Chinese BJD manufacturer Domuya has just released the first of a series of dolls related to environmental concerns. The dolls are the culmination of a months-long endeavor to create dolls that are not only beautiful and unique, but also tied to a message of environmental awareness. According to the company spokesperson Candy, “This theme – “Dolls’ Life Project” has interested many of us because it is a theme that is close to everyone’s heart. Everyone has been educated, has known, has worked and has done their part in trying to make our planet Earth a better place to live in. Some way or another, we have done our part to minimize further damage to her, and we are grateful to all people behind this project who has given their love and making an idea to reality.”
The inspiration for the dolls originated in a stay at an Omni Hotel when Candy was attending the Ball Jointed Doll Convention in September 2008. The hotel had soap beautifully wrapped in recycled paper. Other earth friendly touches were found in her room as well. On returning to Domuya, She met with the Domuya Research and Design team to discuss designing a series of dolls with environmental messages. “Everyday in our lives, we were faced with messages that informed us to “Recycle, Reuse and Reduce”; movies and books are also being released with all the possibility of how our future Mother Earth will be like in 20xx years with all the damages that we are inducing to her. So as we fear what the future will be, we thought, why not lets do our little part and bring the Green World Messages into our dolly world!” A special doll was eventually designed that was different from the company’s Signature Flexi Body and Flexi Perennial body. The Drui is the company’s first special Life Project Doll.
Domuya has included a story about the Drui:
Once upon a time, there was an unknown rain forest on Earth, in it lives a tribe of magical creature, which were believed to be formed from the seeds. These are not any ordinary seeds, but seeds of hope. These seeds do not look uncommon, they go through the standard of process from seedlings to saplings to trees….but they do not stop there. They will then take on the final form of The Drui, protecting all living creatures in the forest, they tapped the life energy emitted from the forest, the more trees in the area, the longer they can maintain in their Drui form. The Drui are living happily in the forest until humans’ excessive deforestation and a lack of concern for forest management, destroyed their home bit by bit, day by day. As their environmental climate changes, no longer can it provide enough life energy for The Drui, thus not only losing their habitat, they are reverting to their original form.
Before more and more of them suffer in the forest, please start your adoption today. Save them!
The full Droi story is included in the doll’s own mini-website. A portion of the funds from the sale of the doll will go to an organization called Green World Campaign for planting seedlings in Kenya.
Candy agreed to answer a few additional questions about the series.
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Q:Will you will make some of the Life Project dolls in full size or tiny size?
We have intended to make these series of “Earth Friendly” dolls with the same body and in the 
same size. With each different messenger, they will come with different characteristic parts, hair and face.
Well, we do not intend to make it full size at all. But I think tiny size might be a good suggestion! But I think, we’ll probably make tiny dolls for some different themes or other special characters.
Q:Does the series have an already-planned number of dolls? Will it only run for a certain amount of time?
For this series, we have intended to release 6 different versions and each of them will be released on a monthly basis. There will be a 7th Special Edition doll being available only for customers who have purchased all 6 of them.
Drui is being sold for a month long without a fixed quantity limited to him since he is the first to introduce this new series we have brought for the doll collectors. But for the future releases, my company has the intention to fix the quantity to a limited edition of 20-30 pieces less those who have already subscribed to the series.
Q:Will the dolls all be sold as full-sets with outfits, face painting, and accessories, or as a basic doll with options?
For D1-44, we have 2 categories. One is the standard edition and one is the limited edition. For the “Life Project” messenger dolls, these will be under the Limited Edition whereby, they will include whatever that is released with the image. For example, Drui in this instance, it will include the “special parts” – those of the tree trunk parts and the sculpted hair. Faceup and body blushing is also included in the selling price.
If any of our future releases does include outfits, I am sure it will also be included for the limited editions. For standard edition, it will be just the basic dolls and any other optional parts will be added on by the owner’s discretion.
Q: How did you choose the Green world Campaign?
Well, based on the theme of doll, we will choose suitable organizations to do our little part towards the environment. Hence, in this case, it is about excessive deforestation and the harming of natural habitat of those living in the forest, we have searched and find that Green World Campaign is the most suited to what we are working on and it is just perfect to plant seeds and we would love to call them “Seeds of Hope”!
Q: Can you reveal hints of future dolls? I know a mermaid is planned for the next doll
Mermaid is the next release for our “Life Project”. Well, the message she wants to deliver is that Sea Pollution is damaging her Habitat and that many more Marine lives are in danger because of these irresponsible acts by human. And more of the details and story will follow suit.
Well, what is next with the 3rd (to the) Special Edition, at this moment, I am sorry that I cannot provide any more information. I can only do a sneak preview of the next each time. Hence, for the 3rd Edition, I am sure the next messenger will make her appearance after Mermaid. *Laughing*
Well, for those who are interested in greater details, (go to) the mini-site to follow on the story of Drui and future releases for “Life Project”
For those interested in being a fan of Domuya, please follow us at our Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Domuya/28124655619?ref=nf
Team Members of Domuya Life Project:
(1) Candy as the Spark
(2) Jacky as the R&D Team Leader
(3) Eage as the Face Sculptor
(4) Wills as the Body Sculptor
(5) Iona as the Faceup Artist
(6) Ray as the Photographer
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Domuya Life Project Gallery Album
Domuya Dolls are available through Domuya and also through the following Retailers:
USA Region
The Doll Peddlar
Lone Star Dolls
Netherlands
Think Pink
We will be covering the full series of Life Project Dolls on this website. More pictures will be added to the Domuya Life Project Galley Album as dolls are released.
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