Ball-jointed doll

A ball-jointed doll is any doll that is articulated with ball and socket joints. In contemporary usage when referring to modern dolls, and particularly when using the acronyms BJD or ABJD, it usually refers to modern Asian ball-jointed dolls. Many contemporary BJDs are cast in polyurethane synthetic resin, a hard, dense plastic, and the parts strung together with a thick elastic. They are predominantly produced in Japan, South Korea and China. There are currently no industry standards or manufacturing guidelines governing what is or is not, in fact, a BJD. There are also BJDs made by European artists, usually referred to as Artist BJDs. These dolls are normally made from polyurethane resin, though can also be made out of a wide variety of materials such as porcelain, paper clay and super sculpey. The BJD style has been described as both realistic and influenced by anime.