Sunday, October 1, 2017

FAQ: Foreign "Franken-dolls" and Factory Seconds

Some basic and incomplete thoughts on those not-quite-perfect dolls found for sale on foreign secondary market sites like Taobao.


Q: What is a Franken-doll?

A Franken-doll is a playful term for a doll that has been constructed from parts of several other dolls. Like Frankenstein's Monster, but hopefully a lot cuter.

Q: What is a Foreign Franken-doll?

A doll made of different parts found for sale on a foreign secondary market like Taobao. A foreign reseller constructs a Franken-doll from whatever parts available and sells it.

Q:  What are Factory Seconds? What does it have to do with Franken-dolls?

When dolls don't meet factory standards or are damaged, the discarded parts or even whole dolls sometime end up in the hands of a foreign reseller instead of a dumpster. These are "factory seconds" or rejects.

Franken-dolls are sometimes a mash-up of two or more factory seconds parts.

Q: What are those numbers and letters written with marker on the foreheads of some Franken-dolls and other (usually nude) dolls for sale on Taobao?

I am not certain--it seems to be an accounting system like a doll or parts number. It might be the doll was used and marked as factory display or could just be a code for rejection. I would love more insight on this!


Q: I saw a "Tenney" doll on Taobao (or a "Luciana" doll, etc) and the wig or the eyebrows or the hands (or whatever) is clearly wrong. How can that possibly  be a Tenney doll?

It is probably a rejected Tenney head put on a spare body. Or a rejected Luciana head put on a spare body. Remember, these are Franken-dolls--pieces are thrown together to make a sale of a "whole" doll. Whole dolls will sell better than random pieces of a doll.


Tenney head but not a Tenney body (wrong hand style)

Q: Why are most Franken-dolls and Factory Seconds dolls sold nude?

It is probable the foreign reseller only has access to rejected dolls or doll parts from the factory and is just hoping to make an easy profit from "free" parts.

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