Dolls of all shapes and sizes wow fans at an annual festival hosted by Central Plaza Rama III

Anyone with a love for dolls will no doubt have already visited Central Plaza Rama III at least once over the last 10 days to check out "Doll Mania 2009", the annual festival that touches on all things to do with dolls and which, sadly, closes for another year today.

But what an event it was! It got underway with a fabulous fantasy fashion show on the theme "Four Elements". Titled the "Legend of God's Warriors", the show featured Athichart "Um" Chumnanont as the Wind God, Patchada "Roam" Nampan as the Earth God, Marvin Taweepol as the Water God and Phathit "Phai" Phisitkul as the Fire God.

At the end of the performance, Um, Roam, Phai and Marvin reappeared alongside the SD 17 model ball-jointed dolls (BJD) from the Four Elements collection, with each actor dressed in the same outfit as their doll. Um looked a real treat as the SD 17 boy "Reisner" doll in an attire that was dripping diamonds and emeralds worth Bt600,000.

The festival showcases dolls from around the globe from such big name creators as Japan's Volk and Korea's Latidoll, as well as doll makers from Hong Kong and Thailand. Blythe and BJD enthusiasts also loaned their limited edition dolls to the event.

"BJDs are the new trend because they are made from high quality materials. BJDs also come with gimmicks that make them more intriguing than other types of dolls. Some Blythe-doll collectors have now started to collect BJDs, though that doesn't mean they're abandoning their Blythes," says Phannipa "Mod" Ruksawong, one of Thailand's largest collectors and owner of one of the first Reisner's SD 17 BJD.

"The term BJD refers to any doll that is articulated with ball and socket joints, which allow this type of doll to look more realistic and to move more freely than dolls with hinged joints. BJDs were originally created by Japan's Volks, who manufactures various collections of BJDs," she explains.

"Korea became the second to produce BJDs when they introduced Latidolls. The popularity of BJDs has since grown and more countries have started to produce BJDs in various styles."

The main Reisner doll highlighted at "Doll Mania", says Mod, has a blonde wig, which can be replaced, wears linen clothing and accessories made of gold and brass and costs a cool Bt600,000. Add to that the diamond and emerald jewellery worth more Bt3 million and we're not talking child's play.

"Actually, the combined value of the Four Elements collection is more than Bt5 million," Mod grins.

Babes in a box

>> The fair runs until today at Central Rama III.

>> Don't want your old dolls? Then share them with kids in Yan Nawa district through the "Biggest Doll Bear Donation" campaign.