Nendoroid Dolls and Fashion

Fashion is what brings out the brightest minds of creativity, and style. It is very inclusive and exclusive to anyone’s taste and it can be a very important and special way of expressing one’s own personality which can also be taken as a form of communicating. The beauty of fashion is that it does not only do this for humans, but it can also do the same for inanimate objects with personalities as well such as the famous Barbie dolls, American Girl dolls and many other toys that have been made an impact on our children and society. 

There is also another kind of miniature fashion innovation that has gotten anime fans all over the world absolutely enamored with the adorable and beautifully constructed miniature garments. These garments were created for the Nendoroid Dolls/ Figures line product from The Good Smile Company and have been quite successful since its release. But what are Nendoroid dolls and figures? And how have these adorable and friendly dolls impacted the world of anime and fashion?

Good Smile Company

To start, it is important to know what nendoroids are exactly. Nendoroids are dolls based on popular anime characters in the Japanese ‘chibi’ style which essentially just means small in English but the style is special and recognizable in the anime world and for fans because it takes a character and makes a small and quite adorable version of the regular anime version. 

The nendoroid products follow this unique style and many of the dolls come with a range of accessories as well as interchangeable faces for a specific figure. The regular nendoroid dolls are no bigger than 10 cm and can fit perfectly in the palm of one’s hand. The regular version of the dolls comes in a small non-articulated body decorated with a beautiful and high-quality design of the attire and garments used by the specific original character that was made into a nendoroid. 

This covers what the regular and original versions of nendoroids are, but the newest edition of the Nendoroid product line takes a step into the world of fashion in a very adorable and innovative way. The new line of Nendoroid products is now available in 14 cm articulated bodies and fully supplied with clothing created specifically for this new release of the articulated nendoroid body. This is where fashion steps in because with an articulated body for these adorable dolls, fans all over the world have begun to take an interest in finding a fashion style special to the nendoroid doll that they own, inspired by the anime character that the doll was from.

For many years now, fans and designers have invested time in creating garments special to these dolls, so much that there have been books released on garment design and making for these very special dolls. In the books, there are many helpful and detailed steps to creating the perfect outfit for the Nendoroid doll. Many versions of these books have been released all for the sake of creating different looks for these miniature and adorable dolls and it has been quite popular for fans. 

This is also very relevant to fashion because not only does it help create a personality for the doll through clothing, but it has also sparked the design and creativity that happens with garment construction for many fans who had been having fun dressing up the Nendoroid dolls. Just like the regular fashion world for humans, the world of Nendoroid fashion has also created profit for designers that focus on this specific fashion style. Many Nendoroid clothing designers have been quite successful in the selling of these garments made by them, so much that many Etsy stores have been opened and some are specifically focused on the construction of Nendoroid clothing. 

Upon realizing that customers had become so interested in the creation of garments, the Good Smile Company also released multiple step-by-step garment and pattern instructions and even released their own clothing products specifically made for the articulated Nendoroid dolls. The Good Smile Company has also released different colored articulated bodies so that customers can interchange the removable head part of the original version doll into the articulated body, which can be dressed and decorated according to preference. 

Shoes and other accessories have also become a great interest for Nendoroid doll owners. It is also safe to say that the desire to dress and decorate Nendoroid dolls has sparked the creative side of many fans which has led to many putting their own garment construction and sewing skills out in the world. As a fashion studies major and Good Smile Company customer, I have seen that the Nendoroid dolls line products have brought many fans into the world of fashion, and these precious small dolls have also become quite a spotlight for many fashions and fandom enthusiasts, which shows that the fashion world is open for everyone, even for these adorable and petit Nendoroid dolls.