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Doll words explained
Collectors use a lot of shorthand. Here is every word on this site you might might trip over, in one place.
The doll itself
BJDball-jointed dollA doll whose limbs are held together by an elastic cord through ball-shaped joints, so it can be posed like a tiny person. All Meadowdolls are BJDs.
ResinThe hard, slightly translucent plastic the dolls are cast in. It looks like skin in good light, takes paint well, and can be sanded. Not a toy material: it chips if dropped.
CastingPouring liquid resin into moulds made from Miroslava's original sculpture. Done by the casting studio, one doll at a time.
StringingThreading the elastic through the body and limbs so the doll holds a pose. Dolls arrive strung and ready.
FaceupThe painted face: eyebrows, lashes, lips, blush. A factory faceup is painted by the studio to Miroslava's sample and is included in the price. An artist faceup is a one-of-a-kind painting, ordered as an extra.
BlankA doll with no faceup at all, for collectors who paint themselves or send the doll to their own artist.
FrecklesPainted by Miroslava herself on dolls that pass through Sweden. "Freckled" dolls ship a week or two after the plain ones.
Wig assistersSmall sculpted hair-shaped hooks on the head that stop wigs sliding off. On all dolls made after January 2020.
Eye sizeThe diameter of the glass or resin eyes, in millimetres. Every doll page lists it. Buy the size on the page or the eyes will not sit right.
Wig sizeHead circumference in inches, written as a range such as 5/6. Also on every doll page.
Headback stampThe Meadowdolls logo and the doll's name moulded into the back of the head.
SculptOne doll design, such as Nala or Tia. The same sculpt can be released several times in different colours.
Sizes
Nine families, from the tiniest to the largest. Each has its own clothes and eye sizes, so the family name is the first thing to know about any doll.
Sprout12 cm · 4.7 in
Twinkle16 cm · 6.3 in
Chibbi19.5 cm · 7.7 in
Dumpling28 cm · 11 in
Tween34 cm · 13.4 in
Moppet38 cm · 15 in
MSD44 cm · 17.3 in
BB46 cm · 18 in
LL53 cm · 20.9 in
MSD is a hobby-wide term for dolls around 40 to 45 cm. BB and LL are Meadowdolls' own names for the two big families. Dumplings are chubby, Tweens slim and realistic. See them side by side →
Colours
Six resin colours come back again and again. The colour is always in the title of a preorder, for example "Tween Nala · Cream". Each sculpt is usually offered in two colours per preorder.
Fair
Cream
Honey
Sunkissed
Tan
Chocolate
Fair is the palest and Chocolate the deepest. Darker resins take longer to paint in humid weather, which is one reason a preorder can run late. Real photos of all colours →
Buying
PreorderThe three-week window when a doll can be ordered. Nothing is kept in stock, so this is how every Meadowdoll is bought. The doll is made after the window closes and arrives 9 to 12 months later.
Handling fee€150 that is part of every doll price. It pays for placing your order with the studio, and it is the only part you lose if you cancel after the preorder has closed.
LayawayPaying in two or three parts instead of all at once. The first part at order time, the rest by PayPal invoice at 4 months, or at 3 and 6 months for LL, BB and Moppet dolls.
InvoiceA PayPal payment request we send you for each layaway part. You have 15 days to pay it.
Extra dolls / in-stock saleNow and then a few dolls are left over after a preorder. They are sold here at once, announced in the Fan Club, and ship right away.
Second-handCollectors sell dolls to each other in the Fan Club. Meadowdolls is not involved in those sales.
Fan ClubThe Meadowdolls Facebook group: news, preorder announcements, contests, owner photos, help with clothes and eyes. Join here.
Doll showsFairs where makers and collectors meet. Meadowdolls has shown at LDOLL in France, MDCC in the USA, IDTS and in Prague.
Shipping
Direct from the factoryDolls going outside the EU ship from Hong Kong straight to you, by FedEx, UPS, DHL or EMS. Faster, but you pay your country's customs duty.
Via SwedenDolls for the EU come to Miroslava first. She pays customs and VAT, adds freckles if ordered, and posts the doll to you. A few weeks slower, no surprise fees.
Tracking helpersThree volunteer collectors who look up your tracking number once a batch has shipped. One for Russia, one for the USA and Canada, one for everywhere else.
CustomsImport tax your country may charge on a parcel from outside it. Inside the EU, Meadowdolls has already paid it. Outside the EU, it is yours.