Pullips started by a company called Jun Planning located Japan in 2003. Jun Planning was soon taken over by a South Korean company, Groove after filing bankruptcy. They still had a shop in the USA until 2010 before officially closing all ties to Pullip. They began their debut with the pullip named Wind, and began being released on a monthly basis. What made these dolls unique in their own right was the eye mechanism that allowed owners to move their eyes side to side by a switch in the back of the head along with blinking the lids with buttons. Releases after 2008 also have the ability to keep their eyes closed.
The pullip body has changed over the past eleven years. The bodies are labled as Type 1, Type 2, Type 3, and the newest Type 4. The first body Had a rather large bust compared to the newer releases with slightly smaller hips compared to later releases, and the biggest feet out of all. The body was entirely made of hard plastic. The big problem that came with this body was thigh splitting. The joints at the elbows also were fairly loose, causing the arms to flip about at times. Their necks were stiff and caused limited mobility of head turning, sometimes causing the neck to snap. The last two pullips to come on this body were Noir and Withered before the body was retired at the end of 2003.
Type 2 came out at the start of 2004 on Venus. The body featured a soft bust, which would stain easily and was easily prone to stomach pop. The torso apparently had a reaction to the hard plastic, it caused melt on the hard plastic limbs, butt, and the head. The wrist joints could become loose and the hands fall off. The feet were slightly smaller then the type 1 along with a smaller bust. This type ran till 2005 ending with Paja.
Type 3 started mid 2005 with Lan Ake and Lan Ai. The body was made of hard plastic like type 1. The bust was smaller then the first two, with wider hips. Feet were smaller, making shoe hunting easier. Flexability was limited even with all the joints. The body had numerous problems. The body had tendencies to break at the wrists, cracking then falling apart. The list for problems is quiet long and contained neck breaking, joints becoming loose, and other areas cracking besides the wrists. The body came to an end in 2008 with Adsiltia.
Type 4 bodies began in 2009 with Neo Noir. They are the current body types but do have their problems like others. The body is the smallest of the three and the stock from these dolls will not fit other types nor obtisu. The body seems to be a bit sturdier then type 3. The wrists can become loose, causing hands to fall out. The ankles also can break, as will joints become loose and flappy.
Aside from bodies, the wigs also changed over time. Pullips starting out had rooted scalps so re wigging was a tad difficult. The rooted scalp lasted through all type ones and early type 2. Wigs began after Nomado. This made wig swapping incredibly easy. Stock wigs had a tendency to lack quality.
Pullips tend to have a standard limit but does not make them limited. There are however many limited editions. There are even dolls released for special events by Groove that are normally one of a kind. Limited editions usually come out for events, but some have been released as a limited edition collection as many doll companies do. The limited dolls can ranged from very few to quiet a bit.
For now this is all the information I have on pullips! Keep an eye out for updates! Hope this is imformitive. If you have any idea on what I could include please let me know!
