Are dolls like family or like toys?

Same thoooooough... I Toy Story them hard. Sometimes it makes me feel embarrassed that my best friends are dolls and book characters, so it's nice to see some other folks on here are weird like me.

 

I look at dolls as art and I love them, however there are more important things to me than my dolls. If I had to rank the things that I love in importance it'd be 1.) Human family 2.) Animal family 3.) My custom PC setup 4.) Dolls. They are fairly high as far as stuff goes, however they are just stuff to me. I treasure each one and I'd be extremely upset if I were to lose them, but nowhere near as upset as I would be if I lost my human or animal family.

 

I'm not sure if 'toys' is the most accurate word I'd pick as they have a bit more aesthetic value, I guess interactive nice arty objects? I do totally understand how they can also be great companions, though. Either way, it feels nice to have them around.

 

for me, dolls are still toys, sometimes I show a new doll to my husband. Now I am waiting for a new doll from a Mexican master, she is a plus size model. I showed the photo to my husband again - he liked her, said that she apparently eats a lot of pasta, like a real Italian-)

 

Neither toy nor family. I shell OCs into my dolls, and those characters are part of me - they're like my dreams, ideals, desires... maybe imaginary friends too. They only seem separate from me because they have physical doll forms, but I've always seen them as externalized "bits" of me, so to speak. So I can't say that love them like I love people or pets, because they're not independent, separate entities. But they're more than mere toys because I've invested so much of my imagination, time, energy (not to mention money) into them. I guess I love and care for my dolls and do things with them, like I love and care for myself -- or maybe how I want to be treated and cared for.

Well. As much as I think my doll characters are a part of myself, I also like to think they have a little bit of life of their own. Just a little. ^^

 

100% TOYS But I do love my pretty toys dearly. And yeah, maybe even chat them up from time to time.
As far as family approval? Total enablers Seeing my home you might be surprised there are no kids living here. I married into a family of gamers.

 

I don't think they're either. The toy version would be a barbie. You'd never let a kid play with BJD. It could be considered an adult toy, but they're more of an artform hobby. BJD are dolls that are made by hand, made to order, and can be very customizable. There is a sliding scale price range, but even ligthly used dolls can be a few 100. The cheap Amazon versions don't count because they're recasts that steal profit from the artist who actually made them. Opinions can vary, but you wouldn't really judge someone for not knowing what recasts are or having one and actually dressing it up. You'd judge them if they were claiming that their recast was an actual BJD and, again opinions vary on the next part, if they were selling the recast. You'd be judging them for trivializing something that's highly valuble, handmade, art, etc.

 

If I had to liken my bjds to anything, it would almost be like they're my pets? I bond with and love them, and they bring me a lot of joy. I spend a lot less on bjds than I have on real pets in the past, and they're a lot less demanding. Less rewarding as well, I must admit, but at this point in my life they're just the right balance for me.

 

My dolls are a hobby but still the way your family is so dismissive is very rude and bad of them , everyone needs to let out the steam and relax and have some fun our way is this the only thing they manage by harassing you for your dolls is to alienate you from them. You and only you are to decide about your collection and if you want to sell or buy.

 

Imo, they're more of an art form then a doll. As such, they deserve as much respect as any other art form. And, I don't care what people say because I don't listen to people who needlessly condescend about diffeent interests.

 

I used to say that dolls were like family but not anymore. I guess I'm growing... I see them now more like expensive toys. Things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. Work on your life first, on yourself first. Dolls will always be here anyways.

 

I see my dolls as part of my "found family" so to speak. They keep me happy, I enjoy being around them and now that I am back in the hobby full time I wouldn't sell them unless I had good reason to do so. But also at the same time they are in their own way toys that I can dress up, take photos of and play with if the mood (and free time which is rare these days) strikes.

My family 100% does not support the hobby. And they havent since I started in circa 2006. The price tag is a deterrent, they think the dolls look too human and give off a creepy vibe and overall don't understand how I can get into something such as this. It becomes a bone of contention when it comes up in conversation. But that dosent stop me from enjoying a hobby that has brought me immense joy for so many years.

I am a college student myself. And being that I am a late bloomer with education and didn't start until 2021 (I graduated HS in 2009) I have had to financially support myself through my education and have had to take out student loans as my parents cannot at this time afford for me to go to school and for them to contribute in any way (nor do they want to help me out in any form in my life). College is expensive (as you probably know) and student loans will hit at some point once I have graduated (I am going for my MA next year when I graduate with my undergrad so I have some time). Something I have learned is that I have to separate fun money and financial responsibility money. Hobbies and things have to go on the back burner until bills are paid, food has been bought, gas is in the car etc. I am not saying that the hobby itself is unaffordable being a college student but I have to prioritize and sometimes I can't get the things I want until a later date. I work hard (full time) have an internship, a family with a special needs child, support my youngest brother who lives with me, and go to school full time with a heavy course load as I am a college senior. All things are doable if you create a schedule and stick to it. I'm a straight A student and have a 4.0 at this time.

To the OP: your parent is concerned about you and you should be thankful to have a parent who cares enough about your financial situation to ask you to make choices that seem hard. That is something I wish I had as my parents don't care enough to do so hence why I support my youngest brother who is a teenager and my child has no clue who her grandparents are. If you don't feel the need to sell your dolls, stick with your gut. But also look into part time jobs to help out. I know that sounds rough but it can be done if you set your mind to it. Sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel seems like a small speck of dust and your getting nowhere. But keep trucking through. You will reach it someday and when you do things will be better than you could imagine.

 

I have one friend in my neighborhood who loves dolls too. But she likes those almost life-size type children. Masterpiece, etc. She has a house full of them and honestly, at first that scene kind of creeped me out. Yet I could bond with her over the fact that we both love dolls and most people around us dislike the whole scene of collecting any kind of doll if you aren't 8 years old or younger. I even started collecting some Himstedt and Zwergnase. They are not the companies she chooses but they are large, and she liked them. / My mother hated them and thought it was obscene to pay that much money. I get the sideways stares and stink eye about them from all the people around me. I have to find "my people" who share this love through internet places where we can admire our photographs and talk about the phenomenon together.

They are NOT toys. They are art. I love that they are customizable. I know they are not sentient beings but some of them still can affect me as if they had spirits. I will never have children. I do have a cat. If the house were on fire, I would save the cat first and then as many of them as possible. I know if I could find the money, they are replaceable. But I still have a special attachment to them.

 

I feel like my dolls are not inanimate objects to me, they aren't exactly family, but they feel like little people to me. It feels bad even thinking about selling any of the dolls I currently had, and just listing one of my doll's bodies on the marketplace kinda hurt. They are all some of my most valuable possessions and I am pretty emotionally attached to them. They are pretty important to me as I have spent both time and money working on them, and even though I can get another one it is not the same. Even if I get another one if one gets broken, stolen, or such, it is not the same doll to me.

I feel like I have been lucky that my family doesn't mind my dolls, even though they don't support more important things. My parents, mostly my mom, still think they are a bit of a waste of money, but she wouldn't try to convince me to get rid of them all. She thinks it's my problem if I choose to spend money on them instead of other things.

People can call me crazy or what they want but I care about my dolls and they are pretty important to me.

 

My dolls are somewhere between pets, friends and art objects.
They fuel my creativity and give me a sense of cozy escape from reality.

 

Dolls are absolutely not family in my case. I love my dolls, but they're ultimately just valuables for me. They will never come close to family and will not be prioritized above my loved ones or pets. I don't see them as toys either, but rather as an art canvas and precious display objects. They bring a lot of value to my life, and I would certainly be devastated if I lost them, but I'm not placing that level of importance on them.

 

My family mainly disapproves due to price and how creepy they look. I think it's understandable since everyone has different tastes but it shouldn't limit me if it's not hurting anyone. Personally, I see them as collectible toys, like a posable equivalent to vinyl or resin designer toys. They're art that require skill, time, money, and passion. But art can also be toys. ^__^

 

Neither, I would say they are more like imaginary friends to me. Or book characters.

 

I'm a very logical person with a scientific background. It's nearly impossible for me to have that attachment to dolls given my life experience, so I'm missing both the ups and downs that is associated with it. I totally understand how they can be like family though.

 

My BJD's are pretty much family, along with my Smart Doll. Other types of dolls fall more into the toy range. They are like pets, but to a lesser degree, if there was an emergency of course the actual living breathing pets would take priority.

They are actually included in family stuff sometimes, a few have been on vacations with us, I bring one at a time though. Sometimes one will join us for a movie or binge watching a series, sitting with feet propped up, dolly popcorn, and drink in hand.

When we play board games and it requires an extra person, my little Lara, joins in with the activities, we take turns taking her turn for her. A lot of times she wins. She has her own little table and chair set up on the table we are playing on, cards and stuff go on her table, we even glare and grumble at her when she is winning.

Lara:
20210226_141206 by Rabbid Bunnies, on Flickr