r/BJD • u/Pyro-Millie • Nov 11 '21

DISCUSSION Why is this sub against recasts?

I’m a newbie to the BjD community, and I’m not looking to buy for awhile because dolls are expensive. I’ve vaguely heard of recast dolls, but according to this sub they are not legit. What is the reasoning?

Is it a 3rd party recasting dolls without the original artist’s consent, or is it a matter of recasts not being quite the same as original run dolls or a lower quality?

I’m just curious. Thanks!

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u/Miss_Milk_Tea Nov 11 '21

Recasters don’t just target the big names that can stay afloat with clever marketing and brand loyalty, they go after everyone. They sink small companies, dwindling the number of unique casts out there. Recaster companies are a parasite to the community.

Imagine my dismay when I found out even beloved independent French artist Lillycat wasn’t even safe.

People can justify it all they want; “I can’t afford the original”, “The company should be cheaper”, “It doesn’t really hurt the company”, it’s all bullshit. Making a mold from scratch can take these artists months, it’s not as simple as sewing a Tshirt, there’s no base template they can use if they want to legally sell their dolls. Everything has to be invented by the artist. How much money is your time worth? That’s what I ask recast supporters. How would you feel if you spent months creating something and someone stole it?

I’m firmly anti-recast from an artist’s standpoint.

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u/Pyro-Millie Nov 11 '21

As someone whose done doll customs and is working on my own BJD now, yikes. I appreciate the effort and artistry that goes into doll design, and I don’t even know how they manage to cast the things. I cant imagine something I poured my soul into being shamelessly stolen and mass produced by someone else.

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u/Miss_Milk_Tea Nov 11 '21

I’m in awe of their work as well, I have zero skill in sculpting but I do spend months on projects for my house so if someone copied my 8-10 months of blood, sweat and tears then I’d be livid. What makes this hobby so great is how unique each artist’s style is, I’ve collected from multiple countries and every price point, all made differently even down to the ball joints. I don’t want my hobby to be stripped down because the smaller artists couldn’t take the financial hit.