~QT Monster~

Aimerai QT Monsters are a departure from the naturalistic human and anthro cat dolls the company previously released. The Enfield Horror is the newest creature, and more dolls are in various stages of completion at this time.

Q: Could you give me some background information on
the project?  Where did the initial idea come from?  Who is working on the project?  How long has it been in development?

A: QT Monsters was first thought up by Aimerai’s creator, Lindsey, around fall of last year. She noticed that most of the creatures focused on in the BJD world revolved around Asian or European folklore, so she wanted to give a little attention to all of the fascinating legends here in the United States. She wanted to open the line with small BJDs that any doll collector or folklore enthusiast could appreciate (or just lovers of cute creations).

The inspiration for the various monsters come from all of the different legends across the US. Locally, we have the legend of the Dogman. In Illinois, they have stories of the Enfield Horror while New Jersey has the Jersey Devil. Aimerai’s goal is to create as many of these creatures as we can to bring attention to some of the lessor known legends out there. We also wish to show new interpretations of favorites like Bigfoot and the Chupacabra.

Currently we have three more monsters in the works. Our lead sculptor has been working to release a new QT Monster this summer based on Lindsey’s concepts. She’s shared some of the work in progress photos of the Dogman, so we expect his release to be soon. If this line becomes a success, Aimerai hopes to expand beyond just the pet sizes and create larger dolls. So hopefully their will be even more endless possibilities with QT Monsters in the future.

Q: So the sculptor that has designed the other dolls for Aimerai is working on the QT Series?

A: Yes, the same sculptor who made the other Aimerai dolls made the QT Monsters as well. There were a couple interns with the studio who have been assisting her, though I do not know to what extent. Lindsey intended the QT Monster line be a starting block for the interns to practice making BJDs with our lead sculptor.

Q: Why are they called QT Monsters?

A: They are called QT Monsters as a play on the word “Cutie”. The Q and T don’t actually stand for anything.

Q: Do you plan to release new ones on a schedule?

A: There isn’t a set schedule for release yet, but right now they’re not going to be released all at once like Aimerai’s past dolls have been. Though four initial monsters were designed at the same time, we felt it better to announce them as they were individually finished.

Q: Will they all be around the same size range, or will they vary?

A: The four new dolls (that include the Enfield Horror and Dogman) will all generally be the same size range. We have a new line of special 26mm “cartoon” acrylic eyes released with Enfield Horror that are interchangeable amongst the upcoming QT Monsters. So the current plan is to have QT Monsters with 14-16cm dimensions and 26mm eyes. We hope the current size range will only be the beginning of many more sizes to come, though.

Q: Is there anything you can think of that hasn’t been covered that you would like to add?

A: Right now we have the Michigan Dogman in pre-production stage. He just needs to have some finalized photos and painting choices before he is released. After him will be the Jersey Devil. That doll is about to be sent to our casting agency after the resin color is decided. We’re experimenting with some brown and red coloration for the Jersey Devil, so we are very excited to see what the final resin color will be. There is still one doll going through the final sculpting stage, so we don’t have any photos yet we can share until the sculpting phase is complete. I can confirm this fourth QT Monster will be a Yeti, though.

More dolls for the QT line are in production, but instead of QT Monsters, they’re going to be QT Kids. These will be tiny event dolls offered for a limited time to be companions to the QT Monsters. They are still in their early sculpting phases, so that may change. Hopefully, we will be able to offer more information about these new dolls once all of the Monsters are released.

Images (above from top): Concept sketch of Enfield Horror, Eyes from Aimerai for QT Monsters

Aimerai

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