A Briefing on Doll Material Types - TPE, Silicone, Fabric, and PVC

Preface

Originally, I planned to include this stub within every doll section but it got very detailed, so I decided to give it its own entry.

This post is for beginner doll owners and recommended for doll hobbyists, as I cover the underrated fabric dolls within here as well. They are not as well known or popular in the West but still wonderful and I do plan to get one as my next doll, so I want to bring more attention to them.

If you have any suggestions, find any mistakes, or wish to contest the information provided, please comment on the post. I will check the comments for the blog. I will do my best to provide accurate information based on my own research, what other doll owners tend to collectively agree on, and my own experiences with my doll.


TPE


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Doll pictured is by Aotume

The most common material that love dolls are made of. The feeling is closest to real skin when powdered properly.

Pros

  • Soft and velvety skin when powdered.
  • Far more affordable than silicone.
  • Recommended for sex due to handling stretching better than silicone.
  • It can retain your body temperature on the side that you are cuddling.
  • Heads typically have oral capabilities unless they are too small, as is the case with mini dolls.
  • If damage occurs, it can be repaired by yourself with basic tools with satisfactory results.

Cons

  • Requires more maintenance than silicone, such as entire body oiling every few months and frequent powdering to avoid dust and dirt.
  • Cumbersome to clean as they retain dirt more on the skin if not powdered.
  • Prone to staining with dark clothes.
  • Is prone to damage and scratches. Can be fragile. Handle with care.
  • The mold the doll is made of can't have as much detail as silicone, most notably with heads. Detail with TPE is achieved through make-up.
  • Can be heavy

Silicone


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Doll pictured is by Irokebijin


This material is becoming more popular and can have a more luxurious look than TPE. They can be very beautiful. It comes with a price tag, however.

Pros

  • Can be soft but with a firmer feel than TPE.
  • Recommended for realism and detail, as the molds are capable of imprinting carved detail unlike TPE.
  • Far less maintenance than TPE. Does not require oiling or powdering, although light powdering is recommended.
  • Easier to clean, as the dirt can be wiped easier.
  • A little more durable than TPE.
  • Not as prone to staining with dark clothes. Although both types of material can stain.

Cons

  • Far more expensive than TPE. The luxurious feel and look isn't just cosmetic.
  • May need to check with the manufacturer or vendor if the doll is recommended for sex if it's not explicitly stated. Silicone is harder and less flexible than TPE, so you can tear the doll and certain manufacturers actually do not recommend sex with some of their silicone dolls. The dolls are still sold as more of collector pieces and for photography. As I mentioned in the Getting Started post, these dolls have different purposes.
  • The very detailed heads tend to be very hard and do not offer oral capabilities. Some manufacturers do offer soft silicone heads, though.
  • It is still fragile even if more durable and needs to be handled with care. If damaged, it typically cannot be repaired with basic tools unless you are a doll wizard. You may need to buy a new doll.
  • They have a "shiny" look to them. You can lower the shine with some powdering.
  • Can be heavy.

Fabric

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Doll pictured is by Sakura Dolls

An underrated material type in the West. They are can be very cute and wholesome. This will be my go to alternative when I eventually become old enough to not be able to move my current doll around, as fabric dolls are lightweight. Fabric dolls can use TPE and silicone heads, as well.
To be honest, I am still learning about them mostly from following Japanese fabric owners on Twitter. I will update with any new information that I find as time goes on.

Pros

  • One of the most lightweight materials. Some small dolls are only around 20lbs or less. Very good alternative if you struggle with movement or are sick.
  • The face can be customized extensively due to fabric. If you can navigate the Japanese language and overseas markets, I see a lot of homemade mouths and eyes available for the dolls there.
  • Typically way more affordable than the other two materials. If a fabric doll seems expensive, it's still always significantly less expensive than a doll with similar proportions made out of the other two materials.
  • Since they look cute and unrealistic, nobody will suspect it's a love doll. I see some fabric doll owners in Japan take their dolls outside in public.
  • Still offers sex capabilities via removable orifices. You insert a flesh light into the doll.
  • As far as I know, the skin is removable and can be washed in a gentle cycle with laundry or hand cleaned. Since the flesh light is also removable, you can just wash it in the sink normally. This makes the fabric dolls the easiest to clean.

Cons

  • I wouldn't call this a true negative because it depends on the perspective of the person. But there is no realism due to the cloth look and feel. And once again, depending on the person, may be an issue if they want a doll for sex.
  • The body is usually more plain compared to the other materials.
  • Not as popular in the West but the vendor My Robot Doll carries the most amounts of fabric dolls I have seen thus far.


PVC

PVC.jpg

Doll pictured is by Guava Doll

PVC is the usual material that ball jointed dolls (BJD) are made of. These types of dolls are usually very small with a hefty price tag and certainly a luxury and there weren't many "life size" BJDs in the past. In recent years, some Korean companies have been offering limited 1:1 BJDs and recently, companies like Parabox JP and Guava Doll have come into the 1:1 BJD market, making them not more available without the limited edition price tag, too.

Since these are the only two manufacturers that I personally know of making their products easy to buy, this section will focus on them. Guava Doll offers 1:1 anime heads in PVC and also a 1:1 traditional BJD head but an M16 connection, which makes it compatible with TPE, silicone, and fabric bodies mentioned earlier. Parabox only offers traditional BJD bodies and heads, meaning there is no M16 connection and are not compatible with other lifesize bodies on this blog.

This material is also extremely lightweight, with Parabox's 110cm dolls being only 8kg (8lbs). Parabox's 1:1 BJD Information Page

I will add more about the material as I learn about it. Most of the information I know is from Parabox's doll care page for 1:1 BJDs.

For male BJDs: As of the amendment to this material post on April 2023, Parabox is offering their 80cm Otohime body that is unisex with a flat chest. Guava Doll has stated that a male BJD is in the works! Their female BJD body will also offer a flat chest option.


Pros


• One of the most lightweight materials. Some small dolls are only around 8lbs or less. Very good alternative if you struggle with movement or are sick.

• Easy to pose and able to do lifelike poses due to the ball joints.

• They can stand on their own without feet bolts, although a stand is recommend for long periods of standing.

• More affordable than TPE and Silicone. Parabox's painted 110cm dolls are around 67,000 yen. Their Otohime painted dolls are 38,000 yen. Guava Doll has not released their full BJD body as of now but they offer a hybrid PVC and fabric body right now for 367 USD. Flat chest is available on it but it looks like you have to inquire about it.

• Guava Doll offers full customization for their PVC options. Parabox appears to be a little more limiting with their painted options but has unlimited DiY potential if you are handy and get their unpainted body instead.

• No powdering or oiling needed for PVC.


Cons


• PVC is highly prone to staining from dark clothes and the staining is extremely hard to remove or sometimes permanent. To avoid staining, a pantyhose is recommended to put on the body if wearing dark clothes for photos and you should flat out not leave dark clothes on your doll.

• This material is very reactive to temperature. It will harden in the winter and soften in the summer. It can lead to deformation of legs, etc. and you will need to apply heat with a hair dryer to get them back to normal.

• As of right now, available PVC bodies do not come with built in sex functionality except for Guava Doll's hybrid body mentioned earlier.

Loli Anime Dolls Master Post

Preface

Loli dolls are very popular! So there is no shortage of options for you. You actually may have TOO many options. It can be a bit overwhelming but this post will have everything organized for you.

It won't be a definitive list of everything available, as there are also many indie doll makers from Japan and China that are a bit more tricky to buy from if you are a Westerner. Overall, the post should serve as a strong foundation.

This post is for anime loli dolls but I will include a brief section on other dolls, since their bodies can also be used with anime heads. So I do believe they are worth mentioning and even non-anime heads can be given custom make-up to appear more fantasy-like.

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It gets more tricky to mix and match between manufacturers if you choose a dark skin tone, whoever. Dark skin tones can vary the most per batch of dolls made.

Please note that you should ask the manufacturers or vendors if the specific head you are wanting to use is unlikely to react negatively (chemical reaction) with the body of another manufacturer. Every manufacturer has their own formula of the materials they use. There is also the chance of skin tone mismatching with the body you use. The safest option is a fabric doll head with an M16 connection.

If mixing body and heads from different brands, make sure your head and body of choice are compatible in the type of connection they use to attach to each other. Most dolls are an M16 connection but when it doubt, always ask the manufacturer or vendor.

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Everything is organized in alphabetical order without a bias in position. (Unless I make mistake with the alphabet!)

Pictures are all clickable to view their full size.
Please also note that in order to keep the blog more accessible, I will try to stay away from nude pictures but all manufacturers and vendors will provide you with such pictures by default or upon request.


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When buying a TPE doll, ask the manufacturer or vendor for a block of TPE of the same material batch your doll was made from or at the very least, the same skin color.

This is a life saver if your doll suffers damage, as you may be able to repair it yourself. Trust me, I wish I had known about this when I bought my doll. My doll did come with a TPE block but in the entirely wrong skin tone, so it could not be used for the repairs I needed.
If you had already bought a doll, it is possible to get TPE blocks by asking vendors about them.

※ Some options included may not be strictly sex and love dolls (such as custom anime head makers) but worth mentions due to the excellence of their products.

※ While most manufacturers or vendors sell full dolls, you are allowed to mix and match within a brand by contacting directly. This is known as a custom order.
If you like the face of one doll but not the body, you can replace the body with another of the same brand and vice versa.
Most manufacturers are willing to do custom make-up or eyes for the head, too.

If you have any suggestions, find any mistakes, or wish to contest the information provided, please comment on the post. I will check the comments for the blog. I will do my best to provide accurate information based on my own research, what other doll owners tend to collectively agree on, and my own experiences with my doll.

Navigation (Use Ctrl+F)

  • Manufacturers - Will include TPE, silicone, and fabric options. Includes a briefing on indie ones, too. I will add more when I find them.
  • Vendors - If you cannot navigate the websites provided within the manufacturer's section or they do not ship directly to your region, you will need to use a vendor.
    They act as middlemen between the factory and customer, as some manufacturers may not sell directly to customers. Some also offer their own line of in-house dolls. I will make sure to mention this.
    I strive to provide reputable vendors but when dealing with indie or strictly overseas brands, I cannot guarantee it as there is a language barrier, so you shop at your own risk.

Manufacturers

Main Anime Loli Brands

Aotume

http://www.aotume.com/

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This is THE loli doll manufacturer. They only make and specialize in anime dolls, from flat chest to big breasts.

This brand offers pre-made or customized anime heads. They state on their site that they can make you a doll based on a picture you provide for them, meaning you can have your favorite anime girl as a doll or your own original character. They offer TPE and silicone options.
I will shamelessly say they are probably my favorite doll manufacturer because I enjoy looking at their cute anime dolls so much.
(It's just unfortunate for me they don't offer male bodies. It was the deal breaker for me when looking to buy my first doll.)


Catdoll

https://www.catdoll.jp/
https://catdoll.club/ (English site)

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One of the most popular small doll manufacturers, Catdoll has offered some anime-like options in the past but in 2022, they launched their own line of specialized anime heads. They were made for their 101cm and 102cm bodies, which are small chested. I have e-mailed Kitty (the owner) before to ask if their anime heads can be used with their bigger bodies and I quote:

"These heads designed for the 101cm and 102cm body. It will be less cute If you fix it on the 133cm body." - In regards to me asking if I could use these heads on my 133cm male doll, also made by them. This can also apply to their many female bodies.

Their anime heads are unique because they have lips and their mouths open. This feature sets them apart from Aotume dolls and it offers a brand new type of anime head in the market that is easily accessible. They also have an alternate version of the anime head model with drawn on lips if you prefer that one.

Generic Brand Mini Dolls


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You will find these mini dolls sold by many vendors under their own brand names but they are generic and have many options available. Out of the vendors recommend on this site, Dollter carries these dolls and offers many customization options. The face make up quality is a bit varied, as seen in the 3rd picture. Some look great while others are a bit wonky.

These mini dolls are meant to be affordable. I have seen them for as low as $370 on Taobao if you are able to navigate that site. Vendors price them higher because they are typically easier to buy from them and you don't need to speak Chinese to inquire about options such as customization of the face.

Happiness Dolls

https://www.happinessdolls.com/

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Manufacturer of fabric dolls offering many facial customization options for their dolls.

Irokebijin

https://irokebijinshop.com/

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Another big anime doll manufacturer. They offer more big breasted dolls but their two loli dolls, pictured above, are very unique and cute.


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This is a traditional BJD (ball jointed doll) brand from Japan that offers both an 80cm flat chest or small chest body via their Otohime line of products. They also offer an 110cm female body but with breasts. It's still worthy to mention since she has an anime head option and is very cute. PVC, the material BJDs are made of, is very lightweight with many benefits. You can check the newly added PVC section of the Doll Materials post for more information.

There is an anime head and more BJD-esque head option. Their dolls are also not very expensive, with their fully painted Otohime dolls being 39,000 yen. Parabox does ship internationally via EMS or DHL and the site listed above is in English. Since their dolls are traditional, they are not subject to bans by the law.

Sakura Dolls

https://sakura-dolls.com/index.html

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This is a Japanese manufacturer, specializing in fabric dolls that also have sex functionality.
Fabric dolls are criminally underrated in the West and this brand has shown me how charming they can be. While fabric dolls are less popular in the West, they have big social media presence in Japan. Sakura Doll offers many unique options.

Most notably, what sets them apart from other Japanese manufacturers is that they do provide an easier way for Westerners to buy directly from them. On their webpage, you can scroll down to see they are willing to sell to us. They have a specialized vendor, Estartek, and some agencies, like My Robot Doll and Dollter. All are reputable.

Handmade Anime Loli Brands


※ This is an expanding list as I find more manufacturers for this category

Guava Doll

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/1102132154
https://twitter.com/guavadoll01

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guav.jpg

This is a brand I discovered recently, offering beautiful and unique anime doll heads along with TPE bodies. As of the writing of this post, one of their dolls is now also being sold by Dollter, a reputable vendor. They offer many types of heads and notably, they are made of PVC instead of TPE or silicone. This is the first lifesize doll manufacturer I have seen use PVC for heads. An interesting product is their life size BJD head.

ひよこ組 (Hiyokogumi) Dolls

https://twitter.com/hiyoko_kumi0_0
https://jp.mercari.com/user/profile/299533866

1 (8)
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These gorgeous handmade dolls are made by a maker in Japan who calls themselves ひよぬい (Hiyokogumi). The brand specializes and only makes male dolls as of this time but their small 30cm Potanui series dolls are androgynous, so I have included them in this section. They state that they can be contacted on their Twitter for questions and the representative speaks English and can ship internationally! No middleman is required.

The pre-made dolls are posted for sale on their Twitter account and Yahoo!Japan auctions. You can contact them if you wish to purchase it. Hiyokogumi takes payment via Wise or Paypal if necessary. In the future, they may open an Etsy account.

They do take custom orders depending on the request. You need to contact them to discuss details. Please have picture references of what you are looking for and Hiyokogumi cannot do replicas of copyrighted characters. Your own original characters or idea are ok to inquire about.

For months, I was wondering where these dolls came from and I recently found out it is them who are hand making them. Twitter has a lot of happy customers posting dolls that were made by Hiyokogumi. These are daki (hugging) dolls that are very soft and lightweight. Perfect as companions and for cuddling.

The Hiyokogumi account has a pinned tweet with their current series of products. These are translations of the current series along with additional information given to me by their representative:

  • 抱きぬい男子 (Hugging Boy) Series: Fabric male dolls made between 80 and 170cm. Some adjusting is required to pose them and some of the dolls can come with skeletons. Inquire if they are offering dolls with toy skeletons currently (they state this is only available sometimes) otherwise, there are no joints, so they cannot stand on their own but changing clothes is easy and commercially available clothes can be worn.

  • ぽたぬい (Potanui) Series: Small 30cm dolls with a skeleton that you can pose. The dolls are androgynous.

I highly recommend checking Hiyokogumi out! I now own a custom doll by them and I'm so happy with him!

Nanonano Heavy Industries

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A fabric head manufacturer specializing in unique and cute nekomimi (animal ears) heads. They include many eyes and mouth with their heads. They have collaborated with Sakura Dolls before in creating a an animal ears headband for dolls.
Collaboration Link

This maker makes their heads for a very specific type of fabric doll body.
Their shop states that their heads are made to fit a sewn body designed by https://twitter.com/takanyan_nui.

As far as I was able to understand, the body creator can make it for you but it appears you need to contact and speak to the creator.

Instructions for making the body yourself are here: https://takanyan2.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-179.html

If you are a beginner, cannot sew, or cannot read Japanese well enough, you will have a very hard time.

They will announce on their Twitter account when their heads go live for sale. You are going to need a middleman to purchase these heads if you do not live in Japan.
The good news is that many middlemen would be willing to buy these for you, as they are not of explicit nature.

Anime Honorable Mentions


Elsa Babe

https://www.elsababe.com/

ElsababeAnimeSiliconeSexDoll-MishimaNico7-1.jpg

They have really unique and cute anime heads. All have breasts, though.

Mozu Doll

※ A lot of vendors have their dolls; they apparently do have an English site of sorts but it's just completely empty

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Their anime heads are gorgeous but as far as I was able to find, their bodies all have big breasts. Meaning there is no flat chested bodies.

My Loli Waifu

https://myloliwaifu.com/

148cm-Bカップリアルドール-離Ali-1-510x764

They offer beautiful and realistic dolls. Worthy mention is their silicone head pictured, which has more expressive and open eyes that makes it look anime-like. Could be combined with one of their flat chest bodies.

Vendors


I will mark reputable vendors that are well known within circles I frequent. If a vendor is not marked as reputable, it doesn't mean they're aren't. I just have not heard much about them, are too new, or don't have reviews available. The blog aims to be completely transparent about every aspect of dolls. If you believe a vendor is reputable or isn't, please leave a comment with your experience with them.

※ Even if a vendor is located in China or Europe, they will still ship to Western countries. It is just the location of their business and big warehouse. Many vendors have warehouses in different countries to ship their customers' dolls there, which then get transferred to that country's local postal system or a specialized delivery service. Vendors can also use services such as DHL and Fedex.

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Catdoll.us

Status: Reputable
Location: USA

https://catdoll.us/

This is an authorized Catdoll vendor ran by someone who knows the owner of the Catdoll brand. The shop offers Catdolls for lower prices and with the added benefit of also accepting crypto payments. This shop also ships to around the world.

The Doll Channel

Status: Reputable
Location: USA

https://thedollchannel.com/

A pure American business that is the only one as of the launch of this blog offering small dolls within the USA. This is the store I personally use and endorse since I got my doll. I know the most about them since I have many personal experiences and I have nothing but honest and great things to say.

They have a warehouse with in-stock dolls that do not take as long to arrive to you, as opposed as if they were bought from an overseas vendor. The shop offers an inspection service if you buy a doll that isn't in stock. So you are covered against doll defects or shipping damage.

Ricky, the owner, has provided many easy to digest resources for the doll community such as maintenance videos and general info on the shop's YouTube channel. Some of the videos have to be censored for YT, so you should check out his site for the uncensored versions if interested. He does weekly streams and doll reviews, as well.

Their customer service is also fantastic and you can e-mail them with any inquiry, even regarding helping you get a doll that they may not carry. I have always gotten a fast response and there are also helpers in case Ricky is busy. I can say that TDC offers that excellent customer service that can be overlooked by more mainstream businesses.

The doll community that has been built by this store is very welcoming and helpful. Most of my doll knowledge has come from it and it was priceless resource when I received my first doll. You can join the community via their forum or after buying a product, you can join the Discord. There is no issue if you are buying a small doll, unlike other communities.

If you are an American, I encourage you to support your local businesses! The services offered by TDC are priceless to me because they are so close to home, so there is that extra sense of security to deal within the country, the faster shipping, and they are able to navigate the foreign doll market for you, too.

Dollter

Status: Reputable
Location: China

https://www.dollter.com/

A very active vendor that interacts with the small doll community, providing new item previews, as of the launch of this blog. They offer many small and anime dolls as well as their own unique in-house dolls.

Estartek

Status: Reputable ※ See Notes
Location: China

http://estartek.com
AliExpress Shop and Feedback

Notes


The specialized Western and Chinese vendor for Sakura Dolls. This is not a very talked about vendor within anime doll communities but understandably so, as fabric dolls are niche for us in the West. But this is likely due to the fact that they don't know where to buy them.
I had to do quick research into their feedback and their AliExpress page is all positive at the time this blog lauched and they seem to really strive for positive customer feedback. So I have given them the green light as a vendor.
They also sell other types of dolls and figures on their website and on their AliExpress shop.

HGDoll

Status: Reputable
Location: China

https://www.hgdoll.net/index.php?route=common/home

A very active vendor that interacts within the small doll community, providing new item previews, as of the launch of this blog. One of the largest and established vendors, offering small and anime dolls for many years.

Kumadoll


Status: Reputable ※ See Notes
Location: China

https://www.kumadoll.com/

Notes

Another vendor that isn't as talked about in the West anime doll communities as often but does come up in conversations sometimes as "Are they legit?" since they offer Irokebijin dolls.
Yes, they are legit and they have reviews on their site. They state they launched their Western brand in 2020 and have been in business in Japan far longer.
It is also the recommended shop of a well known sex doll porn maker. https://twitter.com/wiassR18

My Robot Doll

Status: Reputable
Location: Belgium

https://www.myrobotdoll.com/

European based vendor with glowing reviews that accepts payment in Euro and they speak English, French and Dutch. They offer a large selection of all types of dolls and ship to many places including the USA.

The Glossary

Master Post for all Doll Information Categories





Lifesize Companion and Dress Up Dolls - Coming Soon. This will be a section for bigger or lifesize dolls that fall under more traditional doll standards, such as BJDs or anatomically correct TPE/silicone dolls without sex capabilities. Some dolls in previous sections will be moved over to this new one and this will expand the blog beyond being mostly for lolisho love dolls.


Tips for Buying Doll Clothes

Doll Repair - Coming Soon

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I will add more information as needed.

Feel free to suggest categories by commenting.

【 Profile 】

lolishodolls

Author:lolishodolls

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A simple and organized information blog in English for those looking to purchase loli, shota, and anime life size dolls. I specialize in shota and otokonoko but I will try to help everyone in the community equally with high quality information for all categories of dolls.

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【 Established on 01/16/23 】

※ No doll products or doll services are sold by the blog owner nor do I claim ownership to any dolls posted except my own.


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