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Are you too afraid to enjoy your dolls?

May 14, 2012

    1. I never got the chance to be fretful about my dolls. My first doll broke me before those traits could develop (nearly broke my toes, too). I went and started with a hybrid, having never seen an ABJD in person, because my approach was that I saw the dolls as a fascinating new canvas for my artistic side. Well, I got a Doumya Flexi-body, which pretty much had the best posing potential at the time. Note the potential part there. He flops, he was so rough inside he actually cut through his own stringing (dropping a boot encased leg on my bare toes... ouch), and before I got him sueded his head kept popping off... once while he was sitting on the couch it popped off and landed on the eight-inch section of tile by the back door... only hard surface within ten feet lower than he was. But he also snuggles better than any other doll, so he was always forgiven.

      Not to say I'm not reasonably careful with my brats, even my rock does not get left standing alone (thankfully my mum has found me a number of nice doll chairs they sit around my living room in), and the white-skin always takes sun protection when we go outside (only allowed in the sun briefly for photos, then back under the cloak). That first boy came home (new) yellower than any Domuya I've seen since and has just mellowed with age, and my tan doll is a home tan (Rit), so I don't worry about them and sun much at all. In large part I'm their sun gauge, I burn real easy, so as long as I'm okay I feel okay with them... and I've only gotten sunburned at a meet once.

      I've had them out in sun, rain, snow, climbing on rocks around water and up trees, yet in the 5 1/2 years I've had dolls there's only been two points of damage... the original ear mods I did to my Dollshe got chipped and I had to redo them (came out much better the second time), and this summer Christopher held one pose just long enough for me to snap a picture before falling off the mushrooms and getting a tiny dimple chip (which I'm still debating whether to sand it out or incorporate it into his face-up).

      I'm actually so comfortable handling dolls I've helped a number of owners shed some of their excess fears, especially around restringing.
       
    2. Nope.

      I'm more afraid of not enjoying them enough to be worth the investment.
       
    3. I have to say I'm pretty wary. Putting that much money into anything freaks me out, and I'm always overprotective of everything I own. But from reading these posts it seems like a lot of that fear goes away once you get used to handling them, so that makes me hopeful ^_^
       
    4. This ^

      I'm not too afraid to enjoy my dolls. I take them outside all the time, and I've travelled with them, and I'm constantly taking photos of them. Last week, I did something that I've never done before in my 3 years of being a BJD collector; I slept with one of them in my bed haha. I make clothes and props for them. I've taken them apart, restrung them, modded a couple of them, and today I decided to try doing a faceup on my own for the first time. So...I enjoy my dolls a lot, and not much scares me.
       
    5. Nnnnnnnno. To be honest dolls are more than just action figures to me... and as dolls I believe they're meant to be played with and enjoyed. c: I am careful with them but only as much as to not damage them.
       
    6. I thought I might be like that, but I'm not. I would consider it a waste of money if I couldn't handle them freely without anxiety. I would not be in this hobby if I was too afraid. I take my most expensive doll with me everywhere! I feel like I'm getting my money's worth for sure!!!
       
    7. I worry about damaging the face up so I am really careful about touching the face when playing with my dolls but other than that, I don't worry too much. Well, except I can't leave them lying around because my dogs would chew them up!
       
    8. I enjoy the heck out of my dolls. I'd be extremely bored if I just say them there and didn't get a chance to pose them and mess around with them.
       
    9. I'm only afraid to play with my Vocaloid Dal...Other dolls? Once you drop your first doll once you tend to shrug it off after they keep nosediving and after having your gorgeous boy fall face first and come out unscathed. Not that I don't worry but I'm really careful with my stuff. I actually cried more when I dropped my laptop then when I dropped my pretty boy.
       
    10. I always worry about my dolls as if anything happen.. I might not be able to solve it. But i still bring them to the beach last month to take some picture. ^^
       
    11. I'm not afraid to play with my "normal" dolls at all. But I own one doll that has it blushed all over and if you move it too often the paint rubs off. That's why I rarely move this one at all, it holds the same pose most of the time.
       
    12. I don't play too much with my dolls, but no. I'm only a little scared when posing them standing, to not fall and break anything, but other than that...nope, I'm not.
       
    13. Well, if I wanted precious things just to put on a shelf and admire, I would buy sculptures, not dolls.^^
      I keep in the YOSD ans MSD sizes range to bring them easily with me and take pictures wherever and whenever I want.
      I try to be careful, don't let them unattended outside, I bring them in cushionned bags, but they aren't in glass, they aren't more fragile nor expensive than a Iphone or a laptop, so why to be afraid to enjoy them ? :)
       
    14. Do you find yourself worrying too much about what could happen to your dolls that it takes the enjoyment out of the hobby for you?

      I've had ws dolls since 2004. I worried about it for a while, but just stopped and still buy ws dolls.

      I've got one-offs and very limited limiteds and many pretty pricey dolls and outfits. I don't worry about them aside from trying not to drop them or break them or smash their eyelashes.

      I take them to meetups, I've taken them on planes. I totally man-handle them.

      I'm older and I figure I only have so many years to enjoy stuff so I shouldn't be afraid and just enjoy! Nothing last forever. Carpe Diem and all that.

      I am reasonably careful and only my dolls that were doomed to yellow have changed color. --I have one of those colored Bambicrony elves in French resin, and despite my best efforts, she is getting pretty darn yellow. My first ws boy was always on the creamy side and is yellow-y, but I think it's mostly his MSC. My 2005 dolls are still pretty white, not paper-white, but not terribly yellow.

      I have never broken anything or cracked anything. I have all the original faceups.

      I've had years to know that nothing really awful happens. Although I do try and use face-covers when I travel with my dolls or put them in carriers, and make sure their blushed pieces don't know against eache other... Oh--and keep them out of a lot of direct light. But that's about it!

      ---If it really worries you, do what you feel is right. But the resin is a lot stronger than you think and the dolls last longer than you think. So don't worry to the point where you aren't enjoying your dolls!!!! :)