Blind-Box BJDs

What's that?

A "blind box" is a surprise container for a collectible toy. The idea is that you don't know which of a set of BJDs is inside the box until you open it. I've amassed quite a few of these, so here are some reviews.

Penny's Box Antu Series

Nature's Wonderland

This was the first Penny's Box BJD series, and it's a good one. I got the brown bear doll.

Everything about this doll is very good quality for the price. Her little bear ears are covered with flocking. The head pieces fit together snugly, so they won't come apart by themselves, but can easily be removed. Posing is good, but she does require a stand to stay upright because of her big head.

Her little bear dress is simple, but very cute. There are no extra hands in this set.

School Haunting

This was the second Penny's Box BJD series, set in a high school with animal students. I got the purple rabbit.

The clothes are typical girl's school uniforms, with a small bit of chain hanging from the skirt for a somewhat tougher look. The ear pieces fit into round pegs on the head, which means that the doll doesn't quite look right without the ears on.

Both the doll's shoes and its feet have little pawprints on them, which is a really cute touch.

My doll had a loose left ear piece that DID NOT want to stay on. I tried using poster putty to help it stay, but because the plastic is translucent, you can see the putty through the ear.

I no longer own this doll. She's cute and all, I just never really bonded with her.

Dreamlike Tea Party

This is the first centaur doll series from Penny's Box. I got the green Leaf doll, and the brown one whose name I don't know.

These are precious baby centaurs with wings and unicorn horns. The sculpted pigtails are sturdy and do not come off. The dresses fit nicely over the horse rumps, although I found myself making special bloomers with a tail hole to help keep dolly bottoms hidden.

Once again, the outfits are very cute and excellent quality for the price. The dolls came with extra hands. I was pleasantly surprised at how well they stand by themselves.

These dolls have been re-released in a second series with pastel dresses, so if you want one, they aren't terribly hard to find.

Secret Tidal Language

Ah yes, the mermaids. I love mermaid dolls, so I was thrilled to pick up this one. I got Dawn, the butterfly mermaid.

The doll is beautifully sculpted, with little flukes you can attach to her tail. In addition to a lovely dress, she also comes with a seashell bra and putty to stick it on. She has several pairs of extra hands.

My one complaint about this doll is that she doesn't cooperate well with a doll stand. However, I've seen other owners have luck with hanging her from clear fishing line, which makes her look like she's floating.

Silk Road Souvenir

Deer-taur time! These beautiful girls are the teenagers to the Dreamlike Tea Party's toddlers. I got the blue-and-orange doll.

The clothes are beautiful and do a great job of looking expensive without being expensive. The long sash has wire inside to help it hold its shape. The doll comes with gold-toned jewelry and several pairs of extra hands.

Maybe it's the longer legs, or maybe the surface she's on isn't perfectly flat, but I do have a bit more trouble making this girl stand compared to the Dreamlike Tea Party girls. No regrets, though; she's utterly gorgeous and stands regally above other 1/12 dolls.

Come4Free

Bonnie: Legend of Streets

This is the first line of Bonnie BJDs, and each doll features a different fun urban activity. I got the breakdancer.

The doll's outfit is a cute polyester tracksuit with a rabbit skeleton printed on it. Her ears attach with pegs, which makes them posable but doesn't look very natural.

The doll came with a cute "speaker" accessory and is a lot of fun to pose. Plus, you can still find these dolls for fairly cheap as of my writing this (December 2024).

Bonnie: Sweet Heart Party

The second line in the Bonnie BJD series shows incredible improvement, and the series branches out to have a more rabbit-like body shape, instead of the generic BJD body from Legend of Streets. I got Cici Sea Salt, the blue bunny.

Cici's dress is well-made, and comes with a pair of anklets to stretch around her bunny paws. Her thick hands made her tricky to dress, so I would recommend removing them when dressing or undressing this doll. Her ears attach with magnets, which makes them look much more natural. She poses well, but does require a stand for stability.

CY Toys

Nagi Kindergarten

I have two of these tiny BJDs, which are dressed up to look like real children. I got the tiger boy and the pig boy.

Both boys have clothes that fit their theme. Pig boy looks a bit shier than tiger boy, but that just adds to their charm. The dolls pose well, and look extra-cute standing side by side on my shelf.

Hani Sweet Dreamland

This doll is an unusual size compared to the others. She's a chubby 1/8 compared to the 1/12 dolls that fill most of this list. I got the brown hamster girl.

The clothes are good quality, and her hair pieces have an interesting soft texture compared to her body. Best of all, the hair pieces can be completely removed to show a bald head, so this doll can wear a wig without needing any new pieces. She stands very well without a stand.

I'm working on clothes patterns for this size doll, since none of my other dolls' clothes will fit her.

UF Doll

Tea Series

Another larger doll, this rabbit maid is a mature 1/6. I got the purple taro doll.

While for the most part, this doll is very nice, she has tiny plastic decorations attached to her clothes that came off too easily. Her gloved hands and high-heel feet can be removed and replaced with bare hands and feet for more versatility. Her long rabbit ears attach with shaped pegs, and can be replaced with little swirls for a natural look even when she doesn't have her ears on.

This is a good doll, but keep fabric glue on hand for those plastic decorations.

Do Re Mi

This is another 1/12 teenage doll, making her a bit taller than the usual toddler-sized dolls in this scale. I got Mi.

Everything about this doll is adorable, from her puffy-sleeved shirt, to the ribbon belt on her skirt, to those chunky shoes. Like the Tea series, Mi has shoes molded onto her feet, and a separate set of bare feet. She also comes with lots of extra hands. Bear in mind that most 1/12 clothes will be very short on this girl, so you may want to sew skirts and pants for her yourself.

Mianmian Strange World Adventure

These dolls are 1/8 dolls with an unusual shape and very large heads. I got Kiki the cleric.

Kiki's outfit was hard to figure out at first. I had to refer to her illustration card to tell what went where. Her ears attach magnetically, which begs the question of why there are ear-holes in her headdress. Still, she's cute, and with the aid of some poster putty, she can hold her little dagger.

This series doesn't appeal to me as much as some of the others, but that may just be because of the specific doll I ended up with.

Made In Heaven

Kukaka Insect Cafe

This unusual series of dolls features cafe workers with insect bodies and features. I got Lan Lan the butterfly.

The doll's dress is simple, but fits her nicely. There is also an armband and garter combo to keep her arms and legs from looking too bare. The sculpted-on details are very pretty, although her massive arms and legs can make it difficult to find clothing that fits her. On the plus side, those big feet allow her to stand nicely without a doll stand.

Pictures coming soon!