Are you too afraid to enjoy your dolls?

Frankly, I don't take my dolls outside of my house. As long as they're indoors, I don't think about damaging them at all- all of them have had multiple face-plants onto my carpeted bedroom floor, and several falls each from the top shelf in the closet where I keep them and they've all been absolutely fine. I hate taking them out of the house though, but it's only partly because I'm afraid I might damage them or get them permanently dirty. I've also got this fear of bugs getting into their hollow joints and me not knowing until I pick them up... *had a bit of a bad incident last summer with a backyard photo shoot...*

 

Iv never seen a BJD in person or touched one so my first BJD coming in June will be scarey for me!! Its like she can break! she yellows in the sun! you need protective spray and need to take care of her it kinda scares me! But also makes me think of people being so frail and how people deteriorate somehow this kind of subdues my wanting a child side since im of age xD!! So yeah im afraid i know ill be more comphy with her later on but still scared! Im also a clutz and break everything of mine so that also scares me x.x;;

 

I was pretty scared with my one LE doll. I was always afraid to break his accessories or ruin his face-up/tattoos. Also, because he is a white skin I was always afraid staining. As time went on I began worrying less and less. After his parts DID end up getting broken and his tattoo scratched up, I had to make adjustements and fix it up. I learned that it was easy enough to fix, and started worrying less. I havn't had any other incidents with damaging him (since the first time involved a pet getting a hold of him) and I don't worry nearly as much because I know everything is fixable for the most part. The hobby is too expensive not to have fun with and as long as you're careful (not overly cautious to the point of not doing anything with them), everything should be okay. Most ABJD's are not as fragile as some owners like to believe either, it's just good to be gentle.

 

My dolls have flown as carry-ons all over and seen many places. They are out in the light and get handled all the time and lay around alot. I don't mind them aging, it gives them personality and character. And I enjoy cleaning and reblushing and restringing anyway No severe damage incidents yet, knock on wood, but I like modding and sanding as well.

 

Heh heh - with my first doll, I was super-overprotective. Now I'm like, whatever. LOL! After you string a doll or two, you get more of an idea of what these dolls can stand. I still wouldn't chuck any of my babies onto concrete, and I'm still careful about face-ups, but I don't have a problem taking my dolls outside or seeing one faceplant on my bed.

 

I know you can be scared because you're spending a pretty penny, but honestly these guys are tough. All of the resins will yellow slightly with time even if you keep them in their box the entire time, so I let my guys hang all over the house.

 

Nope. Bring it on! I have no fear with dolls... Well, I guess I have been afraid to try my hand at subtractive modifications. But when you're talking stuff like restringing and other typical maintenance, taking them outside, dropping them, and doing customizing work that doesn't involve a dremel, there's no reason to worry. Just know your stuff and take care, and everything will be peachy. They really aren't that fragile. I mean, don't drop them on hard surfaces, but otherwise... No worries!

 

My only dolly is a second hand girl. I don't worry to much about damaging her, in fact she came with some mild yellowing. I bought her to play with!

That said, I have my eye on a new doll (or five.. hah) and I can see myself being more nervous about a brand new doll.

 

Yes, mine is fairly brittle, so I feel limited in the ways I can play with him. I can't take him outside, can't risk a fall on a hard surface, etc. I wouldn't worry as much about paint coming off or even a color change as I do about chips.

 

I don't usually worry too much about my dolls, because I'm careful with them (and I try to make sure they don't fall over in photoshoots ). I just don't like to be parted with my dolls, like when I go out of town for a few days. I'm too nervous to take them with me; I don't want my dolls to get damaged or stolen.
For me, I guess it would take more enjoyment out of a long trip away from home than my dolly hobby.

 

I am a little bit crazy about sunlight... Since I started collecting ponies who are around 30 years old and tend to yellow and fade a lot I always have my sun-blinds closed. So all my white skin dolls are protected from the sunlight and hopefully won't yellow.
Otherwise I handle them with care but I don't overprotect them, I play and cuddle with my PKF all the time

 

When I got my first doll I treated him like delicate porcelain. Eventually I got over it and though I'm never rough with my dolls, I am not afraid to take them outside occasionally, change their clothes as often as I want, or wash them when they get those inexplicable marks and smudges. And I never leave dolls in boxes or hidden away inside a closet. They're always on display in my room, though I do have thick curtains that keep it near dark in there.

 

Absolutely not! I got my first two dolls years ago without having ever seen one in person. I did their faceups (many, many times) myself. I unstrung them within a couple months of owning them. I carried them all over the place, took pictures everywhere.. all that good stuff! I didn't toss them around or get them filthy, but I didn't treat them like they would smash to bits. That's never changed, thankfully! I don't take pictures or carry them around anymore, but I also don't hesitate to play or customize for fear of damaging my dolls.

 

I'm a fairly active person, my first and currently only doll is a Bobobie which are less expensive than most; hes a good starter doll. My SD bobobie boy is sturdy and hardy enough to survive me. I would probably rock in a dark corner if I got a doll from say doll-zone and managed to mess it up.

The thought of messing him up is certainly in the back of my mind when he's out of his box, but it doesn't stop me from taking him places. He's like the baby egg in high school, just have to be mindful of where I set him and if he's going to stay sitting up on his own.

 

Only with my first BJD, Elfdoll Sooah, she was so beautiful that it hurt to touch her. I was so afraid of breaking her or getting her beautiful face dirty, it took 2 years before I'd really handle her. I even restrung her twice.

 

I worried more about my DD than with my resin girl. Getting a DD was my first goal but I wound up getting a resin girl first. So when I finally got a DD body, it should have been awesome. However I was just too scared to mess with her. Compared to the resin girl I have she just seems more fragile. I've heard from others that the DDIII and DDdyIII feel flimsier than the DDII and DDdyII b/c they thinned down the internal skeleton. Alice I don't worry much about at all. I mean I worry about her falling when I get her to stand up on her own. But other than that I'm fine with her. My biggest roadblock to enjoyment is that I can't take them out whenever I want. They have to hide in their boxes til everyone's asleep and or gone. I can't run the risk of one of my family members seeing them.

 

Not really anymore, nope. The first one I got, I was very careful with - until I realized those dolls are actually much sturdier than you might think. They can break, yes, but they're no porcelain dolls. I'm taking them outside for meets, I'll transport the smaller ones in my normal bag without extra protection (in the laptop compartment), I've had some of them fall over on their face or back without taking damage - outside. You do develop kind of a sixth sense when your "baby" is about to face-plant, though. I got them sitting around in my room and am not covering them up although that means they're exposed to sunlight almost all day long and that means more yellowing (which I still have to discover on my Unidoll Ark that I've had since 2008). I want to enjoy them and for me, that means I don't wanna hide them in their boxes but have them around so I can see them.

I think you do get less scared the longer you got your doll(s) and the more dolls you get, actually, since you also get more experienced in handling them. Me, I used to be like "re-stringing - ohmegosh!!! never!!!". Then, one of my doll-bodies arrived unstrung, I gave it a try (with much help in pulling strings from my Dad) and now, I'm more like "gosh, you're floppy - here, lemme take you apart and give you new strings".

 

Worrying about my dolls definitely doesn't get in my way of enjoying them. I figure that I have them to enjoy, and leaving them bubble-wrapped in a cardboard box won't let me do that. When my first girl showed up, it didn't take me long to get comfortable with her... having a doll in hand, she felt sturdier than I had expected, and having seen lots of owner pics of different dolls, I knew what kind of poses were possible, so I really wasn't afraid to fiddle around and see what sorts of pieces she's made up of, how stringing works, etc.

 

Over time, I get better at not worrying too much . I need to get used to a new doll and figure out how to handle it, but once I know that, I begin to feel comfortable. I'm not overly careful compared to some other doll owners: I don't keep my dolls in their boxes (I enjoy having them sitting where I can see them - that's why I bought them in the first place!), I don't darken my room (though I don't sit the dolls in direct sunlight) and I don't wash my hands all the time when handling them (when I've just eaten something or so, then yes).

I'm not confident enough to restring anyone yet, though I'm getting there. I'm terribly afraid of breakage. Another thing that gives me the heebiejeebies is removing face-ups. I'm so worried that I won't be able to remove the acrylic remover properly and that the stuff is going to eat my dollies D:.

Of course I'm worried that something may happen to my precious resinoids, or that I might do something wrong. But the dolls are here for my enjoyment, and handling them is so much fun, that I just have to risk it. For me there is really no point to keeping them all secure and away from, well, my daily life.

 

Not really. I've had doll breakages and yellowing already so I'm not anticipating it as much, if that makes sense... It's generally not as bad as it seems and while I'm careful with my dolls, I'm not overly so and I still get full enjoyment out of them.