Sdtrk: ‘Faith (RS home demo)’ by the Cure

Did everyone have an enjoyable Valentine’s day? Well done! As I’m usually out and about on Saturdays, and the Missus and I usually get together ahem on Sundays, we just looked at Saturday and Sunday as Valentine’s day and Valentine’s day (Observed)…
So while she’s momentarily resting up, here’s several exciting Doll news articles of Doll note:

Abyss creations have posted the Winter issue of the Doll Street Journal (it’s in the News section), which details quite a few new intriguing bits and bobs from the company, such as the two new MaleDolls, the still-in-development RealDoll 2, and more. Had I been able to attend the recent Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas, I’d be more privy to secret stuff from all the Doll manufacturers that happened to be there, and therefore, you lot would be more privy to stuff, but alas, no money = no Davecat flying out there. Grrr. But do give the latest DSJ a look-in; if nothing else, it’ll whet your appetite…

Also, 01 March will mark a dark day for those iDollators who prefer Synthetiks with jubbleys that require their own postal codes: Abyss have announced that they’ll no longer be making the Body 9, made initially famous by the Anna Mae-type, after that date. They’ll continue to accept orders up until 28 February, but after that, the Body 9 passes into RealDoll history. Tsk.

So not making the 2009 AVN means I missed quite a bit of unveilings! Yes, I’m still bitter. Abyss were there, obviously; 4woods put in their first appearance there, showing off the Mia- and Kurumi-types that were mentioned in my December article; and KnightHorse displayed their Lovable Dolls in an elaborate booth that resembled a storefront. It’s probably a good thing that I couldn’t make it, all told, as I would’ve been constantly licking the glass.
Matt K. & Bronwen had their first model, Yvette, there, along with the new Body 2 Head 2 type, Monique, and the Pixie-type Fantasy Lover head. As the highly-esteemed (and steamy) photographer Stacy Leigh was in attendance, she managed to get some photos in of the new girls. Yes, I’m still bitter.

Monique believes that walking up the steps takes less time,
but simply isn’t as erotic

‘Welcome to the Renaissance Festival, my good sir! Tra la la la la’

KnightHorse will also be releasing their first male Doll, as well as metal stands for any Doll that has a neck eyebolt, in the next couple of months, so you’d do well to keep an eye on them. But that goes without saying!

Phoenix Studios has just sent Miss Winter, of their Boy Toy Seasons line, out into the world, with photographs also by Stacy Leigh. Yummy results!

The sign says SEXY. I don’t argue with signs, as a rule

Like I’ve said, I think the closer-to-realistic styling of the Seasons series gives them a slighter edge over the standard-issue Boy Toy Dolls, but that’s rather like saying the MINI Cooper S is better than the regular MINI Cooper; it’s simply differing shades of desirability. Summation: it is all good.

Should you happen to be in New Yawk sometime between now and 15 March, you’ll want to stop round the hprgp gallery, as there’s a photo exhibit by Becky Yee entitled ‘More than a Woman‘, that sounds like it’s pretty much exclusively ta-bo-san‘s staggeringly huge Doll collection.

Photographed in a three-bedroom apartment in the outskirts of Tokyo. The single human occupant, a middle-aged computer engineer. He is the self-proclaimed world’s largest collector of “Dutch wives” (“Datchu-waifu”) also called sex dolls or love dolls. […] “More than a Woman” hopes to explore more than the Dutch wives’ obvious function of satisfying sexual and physical needs. Visually discovering the basic cravings for companionship, unconditional love, unwavering loyalty and the importance of trust, acceptance and intimacy. All of which he is unable to find in a human relationship, but is somehow satiated with his cast of Dutch wives.

The multitude of Dutch wives create his perfect world of women.

If anyone gets a chance to see it, let me know how it is. And let me know if there are programmes for sale! And send me one!

A new Doll maker from the US is making their way up the ranks: Private Island Toys. As the name implies, they specialise in erotic toys, but recently, they’ve branched out into the field of full-bodied Dolls, with their new Private Island Beauties line. O my goodness.

Does mademoiselle require another Zima?

Their lass is 80 lbs, 5’7″, with measurements of 33.21.36, and a size 5 shoe. She also features a ‘relaxed’ skeletal system, as well as the ability to swap with a number of other heads that the manufacturer offers. Currently, they’re now taking orders, and they offer a variety of customisation options, as it’s all about the detailing. Speaking of detailing, from the pics alone, their sculpting is Magically Delicious; the pic above hardly does her justice, but it was the only work-safe one I could use… Check out their site!

And finally, we have an amusing distraction: the quiz Pussycat or Real Doll? Amazingly enough, I got 100% correct. I know, I’m as surprised as you are!

So there you have it! With all these options to choose from, you might well have a gorgeous Synthetik companion of your own to spend the next Valentine’s day with! Just… don’t give her any chocolates, it’ll go straight to her hips

Sdtrk: ‘monk chant (live)’ by the monks

Saturday, as previously mentioned, found me in the company of A.Vial and S.Gladieu, round at Mahtek’s place. By the time I appeared over there, which was shortly before 3pm, Stephan was already getting photos in of him with the main love of his life, Phoebe. Everyone else had already been there for a bit — namely CJD, his wife, and Euchre — and I had showed up at pretty much the tail end of Stephan’s shoot with Mahtek. We still got a bit done, however! Post-shoot, we spent a number of hours discussing all things Doll, interspersed with Anne getting impromptu interviews with Euchre and CJD individually, as well as in a kind of a round-table context. Upon reflection, I really should’ve brought Clicky Mk III, but alas…

Classy Bethany, distracted Phoebe

Anne & Stephan had asked Euchre if they could get round to his, to photograph him with his lass Samantha. As none of us had really eaten anything of substance, someone suggested that we make a wagon trail over to Euchre’s, after which we’d get dinner at a nearby restaurant called Sila’s. Problem solved!

As Stephan, Euchre and Sam were prepping the livingroom for the shoot, Mahtek had made a call on his cellphone and handed it to me, saying it was Midiman, an iDollator putting together a documentary of his own. Shi-chan and I had actually missed the opportunity last year to be in his documentary, as the scheduling window was extremely last-minute, but we chatted for a good five minutes and exchanged contact information, so that was fab. For the remainder of the eve, the rest of us milled round in the kitchen, whilst Stephan did his thing.

Samantha, looking coy

It came to pass that round 6pm or so, Anne & Stephan had to get back to their hotel, as they’d be boarding a flight the next day and heading to Abyss creations, so after a warm exchange of handshakes and hugs (and Mahtek, Euchre and I utterly confusing them with directions), they made their leave.
What they’ll be doing is they’ll be shooting various pics of iDollators and luminaries in the Doll community over the course of a year; the photos are for Getty Images, and the interviews will be for whatever magazine that purchases the story. They said they’ll be sending us our pictures in a month’s time, so you might well see a couple pop up on ‘Shouting etc etc’, naturally. Once everything’s closer to finalisation, you’ll hear all about it. But that goes without saying!

Following that, CJD, Mrs CJD, Euchre, Mahtek and I got round to Sila for a well-deserved dinner. The parking lot was almost entirely filled, but we managed to find spaces, thankfully. And it was a good dinner! Great food (A+++ WOULD EAT AGAIN), great conversation with great people, and bizarrely enough, I learned that not only did Euchre and I attend the same highschool, but he graduated only a year before I did. That’s some serious out-of-left-field shit right there, right? iDollators: WE’RE EVERYWHERE.
Round 9pm, our wee gathering broke up, as Sila was closing for the eve, and Mr & Mrs CJD had a three-hour drive back to London, ON ahead of them. Handshakes, hugs, etc, and we’d made plans for the next meeting to be a Doll Parliament at CJD’s again in Spring. Looking forward to that! Maybe I should go ahead and apply for my passport now, and get that ball of paperwork rolling…

Aaand rounding out the evening, I spent an engaging three hours speaking with Midiman over Skype, discussing… well Doll-related topics, obviously. Gotta love that Skype: a three-hour call from the Bay of Fundy to near-Detroit, all for zero dollars and zero zero cents (plus anti-tax)!

All in all, a productive eve, I’d say! It’s all well and good to speak with colleagues over teh Internuts, but meeting face-to-face is always a pleasure. Now if only there were more iDollators within driving distance!

Sdtrk: ‘Closet romantic’ by Damon Albarn

Fellow SE Michigan-area iDollator Mahtek (you remember him) informed me a number of weeks ago that he was going to be interviewed by Anne Vial, a French journalist, concerning being a Doll husband and the subsequent joys thereof, and that Anne was looking for other iDollators that might want to be involved. Naturally, my name came up, although I can’t imagine why! So we arranged to meet at his on a Saturday at the end of January, along with colleagues CJD and Euchre, for shop talk and a photo session. Anne also wanted to meet with us separately for individual interviews and picture-taking, and that’s precisely how Sidore-chan and I spent our Tuesday afternoon and evening. Nice!
I’d gotten home from work at 5pm, which left me just enough time to scrub off the blood coating the walls of Deafening silence Plus, and slide the Missus into a cheong-sam. Mme. Vial and her photographer, whose name currently escapes me, stopped round about a quarter to eight, after a gruelling day of driving from South Dakota for an unrelated story they were working on. After introductions were passed round, Anne got down to the question salvo. She stated that the idea of doing a piece about Dolls and their owners was inspired after viewing ‘Lars and the Real Girl‘; specifically, how Dolls can be so much more than just ‘sex toys’, and can actually make a marked difference in one’s life. Sixty minutes of my idle ramblings later, the photographer bloke (yes, I will learn his name) started snapping pics of us. I’m not giving any of it away, but I know there’s at least one photo of Shi-chan and I in our kitchen, where I’m feeding her some dodgy AFC sushi that’ll look fantastic if it sees print…

As Anne and… friend… were growing knackered, they made their leave round 11pm, but not before profusely thanking us, and confirming plans for this coming Saturday. All in all, a very enjoyable experience! It was almost like having Elisabeth Alexandre and Elena Dorfman round simultaneously! It’ll be ace working with them again; rest assured, there’ll be a more detailed post about the possible article release dates, so keep your eyes peeled (sounds painful)!

And speaking of interviews, you’re all aware that Slade, the now-retired RealDoll Doctor, has a six-page article in the Jan/Feb issue of Details magazine, right? Well, you know now! I suppose you could simply read the article online, but it’s just not the same

UPDATE (28 Jan): The photographer’s name was Stephan Gladieu. Mea culpa!

Technorati tags: Abyss Creations, RealDolls, iDollators, Lars and the Real Girl, Elisabeth Alexandre, Elena Dorfman, Details Magazine

Sdtrk: ‘Arthur Cravan’ by Mount Vernon Arts Lab

Just a heads-up: my Texas-based friend Jaems, of int23.com, engaged me in a lengthy phone interview this past Friday, concerning being an iDollator (meeting new and interesting people with an interest in silicone partners), and life with the Missus in general (sometimes there is wrestling involved). Now the results of the interview are presented here, for your edification. For one, I particularly like the title!

How did your roommate react to you bringing Sidore home?

Steve, my other roommate at the time, was really laid-back and open-minded. Initially, when I started raising funds for Shi-chan in earnest, I’d half-jokingly asked if he wanted to contribute. He gave me a single dollar for the ‘I Hope You Don’t Buy A RealDoll Fund’. (laughs)

Give it a look! It’ll be something pleasant to round out the end of your week-end

Sdtrk: something from the ‘Space channel 5 Part 2 “Uki uki” Non-stop Megamix’ soundtrack

Heh; dreamt last night that a company had assembled a very lifelike and rather convincing Sarah Palin Gynoid. The technicians were stretching her silicone face onto her skull, and she had that glassy-eyed look that we all remember so well, and I was like, ‘yep, she looks just like the original’. My hope would be that the Gynoid version would be working for good, not evil, much like a reverse version of ‘Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla’.

This will undoubtedly be the last post on ‘Shouting etc etc’ *crowd cheers* until 2009 *crowd boos*, so I have to play to type and mention something about Synthetiks. As previously mentioned, Kokoro Co. Ltd. were finally prepping their latest Gynoid, Actroid DER3, for her debut; which, strangely enough, was in Thailand.

From that video, you can see that her body and facial movements are even more fluid than her predecessors — there’s probably more servos inside of her — but the one thing that really stood out is that she can actually move one of her legs now. When she’s singing that awful T-pop song and dancing towards the latter half of the footage, she’s shimmying a bit, as unlike her older sisters, she’s not bolted to the floor through both legs, which is obviously an improvement. One down, one to go!
There’s also a video you can grab from Kokoro’s site; the editing’s a bit rubbish, but it’s still worth viewing.

So when are we going to see all the mechanical progeny of Prof.Ishiguro gathered together? Simroid, Geminoid, the live-action Holon, Ando-san, all of the Actroids that were at the 2005 Aichi World Expo… even Repliee R1, the Gynoid version of Prof.Ishiguro’s daughter that, despite my dislike for the adjective ‘creepy’ in the context of artificial humans, even I have to concede that point towards her. But yeah, get them all together in one room, and I can’t conceive of a better opportunity for a family portrait…

And finally, I nearly forgot to add I got a wee mention and a link in a pro-RealDoll article on the site ‘Open Your Heart To The Love‘. I’m referred to as ‘the leading authority’ on Synthetik companions. Flattery will get you everywhere. 🙂

Until then, Sidore and I wish you a Happy 2009, and we’ll see you lot next year! Which is later this week. Nevertheless!

Sdtrk: ‘Heart and soul’ by Joy division

Our top stories this month *cue sfx of either morse code or typewriters*:

+ Abyss Creations have got a new news section on their website, entitled ‘The Doll Street Journal’, wherein they post notices of discounted RealDolls for sale, or various deals on offer, or clearance items, etc etc. Plus, they have a Doll of the Month feature, where a silicone lass at the factory details a few things about herself (it reminds me a bit of seeing adverts for cats and dogs up for adoption). This month’s instalment is the second one out, so catch yourself up on the News page of the site…

+ Orient industry has finally released a number of photos of two of their sexy new Real Love Doll Ange girls; the Sora-type, and the Rie-type.

Sora-chan, after being told her sushi came from that fish tank behind her

While we’re hoping that the company will post pics of the other four models of Dolls in that line relatively soon, you can hit up ‘Ta-bo’s Kisekae Dataroom’ in the interim, and check out his photo-reports taken in Orient industry’s Tokyo showroom.

Rie-chan thought sitting in front of her seating made her
look more ‘artsy’. Actually, it just made her look drunk

Personally, whenever Ta-bo-san does those reports, I always get the impression that he’s window-shopping for yet another addition to his staggering collection as he does so. Which is more than likely the case…

+ 4woods is back to work! As if they’d ever stopped. Not only have they unveiled a cute new head, Kurumi, for the A.I.Peach line, but they’ve also developed an alluring new body type as well, known as the A.I.Doll Evolution.

If Doctor Who’s Dodo Chaplet was turned into a Doll and joined Morning
musume, this is what she would look like

Like Kate Moss, but much less expensive

Now, as the seductive Mia has a definite Caucasian facial styling, it could be argued that 4woods is aiming for the non-Japanese market, much like Cindy and Maria of Axis Japan‘s Honey Dolls line. Well, there’s a reason for that, which I’m leading up to; don’t rush me.

Personally, Kurumi’s only okay in my book — she looks a bit too… chirpy. But as you’re aware, two exact same models of Doll can look radically different, depending on hair, makeup, lighting, photography, overall personality, etc. For instance, the Missus and her nymphomaniac cousin Charlie Joanne are both Body 2, Face 4 RealDolls, but the difference is like night and day. Which is entirely appropriate, if you think about it. Maybe when I see some owner pics of Kurumi, I’ll change my tune.
Mia, on the other hand, gets my full Seal of Approval. The A.I.Evolution is apparently the culmination of seven years of 4woods Doll developments (has it really been seven years??); she’s 5’4″, weighs 71 lbs, and her measurements are 35.25.37. Huh! ‘The wider spread of legs, better touch/feeling while being intimate, attention to small detail on each body part, an existence you can almost feel her breath… You can find these characteristics in our evolved A.I doll,’ boasts the site, and I’m certainly willing to believe that.

+ Back in November — on my birthday, coincidentally enough — KnightHorse, Matt Krivicke & Bronwen Keller’s new company, opened its virtual doors. Introducing: Lovable Dolls. Or Loveable Dolls; I’m not sure which spelling they’ll end up with.

Comes shipped with romantic ambience; candle and pillows sold separately

Ripped from the pages of a popular forum that handles this sort of thing:

Yvette shown here is 5’3″ tall, her measurements are 32A-22-30 and she wears a size 7 shoe. She weighs approximately 65lb. She has a removable head designed with a system that allows you to easily change her eye color and position the eyes without damaging the eyelashes. We use beautiful handmade eyes in each doll. The eyes are available in 9 gorgeous colors that reflect light in a beautifully realistic way. She is available in 7 different skin tones ranging from very fair to very dark, and she is made of premium grade platinum silicone. You will be able to order Yvette with all the options offered by the other high end doll companies, plus a few extra.

Yvette can be purchased with built in entries or with a removable insert. She is fully posable and jointed. We have been very fortunate to establish an exciting partnership with 4Woods of Japan; we are using a skeleton based on their design, and we will be their USA affiliate for people who would like to purchase 4Woods dolls. We will also be offering maintenance services for 4Woods within the USA. They, in turn, will be marketing our dolls in Japan.

Our base price for Yvette is $5,500 + shipping. […] We hope you love her as much as we do!

Best wishes,
Matt Krivicke

No snappy caption here; too busy drooling over Dollfeet

From the pics I’ve seen of Yvette (the company plans on releasing additional models over time), she’s scarily realistic. And I mean that in the best possible context!
If her particulars aren’t enticing enough, Matt K & Bronwen also state on the site’s FAQ that not only are they willing to repair any of their Dolls at their aptly-named Doll Hospital should they require repair, but they say they can give a go at repairing other manufacturer’s Dolls as well, which is a boon since Slade, the RealDoll Doctor, is no longer practising. I’ve gotta say, that’s a hell of a standard that they’ll be establishing for all Doll makers. KnightHorse’s gorgeous lasses will definitely be something to keep an eye on in the next coming months…

And it looks as if Japanese audiences will finally be getting the chance to enjoy ‘Lars and the Real Girl’ later this month! Wonder why that took so long?

That’s the least-withdrawn Lars has ever looked

There’s a couple of pics in the News section of Bianca — well, a Bianca; everyone knows there’s more than one — taking in the sights of Tokyo, which is rather charming.

She’s not big enough of a star to warrant a limousine, apparently

What with Japan being a nation that is not as averse to the concept of either passive or active Synthetiks, one wonders what the overall reaction will be to this film? Do let us know, Japan!

And there you have December!
‘Shouting to hear the echoes’. More Doll news than you can physically handle, so we suggest employing some sort of large container to prevent spillage

Technorati tags: Abyss Creations, RealDolls, Orient Industry, CandyGirl, 4woods, A.I.Dolls, Axis Japan, Honey Dolls, Charlie Joanne, KnightHorse, Lovable Dolls, Lars and the Real Girl, ラースと、その彼女, リアルドール

Sdtrk: ‘The November men’ by Death in June

Greetings, new readers who’ve arrived at ‘Shouting to hear the echoes’, due to the link provided by Korea Beat! For the record, that post that sent you here? It’s riddled with errors. Riddled. This is what occurs when you use a blender to edit your articles. Let’s go over the highlights with a red pen, shall we?

The Real Dolls, made of a material similar to silicone, really look and feel just like a real person. And at 40 to 50 kilograms they even weigh as much as a woman. They can wear makeup and the more expensive ones can even eat.

Y’know, if I could get Sidore to cook for the pair of us, that would save so much time. Maybe she never learned how cos I never taught her, durr hey?

It is becoming increasingly easy to find men overseas with similar stories. 34-year old Dave of Detroit, in the United States, keeps a blog about his daily life with his Real Doll. They take walks together, eat together, and share secrets in bed just like a real married couple.

I can just see us attempting to do that. Either I’m blithely dragging her along by one arm, or hoisting her onto my back for a ride, and killing the pair of us.
And for the record, that’s Davecat, not Dave. Davecat, Esq. Well, maybe not esquire, but I’m working on it.

Here, the article’s broken up by a couple of pics of Synthetiks who are clearly CandyGirls, and not RealDolls. Another mark for lack of research!

He confessed his feelings about loneliness and the Real Doll. “I was always alone ever since I was a child. I think it was because of my appearance…”

Initially, people could handle my two sets of horns and prehensile tail, but then one Summer, I developed a row of glistening black eyeballs across my forehead. For some bizarre reason, that put people off!

“Suzi (the name of his Real Doll) is the first woman I had sex with and she does everything I want…”

Suzi? SUZI?? How the hell did they parse Sidore into Suzi? Did they just stop translating at the first letter and randomly select a female name that also starts with ‘S’?
And unfortunately Shi-chan (the first Synthetik woman I had sex with, just so you know) doesn’t do everything. She’s categorically refused to allow me to use her as a table or a chair, in the style of Allen Jones, for example.

“my mother, who is deceased, really wanted me to meet a girl but I think she understood that with the doll I’m not so lonely.”

Actually, unless Korea knows something I don’t, mum is above ground, and doing quite well. I spoke with her yesterday, as a matter of fact. No ouija board or scrying-glass was needed!
Also, they may be confusing (or just fusing) me with Everard, whose mother has in fact passed, and has said things to this effect in ‘Guys and Dolls / Love me, love my Doll’.

Men who only date their Real Dolls are mostly people who trouble fitting in to society. Because of their appearance or sexual experiences they live at home, with few friends, let alone a girlfriend, and purchase a Real Doll to solve those problems and have it them be their friends and lovers. On Dave’s blog he once wrote, “our conversations are one-way but even so I feel thankful to her.”

*facepalms* Where do I even begin with this paragraph?? It’s 95% bullshit!
For one, I think that once you have a Doll, you’re not really dating her — you’ve pretty much skipped that whole process entirely.
My favourite bit out of that cavalcade of conjecture though, is that quote I ‘wrote’. Take a moment to plug that phrase into the Search engine of ‘Shouting etc etc’, and see if you can find it. Go on, I’ll wait.
Did you find it? Heh, neither did I.

And the final paragraph,

Many people are unable to understand how they can treat a doll as their girlfriend. But the only way for them not to be that way is for us to understand them. When we understand their feelings there will no longer be dolls in their beds.

Ahh, but what if a person wants a Doll in their bed? Or did I just blow your mind??
A good spur-of-the-moment analogy would be that some people enjoy Coke, and some people like Pepsi. And then, there are those of us who love Dr pepper. There’s not a thing wrong with Dr pepper; it’s simply another type of beverage…

Anyway, you can find the undissected work of fiction-disguised-as-fact here. It’s left me more amused than angry, if nothing else, but there’s so much mistranslation/appropriation/fanciful bollocks that I’m left wondering if this article came from North Korea, and not the southern half. As we all know, North Korea has their own, shall we say, unique, take on reality