Pokémon Syndrome: Acquisition Disorder, Recasts, and the Doll Hobby

All Teh Dolls.

All instances of you* in this piece refer to general “you”, not anyone specific. Also, there is nothing wrong with buying or selling. Even buying or selling a lot. This is not meant as a critique or criticism of anyone or anything in particular, but rather a cautionary tale to explore your own motivations for doing so.

“Gamers have a term for this madness.  It’s “acquisition disorder.”  It’s when you have to have the new shiny.”- Click for Source

The problem with collecting hobbies is what I call Pokemon syndrome: Gotta catch ‘em all! Meaning that the compulsion to buy and buy and buy often overrides need and good sense. For some people, it gets dangerous. They obsessively buy everything they can pertaining themselves to their hobbies, shop out of their budgets, don’t live within their means, and can even rack up massive amounts of debt. (Have you seen the Star Wars documentary on Netflix where they talk about their obsession with buying and collecting? Watch that shit. Then come back here.) It’s not quite the same as a shopping addiction, which is a whole entire other issue that can be aggravated by Pokémon Syndrome, but it’s a very, very real thing. If you have a shopping addiction, like any other addiction, and you feel it’s a problem or becoming a problem, then please seek help.

Buying becomes a panacea. You’re feeling stuck, uninspired, sad, or whatever, and shopping takes over. You buy a new doll because you’re bored with the old ones or simply “not feeling” it anymore. A new outfit brings the spark back: the excitement of shopping, of comparing, of imagining, then the excitement and joyful, satisfying anxiety of waiting and checking tracking, and then the climax of arrival. You open the item, gush, glee, take a few pictures, post on social and media- and then the high is gone. So you move on to the next quest.

Identifying a Recast: Migidoll

***Disclaimer: I do not own recasts of this company, but I would appreciate any useful tips from anyone who currently owns one. Pictures for identification/comparison purposes are welcomed as well. If you have a recast MD boy, you can message me on anon on tumblr, via email, or here in the comments. If you choose to help me, you can be left anon or credited. Your choice!***

I don't own a recast Migidoll, but I thought this might be helpful since I own legits.

Website: http://www.migidoll.com/info.html

Sculpts available recast: Cho, Miho, Ryu

If you're buying one of the sculpts available as recast secondhand, here are some things to ask about or watch for.

Packaging:

Legit Migidoll come in plastic tube thingies, like this. On the outside of the tube you'll find a printed label with the company's logo, the name of the sculpt, and the resin color. These might be handwritten.

Why YOU should purchase legit

Note: I've avoided posting this because I didn't want to offend some friends, but it's come to a point where I can't not post it. This was before I'd done a lot of thinking about recasts, so it doesn't express my full current understanding/view point. I'll do a more in depth, updated one soon ish.

Let's face it, recasts are pretty great. They give you access to expensive, high-end toys at a fraction of the cost, in colors your otherwise could never get, and often molds that are long-since sold out. I was pro-recast, but have since changed to recast-neutral. My intention is to get you to consider the importance of supporting the companies you love.

This is only my opinion, so take this for what it is worth.

There are so many discussions about whether BJD companies are small-time artists, companies, factories, etc. To me, this is irrelevant. I think of it in only one term: shrinkage.

A company, whether it be Walmart or the mom-and-pop quilt store down the street, measures the loss of product as shrinkage. Loss of product can be translated as loss of profit: e.g. loss of a sale or opportunity to make money off a product. When a shoplifter takes the sneakers, that's shrinkage. When the worker accidentally drops a crate of milk and the gallons burst, that loss of product is also shrinkage. When a person purchases the recast doll, the company sees that as a potential lost sale as shrinkage.

Recasts are shrinkage, and eventually they will take their toll on the larger company. The more people steal sneakers and shopping carts, the higher prices will rise to compensate for this lost sales potential and excess expenditure. They will also cease producing new product if the sales potential is not there.

Many argue that they would have never purchased from the company in the first place, so that by purchasing a recast they are not in this category. The company will not see it that way.

Prices rise and employee pay, hours, and benefits plummet to compensate for shrinkage.

I'm not an economist, so my understanding here could be a bit flawed, and I'm totally up for entertaining more opinions and ideas. Many see recasts as a way to put pressure on the doll market. We are not the doll market's primary customers. People in their respective countries are. We Westerners are an after thought, an extra market. In our home markets we have ways of putting pressure on businesses to indicate the need for higher or lower prices and more or less of a product. We don't have the ability to do that in foreign markets. DoA is the only way I personally can think of to affect these foreign markets, other than purchasing recasts.

I do believe that companies do not see it as, "Oh, they bought a recast because our basic is too expensive! Maybe we should reconsider our prices!" Instead they get offended and sometimes aggressive (like my personal encounter with Souldoll). It is my hope they will eventually understand why recasts are purchased when basics are available. It seems to be cultural differences regarding finances and economics that get in the way. Methods that work in one country just offend those in the other. I think this is improving as time passes and think that it will continue to do so, maybe even to the point where we have mutual understanding.

So when you can, when it is an option, try to save and purchase from legitimate companies. This means if you love Fairyland, buy from Fairyland. You will help keep prices in check and your favorite companies producing new dolls to love.

Don't worry: I'm no hypocrite. I had the funds and the opportunity to purchase from my favorite company. I did. I could have purchased an army of recasts, but I supported my favorite company to show them I do appreciate their work…even if I do own a couple knock-offs too. 

This post was originally written last year, before most of the drama regarding recasts happened. It seems even then I understood the risk of recasts. Since then, I've been selling off most of my recasts (at this time I have four recast anthros). If I hadn't modded these guys and made them so special, I'd be replacing all of them with legits too. I can't do that, so I'll be buying only legits from here on out. 

My next post will dive deeper into this.

And if this article doesn't have an impact on you, read this article here.

http://www.greenheartgames.com/2013/04/29/what-happens-when-pirates-play-a-game-development-simulator-and-then-go-bankrupt-because-of-piracy/

I really hope this hasn't offended anyone...

Thank you for reading, and happy collecting.

Note

With more drama on the horizon, let me just restate a few things:

• I do not recast or bootleg dolls or any other product.
• I do not send dolls to recasters.
• I do not distribute bootleg dolls.
• I have no ties to recasters. I don't talk to them, I don't know what dolls they're getting. I don't know how they get them or when they get them. 
• The purpose of this blog is not to provide a venue for bootleg sales, but rather to provide information on bootlegs and how to tell the difference between bootleg and legitimate dolls.
• I do not benefit financially from running this blog, especially concerning bootleg products.
• I do not tell people how to contact recasters.
• I do not contact recasters on behalf of others.
• I do not buy recast dolls on behalf of others.

No matter what your stance, remember bullying is never the answer.

Peace,
Amaranth

On Scammers, and why it's not your crusade

Here's the thing- for as long as there have been replica dolls there have been a few assholes selling them as legitimate dolls.

Recasters often provide fake paperwork and fake headplates. Scammers may have used these to sell recasts as legit.

Why this isn't your crusade: A scammer can use a legitimate set of papers or plates to sell a recast as legitimate. Are you going to tell a company to stop producing these things? In my opinion, the reason FL is one of the top recast companies is because they have no papers, no plates, no logos on the dolls.

Some recasters are now offering boxes. Scammers will use these to sell recasts as legits…because scammers are scammers and that's why they will do.

Thoughst on two recent bjd confessions...plus, NO MORE HATE

There is a confession about pro-recast hypocrisy here .This confession is worth discussing.

Firstly, as Resinmuse noted, simply wishing for the existence of a certain recast is NOT the same as buying it for the intention of recast. No one in the thread discussed buying the doll to send it to be recast.

Secondly, as Resinmuse also noted, not all people who buy recasts have the same code of ethics. People have different morals and ethics no matter what groups they are a part of. Just because you disagree with those ethics doesn't necessarily make them wrong.

Things will always be at risk for bootlegging, theft, piracy, and copying when they are subject to limited availability and high prices. It's just the way things are. We are allowed to voice sadness at this and get excited about the possibility of attaining things, even if there is no way we could or even would (I think the Kinoko Juice doll is just darling, but I would not personally purchase a recast of one).

Then there is this confession.

To compare recast buying with such hot button issues shows a lack of common sense and is nothing but extremism, no matter what side of the debate you are on. Do not bully people for their views and beliefs or else you become exactly the things you hate. (I believe Nietzsche said something to that effect….and I apparently can't spell his name sooo...)

There are pro-recast people who are pro-life, just like there are anti-recast people that are racists. Having one belief does not preclude another. This is like the antiquated atheist vs Christian debate, as in just because you don't believe in a god all the sudden you're a child-sacrificing cannibal who kicks puppies and wants to murder everyone. Or alternatively… being a Christian automatically makes you an uneducated moron who wants to return to the Dark Ages and burn people at the stake. Or you're all Westborough Baptist Church. Seriously? Assuming does make an ass out of U and ME, so let's avoid it, okay?

I'm a pagan, I'm privately pro-life, politically pro-choice. I don't steal (even though some of you might disagree), but I have done so to survive. I don't lie. I don't cheat; I cheated once in 3rd grade, got caught, and had to go to confession so I never did it again. I did, and still do, stack the Candyland deck to make sure I make it to the Lollipop Princess first just because I think she's cute. I also happen to be very anal about Scrabble rules. I'm not racist. I have no opinion on the sex trade (when it is choice not forced). I've never attempted to summon the devil by sacrificing a black cat (though I had a black cat who recently died due to coyote attack), though I do tell fortunes via tarot cards and use Ouija boards. I try to be the best person I can be, though I know I have flaws. I've had a parking ticket, but I never speed. I also purchased bootleg dolls once upon a time. Yeah. I'm a real monster.While I no longer own the bootlegs and have since ceased buying them, the point of this remains the same:

Everyone has a story, a reason for their morals, a reason they are who they are. The fact that they are pro-recast or anti-recast doesn't mean a fucking thing. Both sides need to grow up and remember this.

Please, let's just stop the hate. 

I apologize for the rant.

Thanks for reading, and happy collecting!

Recast vs Legit: Alter-Egos

[A fluff piece because I've had a pretty crappy week and don't really want to think but still want to gripe about stuff.]

I'm no honey badger. I keep my recast and legit alter-egos completely separate, well, as separate as I can.

For those of you who aren't the type to post carefree across the interwebs your recast and legit resin munckins, this is for you:

1. Don't post links on DoA to flikrs or sites that contain/promote recasts. If you get caught with a flikr link (including pictures that link) with a recast on that account, you'll get banned from DoA.

            a. Recasts are like Fight Club.

            b. You don't talk about Fight Club (on DoA)

Cyberbullying in the Doll Community: A Wordy Discussion

Bullying has become quite a problem lately, or at least become more of a recognized one, particularly here in the United States. Many children have been committing suicide or attempting to do so because of bullying. I am going to ask that you humor me and read this entire post. It's very wordy, and I apologize. Please, please bear with me until the end. I promise it's worth it. There's also some swearing, and I apologize for that too.

The doll hobby has become rife with cyberbullying that transcends age demographics. Due to the anonymity of the internet, adults can bully adults or even children. The reverse is also true. Without the face to face filter that encourages polite social interaction, people feel free to say and do as they please.