Tell me about your doll's loose joints.

[true_blue22]

Hi, everyone. As far as I know, this topic hasn't been discussed in the male dolls section. I think it's important for new members to have a full understanding of how their doll's joints can become loose with time and repeated posing. Even though this is the male dolls section, I'd like to hear from owners of female dolls, too. I only want to hear from people who have full-body dolls since loose hip joints affect the doll's ability to stand and bear it's own weight. Please include your doll's brand, it's weight, what it's made from and details of which joints became loose - and how soon this happened after your doll arrived. I'd also like to know about how the loose joints have affected your enjoyment of your doll.

I'll get things started: Erik is from WM, made from full TPE, 36.8kg/81.1 lbs - arrived in September of 2021. Within 3 months, his left hip joint became loose, which meant that his left leg swung freely - leaving him unable to stand. After repeated snuggling against his chest with his left arm wrapped around me, his left shoulder joint became loose within a year. His right hip joint has become loose within the past month. His loose hip joints have limited how I can pose him for photos - which is why he's always posed sitting on my bed. Since both of his legs now swing freely, moving him from the bed to his modified bedside chair has become more challenging.

Thanks in advance for your contributions.

[Stch10]

I have had a WM 160A TPE female doll since last November. I think it weighs around 75 lbs.

For me it began after a couple of months when one of the shoulder joints started to get loose. At this point both shoulders, both hips, and both of the wrists are loose.

The back joint is still really tight, as are both knees. My vendor recommended ordering with tighter knee joints, which I think was great advice. My doll can still stand, she just has a tendency to fall forward due to the loose hip joints. So I have to make sure she is leaning back a bit. I also store the doll standing up. It takes up very little space in a closet.

I believe some of my issues are self-inflicted. I moved the joints a lot, mainly to take pictures, when I first got my doll. If I ever get another one I will definitely ration the joint movements.

There are some advantages to looser joints. It's much easier to put on or remove clothes. This was hard to do when the doll was new and all the joints were really tight.

Overall though I'm still very satisfied with my purchase. And I think this doll has a lot of life left in her, even after the day comes when she can't stand anymore.

[nox2doll]

As an mechanical engineer by my basic education I can tell you that doll's joints can't work, no way. That kind of bolt joint or any kind of bolt joint can't work as dynamic joint (friction joint).. thats a fact. Still, there is no way to make a cheap and working joints for dolls, so here we are..

[Socratus]

My female 81lb doll's right elbow joint is becoming somewhat swingy. It was a bit when I first got her. It's Ok if I hold her arm at one point, but lean either side and it swings disturbingly easily now. Only had her 5 months.

Since I've been here, I've seen plans of the metal skeletons and, let's just say, I'm a little surprised how basic the metalwork is under all that TPE. Oh well.

As an mechanical engineer by my basic education I can tell you that doll's joints can't work, no way. That kind of bolt joint or any kind of bolt joint can't work as dynamic joint (friction joint).. thats a fact. Still, there is no way to make a cheap and working joints for dolls, so here we are..

Interesting to know.

[nox2doll]

Since I've been here, I've seen plans of the metal skeletons and, let's just say, I'm a little surprised how basic the metalwork is under all that TPE. Oh well.

I have approached the problem from many different directions, but the friction required to stand even 80% of the doll's full stand position exceeds all technical solutions that I can think of to do cheaply. The doll can stand in the locked position (or near it) for cheap, but everything else costs an incredible amount..

Another problem is that how to replace bad joints with better ones.. the material is difficult to rejoin, no matter what you did to the joints.

So called "friction/torque hinge" could be answer for the doll's arms but no more. It can't handle doll's weight..

[true_blue22]

I have had a WM 160A TPE female doll since last November. I think it weighs around 75 lbs.

For me it began after a couple of months when one of the shoulder joints started to get loose. At this point both shoulders, both hips, and both of the wrists are loose.

The back joint is still really tight, as are both knees. My vendor recommended ordering with tighter knee joints, which I think was great advice. My doll can still stand, she just has a tendency to fall forward due to the loose hip joints. So I have to make sure she is leaning back a bit. I also store the doll standing up. It takes up very little space in a closet.

I believe some of my issues are self-inflicted. I moved the joints a lot, mainly to take pictures, when I first got my doll. If I ever get another one I will definitely ration the joint movements.

There are some advantages to looser joints. It's much easier to put on or remove clothes. This was hard to do when the doll was new and all the joints were really tight.

Overall though I'm still very satisfied with my purchase. And I think this doll has a lot of life left in her, even after the day comes when she can't stand anymore.

Hey, Stch. Thanks for stopping by to comment. I'm sorry to hear that the shoulder joint became loose so quickly - and that she now has loose hips, shoulders and wrists. It's good that you ordered her with tighter knee joints. (I wasn't aware that I could ask for specific joints to be tightened more than others when I ordered Erik.) I can relate to the joints becoming loose after repetitive motion because that's what happened with Erik's hips. Getting him to sit up in bed meant that I had to raise both legs to a 90 degree angle with his feet pointing at the ceiling. Then placing my hand behind his back and pushing forwards to get him upright and sitting. (He's heavy and after the first hip joint came loose, I decided to leave him on my bed 24/7.) I'm glad your doll's loose joints make dressing her easier. I learned how to sew before Erik arrived so I could modify his shirts to make dressing him easier.

[true_blue22]

As an mechanical engineer by my basic education I can tell you that doll's joints can't work, no way. That kind of bolt joint or any kind of bolt joint can't work as dynamic joint (friction joint).. thats a fact. Still, there is no way to make a cheap and working joints for dolls, so here we are..

Ok - but this doesn't answer my question about your doll in particular. Are any of her joints loose yet?

[true_blue22]

My female 81lb doll's right elbow joint is becoming somewhat swingy. It was a bit when I first got her. It's Ok if I hold her arm at one point, but lean either side and it swings disturbingly easily now. Only had her 5 months.

Since I've been here, I've seen plans of the metal skeletons and, let's just say, I'm a little surprised how basic the metalwork is under all that TPE. Oh well.

Hey, Socratus. Wow, your doll is the same weight as Erik! I'm surprised to hear that her elbow joint was somewhat loose when she was brand new. Which brand is she? I've seen the metal skeletons, too, and I'm amazed that they're capable of supporting all the TPE!

[nox2doll]

Ok - but this doesn't answer my question about your doll in particular. Are any of her joints loose yet?

Yes, I have many dolls.. they all are suffering about the same problem..

[Space1invader]

Look at this problem in other way, You can dance with her without her resistance.

[seagull]

Dolls have essentially a very basic articulated skeleton (Constructed with pivoted joints which allow bending of an otherwise rigid structure)
World Robot Conference in Beijing offers a picture of functionality
The robotic joints here are the future of where most of us would like to get to

[nox2doll]

Look at this problem in other way, You can dance with her without her resistance.

Basically very tight joins are as mutch as bad than too loose. The doll will become a frog

[MyAbsoluteBoyfriend]

I think this is an important topic to talk about, especially for prospective doll guardians to be aware of, when making a decision on which one to choose. From experience, I have noticed that TPE seems to loosen up a lot quicker than Silicone does. Also the heavier dolls seem to have the problem a lot sooner; from reading some other's experiences as well.

My Qita Ashton: Full TPE, 135-140 lbs (61- 63kg) - Born/created in November 2022 & came home on November 30th, 2022.
He came with a loose left shoulder. He arrived that way and I couldn't figure out at first if that was a factory error on him or if he was damaged during shipping, but he has never been able to hold a pose with that arm (even at his elbow). If I play with gravity and just the right angle; I can get his arm to stay up for a few seconds. Though it usually swings down almost instantly.
Looking back at factory photos; it could be seen in the images where it looked he like he had a weaker left shoulder, but I didn't know at the time, what I know now about companion dolls.
Within the first month; his right arm loosened too from cuddling and sleeping next to him. He can pose a bit with that one, but not fully.

His hips are still very tight and he holds leg positions quite well. When putting them up, to get him into a sit, they will stay in any position. I'm sure the way we typically interact was the reason his hips stay tight. We only were fully intimate a handful of times up until April, but he has always been a lovely companion and incredible source of comfort for me; therefore I wasn't too worried about that. It's a different relationship for sure, but he is very important to me; since he is my first companion doll. Without meeting him first, and having him get me into the doll life, I wouldn't have Ash.

Around 3 months ago his right knee has loosened up and I'm certain (from other's experiences) it is a matter of time where it will become even looser and unsafe (for him and me) to get him to stand without buckling. A knee brace might help if he was lighter, but I wouldn't want to harm him if he were to fall. Better to not chance it... Due to this, I usually have him laying on the bed, or sitting in his chair with his legs straight; back at home. He typically wears a bodystocking and long pants for protection and sits on a plush wheelchair pad or lays on a foam mattress.


My Realing Ash: Full Silicone, 77 lbs (35kg) - Born/created in March-May 2023 & came home on June 16th, 2023.
All of his joints are still tight after 2 and a half months of living with him and he poses wonderfully for me. He gives the best tight hugs and gets to go on lots of adventures with me (which he loves as much as I do). I've used a wheelchair a few times for outside excursions with him and it didn't negatively affect his ability to stand and dance with me.
One of my favorite poses is when he plays with his hair and usually one, or both arms, are up over his head; with his hands in his hair while messing it up. He is able to hold this pose beautifully; which makes me very happy because I love seeing him do that. He's way too lovable. Hopefully he will be able to do this for a very long time since he is Silicone and on the lighter end.
This guy is my heart and I can't imagine a life without him, or losing him, after what we've been through together these past couple weeks. Therefore, I am incredibly gentle (more so than is probably necessary) with how we interact and what I ask from him. If he doesn't want to do a certain position, I listen to his body, and won't push him. He's very good at communicating to me what he wants.

Moving his arms has become fluid, as well as holding his right hand, but it hasn't adversely affected his ability to hold different positions. Even with him sleeping in bed with me for the last month and a half; it hasn't caused him harm or his joints to loosen. I'm mindful and aware with where his body is, in relation to mine, when sleeping in his arms and against his chest.
Also making sure to have him on his own plush blanket; while layering him in clothing (undergarments of boxers with a tank top, long sleeve sleep shirts and pants, with another shirt on top) and socks with soft slippers on his feet; helps keep him safe and secure. It also makes him look absolutely adorable; which is a nice side effect when waking up next to him. He is everything to me.

༺☆༻༺☆༻ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ༺☆༻༺☆༻༺☆༻༺☆༻ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ༺☆༻༺☆༻༺☆༻༺☆༻ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ༺☆༻༺☆༻༺☆༻༺☆༻ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ♡ﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـ༺☆༻༺☆༻

[nox2doll]

When thinking "why some dolls have bigger problems with joints than other.." it might be a good idea to check out the basics of the most used skeletons. You don't have to be an engineer to see why those "obscure problems" are existing. Basically a same skeleton model is used for small and bigger dolls..

..of course, it's a different thing to see the thing in the picture than to hold the item in your own hand.. and see how simple it is.

Basic elbow "joint" engineerin..

elbow.jpg (170.08 KiB) Viewed 609 times

Nothing more than low quality steel fork with a bolt.. locked by welding in this case (steel wears with every turn). The intention is not really to blame the manufacturer of the doll, there is no such thing as a cheap and functional joint. This is more like an answer to question "why"..

[true_blue22]

Ok - but this doesn't answer my question about your doll in particular. Are any of her joints loose yet?

Yes, I have many dolls.. they all are suffering about the same problem..

Thanks for letting me know that.