Isn’t it great when you can walk in to doll shops in San Francisco CA and find nothing but dolls? And, even better, when those dolls are collectible dolls. For me, there is a sense of excitement, seeing all those collectible dolls in doll shops in San Francisco CA. The only trouble is, which doll shop?
Searching for doll shops in San Francisco CA can be a little tricky even after you have narrowed it down to those doll shops without toys, too, and to those doll shops with collectible dolls. Many collectible doll enthusiasts have turned to the Internet for their virtual collectible doll shops in San Francisco CA and elsewhere.
A great virtual doll shop is Stella’s Treasures. Stella understands both the actual, street address collectible doll store as well as the virtual collectible doll shop online. And, with years in the collectible doll business, developing significant relationships with major doll manufacturers and artists, attending shows, Stella’s Treasures is the perfect place to visit for any of your doll needs and desires.
Stella’s Treasures is a wonderful experience from deciding which doll to choose to answering questions about how to clothe and accessorize your doll, repair and restoration, and more. Stella loves to share her wealth of information. It’s great to know, when you are searching doll shops in San Francisco, CA or elsewhere, there is an excellent collectible doll shop right there at your fingertips.
Of all the collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, or wherever you are at, one of my favorites is the ball jointed doll. For these collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, there is such a great variety, so I can go back to the 1920s German bisque-headed, composition bodied doll or to the modern polyurethane resin bodies.
When searching for collectible dolls in San Francisco, CA, I’ve found a great resource and can recommend it if you are searching for expertise in doll collecting, repair, and restoration as well as accessories, furniture, clothing or patterns, or magazines. Stella’s Treasures is quite the site and perfect for easy online shopping for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA or wherever you are located.
As for my favorite, I love its history. A ball-jointed doll is any doll that is articulated with ball and socket joints. To me, they seem more realistic. The variety of ball-jointed collectible dolls is great, from the larger 40-inch collectible dolls to the mini 4-inch collectible dolls that have the ball joints.
For the older ball-jointed dolls, Europe and Egyptian articulated dolls were made of wood and other materials dating back hundreds of years. The modern era ball-jointed doll began in Western Europe in the late 1800s. French and German manufacturers made bisque dolls with strung bodies articulated with ball-joints made of composition (a mix of pulp, sawdust, glue mostly).
In the 1930s, some German dolls were used in surrealistic photography made most famous by Hans Bellmer. Soon after, Japanese ball-jointed dolls were used in art, some standing four feet tall.
The first American company to produce a ball-jointed collectible doll (or BJD) with more of an American aesthetic influence was Goodreau Doll in 2007.
Most modern ball-jointed collectible dolls are anatomically correct and have proportionally large heads, big eyes and comparatively large feel allowing them to stand on their own – just one more reason why I enjoy this collectible doll. While I don’t do this, there is a huge doll enthusiast group that customizes their ball-jointed dolls since they are readily customizable. Wigs and eyes are easy to remove and replace, as well as heads, hands, and feet. A doll may even be a hybrid of parts from different companies. Some BJD owners or customizers even re-shape existing parts by sanding them or applying epoxy putty to them.
The resin material is easier to paint than the softer and more slick vinyl often used for other types of dolls. Their face paint is referred to as a faceup, to note that it’s not just make-up, but all the facial features that are painted and customized, including eyebrows, lips and blushing to enhance features. Faceups and body blushing are most often done with acrylic paint — applied with a regular brush or an airbrush — or soft pastels, and coated with a sprayed-on layer of clear matte sealant for protection. Faceups, even from large companies, are always painted by hand, and it takes considerable skill to do detailed, professional faceups. That’s why so many like the Volks line of Dollfie dolls started in 1999 in the Asian market.
Another reason why I like the ball-jointed dolls for collectible dolls in San Francisco CA, is because the modern dolls can range from fantasy (including anime, gothic, punk, vampire and elfin) to realistic baby, toddler or teen, or historical figure dolls. Doll collecting is so varied, it is wonder and, using the right online store makes it a wonderful experience in doll collecting.