"Action figures"

[elfs]

Back in the 1960's, the GI Joe doll was introduced to the American people. In order to avoid the stigma of "boys playing with dolls," the word "doll" appears nowhere on GI Joe packaging. The masculinized term is "action figure." And yet, the men who buy love dolls seem comfortable with the idea of buying "dolls."

The "love doll" phenomenon just seems to get bigger and creepier the more I look at it. Not that it wouldn't be convenient and aerobic in some ways to own one of the stealth models (take out the "love" sleeves and put on a pillowcase and it's indistinguishable from a normal pillow), but man, the anatomically accurate disembodied torsos disturb me, as does the blatant kindergartener model and the instructions on how to shop for kid's clothes.

You can buy high quality heads, and several high-end, better than Realdoll models. And some guys have just huge collections.

There are also two forums for consumers of these products, predictably one American and one Japanese. The American one has very strict guidelines against suggesting that your doll might be underage or that you buy things for her that might make her appealing in an immature kind of way; the Japanese one has a contributor, "Kodi," who likes to brag about the frilly girly dresses he found or the black patent vinyl schoolgirl shoes he found.

One thing that intrigues me: most of the contributors to the Japanese forums can't stand the "fabric" models and are much in favor of the silicone skin, often implying that the simple love pillows aren't worth the emotional investment. Which makes me wonder just how far these guys are going with their obsession with cold, still, poseable "action" figures. There's a thick, heavy line between those seeking masturbation aids and those looking for a relationship that borders on the necrophiliac.

Of course, none of that really matters for the lonely or horny here in America. There's really no continuum. Either you get the Cadillac RealDoll or BoyToy, or you're left with an atrocious blowblow up doll.

Maybe Dekunoboo needs an American distributor.

Not me, of course. I have my reputation to consider, after all.

Comments

[athelstan.livejournal.com]

Is that pure doll/kindergarten doll the inspiration for "Nudes Defending a Staircase"?

[lovingboth]

I've had a chance to play with a torso and I found it a lot less creepy than I would something with a manikin head. I'm masturbating in a position not usually doable (no hands, 'on top') not having sex with a corpse.

The state of some toys is indeed appalling.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

The inspiration for "Nudes Defending a Staircase" came from a comedy night at an improv club here in Seattle, where the improv team wanted "the name of a famous painting to act out," and someone shouted out, "Nude Descending a Staircase (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nude_Descending_a_Staircase,_No._2)." [SFW, by the way]. The improv team misheard and did a hilarious routine of machine guns and grenades behind a barrier made of overturned sofas, all the while miming covering their privates while running from cover to cover.

It was such a great title, I ran with it.

[athelstan.livejournal.com]

Thank you. The little doll in the link was about what I pictured in my head when I read the story. Your improv screw up is a much better story!

[blackcoat.livejournal.com]

Obviously, what is needed here, is a lifesized, anatomically correct, GIjoe themed RealDoll or something like.

[shunra.livejournal.com]

Thankyouthankyouthankyou for that. It will come in handy to make my parental duties of making my son's head explode - he's a (very serious) improv actor and a complete and utter prude.

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

Maybe an Uncanny Valley effect?

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

I hope it's sampling error, but I wouldn't be greatly surprised at a shortage of male dolls in Japan.

I can think of some obvious work-arounds, but the results would be a bit strange. Not outside the range of hentai manga, but strange.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

With a sound chip: "Math is hard!"

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Yeah. That doll is just way disturbing. I'm not sure how it could have "inspired" the story, though; I wrote Nudes... four years ago, and only a couple of months ago stumbled on the whole RealDoll thing.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Well, yeah, I understand that. That's why I think Dekunoboo needs an American distributor. (I finally translated the name; it means "Climax Doll.") Some of those simple toys are little more than fleshlight mounts and I'm all for experiments in improving one's masturbatory experience, especially when it combines well with aerobic exercise.

It's when the doll is reaching as a substitute for a real woman, without the relationship input, that the SF writer in me starts to wonder how far away we are from hitting the satificing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satisficing) barrier for men.

[blackcoat.livejournal.com]

"Math is hard. Let's go fight something!"

"Math is hard. Let's go drinking!"

"Math is hard. Let's go fishing!"

[elfs.livejournal.com]

"Math is hard! Do me harder!"

Not cold

[lemur123.livejournal.com]

"...obsession with cold, still, poseable "action" figures. "

When not in storage, you keep them under an electric blanket. It takes a long time to gently heat up all the way through, and you don't want to apply excessive heat to the exterior to speed up the process, so it's worth the cost of electricity. Heat also speeds up offgassing, which removes the "new-car smell" that's present when you first remove the shrinkwrap.

Re: Not cold

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Oddly enough, I think that's really useful information.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Theatresport works with the material it gets and the creativity of its teams, nothing more or less. Sometimes it wins, sometimes it loses.

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Theatersports (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatresports).

My impression of this genre of improv is that it's fun and unforgiving.

[shunra.livejournal.com]

My son is part of a local group of high-school age kids, The Chairs, run by Joey Pipia. They perform once a month from January through June and pick up cues from the audience, running through improv forms - many of the ones they use are mentioned in the Wikipedia entry for Theatresports.

It looks like fun, and is interesting to watch - so far, I've had belly laughs at every show. It does not feel like "kid theater" at all. And improv (especially in the form that they use) is quite fertile ground for philosophical meta-discussions about discussions, interactions, and life.

Shall I drop you an invite next time they perform?

[jadiana.livejournal.com]

Amusingly, my 6 year old nephew calls his GI Joe and other dolls "Manmans" and gets really angry if you call them dolls. :)

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

I recall seeing, elsenet, that RealDoll were not going to do anthropomorphics.

It occurs to me that you could fit out one of these figures with a cosume in the style of the musical Cats...

I have weird thoughts. Maybe I should just get my teddy-bear a strap-on?

[lemur123.livejournal.com]

Plushies!

Re:

[elfs.livejournal.com]

Stuffed company (http://stuffedcompany.com/).

Unfortunately quite primitive, but clearly getting there.

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

Out of my current budget, but not ridiculously so. They promise a couple of male chatacters for 2008, but..

I shall have to have a word with ome guys I know who were at a big Furry con, recently.

[antonia-tiger.livejournal.com]

It turns out that there is something between the blow-ups and the RealDoll grade. Teddy Babes. (http://www.teddy-babes.com/)

And they seem to be working with Angelpaws to provide Special "furry" teddy babes (http://www.teddy-babes.com/furry.html)

I'm starting to feel a little bit guilty about all this. There's a niggling little voice in the back of my head that tells me these things are wrong.

Oh, not to worry, it's just my inner bank manager, and we all know how reliable they are.

[lemur123.livejournal.com]

http://realhamster.com/