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Like any unique hobby or specialty community, seasoned members in the reborn doll world tend to use words or phrases that are special or pertain specifically to these beautiful dolls.
Whether it pertains to the creation of or used when buying or selling a doll, you’ll see these words or phrases all over the place.
It can be quite overwhelming for the average person or to someone new to the reborn or silicone doll community.
Luckily for you, I’ve scoured through Facebook groups, on artist websites, and on YouTube in order to find the most commonly used phrases and have compiled an easy to follow list.
Now that you have seen these new phrases, let’s go over them to give you a better idea of what they’re truly about.
Commonly Used Phrases in the Reborn & Silicone Doll World
What does OOAK mean?
This means “one of a kind” and refers to dolls that are created by an artist. Because no matter that artist or the kit, each doll will have differences, even if they are just slight.
And I think it sounds very cool and fancy, right?
Who wouldn’t want something that’s one of kind?!
What does WIP mean?
You’ll see “work in progress” often when looking at an artist’s Facebook or sale pages.
Sometimes they just want to show off how great their current project is going.
Or if you purchased a custom doll from an artist, they may send you WIP pictures to keep you in the loop and to make sure you’re happy with how your new doll is coming along.
What does SOLE mean?
This means “sold out limited edition”.
When a sculptor creates a new mold, they often times will only allow the production of a certain number of kits.
Because the number of kits is limited, it is considered a limited edition.
When all of these kits have been purchased by artists, they are not sold out.
SOLE will often reflect in the price of the doll.
Because it can be considered rare or hard to find, these dolls will be more expensive.
What does COA mean?
This refers to a “certificate of authenticity”.
When a sculptor sells their doll kits to an artist or collector, they well include a certificate of authenticity.
This ensures it is not a stolen or copied kit.
This then gets passed down to the adopter of the completed doll.
A COA helps prevent fraud and helps to maintain respect and credibility to the amazing artists and sculptors.
What does Limited Edition mean?
As I explained above in the description for SOLE, the same applies here.
When a sculptor creates a mold, they may only produce of a certain number of kits.
Because the amount of kits available for sale is limited, it is considered limited edition.
What does HTF mean?
This phrase meaning “hard to find” will often accompany LE or SOLE.
Again this is another phrase that you’ll commonly see during your searches for dolls for sale.
If a doll or specific kit is hard to find, you can expect the doll to be at a higher price point.
What does ISO mean?
This means “in search of” and you can use this acronym when posting your hopes and dreams for a doll you’re looking to buy.
For example, ISO a reborn sleeping baby with blonde rooted hair and a magnetic pacifier.
Then typically a seller can respond to you if their doll for sale matches your criteria.
What does GHSP mean?
Often times, an artist will provide what type of paint they used to paint the doll as this may be important to some buyers or collectors.
GHSP refers to Genesis Heat Set Paints and is one of the most common types of paints used by reborn or silicone doll artists.
These paints are permanent and waterproof and the colors adhere well to vinyl and allow the artist plenty of time to paint and tweak her work before heat-curing the paint.
What does COMBI mean?
As seen in the picture below, COMBI refers to a combination of rooted and painted hair.
Utilizing this combination approach can help a buyer with a lower budget get that very realistic head of hair they’re searching for.
The artist roots some mohair and also uses paint to fill in the rest.
Rooting hair takes a lot of time, so by utilizing paint the artist can shave hours off of production time.
What does OBO mean?
This acronym means “or best offer” and is used commonly in any marketplace for buying and selling goods.
An artist or seller can post a doll and say “$599 OBO”.
We can infer from this that the seller is open to negotiating the price.
What does FBS mean?
FBS or “full-body silicone” is a term used specifically for silicone dolls.
This means that the entire doll is created with silicone and does not have any cloth parts.
Because of the cost of silicone and amount of work it takes to paint a FBS, these dolls are often the most pricey in the doll world.
What does NFS mean?
This acronym means “not for sale”.
You may see this term used when an artist or seller just wants to share photos or videos of their doll.
People in this community love seeing photos of different dolls and the things that people do with them.
In order to prevent getting someone’s hopes up or receiving multiple messages from people looking to buy the doll, they will post NFS.
We got through them all!
So next time you see the cutest doll with the description saying “This HTF OOAK SOLE reborn with COMBI was painted using GHSP and is FBS, but unfortunately is NFS” you’ll know exactly what they’re talking about and unfortunately now know you can’t adopt her.
Now go hit those specialty Facebook groups and read through all those posts and comments like a pro.