Are dolls like family or like toys?

I'd say I see mine as closer to pets, but not exactly the same. I love them dearly, and I like to play with them and take care of them, but they are more of a creative outlet more than anything else. And even though I do play, it's more like... enjoying the process of dressing them, posing on their shelves, taking pictures etc. I don't play tea-party like I used to with my barbies.

 

I'd say I view mine more like a cherished stuffed animal. They're "toys" sure, but you play with them differently than you do your other toys and you actually love and grow attached to them in a different, more intimate way. They're also something you aren't going to outgrow or lose interest in like you would other toys. They're something special and the comparison above relating it to the love you'd have for a pet is fair.

 

I don't think such a callous response was necessary. But you're fine to feel however you do.

 

Thank you for editing your original response. It was for the best.

 

to me i see my dolls like articulated marble sculptures, they are just a pretty thing to have around the house akin to a porcelain statues you see in grandma’s knick-knack collection, not to mention the positive thing about it is that they don't shatter into pieces like a porcelain statues would and they are articulated in a way that stands the test of time unlike action figurines or fashion dolls, yeah they can get yellowed or small bits from extremities can brake off but i would rather take that risk over the latter

 

For me, dolls hold a lot of memories and play a special role in my life. They are my faithful friends.

 

for me, they're toys but they also have a special little spark of magic. like the more love and time you put into them, they take on a little life of their own, if that makes sense?

 

For me dolls are more like cats, especially large ones - silent, independent, almost the same weight and size. Definitely they are neither family nor toys. For being toys they are too self-willed (proper eyes, wigs, clothes, you know what I mean). For being family they are too plastic . But сharacters which attached to that dolls can be cherished and loved and they are usually.

 

I see my dorries as special toys. Unlike collectibles that are normally stuck in a glass cabinet to just be looked on and admired the way they look, I take pride and joy in customizing my dorries based on my characters (either old OC's or ones that were created the first time I saw them in online stores).

 

It's an unexpectedly hard question to answer, but I'd say neither really fits.
Maybe like a part of my soul that I project onto an object?

 

My dolls are a bit of both categories of family and collectibles, but mainly family for certain dolls. My husband and I "adopted" our first doll back when we were just dating so she's kind of like our "daughter" as well as the two other first ones. Everyone else are kind of extended family or collectibles to us. Some of my family and friends consider them just collectibles but the inner circle kind of view certain dolls as family (the original one and the two soon after) so it's kind of nice having that. My friend that got into the hobby with her husband after we did have also their treasured dolls but I'm not sure if they are family or treasured family heirlooms at this point. It's surreal to think that some of my dolls would be considered college age now if they were real kids so it's fascinating to see how long we've had them as far as hobbies go. We also have other hobbies too that we share but it's fascinating thinking about how the items in our BJD hobby could be construed as family while our other hobbies don't necessarily have that kind of closeness. Maybe a teddy bear or two, but the teddy is not a hobby object.

I guess it boils down to if the object in question is sentimental and has more value than just being an object. Like an "attachment object" which can be an object that one is attached to because of sentimental value or you are bonded to it or it has some special meaning or association with it. I learned recently that in my culture there is this concept called "anima." It was never explicitly taught in my family and it isn't necessarily a religious thing either. It's kind of like the concept that something has a soul in it. More common items that have "anima" would be an urn with a deceased relative's ashes or a family heirloom associated with a relative. But non-traditional things can have anima. Like my childhood teddy bear has "anima". It didn't have anima in the early years but after a few decades my family and close friends feel it has something of like a soul because it's been around so long that he seems to have a personality to them even though they themselves are of different ethnic backgrounds, culture, and religions that are different from my own. It's a curious thing having people feel teddy's anima.

Going back to my first BJD, she has anima too, especially now that it's closer to two decades that she is ours. Friends ask how's she doing like a relative even though she just sits on a surface somewhere or that they were thinking of her which amazes me as I don't advertise her or even talk about her. I mean, it's probably on par with asking how the family cat or dog is doing, but still. Of all the things I collect, she and the teddy bear get asked about.

Someone said above about pets and I agree that pets by default are family in my family without question. But it's funny to think how certain inanimate objects end up having "anima," a soul, and are considered family after a certain amount of time. That being said, I do realize that I have supportive family, friends, and even in-laws that not only accept my various hobbies but some even share with me in those same hobbies.

Hmm...in regards for selling your dolls because you need money for college, that's a personal choice as well as a financial choice. I had a friend that sold her doll collection during hard times (she needed money for herself and her aging, ailing parents) and she regretted selling certain dolls she sold and even tried to buy back either one whole doll back or just the head. But, it was a necessary survival thing on her part. My husband and I had multiple instances of financial hardships ourselves over the years but we didn't sell our dolls but instead found work, sold cans or had garage sales, or changed careers that had better employment opportunities. If there are things you can sell that don't have sentimental value and are not like family heirlooms and are replaceable, see what you can do. If you are able to, just find any job to help pay for college. It's just a stepping stone and not a permanent thing. Depending on the college or higher education institution (trade school, apprenticeship, community college, etc), the cost of tuition could easily be like two to three Volks LE dolls (so around the $3600 for a two year program for an AS degree if I'm going to average it out). You already have the skills to save up for this hobby, so translate that into whatever form of higher education you want for yourself. Your life, your choice. Don't let someone else force you into something you don't want to do.

Lastly, it's good to surround yourself with people that are supportive but also can tell you how it is in a respectful way. BJD collecting can be a little too addictive to some people and it can cause financial ruin if you surround yourself with enablers that may not know your full financial situation. If you know your financial limits and understand that this hobby can be addictive in the wrong way (buying dolls and doll related things impulsively without thought to financial situation, asking for money from others without earning any money yourself, using money for dolls instead of medical stuff, etc), then you are way ahead of a lot of people that do end up falling into that rabbit hole. But...anyone in this hobby a long time knows that some people tend to get addicted to this hobby in the wrong way or have the personality type to be impulsive and just buy because of the feeling of missing out so doing a very real check-in with yourself every once in a while is a good thing to do, especially with this hobby. It isn't mean when we say make sure to be honest with yourself and to really think if this hobby is harming you. A quick, "Does your monthly expenses exceed your monthly income?" check-in helps. If you don't know how to do that or your monthly expenses consistently exceeds your monthly income, then yeah...maybe you might have a problem but it's not too late to start now in changing that.

I think others have said it already, but if your mom is telling you to sell your dolls to pay for college, without knowing your situation fully, I am just assuming it is because she is worried you are spending more on dolls than saving up for college. However, if you are saving for college AND also able to afford to enjoy your hobbies, that is fine. Finding family and friends that not only accept your hobby but are supportive of it too is one way of feeling less trapped. Like, cars, sports, make-up, and designer clothing/shoes are expensive hobbies but because they are more mainstream people tend to not bat an eye about them. Just be really honest with yourself with your financial situation, your involvement in your hobby (is it only a hobby or is it an addiction now?), and find a healthy balance of it all.

 

They are more like artwork to me than a toy or family. OC is probably closest to it

 

Mom saying sell doll to pay for college ? The dolls aren't selling like peanuts sometimes it takes long time to sell them and if you want to sell them in a good price even longer sometimes you have to wait for years to sell off a collection , I am selling and I know I use several venues and I think it will take me some time and not make me back a fortune , yes I'll get some money back and this is good but not enough to pay for like a university/college price and certainly i don't expect to get them whenever I like it's more of opportunity and luck thing , what a stupid way of thinking this mother hasselling collectibles for emergency , they are not gold to pawn it instantly. Anyway sorry for the intervention but I'm selling now and this sounded so naive and ignorant of any collectibles market.

 

My fanily doesn't like my hobby since is expensive. They can't understand that my dolls are my spoiled ones and I love to buy clothes and shoes for them. Specialy for my Lusio Dell, she is de the real spoiled one. I can understand they have they our opinion about this but since I live with my parents I can't buy as much dolls as I would like. To my, my babies are like my other family.

 

I view dolls more as collectible art than anything. To me they are an extension of my and others' self-expression. This goes for any doll I own, not just BJDs (mostly because I don't own any BJDs yet, just got back into the hobby recently). This is part of the reason why I want to get into doing faceups and eventually making entire dolls. I think I'm just a rather artistically inclined person. Of course, others are free to have their own unique bonds and reasons for owning their dolls, and that's part of what I love about the hobby.