Checking for Real Iplehouse Dolls


I took this picture mostly for the different skin colors (white, normal, realskin, light brown) but you can also see the markings that Iplehouse puts on the knees of the dolls--an "IH", and the body type (SID, NYID etc.). If you are buying from somewhere like Ebay, it's a good idea to ask for photos of these. The oldest EID girls have the IH on their butts. There also should be a headplate on the back of the head "Iplehouse since 2003":

There were some batches of the older dolls (the smaller 60 cm ones) where the headplate was loose and fell off, and a few that went on crooked, but there should at least be an oval space for it and some remnant glue. The first of the larger dolls had a few issues--the first Light Brown/ Brown dolls had the color applied on the surface, so some Ashantis need to be treated carefully, but later, newer dolls have the color in the resin--Realskin goes all the way through so the inside of the doll should be the same color as the outside. The joints should fit together perfectly--here is an Senior Iplehouse Doll (SID) knee

This beautiful engineering is what makes these dolls so desirable--and expensive. Here is the inside of the hip (on dolls after 2012, I think)

Here is an SID elbow:

Ideally you should be buying a doll that has the original box (each size is color-coded), nested in cut foam, with a certificate, the heel feet if it is a female, the care guide, and a promo sheet of Iplehouses' other dolls. I realize that owners often toss these things (and they lose a chunk of the value of the doll when they do) but you can always ask for joint photos and the head plate. I won't go into a big thing about why you shouldn't buy recasts, but basically if you do, you are wasting your money. The money you'd waste on two recasts could buy you a non-toxic, "real deal" you will love, and support the artists whose work you admire.

Comments

  1. Thank you for posting these tips! The only time I saw an Iple doll in the resin was from a meter's distance at a fair, so I had no idea that there were markings of this kind. Annnnnd I'd certainly like to know I'm getting the real deal the day I decide to plunder my wallet for an Iplehouse doll :p.

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    1. You are welcome! I've actually stopped buying from anyone but dealers and people I know; I got one head with a bogus certificate and later a body that was a sort of strange hybrid recast (at least that one was labelled as a "junk" body) so any little bit of info I can offer, I am glad to! And I have to say the Iplehouse dolls are the finest I own for workmanship, so you do get your money's worth.

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  2. Also the size of the doll can vary greatly. First gen knock offs are not so small but these guys then buy recasts to recast and you can end up with a 1/3 doll the size of a 1/4 doll.

    On the bright side---> More colors! The legit companies are offering the colors that the re-casters were being 'fallen back on' for.

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    1. I should clarify: the market is re bounding as the legit companies offer the colors people were asking for and not getting as the re-casters cornered them. Not only that, but they seem to be stepping up their new sculpts and refreshing their imaginations to compete again. ^_^

      I need more coffee. >.>;;

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    2. I think the companies were slow to offer colors because they wanted to work out the process so that there was less bubbling and marbling...the colored recasts that I have seen (all of two, so I am no expert) had strange textures and inclusions that a real company would reject. Heavily pigmented colors apparently are super hard to do--Liz (Simply Divine) tossed out 5 sets of hooves before she got a black pair that she liked well enough to sell. So I am glad they have gotten to the point they can do gray and peach and tans reliably. I'm still really curious how Mirodoll does their Super Black!

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