Even popular dolls sometimes need a bit of dolling up
Shot by Jiang Xiaowei and Ke Jiayun. Edited by Ke Jiayun. Subtitles by Ke Jiayun.
Many women who aspire to be glamorous undergo plastic surgery to correct what they consider flaws in appearance. It turns out some dolls collectors think their toys are no different.
Customizing dolls is becoming big business as the retail toy market introduces ever more creations, such as ball-jointed dolls, Blythe dolls, plush idol dolls and Disney dolls.
Wang Han, 41, was one of the earliest to go into the profession about 10 years ago, when the idea of giving dolls a makeover was rather new. She became a big name in the growing community of doll collectors.
Wang Han works in her workshop.
Wang herself is a doll lover. She has hundreds of them in her workshop on the fourth floor of a house in suburban Jinshan District.
"Like many other girls, I fell in love with all kinds of dolls during my childhood," Wang said. "When I earned money when I was at university, I would rush out and buy Barbies, Yue-Sai WaWa Dolls and Monchhichi toys."
It took Wang, who was an art student, about five years to go from being kindergarten teacher who loved dolls to a doll customizer.
Wang Han customizes a doll's face.
The decision coincided with the burgeoning boom in the toy doll industry and especially the "blind box" trend that featured dolls.
The designer toy market in China grew from 6.3 billion yuan (US$906 million) in 2015 to 20.7 billion yuan in 2019, and may hit 76.3 billion yuan by 2024, according to global consulting company Frost & Sullivan.
In a market awash with dolls of all shapes and sizes, it's no wonder that many people want their dolls to be more distinctive. The original look may just not be original enough.
Wang combs the hair of a doll. Hairstyles are an important element in giving a doll a new look.
Over the past decade, Wang has customized hundreds of dolls, both for individuals and also for companies that want their dolls to look like celebrities such as Chinese actress Yang Mi.
One of the most popular versions for makeovers is the Blythe fashion doll, characterized by an oversized head and large eyes that change color and direction with the pull of a string installed at the back of head.
The doll was created in 1972 by a US toy company and later sold to major toymaker Hasbro. In 2001, Japan's Takara began producing a new edition of the dolls.
Wang (right) shows the reporter a large Blythe model in her workshop.
Wang's decision to make a living from doll makeovers faced bitter opposition from her parents, who didn't regard the endeavor as a stable career. In a fit of anger, her father even smashed some of her dolls and kicked her out of the house.
Want had to struggle as a divorcee rearing a daughter, but she stuck to her guns and was eventually rewarded.
Her doll makeovers attracted lots of fans, some from overseas. As her reputation grew, toy companies sought her out.
From an expanding business of customizing dolls, product and event designing, graphics arts and photography, Wang earns about 750,000 yuan a year.
Customizing dolls requires a large array of specialty tools.
In such an obviously lucrative market, competition was certain to emerge.
One duo of customizers specializes in OB11 and GSC Nendoroid dolls. Xi Ya, who works in the financial industry, handles the pair's online store, social media accounts and simple makeovers. Her partner, an arts graduate does more complicated customizing and sources diecast molds when needed from factories.
"Generally, it takes a month to customize a batch of dolls and our monthly income is often in the thousands of yuan," Yi said. "Because we both have outside jobs, we don't care much about the income and do this purely out of personal interest."
Wang keeps drawers full of customized doll faces.
A personal obsession with dolls is usually the driving force behind customizers.
Yuan Anyi, 26, who specializes in makeovers for Disney dolls, mainly from the popular Duffy series, began after the first Disney Resort in Chinese mainland opened in Shanghai.
"At that time, there was only the Duffy doll on shelves," she said. "I customized my first doll in 2017 because I found the dolls bought from stores weren't as lively and vivid as those portrayed by humans in the park. I wanted to make each of my dolls special and unique."
She charges customers between 400-500 yuan a doll, depending on the number of accessories and the difficulty of makeovers.
Yuan customizes a Stella Lou doll.
She once changed a Stella Lou doll, a lavender rabbit with straight ears, into one with lopped ears, and it soon caught the attention of Hong Kong Disneyland and was featured on the park's WeChat account. Customers flooded in for Yang.
Her work feeds off the obsessions of doll owners.
"One customer bought lots of Duffy series dolls and asked me to give different expressions to each one," she said. "She names each doll, buys each distinctive clothing and celebrates the doll's birthday on the day I complete a makeover. They are her family members."
Tools used by Yuan
In the "peak season" -- usually in the latter half of the year -- Yuan may spend 12 to 15 hours a day customizing dolls.
She makes their eyes shine brighter, adjusts mouths, reshapes ears, applies makeup and even installs her own patented plastic "skeleton" to make every part of a doll move.
"When I finish work, I take pictures of the doll, send them to my customer and await their response," she said. "A positive response is a moment of great happiness."
A Linabell doll outfitted for a wedding by Yuan
Doll customizers have to be aware of health risks.
Wang has installed a large exhaust fan in her workshop because of all the spray used.
Another doll customizer calling herself Oraby told Shanghai Daily that large volumes of dust created in the makeover process leave her with discomfort in her lungs. But she isn't contemplating a change of jobs.
"My customers have a special connection with me through the dolls," she said. "The dolls are carriers of my imagination and all the beautiful things in my world."
A pair of eyeballs ready to be installed on a Stella Lou doll.
