I was thinking about this the other day. Both can be expensive (if you think Blythe is cheap, think again. Unless you don't mind a TBL or Factory Blythe, expect to pay well over $100, if not over $300.) Some BJDs can be under $200, but only Chinese companies (not dissing them here) or a tiny doll like a Pipos Jr. PI. (Unless your fortune is another's misfortune and you get an amazing steal on DoA or eBay.) Both types of dolls can be customized. BJDs can have their eyes changed any time you want to very easily, though the eyes themselves can be expensive. Blythe can have her eye chips changed, but they are permanent, until you go to a dramatic length to change them out again for whatever reason. Then there's the wigs. I've seen Blythe wigs, but how many people actually buy them? All the dolls I have seen have swapped scalps, the original scalps, or complete re-roots. And then the clothes. BJDs can have expensive company clothes. People make and sell them of various qualities and prices. Some dolls are impossible to find clothes that actually fit them. Blythes have their stock outfits, not too sure about company clothing. But here again, you can find lots of variety of clothing made by hobbyists, some very cheap, some not as much, but lots to choose from. Both dolls have their make up (or faces) painted on with acrylics and pastels and then sealed. Blythes can have their faces carved, BJDs can be modded with sanding and epoxy. There is so much similar and yet tons of differences.
I love both hobbies. Each one fills a completely different need (if a doll hobby can be classified as a need, that is :P) and I don't enjoy one more than the other. The difference for me though is that Blythe - while definitely being a personal expression of tastes and interests - is much easier for me to enjoy over all. The reason being that while I do not always enjoy the particular carving (I actually prefer Blythe's face left uncarved) Bythe is always just Blythe. Different hair, different style, but still Blythe.
BJDs on the other hand are so vastly different. You have the anime aesthetic, the girly-boy look, the realistic dolls, the 70cm, the 60cm, the MSDs, the YoSDs, the tinies, the anthros, the human bodies with animal heads (yeah, I know they are anthros, but different in my book) that it is SO taste specific that I don't always enjoy just looking at a wide range of dolls. I might appreciate the talent that went into the doll, but there are just some things I cannot get used to. (Nudity and overt sexuality is just not my thing.) So when you have a group be it on fb or a message board you get a wide, wide range of BJDs, some your cup of tea, and some not so much.
So, in conclusions, I find the BJD hobby to be much, much more taste specific. And it might not be for everyone.
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