Are dolls like family or like toys?

kind of both. I handle them and forget them in a box from time to time (an re-sell them ¬.¬;; ) like simple toys.
but if there was an emergy I could NEVER leave them behind and if my house burned down while I wasn't there I think I'd cry for my dolls (and for my cats of course!!! D':< )

 

Any item if given enough love, energy, can become a talisman, a symbol, and may lift above other "Items". Some people may elevate their dolls to family status, others may only see them as mere toys, I think for most of us, they will be somewhere in between. I know mine is more than just a doll, she's not even mine yet, and yet I've got so much personal meaning invested in her.... but in an emergency situation, I'm afraid she may not be forefront in my mind....

 

Possessions can't come close to family for me. No matter how nice, well loved and enjoyed, it's just still something I've bought at the end of the day. Having them in my life doesn't impact me in such a strong way that if something horrible were to happen, I couldn't part with them. Family is just something so much more...

 

I totally agree with Maridah.

I was having a conversation with my bf and I asked him "why am I having such a hard time selling this doll? I don't want her anymore, but I don't want to sell her." He brought up the point that society today is so driven by material possessions that our stuff has attained a higher value than it should have.

When it comes right down to it, dolls are (expensive) chunks of resin. I've had to sell dolls in the past just to pay my bills. Yeah it was hard, but rent and food was more important. I think this hobby is a lot easier if you look at the doll as a thing, not a tiny person.

As far as family; my ex thought they were creepy, but humored me and let me have them. My dad thinks it's silly but really doesn't say much. My mom thinks I'm crazy because I sew for them and she doesn't see how I can sew "all that small stuff." My bf think's they're awesome and wants one of his own!

 

I think that they are like somewhere between pets and familyBut ofcourse i would put my familly and pets before my dolls if there was a emergancy i would save my familly than my pets than my dolls

 

I bought my mother and father, brothers and sisters online. They were uber expensive, as well you might imagine, and I had to wait for what felt like an eternity before they arrived in the mail. Then came the bonding. I had to shell my mother four times before I was able to properly bond with her.

My dolls, on the other hand, are just dolls.

 

I totally agree with Maridah- well put!

My dolls are just toys to me- just very expensive and much loved toys. My family comes first- always and forever, and nothing could replace them for me, especially not a piece of resin. However, when it's just me taking pleasure in a hobby that I enjoy, my dolls are top of the list. It's alright if you feel that your dolls are like your family though, everyone is different, and people bond to things for all sorts of different reasons.

 

My dolls are my toys and I am extremely fond of them. They are definitely more relaxing than some people in my human family.

 

I agree wholeheartedly. My mum sometimes makes fun of my dolls, and I feel little pains in my heart every time she does it. I don't think she understands what dolls mean to me, nor do I expect her to, but it's just one of those things, you know? x:

 

LOL...mine are both!
I use my bjds for modeling. I sew and sell clothes for them. So they are spoiled and they know it!!!
But they are played with often as well, helps keep me sane sometimes!

Its all in how you see it! Enjoy them!!!

 

I agree with the above person.

 

Toys. But I do talk to them and like to think they have feelings... But I do so with pretty much any object that has a bit of character (like, you often hear me yelling at my computer or saying "don't you look shiny" to a car). I also do feel sorry for them when I forgot to cover them up and it got cold in the living room overnight... But then again I also feel sorry for snails that might get stepped on because they're in the middle of the road, or for flowers that will probably drown because of all the rain... Basically I am just over-sensitive xD

 

Well... "toys" only if you call your electronics and cars and artwork and your expensive objects "toys."

They are definitely not like a simple plaything!

Of course, they aren't the same as your human family... but I'd think some people could treat them all the same to some extent without being too strange. I mean, they love and care for their dolls and maybe go out with them and talk with them... and they may do that to their relatives and pets, too. They can sell pets. They can maybe not treat their family so nicely (and visa versa). The obvious differences are obvious... but how we generally treat things can apply to both, I think.

I don't think of my dolls as human or that they have souls or anything. I don't kiss them good night and put them to sleep. I think they are inanimate objects that I own. But I do try to treat them well. And I'd definitely try to get them safe away from any disasters, since they are among my more expensive possessions.

So I guess I'd say, I treat them more like toys IF that means they are just objects. More like family IF you mean that I'm careful of them and treat them well and wish to buy lots of things for them!

I'm lucky that I'm older and don't worry about what other people think about them. I like them and that's what matters to me. My family can try to tell me what to do, but I don't have to listen to them if I don't want to. They DON'T try to tell me how to live my life, thankfully! ... And what they think of my dolls doesn't matter at all to me.

 

I think I'd have a problem with a person who didn't accept my dolls, they are a part of me.

 

Hm, I thought about this a while ago, and if there was a fire in this house as long as I knew all of my housemates and my boyfriend were out I'd make sure I had my doll, and my bear. Ein and my bear Spot I think are equal, I've had that bear since I was a kid, and sleep with him every night, and take him with me if I'm staying the night. Ein stays at home, but I love him just as much (and honestly he sleeps beside me most nights, too).

You wouldn't think I was 24 XD But I am still childish in some respects. My boyfriend sleeps with a bear too, though : )

I'd say Ein is like a part of the family but not part of the family, I don't consider him a toy though. A doll, yes, but not a toy.

As for family, my stepdad used to get angry when I carried Ein around the house with me. Till I moved out ;D (kicked out aha...) My mum thinks it's alright but she's not happy about the amount of money I spent on Ein, and plan to spend on my next doll. My boyfriend Alex is really happy that I'm excited about the new doll, he thinks Ein is creepy but he doesn't mind him XD Ein hasn't met many of the rest of my family, honestly. He doesn't like to travel? XD I don't have a car so I go everywhere on the train, and I am forgetful. I don't know what I'd do if I ever forgot him anywhere ^^ And besides, I don't think it's important for any of my family to meet him, in the same way that I've only told my parents I'm bi, you know? It's not important : )

 

Mine are like family and they are like toys. If something happen my family and animals come 1st ( i don't have kids and will be living on my own in a few week so mostly its just my cat). I would grab my dolls if I could. There are two my shiwoo and el that would be the ones I would try and save if I could.

 

Mine are like Family but not like my real family, i mean the real ones are number one. But i do know when i come home after work and i have had a bad day i feel better looking at all their smiling faces. Its strange but even in college before i had dollfies i brought my fav dolls there after letting my roommates know i was a collector, it just was a bit of home i needed to sleep well. They have always been my silent friends who i have always felt were there for me no matter what. maybe it was being native American and Latin and knowing about the Kachina dolls, or the Japanese and their respect for dolls, or just reading the story of creation and man being made of clay like a doll that really made me like them as a lil boy.

 

Disclaimer: If my parents ever said "sell your dolls for college/newcar/whatever" I would tell them that it's my money, I'll do what I want with it. I'll save up for college/newcar/whatever the same way I saved up for my dolls. (Which, actually, I'm currently in the process for saving up for beauty school. BJD Hobby + saving up for beauty school = low funds, but we work with what we have. Don't get me wrong. I love my parents. They just forget that I work hard for my own money.)

ANYWAY,

Truth be told, when I first got into this hobby, my dolls were more like my family. Now, however...I wouldnt call them toys, I'd call them a piece of artwork AND family. They're both. I use them for photoshoots, I make clothes, I bring them to movies, and meet ups, I love them so much. I could never sell them. However, if the time came that I really HAD to, I would be able to.

I love my dolls. A lot. They make me feel better, and I feel so much more comfortable when I'm around them. But sometimes, life happens, and there's nothing I'd really be able to do about that. =\

 

My dolls are more like room decorations than toys (or family). My parents are really supportive of my buying dolls, and they get a bit sad when I sell one or mention that I'm considering sell one. I do think if there was a fire, my dolls would be the third thing I'd try to rescue, after my dog and computer.

 

To me, they're kind of more like pets than toys or family. I am not so attached to them I view them as family (if I needed to I could sell them, something I could never do with family), but I'm not so unattached that they're on a level field with my other owned possessions either. I spend far too much time 'pampering' and 'fussing' with them for them to be just toys to me. Goodness knows there are days I've spent an hour brushing out a wig; longer than it takes to brush both of my dogs from top to bottom.