Terms list, acronyms, and some FAQs

Awhile ago, I had the idea for a big terms list which included abbreviations.  I'm posting all that I have done so far on it. Enjoy!Links are not live yet.

I thought it might be handy to gather up a list of basic ball jointed doll terminology and acronyms. It can get really overwhelming, especially when you're first starting out. I know when I first got into dolls I made a list of each term I came across with its definition. It really helped! Fortunately, you guys won't have to do that, as you can just read this post.

Famous company acronyms (there are lots more):

FL- Fairyland

BBB- Bobobie

RS- Resinsoul

5*- 5 Star Doll

CP- Cerberus Project, famous sculpters who work with FL

MoC- Mint on Card (dealer)

DDE- Denver Doll Emporium (dealer)

A few examples of famous doll model acronyms (usually doll acronyms are based on the name of the doll type itself):

Mnf- Minifee

Pkf- Pukifee

F60 or F65- Feeple 60 or Feeple 65

SSDF- Super Senior Delf

SDF- Senior Delf

DF- Delf

KDF- Kid Delf

ZZD- Zuzu Delf

SDgr- Super Dolfie Graffiti

Places:

FB- Facebook. There are lots of groups on FB to learn about dolls

Castaways- A forum for discussing lots of different types of dolls. It is ok to talk about recast doll shere.

Den of Angels or DoA- Pretty much the ultimate English-language forum for all things ball-jointed doll. It is NOT ok to post about, talk about, or share pictures of recasts here.

Things:

BJD- Ball-jointed doll. This is defined in different ways, but basically means a doll with joints that is strung together with elastic or string. Some vinyl dolls are often considered BJDs, even if they don't have traditional jointing.

ABJD- Asian ball jointed doll

Recast- A recast is a copy of a doll. See THIS post here for the Recast BJD FAQ.

SD- dolls that fall into the range of 50 cm or higher are generally considered SDs. SD is actually a Volks-specific term that stands for Super Dolfie. We've come to use this term for most dolls in the size range. There are dolls even bigger than this, sometimes up 3 feet or more tall! Examples of SD dolls: Luts Senior Delf, Fairyland Feeple60, Souldoll Souldouble dolls, etc.

MSD or mini- dolls that fall into the range of 40 cm, give or take a few. MSD is a Volks specific term that stands for Mini Super Dolfie. We've come to use this term for most dolls in the size range. Examples of MSD dolls: Fairyland Minifee, Luts Kid Delfs, Peakswoods Fairies of Bugs, etc.

YoSD- dolls that are under 40cm. YoSD is a Volks-specific term that refers to their small line of dolls. We use this terms for small dolls in this size range. Examples of YoSD dolls: Fairyland Littlefee, Soom Tiny Gem, Bobobie 27cm dolls.

Tiny and Ultra tiny- these dolls are usually under 27cm. They include dolls like Bobobie Elfkins and Fairyland Pukifee, Pukipuki, and Realpuki.

Anthro- this is a mostly animal doll, and is different than a pet doll or doll with fantasy parts. An anthro is basically a humanoid animal. Examples of this kind of doll include: Luts Zuzu Delf and Pipos dolls (most of their dolls are anthros).

Fullset: Some companies have fullsets, either limited or in stock all the time. Usually a fullset includes an outfit, wig, eyes, and sometimes shoes or other items. A recast fullset does not include these items, but may include optional fantasy parts, sleeping heads, etc. read the description or ask the company for more details.

Fantasy Parts- Fantasy parts are optional parts released with some dolls, especially Soom dolls. They include horns, wings, tails, beast hands and feet, and other options. Sometimes fantasy parts are limited, other times they are not. Dolls with fantasy parts include: Nearly all Soom dolls, Bobobie Ai and other Bobobie/Resinsoul dolls, and others.

Face up- This is the painting on the face of a doll. There are specific materials you can use and those you will want to avoid. To learn more about face ups, visit the customization forum of any of the places listed above.

MSC- Mr. Super Clear, a popular sealant used to protect face ups.

Testors- An alternative sealant used to protect face ups.

Winsor and Newton (W&N)- A solvent used for cleaning paint brushes that is safe and often used for removing face ups.

90% Isopropyl alcohol- Another safe way to remove a face up.

Nail polish remover/acetone- Many people use acetone or nail polish remover to remove a face up. This can damage the resin if not done properly. Other people use non-acetone nail polish remover to remove a face up. Try not to use nail polish remove with dye or color as this can stain your doll.

Blushing or body blushing- This refers to painting the doll to add detail to bodies and fantasy parts. This is sometimes translated weirdly as brushing or body brushing.

Seam lines- These appear because of the molding process. Most of the time seams can be sanded away with particular grades of sandpaper. Other times companies will do this for you, sometimes with an additional charge.

Sueding or Suede- This is what one does to the joints of a doll to make them pose better. Sueding is usually done by placing a line of hot glue inside the joint or using suede or pliver to do the same thing. Please see a tutorial for how to do this.

Restring or stringing- This is the process of assembling the doll.

S-hook- The S shaped hooks used to hold parts of the doll together, such as the head, hands or wrists, and feet.

GO- Group order. There are two kinds of group orders. The first is where multiple people make an order with the same company to save on shipping (for example, they order together from Dollmore and split the shipping to the group order leader). The second, not recommended at this time, is where people split the cost of a legitimate doll so that a recaster will purchase it and make recasts of that doll.

Taobao- basically the Chinese ebay. You can find many things for dolls as well as recasts on taobao. You must have a Chinese bank account to order, or else you can use an agent.

Agent- An agent places an order on your behalf. You often pay the cost of the item, shipping of the item to the agent, and then shipping from the agent to you plus a small service fee.

Magic Sponge- This is a cleaning sponge that works really great for dolls. A popular brand is called a magic eraser, but you can find lots of others.

Eye putty- Stuff that holds your doll's eyes in place. Some people use specific doll eye putty, though others use rubber erasers, silicone ear plugs, or hot glue. Hot glue is not permanent, but you can't adjust eye position. Some people also use clays, but it is not recommended as oil can damage the doll's resin.

Yellowing- This is what happens to resin over time. You can increase your doll's risk of yellowing by constant exposure to fluorescent lights or sunlight. The red pigments break down quickest in resin, leaving only yellow pigments behind, causing the yellow tone. It cannot be entirely prevented. Some white skinned dolls and tanned dolls were known to turn green instead of yellow in the past, called greening. There are ways of fighting and lessening the effects of yellowing.

Head back or head cap- This is the top of the doll's skull or the back of the skull in the case of dolls with face plates. This cap can be removed to allow for the insertion of eyes, the removal of the head from the body, etc.

Face plate- Some dolls have face plates instead of full heads. These plates attach to the head back. Examples of dolls with face plates include: Littlefee, pukifee, and Unoa.

Doll family- One's collection of dolls. Many people have different names for this, but you might hear this one generally thrown around.

Hybrid- When you combine parts from different dolls to make one doll. This is usually done by combining the head from one doll with the body of another. It can be difficult to get scale, resin matching, and other issues right, so if you have questions, be sure to ask experienced doll collectors for help.

Neck piece- some dolls, especially FL dolls, require specific neck pieces to attach to a body.

Wig- BJDs usually have removable wigs. These are synthetic hairs attached to a cap that you place on your doll's head. Some wigs are made of genuine mohair or wool.

Wig Cap- A wig cap is something, sometimes a silicone cap or even a water balloon, put over a doll's head to help hold on the wig and prevent staining.

Mod/Modding- A mod is something changed on a doll. This varies between permanent or non permanent ear piercing to full on extra appendages, male-female or female to male conversions, and pretty much anything else you can dream of.

Pet doll: An articulated animal that is not humanoid.

ABS: A kind of sturdy plastic some dolls are made of. These are off-topic for DoA, but ok on Castaways.

Box Opening:

Photostory:

FAQ/Other important stuff:

Finding a doll's measurements: 99.9% of the time the measurements are found on the doll company's website, you just have to look. Sometimes they aren't though, and in these cases you can ask someone or the doll company itself.

What size eye does my doll wear?

This is also listed on the company page for the doll you want. If you're buying a doll, check out its page before asking. Eyes are measure in millimeters (mm). This is the measurement of the iris, or colored part, of the eye. Tinies and yos usually take somewhere between 8mm-12mm (sometimes bigger), minis usually 10mm-16mm, and SDs can take anywhere from 10mm on up, depending on the size and shape of the eye. It's pretty much personal preference. A large iris make a doll look softer and more youthful, a smaller iris can make them look older or harsher.

What size wig does my doll wear?

Notice a pattern yet? Usually this info can be found on the doll's site. Sometimes they don't list the wig size in inches (such as 6"-7" for example), but list the cm circumferance of the doll's head. You can use a unit converter to tell you what this is in inches. Other times a company will list wigs under their specific doll's sizes (so Soulkid wigs for exmaple vs 7"-8"). You just have read the description and see which wigs will work for your doll.

Where can I buy clothes for my doll?

There are hundreds, if not thousands, of different shops to buy doll clothes at. I'm working on a clothing resource atm.

How do I know if clothes will fit my doll?

Look at the measurements for the clothes or for the dolls modeling the clothes. If your doll is close to these measurements they can probably wear the clothes.

Will X head work on Y body?

If you want to know whether or not a hybrid will work, your best bet is to ask on the Facebook groups, Castaways, or Den of Angels. There, people can show you pictures of resin matching, scale, and other important details. If you can't find the information and wish to try anyway, pay attention to neck circumference and other important details.

How can I mod a doll?

There are tons of tutorials out there for doing this, but it can be really difficult to do it yourself. It's easy to mess up. If you're brave go for it, or else begin with simple mods.

I just bought a doll. It came with a face up. How do I remove it?

You can use rubbing alcohol, a magic sponge, Winsor and Newton, or nail polish remove (see specifics and warnings about this) to remove the face up.

I just bought a doll with a face up. Do I need to spray the doll with MSC or something?

Generally speaking, NO. Companies will have sprayed the doll to seal the face up already.

How can I protect my doll from yellowing?

Well, sadly, it's going to happen over time no matter what you do. But, to slow the process you can: keep the doll out of direct sunlight and away from cigarette smoke.

How can I remove yellowing?

You can try sanding or soaking in oxyclean. There are lots of tutorials for doing this, so be sure to check them out.

How do I track a doll order?

You can either use track-trace or your country's postal service. I use USPS. Basically, type in your order number, which will usually be something like EM#####KR (the last two letters depend on the country of origin). It will give you a general idea of where your order is at.

Do I have to be lolita/into manga/into anime/an artist to collect bjds?

Nope!

What do I need or do you recommend to have on hand for one's first doll?

See this post here!

What do you recommend to have for face ups?

See this post here!

How do I buy a doll?

Glad you asked, check here!

How do I choose a doll?

Maybe this post will help!