't know enough about these dolls beyond the photos I've seen. I'm also going by all of the other dolls he's produced and his hyper-focus on representation of various physical conditions and states among other things (though ironically has been dragging his feet with creating male dolls and iirc, made some some questionable comments that are contrary to his current actions with creating Pride-themed dolls.) Either way I think it's good to question companies and their sincerity when it comes to using identity politics. Representation is good, when it's good. The problem is, I just feel like there's already a weird cult of personality mentality around him and the brand so...I don't know. The waters feel muddy to me. I don't know Danny personally and just going through this thread his personality just doesn't seem to mesh with the kind of person who I'd associate with being charitable or sensitive to the nuances of certain communities. 

This topic may end up being too political for this forum but here is my two cents. I'm in

people always seem to say he's layed back or something.   sorry for sounding political, I was curious.  cause I tend to show a lot of empathy to, others, when I feel thier just voicing an opinion. Idk 

Edited July 10, 2024 by DollyDearest

17 hours ago, ladyandlion said:

though ironically has been dragging his feet with creating male dolls and iirc, made some some questionable comments that are contrary to his current actions with creating Pride-themed dolls.

What were the comments?

It shouldn't violate the no politics rule to discuss comments Danny made that relate to his business, as long as the discussion sticks to dollmaking stuff, and isn't about the politics of the issues themselves.

Male dolls honestly seem to be more of a resin thing imo. Volks makes plenty of resin boys, but hardly any vinyl boys. Does Obitsu even make boys at all? I know there are some other dollmakers that do. On the resin side I am pretty sure all the big producers of resin girls also make boys.

I'm guessing if there was a huge market for vinyl boys, then Volks would be making them a lot more often. Instead, they do more of an on-demand thing through Dream Choice and the occasional pre-order project.

4 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

What were the comments?

It shouldn't violate the no politics rule to discuss comments Danny made that relate to his business, as long as the discussion sticks to dollmaking stuff, and isn't about the politics of the issues themselves.

Male dolls honestly seem to be more of a resin thing imo. Volks makes plenty of resin boys, but hardly any vinyl boys. Does Obitsu even make boys at all? I know there are some other dollmakers that do. On the resin side I am pretty sure all the big producers of resin girls also make boys.

I'm guessing if there was a huge market for vinyl boys, then Volks would be making them a lot more often. Instead, they do more of an on-demand thing through Dream Choice and the occasional pre-order project.

I was just mentioning that someone on x had comment how DC possibly profits from LGBTQIA themed dolls such as limitless ( infinity symbol) and wondered if it was bullying to make a 2 part video calling  out someone for having that opinion 

Edited July 10, 2024 by DollyDearest

6 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

What were the comments?

It shouldn't violate the no politics rule to discuss comments Danny made that relate to his business, as long as the discussion sticks to dollmaking stuff, and isn't about the politics of the issues themselves.

Male dolls honestly seem to be more of a resin thing imo. Volks makes plenty of resin boys, but hardly any vinyl boys. Does Obitsu even make boys at all? I know there are some other dollmakers that do. On the resin side I am pretty sure all the big producers of resin girls also make boys.

I'm guessing if there was a huge market for vinyl boys, then Volks would be making them a lot more often. Instead, they do more of an on-demand thing through Dream Choice and the occasional pre-order project.

In previous pages of the thread, I believe it was mentioned that Danny might had been making some jokes and jabs at the male dolls and it was something like "I don't make them because I don't swing that way" or something similar. Please forgive me if I got that wrong or didn't do my due diligence in providing an example but it made me think of it (and I'm not saying that makes Danny homophobic.) 

I know that male dolls can be quite popular in the doll community. Smart Doll already offers so many diverse options, I don't think it's unreasonable to want or expect that (considering he had Eiji as his own original character and then later on Crimson.) But that's a really good observation. I suppose vinyl dolls are more anime-esque, may be harder to appreciate. Resin offers something more realistic.