Pullip
Pullip is a doll created by the Korean company Chunsang Chunha and marketed by JUN Planning of Japan. First released in 2003, Pullip is distinguished by her over-sized head (most likely inspired by the popular Blythe doll) and highly articulated body. Pullip also has a unique eye mechanism that allows her eyes to move back and forth and wink via controls on the back of her head. Each doll comes with a unique outfit and accessories, and later dolls have trading cards and a stand. Another defining feature of this line of dolls are the posters, which always end with the line "...Feel Like So", which many people have referenced in various forums and sites.
Early dolls had Marmit-type bodies with visible screws. The first three dolls (Moon, Street and Wind) have weak necks that easily snap, especially in transport, though this was remedied with later releases. Starting in December 2003 with the release of Venus, Pullips had a new body that was lighter with no visible screws, a soft torso, and joints that can be pulled apart. Although with the release of Lan Ake and Lan Ai in 2005, a newer body was created with hard plastic (no soft torso) and hinged wrists. Since Arietta was released in March of 2004, all dolls have been wigged as opposed to the earlier releases with rooted hair. From the first year, 2003, to 2006 a number of exclusive editions were released to Singapore and Japanese stores as well as directly from Jun Planning. These include Magmma Heritage exclusive, Bianca, Oren and Mitzi Pullip dolls. In 2007, the first US exlcusive, Haute, was released.
The following is the "official" profile that comes with each doll.
PULLIP Profile
Family profile: Dad - Korea and a diplomat. Mom - Italian and an interior designer. Younger 15- year old brother aspires to be a soccer player.
Hobbies: Watching movies & musicals, shopping, yoga, and finding tasty oyster bars. Favorite type of boy: Jude Law
Personality: Very energetic, positive outlook of life and outgoing. Loves garish clothes though.
Occupation: Private high school student, Belongs to the Drama club
Address: Milan/ Italy
Age: 17 (Born in May, Gemini)
Blood Type: O Type
Home City: Korea (brought up in Italy)
Popularity
Pullips have become increasingly popular worldwide, mostly through exposure on the Internet. Like the larger and more expensive Ball-jointed doll, the dolls are easily customizable, with many buyers replacing wigs, bodies, and changing eye color and make-up. The larger heads allow for more facial detail, like the ball jointed dolls, but the bodies are the size of a standard play-scale doll and can easily wear clothing from Barbie, Jenny, or other fashion dolls. Pullips are highly articulated and can be posed in many realistic positions which, coupled with the moving eyes make them more expressive than most dolls their size. This expressiveness has made them a popular subject for amateur photography and photo illustrated short stories called 'pic-fics'.
While the dolls have always been described as having anime-styled faces, in 2006 Jun Planning began releasing licensed anime dolls off of the characters of the popular Rozen Maiden series.
Customizing
Pullip dolls can customized or personalized to the owner's taste with relative ease. The head and eye mechanism can be taken apart with a simple screw driver, much more easily than Blythe dolls, or even Barbie. Customizations range from wig changing, body changing and eye changing to 'new' dolls with completely new designs from makeup and hair to elaborate costumes. Jun Planning authorized a Pullip Magazine that was devoted largely to customizing, which included doll patterns and instructions for changing eyes, hair, and makeup. Custom dolls have been sold on auction websites for over $500 USD.
Exclusives
While the regular release of Pullip is 'limited' in that only a certain amount are made, this number is known only by the manufacturer. Occasionally a 'limited' pullip will be made in a quantity between 300 and 12000, each numbered with a certificate. Some stores that have had exclusives are Toys R Us Japan, Magma Heritage (in Singapore) and Haute Doll (in the United States). In early 2006 with the release of Fall Purezza, Jun Planning announced that it would no longer make exclusive dolls due to the dolls cutting in on the demand of the regular releases. They apparently changed their mind in early 2007 with the release of the first US store exclusive, Haute.
How do you pronounce "Pullip"?
According to the Chunsang Chunha and Jun Planning sites, Pullip is pronounced "Pool-leap" in both Korean and Japanese; Anglicized, this would be pronounced "Pool-lip". However, many foreign doll collectors are unaware of this, spawning pronounciations such as "Puhl-lip" (The first syllable reminiscent of the word "pulp"), and "Pull-lip" (The first syllable being pronounced like the English word "pull"). There is no "correct" pronounciation of "Pullip", and the name is pronounced as one prefers.
Controversies
The doll originally designed for July of 2005 was Beressa, a 'lady spy', who came with a black uniform and cap with gold braids and red details, including a red arm band and a pistol. Although no swastikas were visible on the doll (but suspected on the arm band) the striking resemblance of the uniform, as well as the design of the gun made it obvious to many that the doll was designed after a German SS officer uniform. The outcry from the public was such that, within a week, Jun Planning announced the cancellation of the doll out of respect for the 60th anniversary of the Holocaust. Lan, the doll that was to replace her, was delayed for a month and as such there was never a doll for July 2005.
Releases
These are the Pullip releases so far by date.
2003
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2004
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2005
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2006
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2007
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Little Pullip
Little Pullip is a miniature version of the original doll. Often called a 'mini', She stands approximately 4.5 inches tall, and lacks much of the articulation of the original doll. The eyes do not move or blink. Most of the editions of Little Pullip have been miniature copies of previously released dolls. Some dolls have been unique to Little Pullip, and with one exception a Little Pullip was later made into a full-sized doll (Paja). Despite their small size and limitations, Little Pullips are also customizable, with the ability to be re-wigged, re-'chipped' (the term 'chipping' refers to the replacement of the eyes with different styles and colors), and have new makeup painted on their faces. Little Pullip dolls are rumored to be discontinued due to the unenthusiastic response from collectors, though there are a small grouping of devout Little Pullip collectors and customizers, as their cheaper price allows wider availability.
Namu & Taeyang
Namu
The Namu Doll is the first male counterpart created for Pullip. Sometimes friend, sometimes boyfriend, Namu was retired in May 2005, when he and Pullip 'broke up' (according to the company). Namu had all of the head and body articulation of Pullip, from moveable eyes to a fully articulated body. However, Namu, but was not very popular. While this has been attributed to many things, from poor face painting to the face sculpt, the eventual result was that the Namu doll was discontinued. Over a year later, a completely different male doll was released to become Pullip's new boyfriend.
TaeYang
Pullip's second male counterpart is TaeYang who was introduced in 2006. His facial features are more realistic than the Namu doll, but otherwise they are identical in body and head articulation. He's profiled as having a 13 year old younger sister, Dal. Taeyang is released on a bimonthly basis, and has much better sales than his predecessor.
Dal
Dal Doll is Taeyang's 13 year old little sister who considers Pullip as her 'rival'. Like Pullip and Taeyang, her body is also articulated, and her eyes move from side to side but do not blink. As Pullip is approximately the same size as Fashion Dolls such as Barbie and Jenny, Dal is similar in size to 'little sister' type dolls, such as Skipper and Licca. She has a very unique face sculpt, with a profound 'pouty' look due to her small, frowning mouth with a large lower lip and wide, angled eyes. Dal is 26.3cm in height and is released on a bimonthly bases.