Cotton Dolls Are New Favorites

In recent years,a kind of doll called "cotton doll" has gradually appeared in people's field of vision.After blind box dolls and BJD (ball joint dolls),some young people began to raise cotton dolls.The reporter learned that cotton dolls are generally divided into two categories:"without attributes"and"with attributes".Although the price is not as good as that of BJD,young people are still willing to participate.From grouping to modification to formal production customization,the production process of cotton dolls is complicated.The popularity of cotton dolls has caused a boom in the doll clothing and doll accessories industry.Cotton doll franchise stores have appeared in various cities one after another,and doll fashion shows have been held in the doll raising circle.

 

Post-00s child-raising enthusiasts:Babies are not expensive,they entered the circle because of love

 

Cotton dolls were initially popular in Korean fans circle culture.This kind of "cute" doll has developed a unique business model with the help of new consumption,and quickly occupied the wallets of young people.Cotton dolls officially became popular in 2018.As of now,there have been more than 70 super-talks about cotton dolls on Weibo,and 11 topics with a reading volume of more than 30 million.There are 15,000 posts about cotton dolls in Tieba.

 

The 19-year-old Xiaohan is a member of the family that raises the baby.The reason for attracting her to become a baby mother is very simple.The baby is "cute" enough and her wallet is affordable.She told reporters that most people started to enter the pit based on the above two points,and after they really entered,they experienced the whole process of "raising a baby" and were deeply attracted.

 

Xiaohan told reporters that the audience of cotton dolls is mainly the post-00s and some post-90s,whether it is the student party or the ordinary working class,raising a baby will not cause them too much burden,"The price of cotton dolls is not expensive.The price of an ordinary doll is around 60 to 70 yuan,and it may be more than 100 yuan if it is higher.Very expensive dolls are rare,and not many people buy them."Since the second half of last year,Xiaohan has more than a dozen cotton dolls in the collection,and the average price is about tens of yuan.

 

From Xiaohan,the reporter learned that the types of cotton dolls are roughly divided into two categories:attribute dolls and non-attribute dolls.Attribute dolls refer to dolls made according to the shape of stars,animation characters, etc.,which can be generally understood as being made according to well-known characters.Relatively speaking,no attributes do not have these characteristics.In terms of price,the price of attribute dolls is higher.By searching for cotton dolls on the online shopping platform,the reporter found that most of the cotton dolls on sale have no attributes,and they are all finished products when they are sold.

 

Young people in the doll circle divide the hair shape of the doll into "ordinary hair" and "fried hair"according to the shape,and the material is divided into milk silk and high-temperature silk.Usually,milk silk is more expensive because of its softness.In addition, there are a lot of "slang words" in the circle."Air baby" means that the payment has not yet been received,and "naked baby" refers to the doll who has not bought clothes.

 

The "birth" steps of the doll are cumbersome,and the experience of "raising a baby" is full

 

With big eyes and a chubby body,cotton dolls have such a "cute"appearance.In order to pursue individuality,many young people have not only satisfied a single aesthetic,some people have begun to design the appearance of dolls by themselves,and now "grouping" to customize dolls with attributes has become a more popular way among young people.

 

In Cotton Doll's post bar,there are some posts with the words"number tune"and"group".After joining the group chat,it means that you have joined the army of "together baby".The reporter joined the QQ group.The group stipulates that the lower limit for a successful group is 50 people.There are doll images designed by "baby mama" in the group album.During group chat,each group member can propose changes opinions to the doll design.

 

Through communication with the group owner,the reporter learned that the process of the baby's "birth" is very complicated.The person in charge of the baby's birth is usually called the baby's mother.The doll mother usually draws the doll sketches by herself or with an artist,is in charge of the group,and contacts the factory that makes the doll.The act of forming a team of together babies is called opening a group.Before the actual production of the doll,a quantity survey and a deposit must be paid.

 

In the group,all the costs of producing dolls are borne equally by the group members,including design costs and production costs.The more people there are,the cheaper the dolls are.There are many factories for custom-made dolls.When choosing,the group owner will try to choose manufacturers with high cost performance.When the order quantity is too low, the manufacturer will not accept the order.

 

"Can the ears be made to be removed?It is convenient to buy a hat later","Can the tail also be removed?"... Many group members are putting forward suggestions for revisions.This is an important part of the doll before forming a group,called the number of tunes."During the number of tuning,everyone can freely make suggestions.Everyone's aesthetics are different,and the revisions are only some general directions",the group owner introduced.

 

The process after entering the official mass production is called "big goods".Before the large goods,one or several proofings are carried out.After the large goods are produced,some baby mothers will open a new purchase link to buy dolls after the samples are produced.Generally, the full price is purchased.The second purchase after sampling is usually a few more expensive.

 

"I am also a baby mother for the first time, but the sense of participation is higher."The group owner said that the development time of cotton dolls is not fixed,and the time can reach three or four months.Although it is tedious,the sense of achievement and satisfaction after forming a group The feeling is also obvious,which is why many young people are willing to be "baby mothers".

 

The emergence of industrial chains such as "baby clothes" and "accessories"

 

The reporter learned that the price of most customized dolls is within 100 yuan.However,Xiaofeng,an insider,revealed that the prices of some "star" attributes have been sought after by fans in the past two years,resulting in a serious premium."Some doll mothers will advertise that they have connections with the studio,and the dolls they produce are big and profitable,and they limit the number of dolls,so they can be fired up."He said that the price of a star cotton doll can be fired up to tens of thousands of yuan.

 

The rise of cotton dolls has also spawned related industrial chains such as "baby clothes" and "accessories".On a second-hand trading platform,there are many merchants who make baby clothes.One of the shopkeepers revealed that the most popular baby clothes at present are the same styles of stars,and the price of mass production is not high,and each set does not exceed 50 yuan.Compared with the factory model,the price of the handmade model is higher.Because the size of the cotton doll is fixed,the size of the doll is universal,and the doll is easy to change hands.The price of some hand-made baby clothes is even more expensive than the doll itself,and the sale of popular baby clothes even requires a lot of speed.

 

Not only online,cotton doll physical stores are emerging in various cities one after another.The number of cotton baby shops in Beijing and Shanghai has gradually increased in recent years.Doll accessories such as glasses,collars,head ropes etc.are becoming more and more abundant.When you enter the store,you can buy dolls and all other accessories in one stop.It is a paradise for doll lovers.

 

In the second half of last year,Hangzhou held the first cotton doll fashion show in China,using stop-motion animation to make the cotton doll move.From January to December last year,the search volume of cotton dolls on Taobao was 8 times that of the same period of the previous year,and the sales volume was nearly 10 times that of the same period of the previous year,the fastest growth among all the two-dimensional categories.

 

"Like BJD,the industry chain related to cotton dolls has become more and more perfect,and some people have turned from pure hobbies to practitioners."Some insiders said that cotton dolls are now being loved by more and more people and have broad prospects."From the perspective of the current market,dolls with attributes such as national trends and co-branded styles will be more popular in the future,and stores are also actively creating brands and features,leading young people to set off a new round of consumption trends."


Post time: Aug-05-2022