Orient Industry in 1998: The Hana Sisters, Candy Girl, and the Evolution of Love Dolls
1998.
New head variations were added to the Hana Sisters,
giving Orient Industry’s dolls an even wider range of expressions and styles.
This was also a period of significant change beyond the products themselves, with new developments in sales methods and terminology.
Release Year
1998 (Heisei 10)
Original Retail Price
¥240,000
As introduced in the previous article, the Hana Sisters brought a new concept to Orient Industry’s product lineup: interchangeable heads that allowed users to choose an appearance according to their personal preferences.
In 1998, this concept expanded further. New head variations, including “Saki,” “Ame,” “Haru,” and “Rou,” were added, bringing the total lineup to eight head variations.
Choosing a doll was no longer simply about selecting one fixed combination. The face itself became an important part of the experience of choosing a doll according to one’s own preferences.
From “Wink EYE” to “Glastic EYE”
One of the most notable developments during this period was the treatment of the eyes.
Earlier models used the “Wink EYE” system: when the doll was laid down, the eyes naturally closed, and when the doll was raised, the eyes opened again.
The new models introduced head variations equipped with “Glastic EYE”, designed to create the appearance of clear, glass-like eyes.
From eye movement to the beauty and depth of the eyes themselves
Glastic EYE represented a new approach that placed greater emphasis on the clarity and visual quality of the eyes themselves. Because the eyes have such a strong influence on the overall impression of a face, this development became an important step toward the increasingly realistic facial designs that followed.
More Freedom in Head and Neck Positioning
The changes were not limited to the eyes. The head connection system was also redesigned, adopting a magnetic ball-joint system.
This made changing heads easier and further developed the concept of personalization introduced with the Hana Sisters.
The neck was also improved. Instead of rotating only from side to side, it could be angled in additional directions, allowing users to create a wider range of poses and facial orientations.
Improved Arm and Leg Connections
Improvements were also made to the connection hardware used for the arms and legs.
Greater attention was paid not only to durability, but also to ease of handling, making the product more practical for everyday use and maintenance.
The Beginning of Online Sales
Around this time, Orient Industry also began selling its products online.
This created a new way for customers to encounter information about the products, gradually expanding opportunities for people outside the company’s immediate customer base to discover Orient Industry’s dolls.
The expanding range of head variations and the emergence of online sales represented two sides of the same change: Orient Industry was moving toward a new stage in which it was not only developing products, but also making them easier for more people to discover and choose.
The Popularity of “Suzu”
Among the available head variations, “Suzu,” with its particularly cute appearance, became especially popular.
Alongside “Alice,” which was released the following year, Suzu became one of the head variations that came to represent Orient Industry to a wide range of users.
The growing number of head variations represented more than simply an increase in product choices.
Because the face strongly influences the overall impression of a doll, allowing users to choose a preferred head gave them a new way to reflect their own tastes and image of an ideal companion.
The Birth of the Name “Candy Girl”
Another important change during this period concerned the way the products themselves were described.
To distinguish Orient Industry’s products from the term “Dutch wife,” which was commonly used at the time, the company invited users to suggest a new name.
Among the suggestions, the name “Candy Girl” was selected and adopted as the official term.
This was more than a simple change in product naming. It was also an example of Orient Industry involving its users in thinking about how the products should be presented and described.
When the Term “Love Doll” Began to Spread
Around the same period, another term began to appear among some users: “love doll.”
It was used as a way of distinguishing these products from the term “Dutch wife,” which had been commonly used at the time.
The expression was not yet as widely established as it is today. However, its use gradually spread among users, and the term would eventually become widely recognized as a name for this category of products.
For Orient Industry, 1998 was a year when both the products and the environment surrounding them began to change.
Glastic EYE introduced a new approach to the appearance of the eyes. Magnetic ball joints made head changes easier. Greater neck mobility expanded posing possibilities, while improvements to the arm and leg connections enhanced durability and ease of handling.
At the same time, online sales began, the new term “Candy Girl” was adopted, and the expression “love doll” started to spread among users.
Technology, distribution, and language were all changing at once. Looking back at Orient Industry’s history, 1998 stands out as an important turning point in the company’s development.
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