In the Spotlight - Tiny BJDs

In the Spotlight - Adventures in Wonderland: Tiny BJDs

`What a curious feeling!' said Alice; `I must be shutting up like a telescope.'

And so it was indeed: she was now only ten inches high, and her face brightened up at the thought that she was now the right size for going through the little door into that lovely garden. First, however, she waited for a few minutes to see if she was going to shrink any further: she felt a little nervous about this; `for it might end, you know,' said Alice to herself, `in my going out altogether, like a candle. I wonder what I should be like then?

Lewis Carroll – Alice in Wonderland

Tiny BJDs

Beginning in the late 1870s and well into the 20th Century, tiny jointed bisque dolls named Mignonnette took the world by storm. Mignonnettes were small dolls (4-8 inches tall), with lavish wardrobes and accessories available from many different manufacturers.

Since BJD have been so heavily influenced by the European bisque jointed fashion dolls, it only makes sense that there are now dozens of modern dolls similar to the tiny bisques that were so popular a century ago. They are made of the same polyurethane resin as their larger 43 and 60 cm 'cousins,' and these tiny BJD range in size from the very tiniest at 9.8 cm (LatiDoll "White") to 35 cm (Narsha).

Some of these dolls are very child-like (most of the tiny BJD lack anatomical correctness) and some, like ElfDolls, have more mature bodies. One of the newer sizes of BJD being released are 1:6 size, with height comparable to Dollfie/Barbie/Francie/Sindy. For this article, however, we'll be focusing on the child-like dolls below 30cm in height.

Accessories and Environments

Many of the smallest of these tiny BJD (like Nari-Pon, Pocket Fairies, and Lati Yellow) work perfectly with "dollhouse-sized" 1:12 scale housing, furniture, and accessories. This is one of the aspects of the tiny BJD that really got me interested in having a whole family of them. It is so easy to find well-made miniatures of just about anything you could possibly think of! See miniatures.com for examples of great things that are sized just right for tiny dolls.

Yo-SD and other dolls larger than approx. 7 inches are a bit too big for 1:12 scale miniatures, but a few 1:6 size accessories do work for this "in-between" size of tiny. If you pair the smallest sized dolls with 1:6 scale items rather than 1:12, the larger scale will emphasize their baby-ish size.

Some of my favorite 1:6 accessories are the wonderful gachapon by Re-Ment.

Re-Ment miniatures (most are 1:6 scale but the MegaHouse sets are 1:12) are fascinating in their variety and complexity. It's very common for 2-3 new sets to be released each month. Sometimes you can buy the individual packages, and the larger sets usually include 10 boxes of toys. Hobby Link Japan (HLJ) generally has a slight discount available during their pre-order periods. These do sell quickly and end up backordered on HLJ or out of stock and much higher priced when purchased on eBay.

In 2005 I did what I had never thought I would - I built a dollhouse for my Nari-Pon. The home has been christened the Chateau de Brabant and took about a month of dedicated work to construct (and of course I didn't complete it all, so it's an on-going project). My husband even helped out, designing the wallpaper and letting me borrow his law textbooks to use as weights.

Not only does a house give a really great setting for photos, but it also makes it much easier to keep small miniature accessories and furnishings dust-free. And for those who might think it easy to lose such a wee doll, a house is the perfect place to keep them safe.

My Tiny BJD

I learned very quickly that it can be nearly impossible to only have one tiny BJD (not unlike Pugs or potato chips in that way).

Félicité Parmentier (Nari-Pon Periwinkle) - Honorine was getting too spoiled having the entire Chateau to herself, so we figured there was plenty of room for Félicité.

Honorine de Brabant (Nari-Pon Daisy) - My first tiny BJD. An opinionated Little Miss who will not even look at you unless you're doing her bidding. (Both Félicité and Honorine are named after roses in my gardens.)

Maxine (LatiDoll Yellow Benny) - Maxine is our newest arrival and enjoys music and nursery rhymes. She also wants to become a famous actress and loves to imitate her idols and play dress-up.

Beatrice (Yo-Tenshi Kasumi) - The quiet angel who doesn't like to wear clothes because they might impede flight.

Thomasina (Yo-SD Sweet Dreams Suzuna) - A girl who sleeps all the time. She snores a little bit and sometimes goes to bed with sticky fingers from eating sweets when her mommy isn't looking. Thomasina adores stuffed animals and loves her sheep the most.

Many more photos of my dolls are available on my website, Sink Into Dream.

Tiny Database

There is a wealth of information about tiny BJD available at the Den of Angels forum. I also host an informational and social forum for tiny BJD called Lilliputians. Please join if you'd like to chat about these tiny BJD of read the latest news.

Here is a chart breaking down the most popular brands and "sizes" of tiny BJD that are currently available. I firmly believe there's at least one tiny out there for everyone!