Dollshe Craft 10th Anniversary

I wanted to take the time to congratulate Dollshe Craft and write a little something for their 10th anniversary. This might end up really long, so beware.

While I haven’t had Dollshe dolls of my own for long (in about two weeks it’ll be a year since Mihail, my Dollshe SA Husky arrived), I have been admiring them for some years now. When I first came across Dollshe dolls, I was very taken in by their aesthetic: they were certainly different from the all dolls I had seen so far. I adored their long limbs and tall, slim bodies. The face that called out to me the most was that of SA Husky’s, when he was released. Until then I had been content admiring Dollshes in other people’s photos, as unfortunately back then I was still quite young and had a tight budget… but there was something special about SA Husky. I have always been a fan of the half-closed eyes look on dolls, and I admit that I am also very specific about what kind of noses my dolls should have — and Husky. Well, his nose was just perfect in so many ways. I dubbed Husky’s nose the most divine doll nose ever, and even to this day I still feel that way. But yes, I felt that SA Husky was a doll that I had to have, and that he would most certainly become my first Dollshe. So, I started saving up money to buy him and I also planned how I would style him. I still have a mock up that I made of him based on… I think, Iplehouse’s stock photo of SA Husky. It’s quite embarrassing to look at it now, but here it is:

I wanted him to have pale, white skin and raven black hair with piercing blue eyes. And I also thought of the name “Mihail” back then, because I wanted him to have a beautiful Russian name. And eventually I ended up making him half-Finnish, since I myself am Finnish. A sort of a tribute to my home country.

I was quite excited for the plans that I had for my future SA Husky… but sometimes things don’t work out the way that we plan them to, unfortunately. In March 2008 I heard distressing news about the possible discontinuation of the Husky sculpt. A few days later, it turned out to be true. I was quite devastated because of these news, as I had been eagerly planning to buy SA Husky in a year or two. I remember checking Luts’ site frantically for the few remaining Huskies that they had in stock. But unfortunately at that point in my life I had no way to suddenly earn enough money to buy one. So, I had to watch them sell out, one at a time. Until all of them were sold out completely. After Husky was discontinued, I thought that I might still have a chance to buy one in the second market, if some owner were to give up theirs… but after the sculpt was doscontinued, and at the time it seemed to be for good, the prices became very high. It seemed even less likely for me to be able to have my own SA Husky. Not to mention, I specifically wanted the SA version and in white skin. It was a combination that I did not see for sale very often.

The years went by, I still loved seeing photos of everyone’s Dollshes, but I was always a little sad that I had missed out on SA Husky. I started thinking that SA Husky would most likely end up being that one doll that I will love forever, even though I might never be able to own one myself. Luckily my friends had gorgeous Dollshes and I could enjoy looking at their dolls. It eased the longing for a Dollshe of my own. The biggest Dollshe inspirations for me have been my friends Yenna and Lunasa with their beautiful photographs.

Then, in summer 2012, I received the news stating that even the remaining sculpts from the older line up would be discontinued… but that the previously discontinued sculpts would be brought back for the three remaining rounds as well. At first I had trouble believing it. Was I dreaming? Would they really bring Husky back? Would I finally be able to get the doll that I had been dreaming of for almost six years now? It was all real. There it was, written on the list:

SA Husky

The news made me extremely happy. I was now older and my financial situation much better – I was finally able to order my dream doll: SA Husky in Pale skin. That was certainly the most memorable moment for me in this hobby. After I had ordered the doll, I happily bought him a wig, eyes, clothes, shoes etc… I wanted to have all of his things ready for him when he arrives. I was really excited about him, although sometimes the wait felt long. But I kept saying to myself that I had been waiting for six years already, what is another couple of months?

However, the trials to get my dream doll home didn’t end there yet.

I had ordered him with layaway, so it wasn’t until the beginning of December that he was shipped out. I had asked Dollshe Craft to ship him by the 6th so that I would be able to get him home before I left town for Christmas. They kindly obliged, and shipped him out on the 3rd of December. On the 4th the package left Korea. For the first few days, I was really excited and waited for him eagerly. However, after a week had passed and the package still hadn’t arrived to Finland, I got worried. The avarage time for EMS packages to arrive in Finland had been 1~5 days for me so far. And especially in the case of SA Husky, which was a very special and long awaited doll for me, I naturally grew worried and messaged Dollshe Craft. A few days later I got a reply that they had left a request to track the package down, but it might take a few days before they would hear back from the post office, as they were busy due to the holidays.

After some more nerve-wrecking days Dollshe Craft heard back from the Korean post office and told me that my package had gotten stuck in Turkey due to backlog from the holidays. At that point I was able to relax again, because I at least knew where he was. Until then the wait had been quite painful, since I had no idea where he was and if he was lost forever. Luckily such a scenario did not happen. They eventually forwarded the package to Finland from Turkey and I was finally able to pick up my SA Husky from the post office on the 29th of December, when I returned home from my trip.

I am very grateful for Dollshe Craft for being so helpful during the time that I thought that my doll was lost. It was a new situation for them, too, for a doll’s delivery to take so long… but they handled everything well and kept me updated on the situation. Luckily everything turned out well in the end, and I was able to get my SA Husky home.

When I opened his box and saw him for the first time, I felt so happy and was moved to tears. It had been a long road, but there he finally was, and he was perfect. ♥

This summer I also ordered my second Dollshe, SA Hound in pale tan. He arrived about three weeks ago, so now I have two lovely Dollshe men. And also an extra head, although I haven’t introduced him officially yet, because I have been busy with my studies and haven’t had the time to paint his face up. But hopefully soon!

Dollshe Craft is one of the companies that hold very special memories to me in this hobby. I am so pleased that they are doing well and are currently celebrating their 10th anniversary. The man who I have gotten used to calling Mr. Dollshe, Mr. Kim Ki-Yong is a very talented sculptor and has his unique style, which continues to captivate the hearts of his long time fans, as well as attract new ones. While I personally am more a fan of the older aesthetic, because I have admired it for years as I have grown as a doll collector (and I tend to prefer slimmer less muscular male dolls), I can appreciate the newer dolls in terms of sculpting. They are works of art in their own way, just like the older line up. While they might not be the kind of dolls that I could see in my own collection, I am eager to see what my fellow Dollshe enthusiasts come up with for them. But for the time being I am looking forward to the development of the DSM18 line, and I am excitedly waiting to see more photos of the new sculpt, Aramis. I am very pleased and grateful that Mr. Kim decided to continue working on the older line up alongside the newer dolls.

Thanks to this 10th anniversary event I have had the pleasure to read the thoughts and wonderful stories of my fellow hobbyists and enthusiasts. It is great that Dollshe Craft wishes to cooperate and know more about their fans and customers. It always helps us to get to know the artists behind these wonderful dolls better, too. ^^ Recently I have enjoyed seeing Dollshe Craft document the manufacturing process of David Kuncci with photos… how the silicone moulds are made, and all the other preparations that are necessary before the doll is ready for production. It helps to understand the manufacturing process better, and I hope that it is something that Dollshe Craft would continue to do in the future as well.

I feel like I am starting to ramble here and this entry is already quite long… there is so much that I want to say, but I might end up rambling all night if I keep this up.

So, now that I am a happy owner of two wonderful Dollshe dolls, I want to say that while it took several years before I was able to own even one: they are certainly worth all the wait. They have easily become one of my most favourite dolls. I love the Dollshe aesthetic and I also love their posability. The only thing that bothers me is the way that they are strung… as a relatively lazy person who likes to cut corners, it is a bit of a disadvantage that the dolls do not come with s-hooks for the hands and feet. When I unassembled my SA Husky for the first time, I was quite confused as to how to put him back together – I actually asked my friend Yenna, who is an experienced Dollshe owner, for help. I have hunted down s-hooks for them later on, though I had some difficulties finding the right kind of size… if I could change one thing, then I would wish that they came with suitable s-hooks in the first place. For some shirts it might be necessary to remove the hands in order to fit the sleeves on (if they are narrow and do not stretch), so s-hooks would be easy to take off and put back on… but when the elastic is directly attached to the hands, they cannot be removed without unassembling the whole doll.

But other than the lack of s-hooks, I am quite happy with my SA Husky and SA Hound + “Mr. Work in Progress” head. ^^ They are easy to pose and also hold poses nicely. And because of their long limbs and tall slim figures, they look really good in suits – which is definitely something that I like. [laugh] ♥

I think that I will conclude my entry here.

Lastly I want to once again congratulate Dollshe Craft on their 10th anniversary. Thank you for for sharing your work with us all these years. I hope that you will have many more anniversaries to come in the future! ^^ ♥

I wish that I could have taken some photos of my guys for this entry, but alas… I have been very busy with university these past few weeks and haven’t had the time. And actually Mihail is currently in pieces, because I gave him a bath, so… ^^; I’ll just post a couple of my older favourite photos of Mihail here: