Sorry in advance~ these photos are from a few months ago before I got my camera^^;

Since they are just cell phone pics the quality is hit or miss!

A early this summer Nara and I happened to stumble upon a BJD Doll Expo here in Korea while we were attending another event!  Sadly we only had maybe 40 min before the expo closed so I could only snap a few cellphone photos, but the next large expo will be taking place this month and I will be attending!

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The doll community in Korea for things like BJD, Pullip, Blythe, etc is large enough that they are able to hold conventions a few times a year for people to meet up and buy new items or just show off new dolls they purchased.  The ages attending ranged from young teens to adults, almost everyone was a girl at this event although I did see some male classmates tagging along.

This Expo was a smaller  Off-shoot expo compared to the large “Doll Free Market” convention they hold every few months in Korea.  The name of this event was “Card Capter” so I assumed based on the name and the logo it would have something to do with a theme (like Card Capter Sakura, which is a classic Japanese Anime) since we had read online some of these smaller mini cons are theme-geared events to show dolls, but I sadly did not observe any real theme going on… just lots of pretty work overall!  Perhaps we missed the event related to the title since we came so late!

I DID see a LOT of Alice in Wonderland things though, I don’t know if that was because of something having to do with the event/theme OR just because people like that story so~ lol mystery!

This convention was a gathering of fans of Ball Jointed Dolls , Blythe, Licca-chan fashion dolls, Pullip, etc to sell clothing, accessories, furniture, wigs, and exhibit dolls in general.  I did not see any actual dolls or bases being sold sadly, it was mainly a convention people went to buy things FOR the dolls or display ones they had created!

If you are unfamiliar with Ball Jointed Dolls you can read a bit more about them HERE ♥ The subculture spreads world-wide, but is very large in Asian countries like Japan, Korea, and China since they produce what generally qualifies as BJD dolls. The dolls are a nice mix of fantasy, anime, and realism~ some are even used on packaging or advertising in Asia because they are so beautiful!

 Outside the convention room was another sort of gathering~ everyone gathered on spread blankets in groups, and some alone.

Girls displayed their precious dolls, worked with friends to set them out for photos together, or sat quietly while they dressed them in new clothing they had just purchased at the event.

Some girls you could see it was a social thing with friends laughing and taking pretty photos together, others seemed like intense fans focused on a wild fantasy character, and a few you could tell really treated the dolls like little families or friends.

 A “Family” of dolls sits together while the owner has lunch. One thing I love about observing the collectors outside is you can see the dolls are always arranged with such care for the dolls “feelings” ….in poses, close to “friends”,holding younger dolls, boyfriends with girlfriends etc.

A group of friends meet up to pair up the dolls they own for photographs

So beautiful ♥

A group of younger girls meet to arrange and take photos together. Since this is an expensive hobby it was kind of cute to see the differences between the older groups gathering (larger pricy dolls, huge wardrobe, very expensive cameras, etc) and the younger students at the event with the single or smaller less expensive dolls using cell phones for photos.

Inside the convention they had several vendors still set up selling BEAUTIFUL handmade clothing for dolls.

I have said it before (like at the Seoul Handmade Fair lol) I am kinda obsessed with the details in miniature things~  so even though I only own one doll I had way too much fun checking out all the tiny details of the outfits and wanting to buy them for no real reason *_*

Pretty packaged outfits for sale and miniature foam puzzle mats, like the kind kids play on that they sell in stores~  just doll-sized! DAWWW

Tiny little star headphones *__*

I wish I could buy those dresses in human size~ I am serious! haha

 

 My favorite seller from the whole show, her dresses are AMAZING for the price!

 One table had dozens of tiny little bracelets and necklaces for dolls of all sizes ♥

Tiny shoes, outfits, suitcases and furniture!

Most of the tables had very beautiful dolls on display for people to photograph and enjoy

One seller had adorable lolita-style dresses with custom fabric prints!

Tables filled with dozens of tiny shoes for your doll!

One seller also specialize in doll wigs!  Most BJD do not come with rooted hair, they come blank and bald so it is up to you to transform them into what you wish!

 One seller had a table of Licca-chan dolls for sale from Japan!  She is a popular fashion doll like Barbie and is popular in Korea (and in small numbers sold at the toy stores here) even though Korea has its own fashion doll version called “Mimi”

They also had a table of Sylvanian Families!!  I used to collect these as a kid and they are actually still sold here in Korea!

 

Even spotted a seller that had Korean hanboks for the dolls!

Korea Shopping Haul ♥

 

Of c0urse I could not make it out without buying at least ONE thing, it was too painful!  Thankfully the seller I had been admiring the whole event had a few beautiful dresses still available (most had sold out) for a price I was willing to pay as a casual collector.

Her dresses are amazing, and I think I will end up having to feature her shop soon on this blog *_* I cant help myself.

Currently I own a Blythe Doll “Madam Rosebud” that I bought a few years ago because I was a big fan of the Blythe Photography Books.  This is the doll that is the model on the “Freshlight” hair dye here in Korea and Japan that I featured HERE .

She is not a BJD, but still falls in the same circle of fans as the other dolls so the sellers offer clothing sized for her!  When you pull a string on the back of her head, her eyes shift direction and color~ I love her!

Check out the detail and all the layers she made and how carefully the lace is used. It is so beautiful, and I am so happy I had a doll to actually put this on hehe

fits the doll perfectly!

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Have you ever been to a doll expo before? Do you like collecting dolls like these or a Korean doll in particular? Share in the comments down below!