At the beginning of this year, DollPamm made the leap to large BJDs with the release of Neo Line Canna and Olive. They are large 1/3 girls, 68cm tall with flat feet and 70cm with heel feet. All of the company’s dolls are created and cast by the artist Dr. Mez.
Canna Unboxing:
My highly anticipated doll Canna arrived! I was so excited that without thinking I opened her outer box, and ignoring the candy and treats at the bottom, began ripping off the layers of foam and bubble-wrap from around the inner box. I quickly located her glass eyes packed in a side pocket in the foam surrounding the doll and installed them. Just when I was about to remove the additional foam wraps from her body, I realized I had forgotten to take any photos! … so I reluctantly put her back in her box before I went further in order to properly document her packaging.
So here she is. This doll is a very buxom and curvy girl, and she has quite a presence! My doll is cast in white resin. Canna’s face-protector is actually a half of a plastic cup and foam sheets, but it does the job.
Once I removed all of the protective foam strips, I tried to stand Canna. Unlike most of the dolls I own, however, Canna couldn’t stand well on her own. I live in an antique house and the floors are definitely not level which probably didn’t help, but Canna also has small feet for her size so she can fit in most standard size shoes, plus she has a lot of weight in her torso. I am sure that those were also contributing factors.
Being wobbly on her feet was modestly disappointing, but Canna soon proved herself to be quite a capable poser in many other ways.
Face-up, Eyes, Wigs:
Like all of DollPamm’s face-ups, my Canna is painted by her creator, Dr. Mez. Her eyelids are painted a coppery color, and her mouth has painted teeth. As you can see by the photos below, Cannas head can easily be tilted to make her mouth appear closed or open.
Her glass eyes are beautiful. Her eyes are very large. The eyes look almost black, but when the light hits them right, you can see blue sparkles inside.
This girl has a pretty big head! I had only one wig that fit well, an older Jpop one that conveniently matched her eye shadow. She will probably fit best in a 9/10″ wig or a very stretchy 8/9.
Arms:
Canna’s arms and hands had no trouble reaching up, behind, in front and all around. The center of the joint has a raised dimpled elbow. Canna’s fingers pose dramatically and each finger is carefully rendered. She begs for a manicure!
Legs:
The double knee joints also work very well. Here you can see the profile of her molded kneecap. Note that some parting lines (like the line on the thigh below) are visible on the doll.
The leg when in a full double bend folds the calf close to the thigh.
The top of the thigh has a thigh joint that allows the leg to pivot and to allow more sophisticated posing. If you look at the top of the thigh in the photo below, you can see that it holds it’s place in the hip socket due to a raised bump where it meets the leg socket. (Follow the faint casting line on the top of the leg to the raised area.)
Now, when the lower thigh is pulled out of the upper thigh, the interior of the upper thigh can be seen. This part is well thought out. First, if you look at the rims of both parts, there are rectangular raised areas that correspond to indentations on the top part of the leg. These lock the leg in place and keep the lower leg from moving unintentionally when a firm stance is desired. The part inside the leg has a shelf that allows the lower thigh to balance on it and not slip.
The photos below show how the the thigh looks when this joint is used in a pose:
The legs stayed put when I positioned them. They did not kick or shift.
Torso joint:
There is an upper chest joint to Canna’s torso. This joint is very flexible. There are rests on the front and the back to keep the upper part from slipping out of position. The upper piece also moves successfully from side-to-side and stays in position.
A common problem with BJDs is the inability to sit without back support when torso joints are deployed. Canna does NOT have this problem.
The back view looks less aesthetically pleasing, but it would look natural under clothing.
Clothing and accessories:
I was surprised to learn that Canna can fit into many 1/3 size girl’s clothing. While her breasts are big, her ribcage is tapered and her waist is small. I tries her in an outfit created by seamstress Charie Wilson originally for an Impldoll Star line girl, and I had no trouble fitting it to her. One thing to remember when deciding on Canna’s wardrobe is the size of her hands. They will not fit through narrow sleeves, so they will have to be taken off to dress her in some costumes.
I ordered animal ears with my doll that were also painted by the artist. They attach by magnets that are taped or glued to the top of the head.
Conclusion:
Despite my inability to stand her on her own without a little support, I found Canna otherwise to be one of the most successful posers in my collection. Initially she appears to be an unusual size to find accessories for, but she actually can fit into many available wigs, eyes and clothing. Dr. Mez has created an extremely well thought out doll. I also am a fan of DollPamm’s distinctive aesthetic style. If you like Canna and purchase her, you will not be disappointed.
