DOLK STATION

■DOLK Staff (hereinafter D): When did you establish Maker? How many people did you have at the time?


■SWITCH: In 2007, we started a privately run website called "Shounenki," and then changed our company name to the current "SWITCH" in 2010.
SWITCH's initial members were four people, with me as the sculptor and president, and each of us was in charge of planning, customer management, design, etc.

■D: In 2010, the name was changed from "Shounenki" to "SWITCH" and the series was renewed. Could you tell us the origins of the names "Shounenki" and "SWITCH"?


■SWITCH: The "ki" in Shonen-ki does not mean "period" but the record itself.
The meaning behind this is that we want to capture the diverse images of childhood, like a diamond before it is polished, yet also like a fragile young leaf that has just sprouted, in each and every doll.

The name SWITCH was chosen with the hope that the dolls produced by SWITCH would serve as a switch that would allow people to spend time with them as a kind of break from their daily lives.

"Shounenki" was a name that expressed my personal goal as an artist, so "SWITCH" was a name that expressed my desire to further appeal to customers who love dolls.

■D: What prompted the renewal of Shonenki to SWITCH?


■SWITCH: When I was working alone on Shounenki, my main job was not as an artist but as a student, so I tried making dolls as a job, but I had no time to do anything other than making the heads.

When I was playing with dolls, I always had strong thoughts like "I wish there was a wig like this, an outfit like this, I want to try it in different sizes...", but there were many things I couldn't do alone. After thinking about it for a while, I decided to start a company in earnest just before graduating from school.

Above all, I always felt happy making doll prototypes, and I was very happy to be able to interact with people who liked the dolls I made. In fact, that was my biggest motivation.
We wanted a name that had a more corporate purpose than Shonenki, so we changed the company name and started the current "SWITCH."

■D: How many people are currently running the business?


■SWITCH: We currently have four full-time employees.
Although each of us has our own main responsibilities, we try not to draw a clear line between each other's work. We often divide up work through meetings, and try new things, but there are times when it's hard to say who is in charge of what.

■D: Please tell us the process from designing a new doll to releasing it as a new work, and how long it takes to create a new work.


■SWITCH: Every SWITCH doll has a story, and new dolls are prepared based on that storytelling.

The actual planning process is much more detailed and involves constant revisions at each stage, but the general process is as follows:

Create a story - Set up a new character and finalize the scenario - Create a prototype and repeat the process of revision (at the same time sketching costumes/props/wig/eyes/make-up) - Create an initial sample - Try on, test shoot - Final planning meeting - Product shoot - Release head teaser - Release the product on the site after the photo shoot is completed

On average, it takes one to two years to develop a product from the initial idea to actually being sold.
It took more than two years to sketch, develop, and produce the eye alone. It's still in the development stage, so it will take some time before it can be commercialized.

■D: As a sculptor, is there anything you pay particular attention to when creating the head or body?


■SWITCH: There are no particular aspects that I am particular about.
I want to create heads with a variety of different images, so I always ask for a lot of advice from those around me during the production process.
If there's one thing you need to pay special attention to when sculpting the head prototype, I think it's the expression of the facial muscles.
I try to express things in a natural way, so that they don't look unnatural when viewed from various angles.
When it comes to the body, I want to give an overall masculine, yet slim impression.
The body is slim so as not to look bulky when wearing costumes, but we have also kept in mind the beautifully balanced broad shoulders and chest circumference so that it does not look too small when made.

■D: Can you tell us what made you at SWITCH become interested in dolls?


■SWITCH: The employees we have gathered now really love beautiful things. They are artists who devote their lives to creating gorgeous, handsome, and beautiful things.
There wasn't any particular trigger for me (the president and sculptor) or the other staff members, but we all have a love for simple, pretty and beautiful things, and we wanted to create those things ourselves. So we became interested in dolls and made it our job.

■D: Have any of the SWITCH staff undergone any specialized training in the area of doll production or doll costume making?


■SWITCH: I have no professional training in design, but some of the staff I work with are artists who have received professional training in costume design, art, etc.
We all get together, work on things, exchange opinions, and sometimes even stay up all night working on things. We're such an enthusiastic team.

■D: Basically, makeup is not available as an option for released dolls, but what do you do when you sell dolls with makeup included?


■SWITCH: When it comes to promotional makeup, which determines the main image of the doll, I, as the sculptor, do the makeup myself, but in order to do multiple jobs with the same quality, I have too much work to handle.

So, if makeup is an option, it will be done by another artist.
If there is no artist available who can create makeup that matches the head image, the doll may not come with makeup at all.

I do this because I don't want to force myself to offer makeup services.

■D: What is the most difficult thing about making a doll?


■SWITCH: It is always difficult to produce a head that retains the character from the initial planning stage until the final stage.

Although it's not written anywhere on our website, for example, if from the planning stage you are particular about the mouth of a head that has a "strong-willed personality," and you aren't satisfied with it, you modify the prototype, and as you make further modifications, even the slightest change can result in the image going in a different direction than originally decided upon.
The most common problem is having to decide between the overall balance of the head and the image I had in mind at the beginning.

And actually, I have very small hands... So when I hold the head and make it, if the head is large it ends up being too big for my hands... and then sometimes the tragedy of the head gradually becoming smaller happens.
I try to be careful not to make it too small, but it doesn't always work out as I'd like.

■D: Are there any celebrities, story characters, etc. that you model the dolls on?


■SWITCH: All of the children of SWITCH are based on original stories.
We also have plans to reconstruct the storybook in the future, especially for longer stories like La vie en Rose.
Currently, the service is only available in English and Korean, which is a shame, so I hope to eventually be able to provide storybooks in various languages one day.

■D: Is there a doll that you have created that you feel special about? Also, could you tell us the reason why?


■SWITCH: I have a special attachment to each doll I have made so far for different reasons, but among them, ``HYUL,'' which was the first head I made, and ``AJEONG: Closer Ver.'' are particularly special to me because I was able to express my intentions at the time of production as I wanted through the design.
AJEONG: I'm so attached to the Closer version that I want to customize it and reconstruct it.

■D: Please tell us if there are any dolls that you have sold that are particularly popular.


■SWITCH: The most popular head is probably the "SOSEO".
It has been re-released many times up until now, and it was thought that the number of owners wanting to purchase it had dwindled, but we still receive a steady stream of requests for it to be re-released.

Recently, a new head that has been gaining popularity is "RYUZO." Although it has only just been released, it is a head that has received many requests for resale.

■D: Thank you very much for collaborating with DOLK on Dorhythm and the November collaboration doll (RUSI). Please tell us about the difficulties you faced during the collaboration and the parts you focused on during production.


■SWITCH: Generally, when working within SWITCH, you go through a long process of meetings to reconcile opinions and make a decision until you come up with a plan that you are happy with.
This was our first time collaborating in this way (based on a project proposal from DOLK), so there were some challenges in terms of how to express and incorporate the design proposal that was already completed.
However, it was also a fresh undertaking and provided new stimulation.

■D: Please tell us about the new developments and goals that SWITCH is aiming for in the future.


■SWITCH: SWITCH is always working with a variety of customers and always making plans, thinking, "What kind of items would be good for someone living with a doll, or what would happen if there was a doll like this?"
We believe that when we, Maker design products with a sense of fun, that same spirit is conveyed to the buyer.

■D: Please give a message to all the many SWITCH fans in Japan!


■SWITCH: Thank you for always loving SWITCH's children.
Although the company still has many areas to improve on, please continue to watch with interest.
We want to always entertain you with what we organize.


from switch

■D: Thank you for sharing so many valuable stories that we don't normally get to hear.
I am deeply moved to be able to learn about the production process and how SWITCH's beautiful child is born.
We at DOLK are looking forward to continuing to explore the world of SWITCH!


>>DOLK×SWITCH collaboration special page

>> Click here for a list of SWITCH products