Doll Sizes

Ball-jointed dolls are available in a huge variety of not only different heights, but proportions, style, and scale. Many doll creators collectively try to keep to some standard body sizing to make shopping for clothing and accessories that fit easier for their buyers, but plenty of creators will create something completely new within the BJD market.

The most common and popular doll heights tend to be between 20cm to 70cm (7.9in to 27.5in), though there is certainly still a variety of dolls both smaller and larger.

A size chart of dolls. — A size chart of VOLKS dolls.

Within the community, there are a number of colloquial terms used when referring to a general size of doll. The most common terms are: Tiny, Mini, Large, YoSD, MSD, SD, as well as using a loose version of the scale system often used for miniatures (ie, 1/6, 1/4, 1/3, etc). It must be noted that when miniature scale is used, it is in reference to the general height of a doll rather than what their actual scale is compared to the average person like it normally is when dealing with miniatures.

1/6 Tiny (39cm & shorter)[]

Tiny or Tinies (most often referring to 26cm 1/6 dolls, or YOSD's) can generally refer to any doll that is 39cm and shorter. However, dolls on the taller end of the height spectrum may count as minis; it depends on the specific doll (for instance, a Moe-line MiniFee at 38cm tall is considered Mini because its proportions are similar to the majority of Mini dolls). On this wiki we use Tiny to categorize dolls that are between 21cm and 39cm in height.

Tinies are commonly made to appear child-like, though there is a slowly growing market for mature-styled dolls in this size.

On China-based markets, 6分 is a search term that can be used to find dolls and clothing/accessories this size, which translates to “6 points” in English.

Tiny dolls 21cm-39cm height range can be found in the Tiny category.

1/12: Micro (20cm & shorter)[]

1/12 dolls are incredibly small at 20cm (7.9in) and shorter. Most often found to be child-like or fantasy styled (such as FairyLand’s Realpuki.)

Micro is a term used specifically by the BJD Wiki to categorize Tinies that are 15cm and shorter.

Examples of dolls in this height range can be found here.

1/8: Tinies (15.5cm - 20cm)[]

1/8 Tines are a popular size, often depicting child-like or chibi-like dolls. Dolls at this size range often share a skinnier body type than small 1/6. The are often too skinny to fill out small 1/6 clothing. When searching for clothing typing in 1/8, Pukifee, or Lati Yellow may yield results.

Examples of dolls that fall in this size would be Luts Tiny Delf, Fairyland Pukifee, and Latidoll Lati Yellow

Small 1/6 (22cm)[]

Small 1/6 (6分小 and 六分小 in Chinese; often translated to English as “small six points”) or big fish (大鱼 in Chinese) are shorter versions of 1/6 scale child-like dolls, usually closer to 22cm in height instead of the standard 25-27cm range.

The Chinese artist behind YuyuDoll popularized the size after the release of their Dada and Didi sculpts with a body called Big Fish. Numerous doll makers, clothing and accessory makers have joined in to expand the available options for collecting. Often the goal behind the size is to provide a shorter and younger looking version for doll heads that would be considered YoSD. Bodies are compatible with many 1/6 scale heads and may be compatible with 1/6 clothing and accessories. This creates a cute baggy or oversized look.

Although preceding YuyuDoll, examples of a doll in this scale is Fairyland’s LittleFee Baby.

YOSD (25-27cm)[]

This is an acronym for the Yo Super Dollfie 1/6 doll line created by VOLKS, and it is used by the community to describe any doll line sharing its child-like proportions and 25-27cm height range (give or take a few centimeters depending on the doll itself). Due to VOLKS being one of the first companies to popularize BJDs as we know them today, terms and names for their own products are used as generic terms (similar to how the Kleenex brand name is used when referencing any tissue product). YoSD is the proper way to write the acronym when referring to VOLKS brand dolls, but when generically used, yosd or YOSD is commonly seen.

Examples of dolls considered yosd by the community are: FairyLand LittleFee, Haru Casting Tiny.

1/5 (30cm-36cm)[]

1/5 dolls (5分 and 五分 in Chinese; often translated to English as “five points”) are taller versions of 1/6 scale child-like dolls, usually between 30cm-36cm.

Although dolls have been released meeting these parameters like Alchemic Labo's Unoa Chibi, the size became more accessible after the popularity of Miadoll's Koi release. This triggered other doll makers and artisans to make Koi compatible bodies, clothing, and accessories expanding the available options for the size range as a whole. Bodies in this size are compatible with doll heads considered YoSD. Doll bodies may be compatible with 1/6 clothing and accessories, the caveat being long sleeves and pants appear shorter.

Slim Tiny[]

A slim tiny is a doll in this size range that has slimmer than average measurements. They’re usually either styled to look like older kid counterparts for mature minis, or adult-like.

Mature Tiny[]

A mature tiny is simply a doll within the tiny height range that is sculpted with adult-like proportions (whereas most tinies are made to look like toddlers and children). Mature tinies may have smaller heads to achieve adult proportions.

1/4: Mini (40cm-49cm)[]

A 1/4 doll (also often referred to as a Mini and MSD) is a doll that falls into the 40cm to 49cm (15.7in to 19.3in) height range, give or take a few centimeters depending on the individual doll.

While in the past dolls of this size were usually designed to be child-like counterparts to larger dolls in the 60cm (23.6in) and over height range, over the years more and more dolls have been created by many different artists and companies that are stylized to appear more adult-like.

On China-based markets, 4分 is a search term that can be used to find dolls and clothing/accessories this size, which translates to “4 points” in English.

Examples of minis can be found here.

Big Baby (BB)[]

Big Baby refers to dolls that fall within the common mini or 1/4 height range but are more chubby and baby like. The head and neck size often share similar measurements to 1/3 dolls, making their bodies not ideal for hybrids with the majority of mini dolls. Instead, they can be a way to make a younger character of a 1/3 sculpt.

MSD[]

MSD is an acronym of Mini Super Dollfie, another VOLKS doll line name that has been used as a generic term by the community to refer to any dolls within the Mini height range.

Standard Mini[]

A standard mini is a doll that shares similar measurements to VOLKS MSDs. Standard minis are often styled to look like children, however this isn’t always the case; some may be styled to be plus-sized teens/adults, or simply muscle-y.

Slim Mini[]

The term slim mini refers to a mini doll that has slimmer measurements than that of the standard mini. For a doll to be considered a slim mini they simply must have measurements that are similar/comparable to Alchemic Labo Unoa or a FairyLand MiniFee (some of the first types of slim minis to be released on the BJD market).

These dolls usually look out of scale with most 1/3 sized dolls due to their smaller proportions (whereas standard minis are made to be a bit chunkier and look like children next to larger dolls), but this can be highly dependent on the stylization of the two dolls if they’ll mix in together well.

Because of their smaller size, they don’t usually fit well in standard mini clothing. Using search terms like “slim mini”, “Unoa”, or even “MiniFee” will usually yield the best results for clothing that’ll fit these dolls.

A similar doll term to slim mini is mature mini, which is sometimes used interchangeably with slim mini since they have a lot of crossover with each other.

More examples of slim minis:

Bimong 1/4 Narin and Narae
Dreaming Doll Little Elva
ResinSoul Minis
Supiadoll MiniSup

Mature Mini[]

A mature mini is a doll with an adult-like body type (as opposed to the usually more childlike standard minis).

Many dolls that are considered slim minis can also be counted as a mature mini, but not all; the way the doll itself is styled will dictate what term(s) should be used to describe it. On that note, not all mature minis can be considered as slim minis since their measurements have a wide range and sometimes they’re even bigger than standard minis. This term is mainly just a way to easily describe the general stylization of dolls of this size range.

Examples of mature minis:

Alchemic Labo Unoa and Unoa Elder
FairyLand’s FairyLine, MiniFee and ChicLine
Haru Casting’s Minis
Iplehouse’s JID and FID

1/3: Large (50cm & larger)[]

A 1/3 doll (often also referred to as SD) is any doll that is 50cm (19.7in) and taller. Depending on the height and proportions of the doll, 1:2 and even 1:1 can also be used. The term Large isn’t as widely used within the community and is more for categorizing purposes.

On China-based markets, 3分 is a search term that can be used to find dolls and clothing/accessories this size, which translates to “3 points” in English.

On this wiki we use Large to categorize dolls in the 50cm-79cm height range.

Examples of Large dolls can be found here.

Extra Large (80cm & larger)[]

This is a term used specifically by the BJD Wiki to categorize Large dolls that are 80cm (31.5in) and taller.

Examples of these dolls can be found here.

SD[]

SD is an acronym of Super Dollfie, another doll line from VOLKS turned into a generic term within the BJD community. This term is often used to refer to any doll that is 60cm and taller (though the actual Super Dollfies are generally only within the 55cm to 65cm height range).

Hound[]

Hound was a doll created by Dollshe Craft in the 2000s that was about 70cm (27.5in) in height with a tall and lanky build. At the time of this doll’s release, dolls in this height range were not seen often, so clothes and accessories were a scarcity to find on the market. Due to this, a number of seamstresses created and sold clothes for this specific doll, and the term caught on as a catch-all for any doll of this size and body build.

Dolls this size have grown more popular over the years, so this term is no longer in wide usage within the community.

Uncle[]

Within Chinese and other asian cultures, “uncle” (叔叔) is regularly used as a term of endearment/respect when referring to unrelated adult men (with auntie being for women).

This term trickled down to the Chinese doll community to refer to large male dolls within the 70cm to 75cm height range as a type of slang. It is often used for labeling dolls and clothes for sale on Chinese-centric marketplaces (such as Taobao).

In-Betweeners[]

There is a growing number of dolls that fall in-between the standard sizing of BJDs. These dolls usually fall right in the cusp points of each height range (39cm and 50cm, for example), and what dolls they match up well with completely depends on the individual doll or doll line.

For instance, due to the small size of their heads and face styles, the 51cm versions of the Rites of Passage boys look out-of-place with the more standard sized SDs, and more like taller counterparts to mature minis. Then you have the Zaoll girls from Dollmore that can mix well with standard minis as well as many styles of larger dolls.

Other popularly known dolls that fall in-between sizes are: DollsTown Elf, Souldoll Vito, Dust of Dolls Cham.

Fashion[]

A Fashion BJD is a colloquial term referring to dolls (most often in the Mini or Tiny sizes) with proportions/scale that are significantly different than what is usually found for their specific doll size.

Most often it is referring to those with small scale heads, but there are also dolls that fall under this term that have large heads and small bodies similar to Blythe or Pullip.

This style type tends to be popular among those that primarily collect fashion dolls due to matching scale with dolls they already buy.

See the Fashion category for more examples of these types of dolls.

Life Size[]

These are dolls that are significantly larger in proportions that what is normally found on the BJD market. Not all dolls that could be listed under this style type are 1:1 scale, but they generally are incredibly significant in sheer size compared to most other BJDs (and dolls in general).

Due to the sheer size and weight of these dolls, they tend to be incredibly expensive to not only make (specifically ones made from resin), but ship as well. Their weight also makes them incredibly difficult to handle for long periods of time.

While there are plenty of dolls in this size range that are purchasable, not all of them are created with selling in mind. Some companies and doll artists will sometimes create these super sized dolls to use as statement pieces within their stores or at convention booths to catch passersby eyes.

The term Life Size is specific to this wiki for categorizing purposes, so may not be found used in the larger BJD community.

Examples of dolls in this style can be found here.