The Iplehouse resin hook issue

April Doll Meet, a photo by alington on Flickr.

Am I biased against all dolls except Peak's Woods? Of course not. However, I do mention something about resin hooks in the Doll Emergencies section of my book. Iplehouse dolls are one of the companies (JollyPlus has them, too) who string their BJDs' feet with resin hooks.

This can be both a good and a bad thing. Here's why:

Good: Resin hooks look nice. They are hidden in the foot part, and the same color as the foot. There is less of a chance of "flashing," which is when the doll shows its elastic or wiring. Iplehouse has some of the best engineered dolls on the market when it comes to non-flashing dolls. The joints are flanged and attractive, so the elastic never shows. Since no wire is used, there is nothing wire to flash. In truth, they are fantastic dolls.

The not-so-good: The elastic string used in a doll is held taut. The loop that holds the arms in place isn't the problem--that one doesn't hold as much tension as the one the doll needs to stand. The second loop, which is a loop folded in half, holds about half the pressure at the neck joint (at the S-hook) and the other half of the pressure at each ankle joint. It's strung tightly enough so the doll will stand straight and independently. When the elastic attaches directly to the resin, there is a lot of pressure on the delicate resin.

What I have seen (on three JID and one EID) is that a foot might get stuck in a boot. The owner uses gentle pressure to remove the boot, and snap! Suddenly, the foot comes off with the boot. The elastic zips up into the lower leg, along with the resin hook, and stays there. The problem is easy enough to fix:

1. Buy a new foot from Iplehouse.
2. Pull the elastic out of the lower leg.
3. Thread a pipe cleaner through the elastic loop and re-thread the lower leg.
4. Hook the new foot back in place.

It's just that the problem is common and inconvenient. When you have a wire connecting the foot to the elastic, you have just a little relief in the pressure on the resin. You may have some flashing--but you'll have less of a chance to break the foot.