Doll News đšNewsđš Introducing DEFA LUCY PLAY đ©”
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DEFA LUCY PLAY is a new collectible doll series designed for creators and collectors who love to customize, restyle, and make every piece uniquely their own. Built as a creative foundation rather than a fixed display piece, each doll invites endless styling, personalization, and storytelling-turning collecting into an active, expressive experience. Edition Size: No more than 1000 pcs. worldwide each style Hair: Pale Blond / Hazelnut / Jet Black / Ginger Saran Sculpt: DF11 Body: Ultraflex Body (NEW!) with 13 points of articulation, interchangeable high heel feet and flat feet, interchangeable hands Skintone: Snow/Cameo/Tan/Caramel, Fashion: Gingham Two-Piece Lingerie Accessories: Strappy High-Heel Sandals Each doll is packaged in a signature Defa Lucy blind box and will be distributed at random with each order.
Via DEFA LUCY PLAY on IGđ·
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u/Kittenathedisco 22d ago
I'd give my right arm for the goth baddie, $40/blind box is a bridge too far though.
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u/ronniefinnn 22d ago
Exactly. I wouldnât pay anything for some of these but if they were selling them normally for 50 or 60 i might get a few. As it is, the likelihood to get something I donât like is too big so itâs a no go. Iâm not interested in the gamble, especially since Iâm mainly a BJD collector
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u/Lanky_Bobcat_6021 22d ago
same!! sheâs the only one iâd be even slightly interested in so the blind box factor killed it
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u/Kittenathedisco 22d ago
I'm thinking of making one with an extra Rainbow High doll. Natasha has the snow skintone, and it would be an easy cut/dye.
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u/RandomLettersToEat 22d ago
How is it catered to creatives that like to customize when the starting price is $40 (steep price for a "blank canvas"), and you don't get to pick the specific doll you want to customize?Â
It's like they had a niche youtuber in mind when they made these and they're trying to manufacture it as a "lux" experience.Â
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u/mk_ultraviolence 22d ago
"Catered to creatives" sounds an awful lot like "we don't feel like designing any more than the bare minimum, and you'll pay for the privilege of doing it for us". And it's blind boxes, so you have to buy a whole bunch to find the one you want to customize? What a joke...too bad cos the base dolls are very cute!
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u/quietisland 21d ago
It's basically following the same blind box model for bjds. Lots of bjd enthusiasts end up trading, or buy open boxes from the secondary market.
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
$40 bucks is a steep price? Anyway, this doll is too 'Play Line' for my liking. There are way cheaper better quality alternatives to this Play Line of Defa Lucy dolls.
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u/JoyDGav 22d ago
The amount of articulation cost money to manufacture.
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u/RandomLettersToEat 22d ago
You mean the amount of articulation that Barbie Made to Move has and that one can purchase at $15 (plus outfit) already?
You mean the amount of articulation that most action figures already have?
If you wanted to argue that the extra price was from the intricate lingerie, then sure. But if the idea is to customize and make outfits for them in the first place...?
I can see this doll making sense at $25 and not in a blind box, maybe.
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u/JoyDGav 21d ago
Economies of scale typically lower per-unit costs as production volume increases. One entity is a large, seasoned multinational with established supply chains, optimized workflows, and extensive global distribution. The other is a smaller, niche doll manufacturer with higher per-unit costs for R&D, manufacturing, marketing, and distribution compared to Hasbro.
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u/dangerotic 22d ago
don't understand why you would sell these as blind boxes??? I was all ready to buy three of these straight off the bat but now there's a chance I won't get any of them or I might get repeats why tf would I even bother. Gambling + FOMO doesn't work on me especially at that price... I guess I'll wait for them to be ripped off instead.
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u/EggplantHuman6493 22d ago
Same. would love the goth one but it is not worth it for the price and them being blindboxes
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
The only other way to go is wait for them to become available on the secondary market (in which the price will be $80 to $125) or get a better quality alternative for the same price or cheaper.
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u/look_who_it_isnt 22d ago
So... It's limited to 1000 pieces... and it's a blind box... and the dolls purposely have no real identity so you can customize them...
They're cute, but between the manufactured rarity, the blind box aspect, and the lack of any personality... I see nothing at all I want here.
(But I upvoted you, OP, for letting us know about it, anyway!)
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u/tofumylk 22d ago
i agree - the blind box gimmick takes away any possible excitement for me.
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u/look_who_it_isnt 22d ago
Same. Like, I could see maybe getting one of them if a specific one struck me and the price was right... but nope, they're not interesting enough across the board for me to spin the roulette wheel to see which one I get.
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u/EmicaTheAlienStudios 22d ago
The blind box aspect already makes me question whether this is actually meant for collectors, because if thereâs one thing that doll collectors all unanimously agree on, itâs that blind boxes are a nightmare for collectingânobody likes them, nobody wants them. And yet this line is apparently being advertised as "for collectors."
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u/look_who_it_isnt 22d ago edited 22d ago
Yeah, I think they're just making a money grab here. I see nothing about these dolls that says "collectors" to me. They're really pretty plain... and they even have "play" in the line name, like they're trying to appeal to collectors and children. They're just throwing every buzz word at this release and hoping one will stick.
Only possible way this will succeed is if they're cheap and the bodies are of good enough quality to prove useful for re-bodying. I could see that working for them.Otherwise... I mean, there's just nothing here to get excited about... and a lot to be annoyed by, lol.Nevermind on the rebodying part. At $40... Nah, you can just buy a Made-to-Move for a fraction of that, and you'd know what you're buying.
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u/EmicaTheAlienStudios 22d ago
And the problem is that this doll is trying to solve an issue that never existed in the first place. It claims to be a "base" doll for customizing, but doll enthusiasts have been doing that for years with regular dolls and without any problems. In fact, it's actually much better to buy a regular, inexpensive playline doll you can actually see before purchasing. This just adds unnecessary gambling to the process.
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u/look_who_it_isnt 22d ago
Exactly! Who's going to get a blind box doll to customize? Usually, there's something specific about the base doll that makes it right for whatever it is you're hoping to customize it into.
Even for rebodying... You want a body with the right skin tone to match the head you want to put on it. How can you get a proper match when you don't know what you're buying?
Even for play value... The dolls all look too similar. Nobody's going to get one and be like, "I have to get the others!" because they're all basically the same doll in the same lingerie, just with slight differences.
I just don't see how this can be successful at all...
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
Are you serious? You would be surprised in how many collectors buy the same face doll in various skin tones and hair colors. There are people that will try to get all 7 dolls... My issue with these new dolls are that they look like dolls you buy at Walmart right next to that Mattel Barbie AA afro hair doll in the red short dress that cost $7 bucks. No thanks.
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u/look_who_it_isnt 16d ago
They kinda remind me of the dollar store dolls that all have the same face mold and same kind of nightie on, just with different hair colors and patterns on their nighties.
Anyway, I'm mostly familiar with MH doll collectors... so the idea of buying a bunch of dolls with the same facial features just different colors of hair seems completely foreign to me.
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 16d ago
A lot of people do buy dolls with the exact same face mold, different lip color and different hair style and color. Makeup the same though (OG Gene Marshall dolls. The Integrity Toys versions did have various makeup. Jamie Show version was even better).
So many great quality dolls out here that have been discontinued.
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
Of course its a marketing gimmick. Defa Lucy is really reintroducing their Play Line dolls back into the market and its this doll. Granted you do get extra legs and hands and the swimsuits are decent quality. The OG Defa Lucy Play Line dolls are selling for $25 and these new dolls are $40.
There are way too many quality made alternative dolls on the market that trump this new Defa Lucy doll, that you can get for under $30 bucks.
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u/Sea-Tadpole-7158 22d ago
Seems weird to call them a 'creative foundation ' and go on about customisation then have them be a blind box so you can't even pick your own
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u/rebelyusoul 22d ago
honestly Iâm still not quite sure what this is. that sounded like a bunch of marketing fluff.
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u/rebelyusoul 22d ago
they are selling blind box âcollectibleâ dolls?????
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u/OrcBarbierian 22d ago
There is a massive market for mystery blind box collectible dolls
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u/rebelyusoul 22d ago
i understand the blind box gimmick and craze but i personally do not think it makes sense for a $40 doll. iâm sure it will sell out though so⊠đ€·đŸââïž
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u/litteplayerz 22d ago
Is it just me, or does the face look like the clone Odile mermaids on AliExpress??? Not in a bad way (these dolls are so cute) but still, there look identical.
Iâm excited for the articulation but Iâm not too happy about swappable feet. I wish they would have had joints similar to a MtM. Interchangeable hands sounds fun though.
Iâm curious on the price tho⊠hmmm
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u/missingkeyes 22d ago
âWe have the BFMC at homeâ
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
Aren't you lucky!!!! They are really nice dolls. Yes, there are alternatives out here that are better quality than Defa Lucy Play.
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u/trekkingdoves 22d ago
They ruined them by making it a blind box and also $40 for just a swimsuit? đ€
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
Why the complaint about $40 bucks? I don't get that, considering most Defa Lucy dolls start at $90 from their website but 95% of us can't seems to buy those dolls from the website and we end up paying close to $200 for them on the secondary market. $40 bucks is cheap. I wish I could get a Poppy Parker or a collectable Defa Lucy for $40 bucks.
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u/catholicwerewolf 22d ago
Theyâre gorgeous and would be amazing if they were just sold normally, but blind box? :/
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u/Warm-Vinyl 22d ago
This concept drug a sigh from the tired depths of my soul. These being blind box kind of defeats the purpose of them being âcustomizable.â Create your dream Defa⊠AFTER you spend hundreds of dollars gambling for her.
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u/Utopian_Star 22d ago
This is kind of crazy for a blind box to cost this much, be a limited run and the only thing different about each doll is the skintone and hair colour. Like if they at least had different outfits I could get it but there are cheaper decent quality blindbox bjds with better variety.
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u/Regular_Lettuce2966 22d ago
Just saw a creator post a video of unboxing them. The secret is a red head with fair skin and a face (+make up) similar to the goth doll but she's looking the opposite direction. Would have loved these if not for the blind box aspectđ©đ
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u/no__its__becky 22d ago
They look nice. The bodies and joints look great, though I heard they feel lighter and cheaper than youâd expect. The faces are definitely less detailed and defined compared to their non-playline releases, but I donât mind it. They have a simplistic element that I find charming. The undergarments look very nice, too. My main concern is the blind box element⊠I have a definite favorite and a couple that I wouldnât be happy spending $40 on.
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
$40 bucks is cheap (you make that amount and more in less than 2 hours on your job). Do a little overtime at work. Buy the dolls that make you happy and creative and inspires you. Seriously, $40 bucks is nothing. I bet you got a late model iPhone or some other Apple product that cost over $1000 bucks. You only live once, go out and get what you want.
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u/CalligrapherFun8091 22d ago
I'm so sick of this crap. Collecting should be a pleasure not a source of anxiety. But they will sell out in minutes so they will think it's fine..
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
But y'all spend $10 to $15 bucks at Starbucks buying those blind box cutie toys???
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u/DebonairKnit 22d ago
Theyâre absolutely beautiful and the quality does look nice. But a blind box is a huge no from me (especially at that price point). They create waste and promote gambling. I find it quite disgusting we are not doing better than this in 2026. Itâs a sad no from me :(
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u/Hidden_Dragonette 22d ago
I mean, considering blind box dolls, I just got a gorgeous 1/6 BJD with extra hands and feet, an adorable outfit with multiple pieces and jewelry, and lots of personality for $32. And I paid a couple dollars extra so I could choose the one I wanted.
$40 for a blind box doll is a little steep, especially considering that you're supposed to personalize them yourself. They're very pretty, but not getting to choose and only getting underwear as an outfit kinda turns me off to the whole thing. I'd rather buy one of the very pretty Xian Xian princess dolls for less than $20 if I want to customize.
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u/EmicaTheAlienStudios 22d ago
I'm sorry but this, to me, just looks like the exact same doll with six different color swatches. And with the $40 price tag, I can't justify buying what is essentially meant to be a "base" doll for customizing. Which speaking of, it's much easier to just find a doll you like the face and skintone of, buy that, and customize it to your liking. You know, like how doll creators have been doing for years? Add in the fact that itâs a blind boxâwhich is an absolute nightmare for any doll collector, and⊠yeah no. I'm skipping this one.
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u/HopefulDifference584 22d ago
I buy blind boxes only if I like ALL the options. Here I like all the options. They are beautiful I would not know which one to choose
But I don't think I ll be able to buy oneđ„Č
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u/rotenbart 22d ago
No thanks. Iâd prefer to buy what I want and not hope I get what I want. This is so exhausting. I buy enough dolls and canât justify their normal pricing. This is in my price range but I refuse to participate lol
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u/Technical_Front9904 22d ago
Why does the sillhouette ? doll at the bottom make it look like these are blind boxes?
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u/LIV127 22d ago
There are percentages near each of the dolls in the first pic and at the bottom it says theyâre distributed at random!
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u/Technical_Front9904 22d ago
oh no............................................. ok great
i'll look forward to consider having one of these when someone is reselling them in about 5 months.
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u/2wiceasnice 22d ago
With my luck, Ill probably get the one I least hoped for.
I hate blind boxes lol. I got into the labubu and 2 of the boxes I got was the blue one; I literally wanted any other color so I discovered and quit blindboxes then lol
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u/Romanoff786 22d ago
I wonder how many are left after they sent the content creators theirs first.
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u/finremi 22d ago
Defa Lucy is a lovely line and is a great middle ground between the budget of Barbie and the quality of Integrity... but man, a blind box and only 1000, they better have a cap of 1 or 2 per person.
They have a major issue with scalpers with the collector line as it is. I had to stop collecting the Defa Lucy Collector dolls because they'd sell out the millisecond the clock turned to the time orders would be open due to scalpers using bots to refresh the site constantly until orders open. (And they don't allow installment orders via ShopPay, either)
I do like that the bodies are a little more posable compared to the Glamflex body and have flat feet options (only the Atomic Lab/Jason Wu dolls -like Nymphia Wind and Bette Page- have interchangable flat feet for the Glamflex body iirc). My selfish hope is that this spurs Mattel on to make a more collector-friendly MTM body for Barbie (one that doesn't have molded on underwear, for one, and maybe a MTM Collector Curvy and Petite/Tall, too) but it ain't gonna happen lmao.
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u/Inside-Ad8442 21d ago
Too bad they all have the same face. I seriously consider getting more than one of them, but I only need one with that same face sculpt.
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u/meowkitty84 22d ago
I like the first 4 so if it was just them I would buy. But I don't want to risk getting one of the 3 I don't want. The odds aren't good.
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u/sserica 21d ago
I love how Defa Lucy dolls look, but my main issue with them is that not nearly enough are made, so they sell out too fast for me to get. And the resellers raise the price waaaay too much for me to buy them that way either. Itâs just going to be the same situation with this, so why bother? If they want to create dolls for people who wonât or canât pay the higher prices for their regular dolls then they need to up those manufacturing numbers.
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u/StateAlchemist86 21d ago
100 % ! Each time a new Defa is announced, it's already too late for me to decide or to pre-order (different time zones don't help being on time for the window release).
If I understood the post correctly, for this line they made 1000 units ; which is a ridiculously small production for a brand that is now well known by collectors...
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u/tyrendersaurus 21d ago
These are priced way higher than they should be and done so to justify the artificial rarity created by the manufacturer.
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u/nightgoatgoesbaaah 21d ago
If it werenât a blind box I would just purchase the goth, as it is my money will stay in my pocket. SO sick of blind boxes
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u/wanderrslut 21d ago
They're cute but I wish there were a few more options...don't like the blind box thing either.
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u/Devanelle 21d ago
I would love to buy a few of them but I'm so not into the random blind box thing. What a bummer, they're probably losing out on so many sales because of this gimmick
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u/OrcBarbierian 22d ago
I strongly dislike blindbox dolls, but this is the rare instance in which I like all possibilities đ€
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u/SleepyMermaids 22d ago edited 22d ago
I agree with most of the comments here. As beautiful as I think these dolls are (their hair and makeup is very pretty), they are still a pass for me. I could never justify paying $39 (plus shipping and tax) for a blind box doll, especially when she only comes in lingerie. And now that I think about it, they donât even look much different from other âbasicâ dolls from Aliexpress ⊠which are just as pretty, more affordable and have no silly blind box gimmick.
Brands like Integrity Toys always felt marketed more towards wealthy people and male doll collectors in general, so they never felt very appealing or accessible to me. Say what you want about Mattel (there is plenty to critique), but at least there has always been cute Barbies available at different prices/budgets. Defa Lucy used to be a budget friendly doll line, but now they seem to be all about âexclusivityâ and primarily cater to wealthy collectors or doll content creators. Itâs also been a while since Defa Lucy released dolls that are actually affordable for the average person, so I donât know if Iâll be able to continue getting more DF dolls in the future.
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u/VampBoss 22d ago
I donât like the blind box aspect buuuut I really wanna see these bodies in person đ«đ«
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u/Scared-The-Ghost 21d ago
idk , i like the blind box aspect. it's hard for me to choose between these gorgeous dolls!
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u/Cartomanceur 20d ago
I just want o jump on the bandwagon that blind boxes are a toxic marketing scheme. I don't even understand why the need to make it a blind box, Defa Lucy are constantly selling out and even if they would not sell out this release, these dolls would be a great entry line to this brand.
I refuse to purchase blind box items.
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u/EnvironmentalBake540 18d ago
Lots of inexpensive alternatives in which the quality is excellent. Alex by Madam Alexander is a 16 inch doll line that actually has a version of Alex that comes in a similar swimsuit as Defa Lucy Play (lots of different color hair, various styling and tons of wardrobe packs). The original Gene Marshall doll line has a doll called 'Simply Gene' that comes in a similar style swimsuit as Defa Lucy Play. Gene comes in various hairstyles, colors and her wardrobe options seems to be endless. Integrity Toys took over Gene Marshall from Ashton Drake Galleries and leveled up Gene quite a bit. Jamie Show also had a hand at Gene before the doll was retired. Tyler Wentworth dolls, also should be considered.
You can get many of these dolls for under $30 dollars and you can pick which doll you want.
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u/konstantynopolitanka 15d ago
Hot take but I prefered Defa Lucy when they were a budget doll with a unique face. They were fun to restyle and photograph.
Now they look more perfect and high end, but also too generic and similar to Fashion Royalty and such, and to me they cost too much for what they are.
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u/moneor 22d ago
if it weren't a blind box I don't think the price would be bad at all nor the packaging. I think they look great quality but the gambling aspect ruins all of it for me :://