BJD GUIDE
BJD glossary
New to the hobby? These are the words you will see most often in shops, forums and social media.
- BJD
- Ball-jointed doll: a resin doll with ball-and-socket joints, strung with elastic.
- SD
- Originally the SD line by Volks; also used for any 1/3-scale doll of about 58-65cm.
- MSD
- Mini SD; used for 1/4-scale dolls of about 40-45cm.
- YOSD
- Yo-SD, a 1/6-scale child-like doll of about 26-30cm (also called USD).
- DD
- A vinyl-bodied doll line by Volks with anime-style features and an internal frame, about 55-60cm.
- Resin
- Polyurethane resin, the material most BJDs are cast from.
- Face-up
- Hand-painted makeup on a doll's face.
- Stringing
- The elastic cord that holds the doll together; restringing means replacing it.
- Blushing
- Soft colour painted on the body (hands, knees, joints) to match the face-up.
- Normal Skin (NS)
- The standard natural peach-beige resin tone. Shades vary between yellow-leaning and pink-leaning across brands, so colour matching matters when creating hybrids.
- White Skin (WS)
- A pale porcelain or ivory-white resin tone lighter than Normal Skin, popular for ethereal, classic or gothic aesthetics.
- Pink / Peach Skin (PK)
- A warm skin tone with a soft rosy undertone that photographs brightly and gives the doll a lively complexion.
- Tan Skin (Tan)
- Sun-kissed bronze to deep brown resin tones. Because pigmented resin is harder to cast evenly, tan dolls are often offered as limited releases.
- Fantasy / Special Skin
- Non-human resin colours such as grey, pale blue or lavender, used for elves, vampires and other fantasy characters.
- Fullset
- A doll sold with face-up, eyes, wig, outfit and shoes, usually as pictured by the maker.
- Head only
- A head sold without a body, often to pair with a body of your choice.
- Basic / nude
- A doll sold without clothes, wig or eyes (sometimes without face-up).
- Layaway
- Paying for a doll in instalments before it ships.
- Box opening
- The moment a new doll arrives, often shared with photos online.
- Sculpt / mold
- The original design of a head or body that the resin parts are cast from.
- Limited
- An edition made in a fixed number or only during a set period.
- Recast
- An unauthorized copy made from an original doll. Recasts violate the artist's rights.
- Hybrid
- A doll combining a head and body from different sculpts or brands.
- Double joint
- Elbows or knees with an extra joint piece for a deeper bend.