I have been looking at the Public Choice awards/Dolls Awards of Excellence Awards that DOLLS magazine does.  I have to admit this confuses the heck out of me. It actually always has but when I was working for them (Jones Publishing) I didn't want to admit I was a complete idiot when it came to the wide world of dolls. 

But, now I am.

For the awards, there are Collectible Doll categories, Artist Doll categories and OOAK doll categories. (There are also faceup, fashion, baby dolls and reborns.) 

The Artist dolls are all ball jointed dolls, I am guessing they are all one-offs of various existing/upcoming dolls done by the artist, right? That is what it looks like. That one is fairly easy.

The OOAK category is where it gets really confusing. dolls are all over the board in that category. The OOAK Fantasy Themed dolls are all figures. The OOAK Less than $1250 and Over $1250 are all figures except for one bjd and a baby doll. Were those mistaken placements? I guess not, since one (or more) was an Award of Excellence winner in that category.
(note - I'm not discounting the winners, stay with me here...)

Looking at the entries, some of the Artist Dolls are also OOAK so I'm not sure what the distinction is between an artist doll and a OOAK.

THEN, if it's not confusing enough, there is the Collectible Doll categories. Okay wait...aren't they all collectible?  

It's kind of all over the board, some of them are OOAK and some were pre-orders...and one is a statue. And wouldn't most of these fit into the other categories, or vice versa, so why the different category? And what is the difference between an Artist doll and a Collectible doll? 

AAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!

Seriously. Do you see my conundrum? How do you even judge this? 

I always thought what classified something as a doll was that it was poseable in some way. The head turns, the arms move, etc. I understand many dolls are mainly for display, but they are still meant to be interactive in some fashion.

Then there are figures. We have collected quite a few of them. A 'figure/figurine/statue' is created in a particular pose and, many times, affixed to a base. It is not meant to be played with, modified, or even redressed. Really, it's only purpose is to be looked at.  

Then - you come to art dolls - which, apparently, which don't have to conform to a damn thing, which is where a lot of the confusion all comes from, Is it a doll or a figure? WTF?!?! And why does it get to be whatever the hell it wants? 

Confused yet? 

Shouldn't there just be a figure/art doll category? Because, really, it's a nightmare to even try to judge this. How do you compare an engineered, functional bjd next to a filmmaker Santa figure? Or a Don Quijote figure with a baby doll. Was the baby sculpted? or from a kit? Because that would make a big difference, right? Do you get what I'm saying? 

Now, don't get me wrong, I greatly appreciate the talent and skill it takes to create all of these, and they are all wonderful. That part is not up for debate. I'm only bringing up the category choices because it's confusing as hell and I wonder if it is as confusing to everyone else.

With all that being said - I highly encourage everyone to go check it all out and cast your vote. Support the artists that work so hard to create the treasures we love. You'll find all the info in the latest issue of DOLLS mag and Haute Doll mag - they were both the same issue this time.

Leave your thoughts, I am genuinely interested.