Are your dolls characters?

Mine are a mix of pre-existing characters and characters I came up with on the spot. I have three separate 'universes' that I work with, and if I don't already have a character for the doll, I'll think about which crew they'd best fit into and go from there. I really like photographing dolls in pairs or groups, and I'd rather they have a common thread that links them together, you know?

 

Hmmm, most of my dolls are (in my mind) avatars for ancient Egyptian royals, real historical people. My Pipos Cheshires, Pandemonium and Lili Pandorable, are just jolly little cats. My most recent doll though , an Iplehouse Leona, is my favorite fictional character, Jilly, from Charles De Lint's Newford stories.

 

Ys every doll i want (nd 2 i own) are characters from anime series i like i wouldnt love them to be anything else

but maybe I might get a custom doll if I know how.. It would definitly be an elf and have a cute blush

 

i created some original characters (because drawing is my other hobby), and this is why i buy dolls.
i always look for sculpts first, if theyre suitable with my OCs or not

 

Before entering the hobby, I never planned to make characters out of my dolls. However, as I grew older, I starting developing my stories bit by bit, so once I decided I was going to buy BJds, I had designated characters for certain sculpts on my wish list.

That being said, I wouldn't be against having a doll without a character. I mean, they'll have a name and a personality, but they don't have to be part of a story that I'm working on.

 

My doll (and any/all future dolls) are not pre-existing characters at all. I have some idea of what I want them to be like (personality and style wise) but they don't even have concrete names and any of that could very easily change when they actually arrive. I do occasionally think about names, wigs, eyes, personality about my future dolls but that could change when the doll arrives so it's really more like brain-storming.
I buy dolls because I love the sculpt, their "character" is something that the doll shows me when they actually get to me.

 

Almost always (95%) of the time, when I get a doll it is to "shell' a character I've come to love in RP. Part of what keeps me in check with purchases is waiting to find the right mold. I wanted the Limhwa Luna /forever/ but it wasn't until I realized she was my beautiful Swanmae Sitara (and on sale Black Friday) that I allowed myself to get her. Eventually if I like a doll enough, it shapes my character's appearance to fit it (like with Owen, my Iplehouse Claude). XD

 

For me my dolls are sort of like earthly bodies or avatars for characters that I have. All the dolls I am planning on having fit into one of two story lines that I've had for a long time. I really didn't want to get into too many props like food or cell phones or anything like that with my dolls and so I made it so that my dolls all know that they are dolls and that they also have a life outside of the dolls in their own dimension. Writing this down I'm realizing how crazy this sounds XD. But anyway most of my characters are Muses (or sort of pre-muses that I call "Nacents" that will eventually grow up into muses usually), as in creative entities that inspire artists and writers and musicians, and they live most of their time in an alternate dimension where the come from. One of my dolls will be of my own writing muse, Merrick. But the entities that live in that dimension can also grow into elementals or spiritual protectors of places, things, people. My next doll with be a Baku, or a nightmare eater from Japanese mythology. Her purpose in the world is to go around while people are asleep and eat their nightmares so they will only have good dreams. My other storyline is more standard fantasy with elves and stuff but it's also connected to the first one.

So yeah TLDR: yes my dolls are characters all from a storyline I've made up but they also know that they are dolls/the dolls are like avatars for them.

 

I decided against buying dolls that would be already existing original characters of mine simply because I already have a set imagine in my mind of how they look, and there's just no way a sculpt would be exactly that. And just coming close is not enough for me haha...

However yes, all my dolls will have their own personality, name and story. I doubt I'll do much with them other than play with them, take a few pictures and look at them for inspiration, but I am hoping to eventually draw their story in manga form. They're just not 'old characters', their characters and story will be all brand-new.

 

My dolls are a reflection of me, my family and people I wanted I wanted to be next. Is my avatar, is the head of the family, there is a cheerful and kind-hearted brother, the angel who keeps the family (with real wings), a courageous knight is a warrior, noble and intelligent cousin, romantic and loving friend. They all make up a harmonious company, although very different.

 

Yes, except for my Monster High dolls.
I highly doubt that I'll ever have a BJD who is not a character I've pre-created.
Still, my MH dolls still have characters, although the character is created after I get the doll.

 

Mine are either characters from Bubblegum Crisis or OCs from my BGC fics

 

I have characters for almost all of my dolls. Makes it more fun for me. . Cant wait to get them all together.

 

I think almost all of my dolls are characters x3 Most are my OCs, but some are also characters from animes or mangas :3 or just shows xD

 

I wasn't making a character when I got my dolls. In fact when I got Her because of my fear of pregnancy and having kids the joke became she was my kid because I'd never have kids. So when I named her she has my last name. I did consider what I'd do with her but I had no idea and when she got here she just became what she is. She has no story really her story is her. She's a doll I bought and she knows she's a doll I bought and that I call her my kid and as of her actions thanks to her lose strings she's picked up the personality of being a brat who likes to be the center of attention and will throw temper tantrums when she's not. My other doll I got after her also had no real character besides being the one my boyfriend pinked out and likewise her personality was made by how she was made. Her legs so no spread like my first doll nor does Her tight strings make her flop everywhere so she had become conservative and lady like. My dolls become who they are after I've played with them for a while then they sort of tell me who they are I just get to name them lol.

 

I made the characters after I chose and got the dolls, and designed them to fit the things I wanted from my dolls. I wanted to get dolls because they were beautiful playthings that I could dress up in all the clothes I love, like little bits of textile art. So, when planning out my doll collection, I made decisions that I felt would allow for the most flexibility and variety while still keeping a unified look and small collection.

I decided on a small doll 'family' with two girls and two boys, with different body and face types and resin colors for each, plus two non-gendered tinies. One was a traditional YoSD and the other, an 'in-between' tall-tiny size. Then I decided to give each doll a basic color scheme, to restrict their wardrobes a bit and keep it simple. From there, I wanted all my dolls to be able to wear almost any 'fashion' type, including casual, street fashion, fantasy, or traditional, historic fashions.

After making all those 'what do I want from my dolls' decisions, I started tinkering around with character concepts, names, and personalities. It wasn't really an issue at the beginning, and I changed the name and character of my first doll quite a bit. But I've slowly put more and more thought into it with time, and now it's something I'm really putting a lot of thought into.

They're all part of one story idea, and I plan to keep it that way, to keep the collection manageable. The priority is the dolls first, for me, then the story-making stuff to fit the dolls and enrich the 'doll experience', haha.

 

My dolls aren't specific characters... I can't even come up with a name for Siean besides Siean. I do really like her and enjoy dressing her, etc, but my main interest is crafts. I love modding, doing faceups, making wigs and clothes... for me thats where the fun is in this hobby.

 

Hi i am wondering how everyone here decide a character for your doll?

Do u already have a character in mind for them when you purchased them or do u decide it once you have set eyes on them when they arrive? Or does their character develop over time before it is finalised?

For me,most of my dolls have their character the moment i set my eyes on them when they reach my house and slowly develop into something more refined over time.

 

It can go both ways. Most of the time I have the character and I'm looking for a doll to match but there are times when a doll turns up and I have no idea what I'm going to do with them until they arrive.

And there's been long established characters who have continued to grow after they became dolls.

 

Berwyn is a character in a story I'm working on, and so far my plans for future dolls also involve characters from that story- all of whom are 1/4 size or smaller. I could see myself buying a single realistic 1/3 girl to play with historical costuming for though, and she would be more like a mannequin.