PUDDLE 2017 Recap

2017 marks our fourth year attending the Pullip and Dal Doll Lovers Event, also known simply as PUDDLE. PUDDLE is a large fan gathering held in Elk Grove Village. This year marked its 10th anniversary. With record attendance numbers, PUDDLE’s demographics are very diverse. Unlike past years (or maybe just more so this year), PUDDLE had a vast age range attend. There were solo collectors, mother/daughter duo’s and even full family units in attendance. It was amazing to see the interactions between long time collectors and younger collectors, just starting out on their Pullip adventure.

PUDDLE is more of a fan gathering than a convention. Everything from the vendors table, to the contest area, to attendee seating takes place in one big room. This year, there were many great vendors selling their goods, including: doll vendors Shifty Lizard and Denise’s Dolls, Etsy sellers Quaint Quintessence, Mota de Algodón, EmmerzApparel, Darling Clover, KaleidoscopeBJDWear, KuddlePussKustoms, The Little Iron Bed, Pullip Party, Doll Angel Exclusives, and web store Sakura’s Blossoms.

There are no panels at PUDDLE, but besides socializing (which makes up much of the day), there are some exciting events  for attendees to participate in. The day started off with the Dress Like Your Doll contest. Had I remembered I could have used any doll as my inspiration (not just Pullip and friends), I totally would have entered. However, I know I wouldn’t have won! There were so many amazing costumes on the stage that I’m surprised the judges could choose a winner.

One of the cool parts about PUDDLE is that Pullips are on display everywhere! Attendee tables have spots for people to display their favorite dolls of all shapes and sizes. After the mid-day break, the competition tables were cleared for all the customization contest entries, which made for even more Pullips on display.

My mom and I entered a few of the custom contests, as well as the Best in Theme diorama contest. My mom, Barbe0913 on YouTube, ended up winning 2nd place for her ‘Curiouser and Curiouser’ Mini entry. Congrats, mom!

To see more of the Pullips on display at PUDDLE this year, check out the flickr album! Each year, PUDDLE has a craft corner. This year’s craft corner was really fun. We made Kate Middleton inspired hats out of felt, tulle and other accessories. The basic hat shape was super easy, too! Joan, who ran the table, was kind enough to have pre-made some felt flowers, which I used on the hat below.

Shopping is a huge reason we go to PUDDLE, besides seeing all the awesome collectors, of course. My goal this time around was to outfit my newest Make It Own Taeyang. He arrived at PUDDLE looking super dorky. He was also bald. He left PUDDLE looking like a stud in a Kaleidoscope jacket, long sleeve shirt and jeans (shirt/jeans from Mota). I nearly left without a wig, but at the last minute, I found a (slightly too big) ginger male cut wig that seemed to match him perfectly. Eventually, he even found himself with shoes, thanks to our consolation prize in the Best in Theme contest.

The outfit below is sized for Pullip, but since my Pullips are all in permanent outfits, it ended up on my Dal. I think the colors in the shorts match my girls face up really well. And the headband is so cute! This is from Mota.

My mom ended up getting a doll at PUDDLE. Not a Pullip, but a Tangkou. Emily, a vendor who makes super cute outfits, did the face up. Tangkou’s are kind of a Pullip/Blythe hybrid. They have an eye mech similar to a Blythe, which allows their eyes to change color. Prior to seeing this one, I hadn’t thought much about Tangkou’s. This pretty one makes me think I may have misjudged them!

For more PUDDLE coverage, check out the video below. My mom and I talk about the show and show off a few other items we picked up.

For more information on PUDDLE, keep an eye on their website and Facebook page. To everyone who said hello to us during the show, it was great meeting you! Hope to see you again next year! Did you attend PUDDLE or another doll show recently? Share your thoughts below!