🌙 Orbiting Heart — FAQ / About Us

Q1: Are you the original artists who designed the dolls or outfits?

No — we are not the original artists.
Orbiting Heart is a North American studio that works with multiple trusted suppliers and partnered manufacturers in China.

All artwork used in our plushies and outfits comes from three official sources:

1) In-house design staff

  • They create concept art for plushies, accessories, and outfits.

  • They are internal designers, not public-facing freelance artists.

  • For privacy reasons, their names are not displayed.

2) Independent artists whose full commercial rights we purchase

  • These designs are fully licensed and authorized.

  • We purchase full rights before production.

  • We never use unlicensed artwork or fanart.

  • We do not claim to be the artists ourselves.

3) Open-market designs with no traceable artist (“common stock”)

  • Some older or viral designs have circulated in the Chinese doll ecosystem for years.

  • Multiple factories have reproduced similar patterns.

  • The original creator can no longer be identified.
    Even in these cases, Orbiting Heart conducts quality checks and selects reputable suppliers.

Q2: So are your dolls “original” or “knockoffs”?

Our products are not knockoffs.
All designs come strictly from the three sources listed above.
We do not use stolen, traced, or bootleg art.

Q3: Why do some doll outfits look similar to items sold by other shops?

Because the Chinese doll accessory industry functions differently from Western art culture:

  • Clothing patterns circulate among factories

  • Many makers reinterpret the same popular styles

  • Attribution gets lost over time

  • Copyright systems for doll clothing are informal

This is an industry-wide structural issue — not intentional copying.

Orbiting Heart is developing more original outfits to increase differentiation.

Q4: Some new outfits resemble in-game costumes. Is that allowed?

These outfits are inspired by in-game designs in the same way that cosplay is.
If in-game inspiration were prohibited, cosplayers, prop makers, and cosplay outfit stores would all be affected.

This falls under globally accepted fan-creation norms.

Q5: How does Orbiting Heart work with manufacturers?

Orbiting Heart handles:

  • Sample review

  • Quality control

  • Pattern refinement

  • Approving designs before production

  • North American logistics, shipping, and customer service

Partner manufacturers handle:

  • Production

  • Materials

  • Sewing and assembly according to our approved specs

We are not a dropshipper.
We are involved in every step of the production chain.

Q6: Do you resell products from other stores?

No — we never resell.
We only produce or distribute:

  • In-house designs

  • Licensed artist designs

  • Legitimately commissioned or contracted works

  • Open-market items without traceable creators (industry-standard)

We do not resell items purchased from other sellers.

Q7: Who are your collaborators? Are they the original creators?

Our collaborators include:

  • In-house concept staff

  • Independent artists who license their designs to us

  • Partner factories who follow our approved samples

We are the studio that commissions, licenses, reviews, and sells —
not the original artists.

Q8: Why don’t you list artists’ names on every product?

Because:

  • In-house designers prefer anonymity

  • Licensed artists may choose not to be publicly credited

  • Full-rights transfers often come with anonymous terms

  • The Chinese doll ecosystem does not consistently use public attribution

When artists request to be credited, we always include:
“In collaboration with @____”

We do not hide artists.

Q9: Why is it so hard to identify clothing designers in the doll community?

Because:

  • Patterns circulate across factories

  • Attribution is rarely documented

  • Designs evolve over time

  • Copyright norms in this niche are informal

  • Many early designers did not sign their work

This is an ecosystem-level issue.

Q10: What is Orbiting Heart’s exact role?

Orbiting Heart is:

  • The North American sales & QC partner

  • The studio handling design approval and refinement

  • The team ensuring items are ethically sourced and properly licensed

  • The liaison between suppliers, artists, and customers

We take responsibility for transparency and community trust.

⭐ Q11: Why are your prices different from larger platforms like Amazon or mass sellers?

Orbiting Heart is a small studio, not a large-scale factory seller.
Our pricing reflects the reality of being a boutique operation rather than a high-volume corporation.

Large platforms and big manufacturers can reduce costs because they:

  • Purchase in massive quantities

  • Have lower per-unit production costs

  • Pay reduced shipping or freight rates

  • Do not handle licensing or artist rights

  • Often skip sample refinement and QC steps

Our studio, by contrast, absorbs the full cost of responsible production:

What Orbiting Heart covers that large sellers usually don’t:

  • Import and export duties

  • International shipping

  • Domestic transport within the U.S.

  • Warehousing and storage

  • Sample revisions and prototype improvements

  • Artist rights and commercial licensing fees

  • Ongoing quality control

  • Small-batch production costs

  • Community support, staffing, and customer service

As a small studio, we cannot scale prices the way major platforms can.
But we commit to:

  • Ethical sourcing

  • Transparent licensing

  • Hands-on quality assurance

  • Better materials and detailing

  • Reliable customer experience

  • Supporting artists whenever possible

Our pricing reflects the care, labor, and responsibility behind each item —
not mass production.

⭐ Our Commitment

Orbiting Heart’s mission is simple:
To respect artists, stay transparent, maintain ethical sourcing, and bring the best-quality products to the community.
Thank you for supervising us and supporting our work. 💫