Forget Hello Kitty, the latest toy trend from Japan is ball-jointed dolls (BJDs, for short), which have joints that twist and turn... even the feet. Folks in the U.S. are now becoming obsessed with them, going to BJD conventions and spending incredible amounts of time and money on outfitting and customizing them.

You can even buy custom *eyes* for these dolls... at a price of $30 to $100! Jeez, if that's just for the eyes, wonder how much the dolls themselves and the costumes cost...

How bad can the U.S. economy be if more than a dozen or so people can afford to buy this stuff?