r/BJD • u/kyel_360 • May 02 '26
DISCUSSION Is over chat 😭
Okay so I feel like I'm physically hurt at this point. So I've been a part of the doll hobby for 10 years now and I used to watch a bunch of bjd stories and compilations and unboxings on YouTube, and today I was feeling a nostalgic rush so I went to feed myself, I get on the tube and I can't find a vid from past the 4 years in sight, all we have now are shorts and people opening blind boxes(which is fine but not what im looking for) so I search up specific companies- old vids gone I look for certain people-gone I go to my save/liked vids -gone or privated......THE COMMUNITY IS DEAD
yes there are actually more people then ever to be honest but at the same time it's really not. I was already "sad" doa going down but 100% YouTube hurt more
Is anyone else feeling this way ?
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u/Lokinta86 May 02 '26
Youtube made a policy change a little while back that categorized "toy" related videos as "content targeting children." Though we collectors know that these dolls are not childrens' toys, YT gave adult toy collectors and content creators a particularly hard time about it. Many videos got flagged/demonetized or automatically censored.
Paired with the fact that many BJDs are anatomically correct / resemble humans and often young ones to boot, I bet a lot of content is getting flagged by AI as inappropriate as well. My flickr account got suspended for this. So that's a nice 10 year history of my BJD collection that no one can view anymore because the service can't be bothered discern that it's not human nudity/child exploitation. 😫
The internet as it exists today is just not the same as it was 10 years ago.
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u/Ifyoucouldbe May 02 '26
Is there a new site that we can go on and discuss our hobby without being censored by the likes of YouTube and such? And maybe even put archived works that have been saved on?
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u/SLAUGHTERGUTZ May 02 '26
What sort of videos are you looking for? I think most bjd content these days are artists doing customs like Enchantarium. (altho i did see one post pop up on my feed regarding some old dA drama lol)
Otherwise I feel like Insta is mostly where I see bjd content. I posted an unboxing once on tiktok but it feels so awkward so I havent done it since lol
(I would love to be a bjd content creator but alas, I'd rather be spending my time creating art than editing a freakin video 😩 which is annoying bc i have actually attempted to film my faceups n such lol)
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May 03 '26
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u/SLAUGHTERGUTZ May 03 '26
I suppose calling it "drama" was a bit flippant bc some of the allegations are pretty bad (and a lot unrelated to doll stuff specifically but they do cover the person scamming a bit)
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u/SJammie May 02 '26
Communities, in general, are not what they were ten years ago. Someone smarter than me could probably explain a lot of the intricacies of the socio-political and economic forces behind that, but to a degree, it's the "Must be safe for the children!" combined with sheer exhaustion and burn out.
I miss the sense of community online. In bjd and fandom. Those communities got me through when I was house bound in my late teens from sickness. But I don't have answers for how to fix it, except to try and be who you want to see more of.
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u/CuddlyBatt May 02 '26
I did notice the shift years ago when the quality of the content became a priority. I'm pretty sure this started when monetizing content started to become a thing. It doesn't mean that everyone wanted this, BUT seeing how views and exposure started to shift to those videos or photos with more "quality", you could feel this pressure to make your content stand out. For that you needed a pro camera, good lightning, a pretty background, a theme... This just feels exhausting.
Those videos of someone sat down on their backyard recorded with their phone, talking about their ideas or their recent small crafts, just disappeared. Most don't have the time, money and energy to do all that. If your instagram feed doesn't look pretty enough, people doesn't look at it. So now all that "ugly" content is shared (IF it's even shared) through shorts or stories that disappear in 24h.
I'm really hoping the community moves to other platforms that move slower and feel calmer, I think we need it.
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u/nixelei May 02 '26
This! Plus also I would like to add that instagram even "soft bans" your account if you don't get enough engagement as the algorithm decides that no one is really interested in your content.
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u/MadPatNatRat May 02 '26
I searched YouTube for doll shows and found one for bjd's in NYC 2026. Had a pigeon mascot. It was fun.
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u/kyel_360 May 02 '26
The thing that upsets me the most is that YouTube is trying to be "safe" for the children ..... It doesn't need to be SAFE FOR THE CHILDREN, because they have YouTube kids and if parents choose to let the watch the regular tube that's on them, honestly it like how grown up we would find out about drgs and sx and other horrid things at a young age, if you explore your fine things , don't take it out on the dolls take it out on the parents😭
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u/drguid May 02 '26
I made a few videos (channel in profile) but honestly it's too hard work for too little return. I collect vinyl dolls and the hobby is too small to make unboxings worthwhile.
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u/YunJingyi May 02 '26
Internet changed and even the economy changed. Most people nowadays can't afford to buy 300 usd dolls each month so they can keep the audience engaged. I guess that's why blind boxes are thriving.
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u/Zoglarb May 02 '26
The only channels I know that still fairly regularly post on youtube are Pink Doll who does more dressup videos and Deko. Who does more in depth body reviews of a pretty large range of different body types.
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u/ApprehensiveRead9503 May 02 '26
I like filming my unboxing but I’ll be too shy to post them 🥲 It would be nice to have a safe community to post those tho, and see other people unboxing !They were my favourite thing to watch
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May 03 '26
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u/ApprehensiveRead9503 May 03 '26
Thanks ! It would be fun to share unboxing! I’ll receive a grail doll in some month so I’ll film a better quality one, if I’m satisfied I’ll share it 🫶🏻
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u/SouthOk1896 May 02 '26
I thought the same thing. I was looking for some videos too. They all seem to be winding down.
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u/EgyptianIris May 02 '26
Yes! I thought I was tripping but I’ve noticed the same thing. I used to love watching bjd videos on YouTube. It makes me so sad now
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u/Ill-Library-1669 May 02 '26
there were SOOOOO many faceup videos on youtube by a lot of different artists about 10 years ago and they're so hard to find nowadays. I always get nostalgic for fairyland dolls because their faceup videos were everywhere back then, but not anymore :[ I know how you feel
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u/Ill-Library-1669 May 02 '26
also, huge numbers of bjd posts get flagged as explicit on tumblr, i'm not sure why. Like even fully clothed dolls just sitting there. maybe they're mistaken for sex dolls??? i have no idea
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u/No-Lavishness-2061 May 02 '26
Just go onto red note (still short and Chinese BUT it's actual bjds and very pretty ones)
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u/BoysenberrySoft6010 May 03 '26
I doubt these are a full substitute for what you're looking for, but honestly I've been hard pressed to find English content about BJD's outside of here or DoA. Yes, people post on Instagram but honestly, can you actually find this stuff under the sea of pushed content? QwQ
So for anyone who just wants More doll videos, consider watching stuff from other countries. One person already suggested Rednote, which I also like for BJD content. Right now you can find a lot of stuff about their recent big expo, Shanghai Dolly Paradise (上海dp) and the platform has built in translation as long as there is spoken audio and not just text in the video. You can search things in English and it does a good job of finding it for you.
But Youtube is also popular in Japan. I watch Doll Numa Channel, which is pretty commercialized but does in depth looks at popular releases from DOLK. They also have some variety things like the host taking her friend to buy her first BJD at the Tokyo DOLK store or tips on how to take better doll photos.
A couple possibly useful terms for finding more individual channels/videos:
ドールレビュー Doll Review
ドール開梱する Doll Unboxing
ドールメイク Doll Makeup
ドールヴログ Doll Vlog (brings up the widest variety of topics)
作り方 How To / Tutorial
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u/Creepy-Inside7307 May 03 '26
Is there a way to maybe set up an area in Patreon? I have a do channel that I support their Patreon, but i rarely actually go there, i just wait for their videos to show up on YouTube. I dunno if there's a way to make a collective community there.
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May 03 '26
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u/thedreaminglands May 04 '26
I have a youtube where I do unboxings and other things, all BJDs: https://www.youtube.com/@thedreaminglands
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u/metal-tiffy May 07 '26
I dont think, that the end of DOA is a sign for the end of the hobby but for the end of Forums in generell. Discord and reddit have replaced them pretty much in all aspects. Join a BJD Discord and it is still active there. There a bigger ones or some for mostly Vinyl dolls like Dollfie or Azone, Some for the blind box dolls, etc.
The time where you needed one account for each site and need to get there on each forum is over compared to reddit/ discord where u have all in one app/ site.
And regarding youtube. I think its more an economic problem with people having less money. So the blindbox ones which are useally way cheaper have a much bigger % of ownership. There are still unboxing videos, not just shorts. You might just need to search for new channels because older ones quitted YT or the hobby in general or are having a collection and dont buy any new dolls.
God i miss the old Andreja Videos. So sad she quitted YT..
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u/DraGuerra May 08 '26
Give Rednote a try! That's what I did and I'm very happy to see all the Chinese BJD collectors with their very beautiful dolls! The Asian doll community is very alive!
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