Are dolls like family or like toys?

To tell the truth I think they are toys. They can't replace the family members and I think for me, the dolls are beautiful decoration which can bring joy to me and spend the boring time with me.

 

Hmm, I suppose I see them more on the "toy" side of the spectrum but the word "toy" may not exactly reflect how i feel about them.
For me, dolls are more of a canvas/muse for my photography and craft.

For the 2nd part of the question, I pretty much keep them a secret as i know that relatives will disapprove of them with the whole "aren't dolls are for kids" mentality. I think thy key thing is if they make you happy just to enjoy them !

 

I think it really depends on the individual. A lot of people view pets as family, and while they're actually alive and dolls aren't, the therapeutic nature and ability to bond with them is definitely still present.
There will always be people who judge the things you like, but don't let it worry you too much as long as you enjoy it!

 

Both choices wrong for me. I think, they mostly similar to friends.

 

I mean I don't play with mine, even at meet ups they just sit there to me it's just art collection and I admire them , though my newest doll is changing that I have him out alot look at him think of great photo shoot opportunities so maybe he's becoming a prized toy

 

My ball-jointed dolls are objects to me when they arrive but they turn into so much more when they're 'finished'. They turn into valued companions and beloved friends.

They offer me so much support and comfort that I can't consider them just random objects anymore.

 

They’re toys, but they’re very special toys. I treat them with a sort of respect and friendliness that I wouldn’t with my regular action figures. However, if I had to sell all my dolls to be able to afford medical treatment for my dog or husband, I’d do it immediately.

 

To me they're nothing but toys, a display item, photography tool.

I can't understand people who talks to their dolls or treat them like a real child.

My family doesn't hate my dolls but doesn't exactly like them either, my dad finds then scary
Like a soul would take over their body and move at night? Lol!

But they dontd exactly tells me to sell them/throw them away.

Although if therest a time I'm strap on cash i may waver on letting them go.

 

My dolls are pieces of art and act as a creative outlet for me!

Can't say they're family because I wouldn't ever sell a family member, even if I wanted to...

 

I understand perfectly your situation because my mother and father also disapprove my doll collection, and some of my friends can't understand how important are for me.

However, I can't see my doll collection like relatives or friends but either like toys. My dolls are for me a way to express myself and develop my creativity in different ways, they have their own character and style and I love to develop both and, of course, I trate them with the same respect that any other creature alive. They make me feel happy just for own them, see them everyday or "play" with them, so are a big important part of my life but in my scale of love and preferences I put them after family and friends

 

As much as my dolls have names other than their sculpt, to me they are most definitely inanimate objects.

They are simply a creative outlet for me, in terms of photography, sewing and other hobby related crafts.

If I was ever to apply the word family to them, it would just be to identify them as a related group of items.

 

I used to see them like family but lately I'm seeing them like toys. They're just beautiful things I like to work on and look at.

 

Toys. Well, they are expensive toys that I wouldn’t let children touch and I don’t play with my dolls like I did as a child but they are just things to me. I do make up little stories about them, I write up little biographies and backgrounds and have a lot of fun that way. I like dressing them up and posing them for photos. Any interaction with them helps me bond with them better. A doll that just kind of hangs out and that I get no joy out of is a waste of space and money and doesn’t stick around.

 

Well, for me this might be a very difficult question... because they are sort of a "vessel" for those parts of my family that don't exist in this world... (uh... this sounds so creepy)... but they are really like anchors I use to make my imagination come to life. So, they are definitely just toys for me... but the doll is not family either... it is more the "vision" that "inhabits" the doll... really difficult to explain, I even have no words for it in my native language XD... geeez... I am so weird XD

 

Family, they are like close friends for me.

 

Definitely agree with you on the imagination part. They're also a really good creative outlet, because of all of the stuff we're able to make for them. Clothing, faceups, dioramas, etc.

So I would say closer to toys, but I care about them more than the toys I own.

 

Hum well, in my house they are like "family" but in the sense that we talk about them as if they were people. I guess that my family still sees them as toys but because they know their value and how much they mean to me they still treat them as special, which I like =) Fortunately I only got very few bad reactions from people even when I mention their price :P

 

For me is toys but would be more precious than normal toys in my heart. I love my dolls but they are not equally to my real family.

 

I'm so sorry to hear that your family doesn't support your hobby. I really hope you won't let them "yuck your yum" and that you continue to engage in what brings you joy!

I've been lucky in that my family and fiance is lukewarm to positive about the hobby (my mom is super into doing doll-related sewing projects and crafts with me whenever I visit her)--though they probably think of it as just a neat piece of art/toy. However, since he's based on a character that is very near and dear to my heart, I feel like that most people don't understand how much my doll means to me. But I suppose I'm fine with it being a sort of private affection and I try not to depend too greatly on the validation of others--I just count myself lucky that everyone I know and have met so far has been so supportive. I imagine it must be incredibly difficult feeling like those you love don't value and are against you doing something that makes you so happy.

 

they started off as toys but im super attached especially to Chiru now (my pfp) shes an extention of me so i consider her an important part of my family!