In simple words, it is a doll that resembles an animetic look. Their faces and body proportions are heavily inspired in japanese animation and culture. 

The main thing that sets these dolls apart is the amazing high quality and level of detail they possess! and also the superior posing and moving ability compared to other dolls. At 22.5 inches height- these dolls are much taller and bigger than the smaller Mattel dolls that we are all familiar with.

The super fun thing about them, is that you can customize them however you like: Their bodies consist of an internal frame (or skeleton), and Vinyl body shell parts on the outside, and thanks to this system, their bodies are easy to pose and can be easily customized: you can take the head off, change the bust size and shape, change their hand gesture, change their feet from flat to high heel etc... possibilities are endless! The manufacturers sell option parts that you can buy in order to put together your dream girl!

And doesn't stop there! Other ways to change their looks as you please is through eyes, wigs and fashion: These kind of dolls have a soft lid on the top of their heads, you can open that lid in order to change their eyes, or you can make the doll gaze to the side, and the eyes are never permanently put in place, so you can always change them to another color or design. Their hair is not rooted directly to the head like a Barbie doll- instead, they wear wigs that are super easy to change. If you ever become bored of her, there are countless things you can do to change her up, and of course, with all these features the price point also increases- You can expect to pay approximately $500 for a new standard model and between $700 to $1200 for a limited edition licensed character doll.

But your investment will not likely go to waste: because they are such high quality, they will last you many years, and they usually don't lose their monetary value. If you don't need her anymore you can always sell her: The better the condition of the doll the more money you can ask for. The resale price will also depend on the rarity of the doll. Standard models are not so rare, so you usually have to sell her for a slight loss. But a limited edition doll will either retain the same value or becomes more valuable. But try not to worry much about this, just get the doll that you like. 

Which one is the right doll for me? 

There are several brands out there that make amazing anime inspired-dolls, but for now, let's focus on the two most popular anime doll brands: Dollfie Dream (by Volks) and Smart doll (by Danny Choo). These two doll brands are similar in size and style, so they can be displayed next to each other nicely. 

Both brands are amazing, there is not one better than the other. So overall, I suggest choosing the doll you like based on her face- whatever face you fall in love with go for it! But in order to help you decide, let's explore some of their differences and similarities: 

The body: 

The biggest difference between them is the body: They both have a similar system consisting of an internal frame and Vinyl body shell parts on the outside. The eyes, bust, hands and feet can be changed in a similar manner. But note that Smart Doll parts are not compatible with Dollfie Dream parts and vice versa.

The smart doll body is unquestionably more appealing in proportions. They did something quite smart when they were designing them which is hiding the torso seam under the bust like a resin doll. As of today, Smart doll only has two body types: The female and the Male.

On the other hand, the Dollfie Dream original body has a more slender look to it and the torso seam is very visible, which could be a limitation if she's wearing a bikini for example. But the fun thing about Dollfiie Dream is how many body types you can choose from! you can check them out in here or you can google the following bodies: 

• Dollfie Dream (or just DD): this is the original slender body. It's easier to find clothes to fit this one since is the most widely used. 
• Dollfie Dream Dynamite (or DDdy): This one is the curvier girl and my personal favorite. She Thickkk.
• Dollfie Dream Sister (or DDS): Very similar to the original body but a little shorter and slimmer. She resembles a younger girl. 
• Dollfie Dream pretty (or DDP): Even shorter than the Sister body and resembles a pre-teen girl. 
• Mini Dollfie Dream (or MDD): This one is super cute, she resembles a little girl and is the shortest in the assortment. 

As you can see, a lot to choose from with Dollfie! You can swap the heads across all the bodies listed above but not the busts.

The faces:

Both DD and SM have a similar anime style, there are many options to choose from, so just go through both Smart Doll and Dollfie Dream doll assortment and see which one you like :)

The posing ability: 

Based on my experience, they both have pros and cons, so let's explore their posing ability by areas:

• The head: Both DD and SM give you a good moving range: Smart Doll can't tilt the head itself but she can tilt her neck which gives you a similar effect. Dollfie Dream can tilt her head but the material on her neck is too thick to be able to tilt the neck properly: meaning that her internal frame has the capacity to give you this movement but the vinyl on the neck too thick to allow that movement. But it's fine they both give you the same effect in different ways. 
• The arms: the latest F3 Dollfie Dream body and Smart doll possess almost the same mobility in the arms.
• The torso: Smart Doll poses much better on the torso, Dollfie Dream will bend on that area as well but not as much.
• The legs: Dollfie Dream legs will give you a much wider range of movement than Smart Doll on the leg area, which to me is bliss :D.  But the good thing about SM is that the hip joint is very sturdy. The DD hip sometimes comes loose right out of the box or will become loose in a short period of time. Can be fixed though. 

Overall I like both :), and probably like Dollfie Dream slightly more than Smart Doll because if something gets broken, stained or if I want to change something, it is very easy and inexpensive to buy spare parts from Volks. With smart doll on the other hand, is a little bit of an ordeal: if something breaks or you want to change it, you have to email them and ask for help... and according to their policy, you're not guaranteed to always get help after your warranty expires. Sometimes they may send you spare parts for free if you make a purchase of something else, but you might have to make a large purchase in order to get what you need depending on the part. For this reason I like to stick to Dollfie. 

Sooooo, where do I get them? 

 Aaaaah! the golden question. Here you go! :)

Buying a smart doll is super easy: just go to their website over here, and choose the one you like. Do note that some of the dolls that you see on Instagram are either custom painted by an artist or may be older and have been discontinued. So whatever you see on their website is what's available, unless you find a second-hand doll somewhere else :). But as stated above, spare parts may be harder to get after your warranty expires. 

Buying a Dollfie Dream is a little more complicated: For starters, you can go to their USA website right here and choose from their standard models, or if you are outside of USA you can go to their Japanese website right here (and scroll down). They have a larger assortment in the Japanese website and they ship worldwide. But the thing is, DD is big on limited edition licensed characters which are harder to get. They are highly anticipated and sell out right away, sometimes you can't even buy them right off the bat- you might have to enter a lottery event in order to win "the right" to buy one. For now, just go to the websites and whatever you see in there is what's available. The majority of the dolls you see on Insta are most likely one of those limited dolls, or a custom painted doll. We will explore more ways to buy one of those special limited DD's and custom painted dolls in another article, but for now check out their standard models, they're super cute as well!

Here at ADYKA doll, we don't sell dolls at the moment, we rather sell fashion and accessories specially designed to fit these dolls :).

Overall, these dolls are a wonderful thing. You become part of an awesome community of collectors where we share tips, photos and experiences.Later on we can explore more ways to enjoy your doll such as styling your wigs, How to dig for limited dolls and much more :D

Stay tuned for more informative dolly subjects!

Aaaand that's it :D (in a nutshell). Let me know your thoughts, which one do you prefer personally?  Smart Doll or Dollfie Dream?