are your dolls too "precious" to enjoy?

my dolls are the embodiment of my characters and I know that they would be seriously pissed if I hid them away. I'll carry my dolls around with me and even bring them to school with me but I am careful and I do fuss over them. not because of their price tag but because they are THAT important to me and I want them to last.
I dont worry about touching their faces because I'm the one who does their faceups and I dont worry about sun all that much... the most I do is I wrap them up in tawols before I start a stick of incense in my room because I worry about the smoke.. but then I guess they just small good haha

 

I collect resin animé and NA comics figurines. Those remain in their boxes and are for display purposes only. My dolls, on the other hand, sit out and about and are messed with, periodically go visiting with me (when someone wants to see 'those dolls of [mine]'), and are photographed - usually outside. Inside pictures don't tend to work out for me so well.

But dolls are different things to different people. Some people are highly protective of their things (like me with my figurines), and some aren't so anal (like my friends and their figurines).

 

I'm very careful with my babies, but they were meant for my enjoyment. I used to have collectible Barbies that I couldn't take out of the box(they weren't fun when I was five and still weren't fun until the time I stopped playing with Barbies in general). I could never collect bjds just to have theme sit on a shelf and look pretty.

 

Hmm, i guess i could see how some people keep them in the boxes because of the amount of money that has been spent, however, it seems just a waste to buy these dolls and just leave them.

I've just ordered my 1st doll and waiting for her to arrive but I know for a fact that I won't want to leave her in the box. TBH, I think I might turn the boxes that I get into beds because I woulnd't dare sleep with them and I'm short on cash. But yeah, I've always loved playing with dolls (I'm a big kid) and they are simply photogenic. I know that I won't be able to put her down when I get her

 

They're dolls

Not playing with them/handling them is a waste of resin in my opinion.

I play with them, take them places, loan them to friends (two of my mini-girls are with a friend who teaches knitting at this very moment so she can use them as models forshoiung her students the techniques of knitting different styles of sweater without haivng to make a full-sized garment each time - guess who gets to keep all the demontration sweaters she makes.....{g}..)

I don't trea them any more "carefully" than I do my vinyl dolls and my procelain dolls (both of which types also get played with and taken places) althoughnone of them can take quite as rough treatment as the cloth dolls are capable of.

Teddy

 

I carry Josh around with me all the time. xD
He sits next to me when I`m on the laptop, I hug him when I watch TV.. The only place I avoid taking him is the kitchen, incase he starts smelling of food or something.
I do put him in his box at night though.

 

I used to be like that. I was always actually more afraid of breaking them than anything else. I had a good friend that was like my panic line. I had stained my doll at one point with blue pen and I freaked out, but ever since she told me you can remove most things right away with soap and warm water (and it worked) I wasn't as worried about getting stuff on them. Though I still wash my hands if I'm going to be touching their "skin."

And I got over my fear of them breaking when I was restringing one and I lost grip on the elastic and his arm shot off. So I freaked, but when I checked and everything was in good order, I realized they were way more durable than I probably gave them credit for. XD;;

I'm still afraid of letting other people handle them though. But that's mainly because if they're ever damaged by someone else, I'm not going to say "no, that's okay, don't worry about it" when it's obviously not. If someone damages my doll mishandling them, I'm not going to let them off the hook -I'm not rich enough to cover for damages caused by someone else, accidentally or not.

 

Oh man I play with my dolls everyday... If I'm away from them I miss them dearly (yes I know i'm a bit weird XD) I'm not worried about them being too expensive or precious for me to handle. I just take precautions in taking care of them i.e washing hands before handleing, very little sun exposure, don't toss them around, put facemask on when heading outside etc.
So what i'm saying is, I play with my dolls everyday but they are still in very good minty condition. Just know how to take care of them and you should be ok.

*read comment above* Yes BJD's are more durable than you might think. Before I got one I always thought they were extremely delicate. I've seen BJD's fall from a table without a scratch (not saying you should test it out for yourself XD)

 

Enjoyment comes in different forms for different people..

For me, I could never keep my doll locked away (okay, she is locked away now, but that's because I'm waiting for her new wig... =P). I don't treat my doll like she's an antique porcelain doll, I am carefully with her, but not to the extent of wearing gloves or being afraid to let someone else touch her. Anyway, in my opinion, buying a doll and being afraid to do anything with it is a bit odd, but as I said, some people would rather admire from afar, and some aren't interested in playing with their dolls.

 

If my dolls are large limiteds dolls then I'd probably keep them in a box away from the sun... just that it won't be the original box, but a large arcrylic display box with UV cut plastic sheets (sth I saw on TV ad for car windows) stuck on it, so that I can see the doll inside, change the decoration and alter his pose. For my tinies, they would accompany me studying. I cannot resist playing with smaller things... I'd be a good girl and spray lots of MSC UV cut and wipe them properly...

 

I've enjoyed reading how many people here really enjoy playing with their BJD's, and I love the way toshidragon expressed themselves below. Many of the comments here remind me of the story "The Velveteen Rabbit".

 

I'm very hands on with my dolls. I play with them constantly and never put them in a box/drawer/display case or anything! At night before I go to bed I arrange them on some pillows next to me and cover them with a blanket to protect them from the morning sun that comes in my room. In the morning I'll take one out (sometimes at random) and they'll go with me to work. The rest stay covered until I'm home and the sun is no longer a problem. Then they all come out to play again!~ ^o^/ They sit by my computer with me, or in my lap as I watch TV or play games...I take them down to dinner (they sit next to me away from food)....My dolls are VERY precious to me...but not so that I'm afraid to play with them...that's why I got them. ^-^

 

I feel bad now...
I always keep my dolls in their boxes unless I take photos.
Where I currently live its not very safe to keep them out without being extremely cautious. There was a blow back of ashes into the heating system and got my girls completely caked in dirt. After that I seldom take them out because I'm afraid until I move (in the next two years) to a place that doesn't have those sort of problems.

 

Well i can certainly see myself being careful to an extent (i.e. washing hands before handling, avoiding going outside, trying not to touch all over EVERYWHERE) but I don't have the self control to stash them away in a box and keep them perfect. My boy will be played with and loved quite a bit, but with kit gloves.

 

I'm terrified of getting my girl damaged, yellowing, or getting dirty. But once her faceup and body blush is redone, she'll be out of her box more. ^^;

 

My sister worries a lot about her dolls: she keeps all of them in their boxes with no clothes and no wig, with their facemask protection and white pillows. The boxes are themselves into a cupboard...

She loves them very much and wants to keep them in the best possible state, she only gets them out to take some pictures and admire them. Otherwise they spend all their time in their box.

Also, my sister will never touch her dolls with dirty hands, will not take them out (except for a short photoshoot), will never let them wear dark clothes or too colorful wig for a long period of time (to avoid discolorations) , etc.

She is a little exessive, but since she spent so much money in each of her dolls, she wants them to look "perfect". She says she loves them so much as they are now that she feels the need to protect them as much as she can.

 

Of course I'm worried about them getting dirty but heck, I paid $300 for my girls, I will enjoy them!

 

I don't have mine yet but I do have a little space set up for her to sit in once I do get her. I couldn't imagine keeping her in her box and not out where I can see and enjoy her.