Money money money

I think many people in this hobby forget that like any business, the doll business is driven by money. Fairyland, like SOOM and any other doll company is there to make money. The actual artists themselves might be have some artistic integrity and want to please people, but the companies who sell the dolls are there to make money.

I originally thought of this post because I was told that we couldn’t be ‘sure’ that Fairyland would release the F60 Mirwen. 

I was sure we could, for the following reasons:

1. when the VF doll was released there was a LOT of customers and fans constantly asking Fairyland when the doll was going to sold because they wanted one. These questions kept coming and coming and coming even after they told people that they would not be selling the doll, that it had nothing to do with them and was a deal between CP and Yamato USA/Japan.
2. They sold the MNF Mirwen and still the questions kept coming - I think you'll also find that the MNF Mirwen has sold rather well, not only because it is the VF doll sculpt but also because it reminds people of the older CP sculpts.
3. The number of people asking FL and CP for a 60cm doll has been enormous - even though the 60cm doll was sold though Luts, people kept asking. You can see that in any of the messages where they address it in their blog before and after the release of both the CL and the F65.
4. Combine the number of people who want an F60 and the number of people who want a version of the VF doll, and you have a large number of customers and a potential of a heap of money for an F60 Mirwen.

So why wouldn't a company sell a doll that has the potential for making them a whole lot of money and quite quickly? It's one reason I knew Luts wouldn't willingly hand the Delfs back, simply because they have proven themselves to be a money maker.

Some people I think almost see doll companies as not-for-profits, making dolls for artistic merit and because they look good. No, doll companies sell dolls to make money. And lots of it.

I was surprised when SOOM stopped selling its massively lucrative Monthly Dolls - but then I realised the possible reason why - keeping up with a doll a month became too difficult, without that line they can keep making the same types of dolls and release them any time they like! (and possibly still make the same amounts of money, although I don't think they've released any super popular ones recently... the Teenie Gem Isaac might be an exception to the current rule). 

Unfortunately I think one down side of not realising dolls once a month means that those people who collected SOOM MDs and got used to checking the SOOM page once a month for the new doll don't necessarily do that anymore. I used to and I only randomly have a look at the SOOM page nowadays, no where near as often as I used to, and I haven't bought anything from SOOM since their last MD.

What brought this subject up for me again now is the situation with the Chic lines; and the muttering from the F65 thread about no updates for them when there are plenty of updates for the brand new F60.

Chicline

The Chiclines have been off sale for a while, mainly because (and as usual this is my reading of the situation and communications from Fairyland/CP):

1. they are difficult to make and restring and this affects their price
2. Fairyland seems unwilling to offer them at the price which would make  them financially viable (possibly because then they’d have to deal with all the complaints that they’re “too expensive”).
3. From the sounds of it they were only receiving single orders or not enough to pay for the casting and production.

In response to inquiries, they have made the following concession on the sale of the Chic-lines - they will produce them for a limited time, but only if they get 20 of each body ordered (obviously therefore enough to make them a profit rather than making a loss). 

This has gotten a lot of muttering, especially in that people want them to release new heads first. I would suggest that perhaps the lack of sales previously when they released two new heads - the Ineffa and the Fabilis, coupled with the price of casting, producing and stringing them, makes it financially unviable for them to continue to offer the line.

After all, why would you continue to produce a doll which doesn’t sell and you spend more money on the production of, rather than making a profit?

Yes, Chiclines, like F65s show the full artistic and engineering skills of CP, but how many people buy them for that reason? They’re a bit of a difficult size for many to deal with and that could affect their sales too!

FeePle 65 v FeePle 60

I had a lot of this conversation when I was talking about the new F60 line not simply being a remake of a 5-cm shorter F65. However, now the comments are slightly different. 

The F60 was released a couple of months ago (In July to be precise) with six heads - three of which had to be created for the new line - the Chloe, the Karsh and the Luka, all of whom are also MNF heads, the other three just had to be recast - the Mirwen had been made for over a year and the Lishe and El have been around for years - all three have always been in 60cm size (the Nanuri A & B are simply elf ears added to the Chloe and Karsh sculpts). Just last week, the F60 al a carte was update with another six heads, of which only 2 had to be sculpted - the Roke and the Siean, both originally F65 sculpts. The others - Rona and Anu were originally F70 heads, which is the same size as an F60 head, and the Miyu and Yder are both older 60cm heads.

This of course restarted and intensified the debate about the F65s getting al a carte and the lack of F65 heads - they have five: Chloe, Roke, Siean, Lora and Lorence, plus the Juri 2012. Most F65 enthusiasts, and we allow for a small amount of bias, can’t understand why there are not more heads and an al a carte option for the F65s, when there is already 12 heads for the F60s as well as the al a carte option.

I will offer the following possible reasons. (feel free to disagree, as usual) - I am sure I have offered some of this reasoning when I commented on the unlikelyhood of the F60s being mini F65s...:

1. The F65s, while sculpturally brilliant, don’t sell particularly well. This could be because:
1. A lot of people prefer 60cm (usually approximately 58cm) and shorter
2. They are so unlike CP’s usual aesthetic that most enthusiasts don’t have them (same goes for the Chic-line)
3. The weight and width of the sculpts and the bodies are not massively popular.
4. There are no recognizable heads like the Lishe/El/Shiwoo/Chiwoo etc. (and I deliberately don’t include the Chloe because she doesn’t have the age of previous sculpts behind her)

1. The sales of the Chiclines have put them off releasing more heads in the F65 size, especially with those of the recognizable category-  Lishe, El and DES
2. The reception to the new heads - Roke, Siean, Lora and Lorence - has not been what they expected and the sales have not increased
3. The Delfs have been a long time money maker and they have a sentimental attachment to them
4. The reception to the F60s and their capitulation to produce an al a carte option early has paid off financially. 
5. The heads they released did not have to resculpted, just re-cast. (and there is a suggestion that the Roke and Siean had already been sculpted prior to the release of the F60s.) Any heads they want to produce for the F65 line MUST be resculpted from scratch to meet that aesthetic.
6. There are 18 Delf heads and 7 F70 heads which they can re-release in the F60 line with no extra fuss; and 13 MNF heads which they can upsize with not too much trouble. 
7. The number of Delf/F70 sculpts which can just be re-released is immense and the interest and inquiries about sculpts not yet released is very high. 
8. Requests about resculpting smaller sizes is often in relation to getting a 60cm version (in the same aesthetic) as the current sculpt: i.e. An F60 Rheia.

I don’t think I’ve covered everything I think about this, but at the same time, there’s probably only one that matters to Fairyland... The F60s make them more money than the F65s.

For those interested, the 18 Delf, 7 F70 and 13 MNF heads are as follows (if I’ve forgotten one I apologize).

Delf: Edgar, Jess, Kum-ran, IF, Shine, Dambi, Moon, Shiwoo, Dark Human Soo, Dark Elf Soo, Angel Elf Soo, Soo, Soony, Chiwoo, Woosoo, Breakaway, Lu-wen, Harang

F70: Iden, Riff, Ashley, Cali, Peavy, Dreaming Vampire Moon, Esther

MNF: Ari, Shushu, Ruth, Marcia, Ryeon, Seorin, Carl, Rheia, Eliya, Kyle, Rena, Rix

F60 final

So I never finished the story.

I did end up purchasing an F60 and unllike me, I paid in full for it with Fairyland. So I sat in to wait - I bought a wig from Leekeworld which I full expected would arrive before my doll. I also put in for the Nanuri A head, since I figured that if I didn't like it, then I could always sell it on.

So I settled down to wait.

A week or so after the release (I had bought on the second day) I heard about someone who had received a shipping notice. I was very skeptical as usually, for those who don't know, a shipping notice isn't issued until after the 40 business day mark, or about 3-4 months.

I thought this girl must be wrong, since it was little over a week or two after the order date. But, she was right and she got her doll quite quickly - and it wasn't a fluke, others who had paid received their dolls just as quickly.

I now saw that it was highly likely that I too would get my doll earlier than I ever expected. I did get the "before shipping" notification quite quickly and the shipping notice even quicker.

But unfortunately my girl took quite a while in the shipping.  She was shipped and then took about 7 days to make it to the house.

I believe (from what I read on DoA) that I got the first Lishe... how fun is that?

Her name is Sulis - and along with her I received the event head, a Nanuri A - originally I wasn't really planning on keeping her, but then I took a photo of her wearing Morrigan's wig and she stuck...

This is Mor Mumain... and you know how this dolly stuff works - I noticed another Nanuri A for sale. Well, everyone knows how dolly impulse buying goes - Mor Mumain now has an identical twin sister called Nic Naomhim - I received her just yesterday. I'm planning on getting their eyes modded - one to fully open and the other to half open. Mor is most likely going to get a similar wig to Morrigan's, and I might get Nic a longer one in the same style.

All these plans, its going to be fun!

F60 Nanuris

The Nanuris are back - and they're dreaming... why does this feel so good - so "Delf" like? Also the dreaming face - there are so many dreaming dolls - some of the older dolls don't have sleeping heads - like Lishe and El, not in 60cm size until now anyway - they only had dreaming.

I don't mind either, but I'd also be completely happy not to have either.

Its the count down now - they're on the site, the prices are there... but what are the details about the event??

Evil evil evil doll makers

Fairyland are simply evil... if you missed their evil tweeting last night (or this morning or whichever... ) here it is:

@Fairyland_EN

Twt tease: Oh, so you think you are safe from all this? Tell me more about how you've been waiting for THE girl since the CON.

cont: (That girl, seems like will be available in FL version -not the artist ver.- which was released in MNF size some time ago :-)

Twt Tease2: And a call, for older sculpt lovers! Coz, you wants it. You needs it. You must have the precious.

Translation:

1. Fairyland is going to release an F60 Mirwen - possibly within this release. (there is a suggestion that there are three new F60 releases... the F60 Chloe, the F60 Karsh and possibly an F60 Mirwen.) Note: it is the MIRWEN, not the VF doll... they are not exactly the same thing - the VF doll includes the wig/faceup/outfit, the whole shebang. The F60 Mirwen will not - it will have to have a different faceup and a different fullset (if she gets a fullset).
2. Older sculpts... and FL’s rep referring to us as Gollum. I completely agree! I am Gollum... I wants, needs, the precious - a new Lishe, or Breakaway... mmm, CP’s older sculpts... precious...

I did find this tweet (in response to a question about an F60 Pong) vastly amusing and not surprising in the least...

“But nope, no more Pongpong due to the bad sales figure of LTF Pongpong despite piles of request to make one.”

Come on, who didn’t see that one coming? I wonder if the sales figures on the LTF Chiwoos are the same? (encoded: please please please no more Chiwoos!)

I wish Fairyland/CP would take in my requests (other than the fact they already have with the new F60).... as follows:

1. MNF Elf/Elf Vampire Lishe... surely we’ve waited long enough??
2. MNF Breakaway - just cause it would be so fun to have a basic (and follow him with the Elf/VE release too)
3. F65 Lishe & Breakaway or El
4. LTF Elf Lishe...
5. PKF Lishe... cause I wants one, I needs one... I needs the precious!

Sculpt changes

Wow...  I really think I need to stop reading some threads on DoA... some of the comments tempt me to make further rant-y posts... it also makes me wish that I had caved and bought an F65 so I could make my point even clearer when people keep thinking that the new F60 is going to have a carbon copy body to that of the F65.

*sighs* I suppose they're easily confused... CP sculpting two lines which deviate so much from their normal aesthetic that people seem unable to separate them. I have had this conversation twice in my previous rant-y posts about bodies and aesthetics and why the F60 would be a Delf rather than a 5 cm shorter F65.

It seems so easy to see that the F65, and the F70 & F60s are so different. Like comparing Chiclines and Minifee I pointed out to someone... ironically they haven't bothered to respond to my response to them... one wonders why.

That and people have started to attempt to figure out what an F60 Chloe will look like... (like a MNF Chloe people, like a LTF Chloe... NOT like an F65 Chloe.) Chicline and MNF... so I thought here's something I can do comparison shots on... there is no such thing as an F65 Lishe (yet), but I can show comparisons between a MNF Lishe and a Chicline Lishe, as well as between F60/Delf, MNF and LTF Lishes... not sure I want to get belted in the F60 thread yet for showing how you figure out what an F60 Chloe will look like, so I'll rant away in here!

So I went shuffling through my amass of photos looking for ones which show my Lishes front on... I wanted the most basic Lishe, which I have two of at F60 level, 1 of at MNF, 1 at CL and 1 at LTF... (after all, people may not realise that NS and Tan are exactly the same... watched that argument before too). So for MNF, CL and LTF it was fairly easy - although I really want them to be looking the same way. Its possible I will take proper comparisons at some point...

Chicline Lishe - Minifee Lishe

So MNF v CL - the Chicline is how I would expect an eventual F65 Lishe to look - with the narrower face which looks more human, rather than the disproportionally wide face of the MNF - they do share common likeness - the same shape lips, the same shape eyes and a similar nose... those elements which MUST be the same for the CL to be recognisable as a Lishe.

As for the F60/MNF/LTF argument... the similarities are obvious, given the shrinking and approximate age of each of the smaller sculpts. For example, the LTF Lishe's nose has been altered to make it more in keeping with a younger person, and her eyes have been made larger. But the mouth is the same across the entire line.

nb: I used Morrigan because she is my only unmoved "basic" F60 Lishe, even though she's on an F70 body...

I might discuss the differences between Elf and normal Lishes in a more appropriate forum... my Lished blog!

Apologies for yet another rant-y blog... I need to vent somewhere!

Feeple 60s

http://dollfairyland.tistory.com/118

YEA! I feel vindicated...!

The Feeple60 has been confirmed as an updated and renamed Delf - completely compatible with all the old heads (which will be released gradually by FL)... it makes me feel so much better that all those people who created the rant-y post earlier have been proven wrong... as terrible as that makes me, lol.

Although, someone attempted to tell me that the old dolls would still be called Delfs even though everything was being resold as F60s... they were yelled at by a few other people than just me, thankfully.

Now someone is attempting to tell me that F70s and F60s have different proportions. *sighs* It makes me want to burst into rant again...

I am attempting to be restrained, but still peeved off, since she's telling me that I don't know the proportions of my own dolls... Anyway.

The question really is now - WHO is are the new dolls - prevailing thought is the girl is a Chloe... I'm thinking the boy is a Lewi since they mentioned that they were upgrading both MNF and LTF sculpts.

The other question is ...

Which of the older heads will be released? the originals - Chiwoo/Shiwoo/Lishe/El etc... or the newer ones like Jess, Edgar and Harang??

the Body Debate

This is an older ranty post which has some baring on the new F60 debate, and plus I never had a chance to post it... ;)

There are a few interesting things coming up in conversation about the bodies of some dolls. I managed to get into a conversation about the types of bodies that have been crafted by CP. I said that the F70/Delf and Minifee bodies were the same aesthetically, while the F65 and Chicline were the same - that would leave the LittleFee, Pukifee, PukiPuki and RealPuki in the same boat in much the same way. 

I was told off. I'm not really sure why, I would have thought it obvious from the style, joint positioning etc that it was fairly obvious... But then people don't always see the obvious, do they?

Anyway. I was also told off for suggesting that the F65 and ChicLine were similar aesthetically as well, which I also thought was a fairly easy thing to see. That would be why they made them when they already have both MSDs and SD-SSDs. What would be the purpose of making another doll of the same style as a doll you already have if it was very close and similar to one you already have? Admittedly, Iplehouse has done it, but then Iplehouse only make one sort of doll and to make it in different sizes (which I believe for the most part aren't hybrid-able) isn't going to take money from them. 

CP line up male/female + (MNF bline/aline), without F65s (don't have one :( )

CP currently makes a large range of dolls:

1. The Feeple 70: the prototype doll where they tested all the jointing that would later be put into the Delf. 
2. The Feeple 65: a more realistic doll more in keeping with the styles of the Iplehouses and SOOM Idealian and Mega Gem. The body is larger and wider than an F70, while the face is narrower. (in proportion)
3. The Delf: CPs 60cm SD which has been sold by Luts since its conception. Its head is able to be hybrided onto the F70 and vise versa. Delfs are very similar to the F70 in looks. (Currently not available for sale)
4. Minifee: a smaller version of a Delf, the MNF is popular. There are two body types, the older B-line and the much more updated and posable A-line. 
5. Chic-line: smaller than a MNF, the CL has a smaller/narrower head, a wider body (in the case of the boys) and different jointing. MNF and LTF heads can be hybrided onto CL bodies. (but not vise versa)
6. Little Fee: the YoSD, they are well jointed and very posable. 
7. Pukifee: smaller than a yo, the pukifee are well known for their bobble heads. They can also have a smaller multihead. 
8. PukiPuki: the oldest tiny created, the Pukipuki are still on a single jointed body. They can also have the multihead attached. 
9. RealPuki: the newest Tinies, the RealPuki only stands 9.5cm. PukiPuki faceplates can be hybrided onto RealPukis.

RealPuki   Pukifee   Little Fee

PukiPuki and Multihead with Puki body

Of the smaller dolls (LittleFee, Pukifee, PukiPuki and RealPuki), the Puki is the oldest, it still has single jointed elbows and knees and a single joint in the torso. The other three follow a very similar formula: each has double jointed elbows and knees, each has a mobility joint in the thigh (RealPukis have them in the upper arm as well), and each has two joints in the body, one at the breastbone and the other at the hips. All three sizes also have magnetic hands and feet.

All  of the smaller sizes follow a similar aesthetic, decidedly anime, with large heads - although in slightly different proportions - the pukifee is decidedly out of proportion as is the Real Puki. 

The larger dolls fall into two different categories- those which have the same aesthetic as the smaller dolls, and those who don't. 

The F70, Delf and Minifee are similar to the smaller dolls, while the F65 and ChicLine do not. 

Feeple70, Delf and Minifee

MNF B-line female, Delf female Type 1 (torso joint)

The bodies of these follow a fairly easy data-ble line. The oldest bodies are the Delf Types 1&2 and the Minifee B-line. In the middle is the Delf Type 3 male and the F70s, while the Minifee A-lines are the newest. 

I say this for several reasons. The original Delf bodies and MNF B-lines share similar characteristics. Both have single jointed elbows and knees and both have a single torso joint. The Minifee B-line's body joint, along with the Delf bodies released with the neck mechanism (sometimes simply called Type 2s) are at the hip, while the other bodies have them at the chest. (the shapes of the elbow and knee joints in single joint Delfs and Bline MNF are the same)

F70 female, Delf female Type 1

The F70s and Type 3s both have double jointed elbows and knees - with distinct 'caps' in the knee joint (which is duplicated in the smaller Pukifee and RealPukis). This is the only real difference between them and earlier bodies. 

MNF B-line large bust; MNF A-line large bust

The Minifee A-line bodies are most definitely one step ahead of the others. The joints in their elbows have been updated from those in the Feeple70 (which have a tendency to turn around in the socket) while their 'capped' knees move more freely. The main differences are the additions of a double jointed body- one just below the breast (higher than in Delfs or Feeple70s) and one at the hips, which doubles the range of motion and flexibility from the older B-lines. They also include caps in the hip socket to broaden the range of motion and a mobility joint cut into the upper thigh. (B-line MNF can also have this cap)

Chic line and Feeple65

MNF A-line female, MNF A-line male, Chicline male

The main differences between the male muscular and non-muscular Chic line and the corresponding MNF Bodies is the style - the Chic line male is broader and shorter and has a different construction of abs and musculature, making a more realistic appearance rather than the stylized MNF. The hands, feet and head are smaller, as well as employing magnets on the feet. This stylistic difference is repeated through the female versions. The other main difference is the construction of the joints, mainly the knee joints. Chiclines do not have the distinctive cap, rather a construction rather like the LTF. This hides the cap, but also makes way for an ability to disjoint the doll at the knee, revealing a well hidden O ring. 

MNF A-line, F65 female (sorry no C-line comparison)

The female Chiclines have more differences between them and their MNF counterparts. The female C-line does not have a hip joint, and the construction and shape of the hips, waist and upper thighs is considerably different to that of the MNF - giving a much more feminine and realistic shape. Their hands and feet are significantly smaller, as is the body and height - from their MNF counterparts and the male Chicline. 

Take into account the new owner pics of nude F65 females and males and the similarities between them become more obvious. 

non-muscular males: C-line and F65

Females: C-line, F65

the boys in particular glaring similarities - the same elbow joint, the same knee joint, the shape of the torso, position of the torso joint, general shape of the torso/lower abdomen piece. The girls share less similarities - they have the same body construction with a narrow hip and waist and no lower abdomen joint; they have the same shape boobs - however the girls have two major differences - the Chicline has a mobility joint in the thigh while the F65 does not, and the F65 shares the same knee construction as an F70.

So that is the end of my rant. Probably not the end of my rant-y posts though, I'm sure another will pop up sometime. You can chose to believe me, you can chose not to, really its up to you.