Smart Dolls are Fashion BJD's built on a 1/3 scale made in Japan by Danny Choo and can be purchased directly at smartdoll.jp (prices are always going to show in Japanese currency so you want to watch the value of the dollar when purchasing). They are about 23.6" tall most of which is legs, so not quite human proportion and more dramatic fashion model inspiration. They are made of vinyl which means that they are subject to staining if wearing black, coming in contact with black wigs or caps, etc. Their hands are easily removed to substitute other molded hand positions which can be purchased separately and have a skeletal structure for moving and striking poses. They have an almost alien long neck which takes some getting used to but seems in balance with their super long legs. They come with flat feet and high heeled feet are hard to come by which we personally feel is kind of a must for a fashion doll as sexy heeled shoes paired with unusually long legs is kind of a fashion trademark. You can change out the bust size from an almost flat to medium and large. Large almost looks like the doll will topple over from large boobs, so you will find most settle on a medium bust as the perfect proportionate size.
The clothing made for this doll is released in small limited runs and will run $100 or more but it is highly detailed and stitched like human clothing so it is very collectible. The shoes when released are just as detailed and realistic and will run high as well designed by father Jimmy Choo. There are several clothing makers that support this doll (including us) that you can find leggings and outfits and basics to dress your doll if you don't need highly detailed expensive clothing sets. So dressing your doll isn't largely a problem and there is a good supply out there. Plus many doll companies have released patterns for this doll to sew your own.
As far as skin tones go, we are impressed that so many dolls were made in the Cocoa skin tone which other BJD companies make so little of. So it is refreshing to not only see the skin tone repeated so much but also with mixes of human conditions such as above. Smart Doll does a good job of being inclusive towards disabilities with options to order with bionic legs and arms, hearing aids, and a plus size version which they call Pear Shape. The skin tones started with "Milk" which was very white and later discontinued to Cinnamon which is your basic Caucasion color, Tea which is more tan, and Cocoa which is the darkest skin tone. Unlike most BJDs, the doll comes with a basic wig, a set of eyes, a sporty underwear set, and the face as pictured. This is not an artist doll, so it comes as pictured and you don't need to send it in for a face-up. Eyes are removeable and replaceable by removing the wig and a head cap pops off for you to access inside the head. Like most BJDs the eyes are stuck inside the head with artists tack or putty which is easily removed and reused over and over again.
Dressing the doll can be very easy in that the head and arms pop out of their skeletal structure fairly easily making it easy to slip over tight fitting sweaters and shirts with more ease and eliminating the need for back closures. However Smart Dolls have a hole in their back where an additional stand goes to hold them up for photos. Now Smart Dolls can stand on their own, but not against high winds or rocky terrain very well, so you'll want to use the stand when taking pictures in the outdoor environment. This also presents a bit of a challenge for those sewing clothing for their Smart Doll as it means you must accommodate access to that hole through your clothing so that collectors can use their stand.
Smart Dolls have an 8.5" head which means they wear size 8-9" Wigs and because they are vinyl you should stay away from black caps to prevent staining or put a silicon cap under those wigs to protect your doll's head.
Be prepared for some shelf space. Although they are skinny and you can pack them in - you need 25-26" of height in between shelves to stand these dolls up which means most doll collector cases won't work for this doll to configure the shelf space and still display other height dolls on your other shelves. Most will get a PAX system from Ikea that has deep wardrobe shelves to display this doll because it is so tall.
Be prepared for some investment on this doll as they run from $550 in an underwear set and you'll need to purchase clothes, shoes, and possibly extra wigs for your doll. If you get more than one in the same skin color the good news is that you can have them swap busts and hand accessories and wigs down the line so all your dolls can share. Limited edition releases such as Supergirl or Batgirl have been known to go upwards of $2,000 and go fairly quickly once released.
The good news is most BJDs you order from other countries have a super long waiting period for you to get the doll and with Smart Doll the wait is very short and the shipping is very efficient and to your door with a reliable easy to track carrier like FedEx. It's probably the smoothest overseas doll transaction we have encountered.