Big news on the Makie doll front. According to their Facebook page, Makie is making major changes to their popular, customizable dolls. Starting in about two weeks, Makies will no longer be completely 3-D-printed. Their bodies will be made of a more cost-effective injection-molded plastic which the company explains is sturdier than the current 3-D-printed nylon bodies. The new bodies will allow Makies to hold up better to the wear and tear that children can subject their dolls to. As for the customizable faces, the heads will still be 3-D printed, so customers can still choose their own facial features. But the biggest advantage of the new bodies will be a drop in the price of a Makie doll – from $115 to $75. Makies cited the cost of 3-D printing as the major reason for the change, as some potential customers were put off by the $115 price tag. And if you order a Makie right now, during the transition process, you can still get a completely 3-D printed Makie for the new lower price. But you have to act quickly because Makies will be switching over to the new body type with little or no fanfare.
Since the announcement, there has been much discussion of this news on the Makie Facebook page, and reactions have been mixed. Apparently, the 3-D printed heads, which have to be dyed to the specific skin tones, won’t exactly match the skin tones of the injection-molded plastic bodies. And while the new hands and feet will look more realistic, they won’t be exactly the same as the 3-D-printed ones, which means the current 3-D-printed shoes will not fit the new Makies.
This is not the first time Makies have changed their doll. A few years ago they improved the faces of the doll. The original face, which became known as Classic, was joined by a newer, more refined face, called Cutie. The Classic face was, in my humble opinion, not very attractive. I had been aware of Makies but didn’t want one until the Cutie face was introduced. Eventually the Classic face disappeared altogether.
When I heard the news that Makies were changing bodies, I immediately ordered the two Makies I designed late last year that were still sitting in my Makie lab: Starr and Suki.
I was actually charged $78.02 for each doll. If you are unsure about the new Makies, you might want to act quickly and order one (or more) before they switch over to the new body. If you were thinking of making a Makie in the “frosting” skintone, which is the undyed pure white color, then you definitely need to act now, because the frosting skintone is going away forever.
I’m not sure if the new changes will improve Makies or not. I would be hesitant to order a Makie with the new body until I see photos and read reviews from other collectors.
What do you think? Are you a Makie fan? What do you think about the changes?
Dollsville, USA 
They certainly are cute but with Blythe, Pullips, EAH, Monster High, Bratz, etc. I think I will have to pass on these cuties. As always, thanks for the fun post!!!
I know! So many dolls, so little money.
Honestly, I hope it’s not all bad news. I’m a little angry that they changed the body types before I could order my final fave band member makie. I just hope the bodies aren’t terrible.
I just placed an order for a Makie with the new body. The prototypes looked good, so I took a chance. The hands and feet look good.
To be completely honest, due to the new bodies I will most likely not buy any more Makies. The reviews I saw described them as too shiny to really match the head’s texture.
I really think it is a shame that they couldn’t just add this as an additional option – “choose the shiny body and save moneez!” instead of changing in general.