The Facebook debacle & other issues

What i meant was, if DC  has a problem with people whom are disabled & cannot  to put the arms back in the socket.  then why is they makin crutches, wheel chairs etc?   cause bein in wheel chair is a disbilty.   also this just a question, don't hurt me.    Thank you 🙃     lmk what ya think

Edited March 24, 2022 by DollyDearest

On 3/21/2022 at 3:30 PM, BeyondTime said:

Or upsize them: https://volksusastore.com/webstores/dollfie/index.php?dispatch=categories.view&category_id=2040

OMG I want BOTH of them!  So darling! 

 

21 hours ago, IgelFullmetal said:

Cortex was doomed for failure the moment Danny insisted on using same frame as his vinyl dolls. Smaller companies have since done what he could not. 

I just bought my first TinyFox 1/4 doll (full set Lijian) and was so impressed with the doll and the clothing that I've ordered the new Tatiana full set.  They're super nice dolls and very affordable compared to Volks (though I love my Volks cuties). Not 1/3, but cute as heck.

46 minutes ago, Vickie386 said:

OMG I want BOTH of them!  So darling! 

They are both pre-order as long as you are in US / Canada or in Japan. The start date for the events is on our calendar.

We don't normally post SD events unless there are DD sized extras up for grabs, but a lot of people here are going to be picking them up so I posted it as a service to the members. 

2 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

They are both pre-order as long as you are in US / Canada or in Japan. The start date for the events is on our calendar.

We don't normally post SD events unless there are DD sized extras up for grabs, but a lot of people here are going to be picking them up so I posted it as a service to the members. 

Thank you!!!!  

3 hours ago, DollyDearest said:

What i meant was, if DC  has a problem with people whom are disabled & cannot  to put the arms back in the socket.  then why is they makin crutches, wheel chairs etc?   cause bein in wheel chair is a disbilty.   also this just a question, don't hurt me.    Thank you 🙃     lmk what ya think

Danny has a tendency to care more about appearances than about being a genuine ally to marginalized communities. It looks good for him and his brand to have dolls with visible disabilities, seeing as his audience tends to be very American and care a lot about social issues, but he has said in the past that if someone has a disability that makes playing with the dolls as intended difficult, then he'd rather they not purchase at all. Personally, I feel like this is a side effect of him being an influencer who also happens to sell dolls rather than being a doll maker. As an influencer, he's obligated to signal to his audience the kind of messages they want to see (support for disabilities, Ukraine, and racial/ethnic minorities), but interprets every little bit of design criticism as a personal attack, thus telling people to not buy his product if they may have an issue with it.

TL;DR - It's more of a branding thing mixed with taking criticism entirely too personally.

I happened to be talking about the disability stuff with a friend the other day, and it's very rare that I'll say this about anyone, but it's virtue signalling. It's always about using reasonably easy to represent disabilities to promote and sell dolls. Take a doll like Valiant for example. Danny always posts about how great it is that he makes a doll with a birthmark despite her not selling well. No money goes to charities, no charities even get mentioned... The same goes for other things; there's organisations for deaf people, asthma charities, charities which help people buy mobility aids etc etc. It costs him nothing to give them a shout out.

Representation is fine, but when most customers are adults (even if they're buying for kids) it's possible to take it to the next level and care a little more beyond just optics.

I don't know. I will have extra salt on this because very many multiple conditions, as well as people I love having some too. Hence, I have too many opinions. 😕

Edit: having representation feeds more into the kid friendly image they're trying to cultivate. I don't know if it would have made me feel better when I was a kid though. I still remember the absolutely cringe book they had in the doctors' office for kids with asthma. Something about how the little dragon couldn't blow bubbles with the other little dragons until he used his inhaler. It did not help. 🤣

Edited March 25, 2022 by Katsudon
Cringe from my youth

I also feel like representation isn't as important as being first, or the only one, either. 

On 3/24/2022 at 10:10 PM, fishbuttz said:

Danny has a tendency to care more about appearances than about being a genuine ally to marginalized communities. It looks good for him and his brand to have dolls with visible disabilities, seeing as his audience tends to be very American and care a lot about social issues, but he has said in the past that if someone has a disability that makes playing with the dolls as intended difficult, then he'd rather they not purchase at all. Personally, I feel like this is a side effect of him being an influencer who also happens to sell dolls rather than being a doll maker. As an influencer, he's obligated to signal to his audience the kind of messages they want to see (support for disabilities, Ukraine, and racial/ethnic minorities), but interprets every little bit of design criticism as a personal attack, thus telling people to not buy his product if they may have an issue with it.

TL;DR - It's more of a branding thing mixed with taking criticism entirely too personally.

Thanks for your answer.    i was worried i had some how fu fu fu'd again lolz

Honestly it is ironic that he's made disparaging remarks regarding those with physical disabilities and their inability to own his dolls, then proceeds to make those types of dolls. Of course, it's another ego-driven thing, but the utter irony.

In other news, I recently had a friend show me a Smart Doll she bought, and it was my first time seeing one in person. I was actually appalled at the quality of the body. The hard plastic, the limbs clicked together with the large seams, it was just...not my cup of tea. I guess this was the infamous "cortex" that was so lauded? It was really really...cringey. And certainly not worth the price it is/was sold for. But obviously, for those who like it and are fine with it, that's okay. I was just really relieved I never considered a Smart Doll over a DD...the Volks vinyl is really something ! 

And yet Volks doesn't waste time bragging about their quality or their hard work in creating dolls. They have class that is expected in a company, and I respect them and the culture they created on their own quite a bit. 

Edited April 8, 2022 by Ageha

I had sold my Smart Doll Cortex Mirai 2019 version recently to someone who lives far away and I'm glad I did. I actually regret buying the Cortex version of Smart Doll Mirai even with the research and after reading those huge cringe disclaimers and warnings of why you don't buy the doll. What kind of business owner tells a customer that why you shouldn't buy the doll if it's not going to be perfect?! Also, using the Wabi-Sabi philosophy as a excuse for product flaws is a huge no-no! It's just a reason to use that to hide a defective product which was the Cortex version of Smart Dolls and current on sale Vinyl SMDs with their birth mark "imperfections."

The reason I bought the Cortex version is because I wasn't a huge fan of staining on vinyl even if you're careful. But I found out that it's normal and it can happen with any vinyl BJD! It's just that you've to buy stain prevention suits and socks for DDs same with the wig cap to prevent heavy staining.

I still regret not buying a Dollfie Dream doll from Volks when I first saw one in person at Anime Expo 2017 before the pandemic and I blame DC's intense social media promotion and heavy online advertisement regarding his dolls. Which led to me to buying a Smart Doll Mirai online in late 2019 from his store. Also, the Smart Doll store booth at Anime Expo was over the top and shadowed Volk's DDs! It explains why the man truly dislikes Volks and wants them gone or forgotten and insists his SMDs are better than DDs!

Anyway, as a person with a physical medical condition, I don't like seeing an Ostomy bag/system on a Smart Doll/BJD! Because, I have one myself and I don't like seeing that on any doll!! I don't want anyone to have a Stoma with a Ostomy (Ileostomy/Colostomy) since it can be a huge nuisance at times and the bad thing about the bags is the leakage that causes intense itches/ and rashes. The good thing is that it allows me to have a normal life and diet when I wear a shield over the bag whenever I am outside and kept private and my condition with the bags allows me to live. That's that!

I'll never buy medical condition or medical handicapped items for any dolls...

Edited April 11, 2022 by ZandurFox

This just occurred to me, but is it actually a big pain in the butt to have an email "notify me of restock" list or is Danny just lazy/bad at web design/playing into the FOMO and obsession over releases? I ask because basically every website I've ever used has an email notify option, but Danny insists that it's too much upkeep to have one, so he just updates twitter instead and if you miss out, you miss out. You'd think if it were that much work to program and maintain, fewer small businesses would have it, but it seems to be a staple even with absolutely tiny operations!

10 hours ago, ZandurFox said:

Anyway, as a person with a physical medical condition, I don't like seeing an Ostomy bag/system on a Smart Doll/BJD! Because, I have one myself and I don't like seeing that on any doll!! I don't want anyone to have a Stoma with a Ostomy (Ileostomy/Colostomy) since it can be a huge nuisance at times and the bad thing about the bags is the leakage that causes intense itches/ and rashes. The good thing is that it allows me to have a normal life and diet when I wear a shield over the bag whenever I am outside and kept private and my condition with the bags allows me to live. That's that!

I'll never buy medical condition or medical handicapped items for any dolls...

I lurk but avoid this thread for the most part now. I'm diabetic. I'm not on a pump, but if I was I like you wouldn't want one for my doll. I know a lot of people would love curvier/thicker dolls, but I'm in the minority because I wouldn't want a doll to actually resemble me that much. I'm projecting who I feel I am through a doll, and don't want to be reminded of my physical limitations. I have several invisible illness, one that causes me severe burning pain in my hands, face, and feet 24/7. Actually seeing that represented on a doll somehow would almost be torture for me. These dolls are an escape from my own reality, the way I see it.

I actually don't mind Smart Doll owners taking and sharing photos on social media like Instagram, Facebook, and Flickr and I'll still follow SMD owners having fun by taking their dolls out to travel and as well as taking photo to share their experiences. I mean they're still cute in custom outfits when they're posed for a photo op, so I respect SMD owners for having them as travel companions despite the negativity surrounding the man who created them.

Currently, I'd put a limited edition Dollfie Dream doll on layaway and I'm still paying for it. Thanks to a kind patient person here selling her to me. Eventually, I'll finally have my very own Dollfie Dream doll for the first time!

Originally, I didn't want to my Smart Doll Mirai to go to a new home. But I'm grateful that the person who bought her from me and became the new owner, and I hope the person takes care of her. Even though, it is the Cortex version of Mirai with a huge flaw.

I was going to buy more Smart Dolls at the time until I found out about this thread and other things that Danny did to his own customers at the time and I'll know he'll do it again if you criticize him and his SMDs. Which he can ban you from buying his store as well as belittling you, because all the horror stories I heard such as the Hobby Drama post from Reddit.

Edited April 12, 2022 by ZandurFox

On 4/12/2022 at 12:56 AM, fishbuttz said:

This just occurred to me, but is it actually a big pain in the butt to have an email "notify me of restock" list or is Danny just lazy/bad at web design/playing into the FOMO and obsession over releases? I ask because basically every website I've ever used has an email notify option, but Danny insists that it's too much upkeep to have one, so he just updates twitter instead and if you miss out, you miss out. You'd think if it were that much work to program and maintain, fewer small businesses would have it, but it seems to be a staple even with absolutely tiny operations!

I've started to wonder if it was a combo of things. Firstly that some dolls sell out so fast, people will get the notification too late to buy the doll, and get upset. Second that on those dolls that sell out fast and/or often, people will keep having to sign up for notifications over and over if they missed it. I think Danny is very online, so maybe figured twitter was an easier way to send out notifications, because, on a phone at least, it'll ping everyone at the same time. Equalityyyy! XD

Or: this wouldn't be a problem if there was enough stock to keep up with demand! The switch to twitter only happened iirc after the first run or two of blue Singularity, when some of the people who couldn't get her during the 20 minutes she was available were (understandably) quite devastated.

20 hours ago, ZandurFox said:

Currently, I'd put a limited edition Dollfie Dream doll on layaway and I'm still paying for it. Thanks to a kind patient person here selling her to me. Eventually, I'll finally have my very own Dollfie Dream doll for the first time!

Originally, I didn't want to my Smart Doll Mirai to go to a new home. But I'm grateful that the person who bought her from me and became the new owner, and I hope the person takes care of her. Even though, it is the Cortex version of Mirai with a huge flaw.

Congrats on getting a DD! 😄 I'm still saving up, but cannot wait to be able to move on from Smart Doll. I will keep mine, because she's pretty and so comforting; but it'll be a relief to not have to stress over getting all the answers right or being found out for having opinions on things. I know there'll be people who say "if you don't wanna get banned, then don't say mean things", but I have a terminal case of not-shutting-up-itis 😆 

5 hours ago, Katsudon said:

 I know there'll be people who say "if you don't wanna get banned, then don't say mean things", but I have a terminal case of not-shutting-up-itis 😆 

Isn't this part of the whole issue though? People don't say mean things, they bring up legitimate concerns, or just end up in an fb group with a renegade mod, and get banned. It's incredibly, pathetically, stifling.

I never worry about expressing concerns regarding Volks in forums or social media. They're not authoritarian or stalking owners all over the internet. They just focus on making beautiful dolls and allowing people to express their creativity through them. 

7 hours ago, Ageha said:

Isn't this part of the whole issue though? People don't say mean things, they bring up legitimate concerns, or just end up in an fb group with a renegade mod, and get banned. It's incredibly, pathetically, stifling.

I never worry about expressing concerns regarding Volks in forums or social media. They're not authoritarian or stalking owners all over the internet. They just focus on making beautiful dolls and allowing people to express their creativity through them. 

amen.  also what's a renegade mod?    i've only encountered good mods.  so it depends on the group idk

@DollyDearest I’m guessing @Ageha is talking about the incident which originated this thread, where the actions of one single mod of a Facebook group got innocent members of that group the Danny banhammer. You can find the specifics by reading the early parts of the thread.

Edited April 14, 2022 by ebil
tagged wrong user :p

4 hours ago, ebil said:

You can find the specifics by reading the early parts of the thread.

Page 1 will give the gist of it. 

18 hours ago, Ageha said:

Isn't this part of the whole issue though? People don't say mean things, they bring up legitimate concerns, or just end up in an fb group with a renegade mod, and get banned. It's incredibly, pathetically, stifling.

I never worry about expressing concerns regarding Volks in forums or social media. They're not authoritarian or stalking owners all over the internet. They just focus on making beautiful dolls and allowing people to express their creativity through them. 

Yeah, you're exactly right. I was being a little hyperbolic tbh! It's definitely very stifling, and I was so worried way back when that if something went wrong with my order, I'd have to just suck it up rather than risk a callout on instagram. The stalking from Danny seems to be going into overdrive too, with him asking a new customer if they knew Smart Doll owners nearby.

I genuinely pray for the day that I can post photos here without being afraid! XD

Incidentally, my partner is German, so I find it very ironic that a company named "Volks" is less authoritarian than Smart Doll. 😂 I dunno whether to give the context here... but googling "third reich volk" will get the gist. (I know it's simply the German word for 'folk', but a certain someone was very into the concept in the 1930s-40s. It's very likely my opinion is affected by this being the general way I became familiar with the word!)

Edited April 14, 2022 by Katsudon
Tense change

13 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

Page 1 will give the gist of it. 

I did a read over of page one.    Thanks for lettin me know. 😊    wow! so that's how all this started.   elementry my dear watson."

12 hours ago, Katsudon said:

but googling "third reich volk" will get the gist.

Volk could be a reference to Vulcan (Hephaestus) The god of smithery in Roman and Greek myth.

Bit of real fast history, the original ball jointed dolls were of french and german origin, therefore it is common for doll companies to have either french or german names to give nod to their 'ancestry'.

Volks existed as a scale model /other non-BJD-items company for about 25 years before they created Ian and then Super Dollfies, so I don’t think that naming themselves after the origin of antique BJDs was the case for them. That is an interesting possible origin for Luts, though.

 

edit: They talk about why they picked the name back in 1972 on this page here. https://volksusa.com/aboutus/

Edited April 15, 2022 by ebil

I'm not a huge DC fan, and of course this is just my opinion, but blaming him/his company's advertising for one's decision to buy a Smart Doll over another company's doll is a bit unreasonable. That's what advertising is all about. It's done on almost all platforms to the point of making you want to throw your TV, mobile phone or laptop out the window.

I don't think I've ever let advertising be the reason I've decided to buy something. Except for a Sonic Blast 

On this particular thread we’ve seen more people say the opposite, lol. That his advertising is the reason they won’t buy one. Whoops!