Obitsu Dolls: A Guide

If you like ball-jointed dolls, or even just my doll lolita fashion Hitomi, this blog post may be very helpful to you. In this post, I will discuss Obitsu dolls and how to make your doll uniquely your own!

"Obitsu," what is that?

Hitomi is a doll made by the Obitsu Plastic Manufacturing Company. This is a well known Japanese plastic company. Obitsu creates many items, such as models and figurines. In addition to these creations, they also make dolls. Unlike a BJD an Obitsu has a peg and internal skeleton system rather than elastic. Additionally, Obitsu dolls are made out of the lighter and less expensive vinyl rather than hard resin. ​​Hitomi is their 1/3 scale 50 cm doll. She is unique because she is right in between a standard MSD and a standard SD size doll. Hitomi either looks like a tall MSD doll or a shorter SD doll. Personally, I love that she looks like a younger adult and a tall Lolita. If you are familiar with Dollfie Dream dolls by VOLKS, Hitomi is roughly the same size as a Dollfie Dream Sister. 

In addition to the 50 cm doll, I also own an 11 cm Obitsu doll known as Mariela. Mariela is Hitomi's doll. She is the perfect size for Hitomi! In comparison, Mariela appears to be an SD doll for Hitomi. I absolutely love her darling small size! Mariela is the same size as a Fairyland Pukipuki or a Chelsea Barbie doll. It is very easy to find toys, furniture, clothes and other small scale props for her.
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Choosing Your Doll

What doll are you interested in? Is there a particular aesthetic you would like to have? Is there a particular company or sculpt that interests you? What options would you like for your doll?

These are all important questions that I have asked myself when I wanted to purchase my first doll. There were a few particular aspects that I wanted my doll to have. Firstly, I wanted a specific look. The best way that I am able to explain my preferred type of doll would be that I want my dolls to look like Square Enix characters. I love how Square Enix is able to make characters that have exaggerated attributes in addition to realistic aspects. The most important characteristic for me is for my dolls to have a natural nose. One of my favorite things about Obitsu dolls is that you can choose between a doll head sculpt with a natural nose or one with an animated anime-type aesthetic.

Misha Head

Hime Ane Head
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Where To Shop

I ordered both of my Obitsu dolls and their additional attributes through Parabox. Parabox is an online shop that sells everything you need for your Obitsu dolls. Parabox offers everything you need to create your doll, from wigs and eyes to a complete full set doll! They also offer doll services.
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I purchased the following items for Hitomi through Parabox:

50 cm Obitsu Female Body
Misha Head (Unpainted)
1/3 Scale High-Heeled Feet
Upper Trunk Small Bust
Two Sets of Hands
Ankle Parts
Body Tights
18 cm White Socks
Body Stocking

For my initial order for Hitomi, I bought her full body, her alternate head, a set of the high-heeled feet and a set of two additional hand positions. The price, with shipping, was ¥29,500 or $266. Wow!

I purchased the following items for Mariela through Parabox:

11 cm Body
S-Angela Head
Iris A 10 mm Brown Eyes
White Socks with Lace
White Round Front Strapped Shoes
​Black Round Front Strapped Shoes

​For Mariela's initial order, I purchased her body, head, eyes and accessories for ¥4,900 or $44.29. 
I ordered from Parabox because, not only do they have anything that you could possibly want, at the time the items I wanted for my doll were less expensive to order direct from Parabox. The Junky Spotis a great resource for US clients to purchase ball-jointed-dolls, accessories and Obitsu dolls, but it actually cost less for me to order from Parabox with international shipping than to purchase my dolls through The Junky Spot. Crazy, I know! If you can save any money in a hobby, you will do it. Additionally, my item arrived quite quickly, despite the items arrival from overseas. I am very happy with each order that I have conducted through Parabox, and I will continue to buy items from them.
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How To Make Your Doll Unique

Faceups

When both Hitomi and Mariela arrived, they were completely blank. The best way to make a doll unique is to give your doll a face-up. A face-up is basically the makeup of the doll. Both of my dolls have their face ups by TheKawaiiPhoenix on Etsy. Her name is Lauren. Lauren is a fantastic doll face up artist. For Hitomi, Lauren was able to make her resemble my favorite lolita model Midori Fukasawa. The face-up is the perfect natural look that compliments her lolita fashion style. From freckles to scars, the face of your doll is the most defining feature of your doll. Face-ups range from $20 to $150, depending on your artist. Lauren is wonderful because she is extremely talented, yet affordable. I have commissioned her a total of three times, and each time I have been overwhelmingly satisfied with her work. Her most recent fantasy commissions are especially lovely!

Since the parts of an Obitsu are so inexpensive, you have more freedom to try and experiment with different attributes. I myself plan to purchase additional Misha heads for Hitomi and give each head a different look. I would love to have a Gothic Lolita style for Hitomi, as well as an OTT Sweet, look!
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Further Customization

​Obitsu dolls have a great range custom pieces! Obitsu dolls have multiple choices for bust sizes, hands, feet and fantasy parts. Hitomi has a set of alternate hands and the flat and high-heeled feet. The hands are extremely easy to change. You simply need to heat the original hand under a hair dryer for 15-20 seconds and slip the vinyl hand piece from the hard plastic internal skeleton. You can then attach the new hand position if you snap the new hand to the hard plastic piece. 

The ease to change the magnetic flat feet to the high-heeled feet is incredible! The feet screw into the bottom of the Obitsu body. You can simply unscrew the foot from the base, and then replace it with the new high-heeled foot. I love the fact that Hitomi can wear high-heels so simply!
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Find What Fits

Wigs and Eyes

Wigs and eyes for Obitsu dolls are especially easy to find. Virtually every doll shop offers a wide range of eye and wig sizes. The 50 cm Obitsu takes 7-8 inch wigs, and 14-16 mm eyes. Hitomi's eyes are from Mako Eyes and are the 14 mm size. Hitomi's wigs are from LeekeWorld. Mariela takes 4.5-inch wigs and 8-10 mm eyes. Mariela's eyes are from eBay, and her wigs are from Fatiao on Etsy.
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Clothes

If you purchase a standard Obitsu size, such as an MSD and SD, it is very easy to find clothes and shoes for your dolls. There are more shops that carry shoes and clothes than you could possibly imagine! The 50 cm doll is a bit tricky to find clothes for. Azone International is a great brand that makes clothes specifically for the 50 cm Obitsu doll. Parabox also has clothes to fit this doll size. You can occasionally find clothes for the VMF dolls or Dollfie Dream Sister clothes, which have virtually the same measurements. I often find that MSD sized items fit the 50 cm Obitsu very well! Most of Hitomi's wardrobe is made up of the 1/4 scale items. The only items that are MSD that do not tend to fit are 1/4 scale socks, pants, leggings, tights or other similar items. This is mainly due to the fact that the 50 cm doll is 5 cm to 10 cm taller than a traditional MSD. Unless you want jeans that appear to be capris, it would be best to purchase leg items that have been made specifically for the 50 cm doll.

Mariela can wear clothes for a Barbie Chelsea. I also find that many PukiPuki items and Lati Whiteitems tend to fit well. There are a lot of shops on Taobao that offer clothes for the 11 cm Obitsu. Many times people create a hybrid of a Good Smile Company Nendoroid and an Obitsu so they are able to change the character's clothes, and I can often get great Taobao shop referrals from the owners.

Maintenance 

Stains

Since vinyl is a pore based plastic, the material tends to latch onto things. If you are not prepared, your doll can absorb the dark dye from these items which can result in some rather unsightly dark blemishes. You need to protect your doll from dark clothes, accessories and dark wig bases. To protect your doll, you can purchase doll wig caps and body socks. These items are made from a stretchy knit material and protect the soft vinyl parts of your doll from the dark dye.

There are numerous tutorials in order to reverse the stains. I have not needed to use any of these methods for my dolls because I am extremely careful to make sure that my girls are protected.
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Dirt and Grime

Your dolls will inevitability gather dust and dirt. If you use a plain magic eraser, you will be able to remove any undesired dirt from the surface of your doll. I give my girls a bath with a magic eraser about once every two weeks and just add a dab of water to the sponge. Many doll shops will send you the perfect small size magic eraser as a thank you for your purchase free gift!​

Warning: Do not use this cleaning method on your doll's face up or body blush.
​It will remove or distort your doll's face up, customized painted attributes or you doll's body blush!
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I hope this guide was helpful! Please feel free to comment or email me with any questions.

​Stay Frilly,