Solar Marine
Solar Marine is a notification service that tracks changes in the official Smart Doll web store and notifies users about important events like new product releases or restocks.
It monitors all product types available in the store, including Smart Dolls, option parts, Chaos items, and apparel. Restock notifications include information about how long items were out of stock, while sold-out notifications indicate how long an item was available this time. This extra info helps you understand how often an item is restocked and how quickly it becomes unavailable again.
Notifications are currently available on X and Telegram channel
Regarding Controversies About Bots, Scalpers, FOMO, and Buyer’s Remorse
Smart Doll products are in high demand and in limited supply. According to the brand’s vision, the team’s well-being comes first, and supply won’t be increased if it compromises the team. While I generally support Danny’s approach to running the business and don’t expect him to change priorities, the lack of announcements is an additional obstacle for those who simply want to know what items and when are available for purchase. Releases and restocks are unpredictable, quantities are limited, and release times are often inconvenient. Not knowing about drops is unnecessary.
I consider stealth drops a strategy that benefits Culture Japan but not the community. Stealth drops don’t increase product availability or help more people obtain items; they simply hide the fact that a product was released or restocked. If people don’t know something was dropped, they can’t be upset about missing it, which helps reduce complaints. However, those who really want to know find out through Discord, Facebook groups, or notification bots (often limited to a select few). For snipers and scalpers, stealth drops make acquiring items easier, not harder.
I hate seeing people repeatedly checking the Smart Doll webpage for restocks and experiencing FOMO and anxiety about missing unannounced drops. Notifications are a superior option that saves time and reduces stress—just ensure you don’t miss the alert!
While announcements are sometimes blamed for impulse buying, the urgency could be mitigated if we knew future plans for out-of-stock products. Will they be restocked? When? Unfortunately, we likely won’t get answers to these questions. What we can do is stay informed about current releases and restocks and understand past patterns.
I discourage impulse buying that often leads to buyer’s remorse. With comprehensive notifications about all releases and restocks, you can build a more accurate picture of what to expect, making it easier to plan purchases rather than act on impulse. In the future, I’d like to compile a history of releases and restocks for everyone to browse, helping them understand the history of items they’re interested in.
History
I set up the notification bot in April 2021 for personal use, anticipating the release of Interstellar Blue Smart Dolls. Thanks to notifications that woke me up in the middle of the night, I was able to get Singularity, Prowess, and Moment without issues. After starting my Patreon page later in 2021, I extended bot notifications to my Discord server, naming it Solar Marine.
Initially, it was a simple setup relying on an open-source third-party solution for tracking website changes. Its main purpose was to provide a heads-up about new releases, preferably before official announcements on Smart Doll’s social media accounts.
In September 2024, when official announcements largely stopped (“stealth drops”), I decided to share Solar Marine’s notifications publicly and for free on X/Twitter. Since it was no longer a personal project and I anticipated potential pushback, I rewrote the bot from scratch to make it more customizable and robust.
Solar Marine is not affiliated with Culture Japan, Smart Doll, or Danny Choo.