Dolls have been an inseparable part of a girl’s life. The latest trend in dolls is OOAK. If you don’t know what does OOAK mean for dolls, you will find all the information here
Until the 18th-century, dolls were known as “toy babies” and were made of wood, clay, rags, ivory, and wax. Presently we have OOAK dolls. So, what are OOAK dolls, and what does it mean for dolls? You will get all your answers here. Just stay with us for some time.
What Does OOAK Dolls Stand For?
OOAK stands for One Of A Kind for dolls. An OOAK means that there has never been a doll before this and is a single individual doll, and no additional ones will be there in the future.
It means that the dolls are bespoke, and there is only one of its kind. While many people may have no idea what is the meaning of OOAK, this is a term used in craft and art by artists. The uniqueness of the product gives it the name.
How Are OOAK Dolls Made?
OOAK dolls are produced only in a single unit, mainly by artists customizing an already existing commercial doll toy like the Gene® or Barbie®, and are available for doll collectors.
For making any doll into an OOAK, it begins with a doll that has a nude base, followed by changing the hair by rerooting or restyling, applying face makeup on the doll, and dressing the doll in handmade custom designed clothing that appears on no other doll than the customized one.
This unique designed doll is only one, and no other doll is available with the same features for collecting or sale.
How Do You Customize Dolls?
To better understand what it means to be OOAK for a doll, we will look into the artistic steps of creating an OOAK doll.
The things required for making an OOAK doll are:
- Doll Stand
- Nude Fashion Doll
- Scissors
- Handmade Custom Clothing
- Doll Hair For Rerooting (Optional)
- Small Strips Of Paper Towel About 1 “X3”
- Bows, Small Elastics, Or Other Hair Accessories for the doll
- Drinking straws of plastic that are cut into several pieces of 1″
- Non-Rust Straight Pins
- Non-Acetone Nail Polish Remover For Face Repainting
- Artist-Grade Acrylic (Water-Based) Paints
- Fine Paint Brushes
- Hairspray Or Shaping Gel
- Boiling Water
- Bowl
Step 1
The first step requires washing the doll with hand wash soap in a sink of warm water to remove marks from the body and face. The legs and arms will be covered with clothing, so no need to worry about it.
Step 2
The doll’s hair is to be washed with shampoo or hand soap, and apply a hair conditioner or fabric softener to smoothen out the tangles. If the hair is clean and in good shape, just wet it.
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Step 3
Trim the ends of the doll’s hair if they are frizzy and comb the doll’s hair with a fine-tooth comb to remove the knots. To work on this step, you need to keep the hair damp and smooth.
Step 4
To “boil perm” the doll’s hair, divide the hair into small sections. Taking each section, in turn, working from bottom to top, fold a strip of paper towel around the section for endpaper and pull it down to cover the hair ends. Then, begin with the paper, roll the section of hair onto a straw, and when getting to the scalp, use a straight pin to anchor the straw to the head for drying and repeat this process till the entire head is in rollers.
Step 5
Place the doll’s head over a bowl deep enough to leave the hair submerged for a long period, similar to a wash sink seen in a salon where the head goes to the sink. Boil a pot of water
Step 6
Now pour the boiling water over the hair. Be cautious not to get the boiling water onto the doll or soft vinyl face in this process. Leave the doll’s hair covered in hot water till the water cools down. After that, place the doll somewhere to dry before proceeding to the next step.
Step 7
Using a non-acetone nail polish remover, remove the current makeup of the doll if you wish to repaint the doll completely. You would need acrylic paint and a fine paintbrush for recreating the face.
Repainting the doll requires attention to detail and a steady hand with artistic talent. If you are new to OOAK dolls, start by taking small steps and changing only the face.
An excellent alternative to repainting is to get dolls with different face paint from the manufacturer, which goes according to the vision of the design.
For example, painting the lips in a different color. If you come across a doll with violet eyes, you can use it as it is and design the dress according to the doll’s eyes. Design an OOAK without making drastic changes.
Step 8
Now remove the paper towel, straws, and pins from the doll’s hair and style the hair by using pins, elastics, and hair accessories. You can apply shaping gel and extra hold sprays to keep the hairstyle intact.
Step 9
Place the doll near a light, hold it up to see for any hair strands sticking up, and clip them using scissors.
Step 10
Dress up the doll in the custom clothing designed for it. The clothing can be sewn, knit, or crocheted. Here you can design your own pattern outfit, which is truly bespoke. Finally, place the doll on a doll stand to be showcased.
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Wrapping Up
OOAK dolls can be made by artists to display their creativity and showcase them in events. It is even sought out by doll collectors who wish to keep a unique doll collection. Children too can understand the concept of having dolls and making them OOAK dolls by working on the dolls by creating their dresses and changing their hairstyle and color.
OOAK dolls give designers a unique platform to showcase their design on dolls using their artistic ability creating one of a kind or bespoke design, which is a one and only model of the doll.
Creating OOAK dolls needn’t be difficult, and those with a passion for art can start by creating them at their homes and then sell out or present them. This uniqueness is what differentiates the OOAK dolls from the rest of the mass-produced dolls available.
I hope this article was able to answer most of your queries on OOAK in dolls. If you have further doubts or questions, or just want to share your ideas with us, feel free to write to us in the comments section below.