Smart Dolls
Smart Dolls are a 60cm (24") doll designed by Danny Choo, the son of the fashion designer Jimmy Choo. They're designed based on an anime aesthetic, and have quite a large following.
"But wait, isn't that a BJD?" No. BJDs are strung with elastic. Smart Dolls have an internal skeleton that clicks softly when you bend and straighten the joints. They do look a lot like BJDs though!
Smart Dolls arrive already-painted, with eyes installed and wig ready to be placed on the head. They also come with a tripod stand that attaches to a hole in the doll's back. The only clothes a Smart Doll comes with are a sports bra and panties in a random color, so they're a sartorial blank slate ready to be dressed in whatever styles you want.
Reasons To Buy A Smart Doll:
- Somewhat less expensive than Dollfie Dream for the same aesthetic
- Dark skin tones are available
- Both anime and semi-real nose options
- Cool medical accessories like insulin pumps, crutches, and hearing aids available
- Comes with a stand
- Free patterns and STL files for clothes and accessories on the official site
- Danny Choo
Reasons NOT To Buy A Smart Doll:
- You're not a fan of the whole wabi-sabi thing
- $400+ for a vinyl doll isn't something you can afford, and there's no layaway
- The official clothes cost as much as designer clothes for humans
- Boy dolls are no longer being produced
- Danny Choo
My Personal Smart Doll
My Smart Doll is a Liberty semi-real model. She's beautiful, isn't she? I've been working on a variety of outfits for her, and my magnum opus will be an elaborate medieval gown with beaded embroidery. Watch this space!
Current status of the medieval gown project: I have made a dress out of linen blend and am currently procrastinating adding trims.