are your dolls too "precious" to enjoy?

My Bi is about as precious as he can get but he is out and about around the house. I'm careful about having him outside, he's usually in someone's arms. But I do sleep with him! He only goes in his box when we're stuffing the car full of things for events.

 

I love my dolls a lot but i just cannot imagine not touching them @_@ That'd be just bit freaky for me XD
Seriously, I just treat my dolls like other toys, hahaha

 

Very profound I foresee that I'm going to treat my boy like he'll shatter at the slightest touch for the first few weeks, though XD;;

 

I am very careful with my dolls, as i'm sure most on this forum are. But I honestly don't see a reason for someone to buy a doll and only take pictures of it. I don't think of my doll as a display or conversation piece, but as a companion.

 

Ok, I'm kinda paranoid about my dolls getting dusty. I just recently bought two display cases to house the "More precious" ones, and/or the ones who are not keeping me company at my desk. I think I'm a little afraid to really play with them, dressing them up and changing their wigs often. I have two dolls that I do this to more often than the limiteds that I have. I keep my limiteds in their origional outfits and don't change them. They are that character that they were portrayed to be when made, so I think for me, it is messing with the origional artist idea. Don't get me wrong, I have had limited dolls face-ups changed and put them in different clothing, but now that they are a new character they seem to stay that way!

 

Some of my dolls are in their boxes as I am waiting for items for them to wear but most of my dolls I play with and dress/redress them as I have time. I like to do holiday dressing but I seem to lack the time to do it.

But I used to have Barbies and Sybarites which I did not touch or play around with so I didn't enjoy them much. I sold all the Sybs and as many of the Barbies as I could. Others have just been donated to charity. I found the Sybs too delicate so I didn't want them. The darned Barbies aren't worth anything if deboxed so what fun are they?

Now I collect BJDs to play with and I love doing it!!! My biggest issue is finding the time to play. I love to dress them and do photoshoots. I'm not very good at taking their photos but I like to do it anyhow.

Lastly, I have to say that I am very careful with them as they aren't inexpensive. I keep them out of sunlight except if I am taking a photo, and I do keep them clean. I carefully store their clothing if they aren't wearing it and also store the wigs and shoes as well. I use plastic bins and plastic ziplock baggies too.

 

Yeah, I don't think it would be any fun to buy a doll and not do anything with it. I had some "collector" Barbies as a kid and it drove me nuts that I couldn't take them out of the box and play with them! My sister did that to one of hers and got in trouble for it :P

 

The only things I really do to protect my dolls are to keep them out of the reach of the cats, and away from my mother's cigarette smoke. Otherwise, I'm a horrible owner. They sit beside the computer, usually in full sunlight (my bad!) and I play with them whenever I want. I take them to work sometimes, too, and have them sitting on my desk. Ruined Lillith's pure white outfit that way (stupid duct cleaning!).

 

i really don't care. if you see in what condition is my first doll, you'd never tell i got her not even a year ago. actually, she's 4 months old.
she has:
- chipped faceup
- wig and clothes stains
- a strange green line just above the eyebrow.
- scratched resin on the knees and back
- elastic ruined

and i leave her at the sun. i even forgot her in the car for an hour or two once, and the car was under the sun. (her wig is slightly... melted since that accident. but i didn't changed it.)

i realy prefer playing than keeping safe XD it would be so boring if i couldn't play with my precious.

 

Hello! I'm a new member, and I just ordered my first BJD, Dollga Ojallin. I'm excited about getting her and I think she's adorable, but I'm a little worried about her yellowing, especially if it's only in certain spots. Do the dolls tend to yellow all over their body, or do they sometimes get yellow spots, depending on their sun exposure?

I believe in playing with and displaying things I have so they can be enjoyed, but I will try not to keep my doll in direct sunlight. I've heard there is a UV coating you can apply to help prevent yellowing. Does anyone have suggestions about what type, and does it only help slow the process rather than prevent it?

Do the dolls eventually stop yellowing after a certain point, or do they keep yellowing? I hope that a 25 year old BJD doesn't become a dark gold color!

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm new at this and would love to learn more.

Susan

 

No, no my dolls are like pieces of art. I cannot enjoy them if I don't see them. It's like if I had a painting that I just kept in storage. I couldn't enjoy it then! I must be able to see my dolls and display them to enjoy them.

However, just because I want to keep my dolls out, does not mean that I am not careful. Like a painting I don't expose them to full sunlight often and I am careful when handling them, i.e. I'm not throwing them around.

I am a firm believer in maintaining artworks of all kinds; that includes dolls.

 

beagleboston, most people coat their dolls' faces with MSC spray. Some people coat the whole doll. Honestly the yellowing thing is still confusing to me. Bjds just haven't been around long enough to say what exactly the dolls will look like in 25, 30, 50+ years. This is...pretty terrifying considering the amount of time and money that goes into them, both in terms of the company/artisan's production and the owner's appreciation. There are a number of topics about yellowing/resin/MSC/etc sprinkled around the forum; a search will bring them up.

For my part, I wash my hands with soap before handling my doll. I keep him in a box most of the time. I don't hug, fiddle with, or sleep with my doll. I don't stand him up for long periods of time and when I do pose him, I'm very careful to keep him steady. I don't take him outdoors and I don't intend to ever go to a doll meet or con with him. Paranoid? Oh yes I am. I enjoy my doll and I like to look at him, pose him, dress him and so on; but for me he's not a toy or a friend to play with.

I'm a student now, so I don't have the means, but someday I hope to have a closet or display room in which to keep my dolls so that they can be out of their boxes but still safe from sunlight.

 

The only one I worry about is Caitlin as she's my most expensive to date, but even with me being super careful part of her blushing chipped off on her cheek. Oh well at this point. I'm more mindful when I take her out to be careful with her face, but I'm not super over protective to the point of keeping her in her box. Where's the fun in that for me? She's a dream doll so I want to see her.

Rhiannon my first I was pretty careful with her, but she's now been through the most including needing a full hand replacement due to a transporting accident. She has started to yellow a tiny little bit from the color she was when I originally got her, but nothing I can do about it. She's been out in the sun for pictures for a little bit. But she's always been stored in my room and I have black out curtains that are drawn when I'm not home so even with taking pretty good precautions she's started to yellow. I accept that is what happens to resin no matter if I left her in her box for the next ten years, she'll still yellow.

The only time I could ever seeing taking way out there precautions is if I have a limited BtSSB or h.Naoto edition doll. I would be overly careful for the sake of the outfit, not so much for the doll. One day I will have one, but for now I'm gonna enjoy my little ones and if I'm a little careless to others they my little ones.

 

Other than keeping them out of direct sunlight, I don't do anything special for my dolls. I can't imagine keeping them in boxes; I want them out where I can enjoy them & easily play with them. Most of them are displayed sitting down though as the shelves in the cabinet & bookcase aren't tall enough to have them standing up And the ones on the floor also sit in furniture because otherwise the cats might knock them down.

Other than those simple precautions, I don't worry about them. There are several that my cats particularly love & I'll often find them sleeping in a doll's lap. No biggy as they don't scratch them or be distructive in any way. (Ok, they do like to steal some wigs.) Even when changing clothes I'm not terribly gentle. These dolls are a lot more sturdy than most folks think. Other than dropping them on a hard surface, they stand up to playing pretty well.

 

I enjoy playing with my two boys, but I held back so much playing with my DZ Fox.
I'm selling the little guy, because I am so afraid to mess him up, I can't play with him!

I think it's due to the fact my fox has body blushing and a company face-up.
It's easier to play with dolls I am ok mussing up a little.

 

I am careful with mine, but not paranoid. I keep them out all the time. My room is dark always anyway (I have to have it dark to sleep), so they stay in the little "room" area I have set up for them. I want to be able to see them when I walk by, even if I'm not doing anything with them at the time. I don't have a problem with taking them outside for photographs or with them being in the sun briefly for photos. I've taken Riddick to work and out shopping, and both have been to my friend's house, and once there's a meet near enough for me to go on a day I can go I am totally taking them!

It wouldn't be fun for me to keep them put away and not be able to switch their positions or say hi as I walk by. I do make sure my hands are clean before touching them, but I don't necessarily run wash my hands first. I do try not to touch their faces at all, but other than that they're washable. Any non-repairable scratches or stains that happen will become part of storyline or get covered by a tattoo.

 

Nah. If these dolls weren't meant to be played with they wouldn't be jointed the way they are. Yes, they can be broken, and keeping a magic eraser around to spot check stains is a good idea, but the idea of putting my entire doll collection up in a cabinet to admire from afar doesn't sit right with me. Why spend the money if you're not going to have any fun with them?

 

Thank you for the information, Miss Ally and Kogepan. It sounds like yellowing is inevitable, but a UV coating will slow it down a little. If they don't get too yellow (and eventually stop yellowing at a certain point) I don't think I'll mind it.

 

I'm the type of collector that drives "serious" collectors crazy! I love my collections, I play/read them, pack them around with me in my bag, handle them without washing my hands etc..

If I wanted something I couldn't play with I'd ... well actually I can't imagine that, since I'm just a BIG kid at heart!

So I imagine my white boy at least will one day yellow and I'll look at him fondly and remember all our good times together.