Ningyo BINGO

Black dolls matter. We will talk about darker pigmented dolls throughout the history of the BJD hobby, and a study using back dolls that changed the USA.

Welcome to the end of Fall. Did you get a "COVID Doll"? Did you know that Smartdoll Cortex is essectially discontinued? Did you need a long conversation about Frozen 2 in your BJD podcast? Listen to Lindsey and Becca catch up in this October 2020 edition of Ningyo BINGO Bits.

We hope this podcast finds you all well and healthy. Dollfie Dream 2B is currently being distributed in waves to those who preordered her through Volks. With preorders, there are many little details that are hard to know until you have the doll in hand. Becca and Lindsey take a look at the design decisions on the Volks, Doll House, and Super Duck versions of 2B.

Sorry for the wait! Becca models her fingers raw, and gives the play by play for Smartdoll Cortex: Final Boss Grade. Plus, some BINGO bits to start!

Ningyo BINGO Bits for October 2019! We talk about Dinsey Bounding, Dollfie Icon, Cortex, Mana, and…. snakes? Warning: this episode has discussion on male genitalia in art, so if you don’t want to listen to that part, skip after Lindsey opens the link.

Our first project review! Hear what it takes to create a 1/3 scale cosplay of Crunchyroll Hime.

Last Saturday Rebecca caught up with Shizusan at Kogaracon. Listen to a fun chat pulling away the curtain on the media creation process.

Volks and Smart Doll attended AnimeNYC 2018, and Rebecca did too! A fun and friendly chat about cons, anime dolls, and how the two companies approached the convention.

Why do we spend our hard earned money, and sometimes large sums of it, on dolls? Lindsey and Rebecca discuss the value of art, both monetarily and the benefits it can add to our lives.

Perhaps it was the entrancing, captivating doll’s eyes which brought you into the BJD hobby. They seem to follow you, just a bit. And if you ask someone not used to our dolls, perhaps they stare into our souls. Learn about making, buying, and placing eyes in your dolls!

Our doll hobby has this odd thing we call “shelling a character”. We enjoy adding a little character to our hard resin human forms. But why? And where did this tradition come from?

Another round of Ningyo BINGO Bits! We cover Den of Angels ban of Mirodoll, the change to the Japanese Volks FCS, the Smartdoll vs. Volks rivalry, and a bit of a collection update.

What are recasts? Why do people buy them? Why shouldn’t you buy them? How can you avoid buying them? Learn all this and more in this rather long episode!

Take a peek back at the early days of BJD creation, with just a few diversions. Special guest Professor Darren Ashmore.

Those within the hobby will often feel flattered to be called an enabler. Those outside the hobby have negative feelings towards the title… So what exactly is a “Doll Enabler”? Special guests Professor Darren Ashmore and Katizua.

Now that Becca finally has both resin and vinyl 1/3 dolls in the house, Ningyo BINGO can actually answer the question that had been asked previously. Are dolls better in vinyl, or resin?

Join Rebecca as she interviews Danny Choo at AnimeNYC 2017! Learn about Smart Doll, and the design choices that Danny Choo has made for the dolls and company.

Photography is a great way to play with your dolls. But, when you look at photos from other collectors, your own may seem… lackluster. Learn some basic tips and a bit of science to take fantastic photos!

Dolls start as but a ball of clay… or a blank digital file… which means every curve and joint and measurement and color are an active choice. Join Rebecca and Lindsey as they muse over how these choices affect their collectors.

One final summary of Doll A-Kon. We talk a little about how it was curated for the doll collectors, and why those decisions were made. Then, a first round of Ningyo BINGO bits, in which several current topics are talked about briefly.

Join Rebecca as she interviews doll artists at Doll A-Kon 2017. In this interview, learn more about Ringdoll as she interviews Ringdoll’s chief designer Huang Shan. Please note, for the expediency of the English speaker’s ears, the translations of the questions from English to Chinese have been omitted.

Join Rebecca as she interviews doll artists at Doll A-Kon 2017. In this interview, learn more about LegranD Doll and Kayke Dolls.

Join Rebecca as she interviews doll artists at Doll A-Kon 2017. In this interview, learn more about Sweet Dolls.

Join Rebecca as she interviews doll artists at Doll A-Kon 2017. In this interview, learn more about Paint it Black Studio and Evil Little Girls.

Painting a Face-Up can be one of the most rewarding projects to work on with your doll. And it’s not as difficult as it seems, though it does take practice to get professional looking results. In this episode we discuss techniques, materials, and common Face-Up blunders.

Once upon a time it was the expected responsibility of the doll hobbyist to customize and finish their dolls. Super Dollfie Full Choice System changed all that. Learn about how the system works, and what makes it unique in the world of BJD ordering services. Also learn about Sumikas, Mado, and Sato shops!

Last month we covered willingly changing the color of your resin… but what happens when it isn’t a planned change? UV rays can yellow resins, and pigments from fabrics can stain vinyl… and then what do you do? Learn how to repair these and other common issues with ABJD and vinyl dolls.

Okay, we'll admit it. Resin isn't the easiest material to work with. The dust can be toxic, sculpting new parts is hard, and dyeing doll parts can be messy and finicky. But we believe in you! Sit back and learn a bit about the wide world of doll modifications!

Doll Meets are wonderful events where you get to meet ABJD collectors and there dolls in person- in meat space! While this can be daunting for collectors that consider their natural habitat to be in front of a digital screen, searching endlessly for that Grail Doll... fear not! Rebecca and Lindsey will guide you through everything you need to successfully attend, and for the more aspiring hobbyist, host a Doll Meet.

There is a lot more to Volks than we can cover in one hour! We go over the humble beginngs of the Super Dollfie, then go through a timeline, trying to put the development of the Super Dollife in context within the hobby as it the Super Dollfie develops into the modern day models. Also, Happy Birthday Volks!

Learn how to perfect your BJD's hair-do! We cover types of wigs, styling, making wigs, and even how to revive that hairball that you once called a wig.

On November 16, 2011 there was a mild panic in the hobby, as the Luts Delf line of sculpts were discontinued. As some of these sculpts had always been available as standard unlimited releases, what led to this? Learn about Cerberus Project, Fairyland, Luts, Feeple and Delf in this episode!

This is part two of two of a massive look into how dolls and doll collectors are portrayed in various forms of media. This part focuses on how inside groups cover ABJD in the media, both for people inside and outside of the hobby. Best enjoyed with part one, so get ready for a long ride!

This is part one of two of a massive look into how dolls and doll collectors are portrayed in various forms of media. This part focuses on how outside groups create media about dolls and doll collectors to show to other outside groups. Linsey and Rebecca lament over how collectors are made into entertainment, and the art that is the ABJD sits on the shelf, forgotten as the pens write, and the film rolls on...

Attention everyone! Mattel has introduced new body-types for Barbie! That is the whole episode! Kidding aside, Rebecca and Lindsey take this opportunity to briefly look at the Asian 1/3 scale vinyl dolls, their markets, and the companies that produce them. And by briefly, an hour and change isn't that brief, but the world of vinyl dolls in impossible to contain in just one mere podcast episode.

Rebecca thinks she is recording with her new microphone... but isn't really. But more to the point, this episode goes into the wonderful world of doll joints. What makes them work? How can they be made to work better? How have they changed over time?

Lindsey and Rebecca go over why in the world we go through all the trouble to buy, collect, paint, modify, and photograph Ball Jointed Dolls.  This podcast is a bit heavier on theory, and dives into a little information on the chemicals in the brain that make us feel good.  More importantly, all the tangents are A+ material.  Enjoy!

Your new happy podcast hosts just happen to have been to US and Japanese Volks Dolpas, and they are going to bring you there… with you willing ears and a little imagination. Plus, learn about the history of these parties, and how they are changing for the future.

It’s high time for another Ningyo BINGO bits! Follow along as Linsey and Becca cover some (not so current?) events!

Let’s take a look at the doll programming for Anime Boston 2019! We discuss the convention environment, how a Sunday morning panel can be a bummer for a panelist, and how the attendees bought all the boba.