"Attachment to Inanimate Objects".

I love what you said AlineUnbroken!! That just summed everything perfectly.

Although I've never felt guilt when I've lost a coat of something like that, but losing a toy as a child was really upsetting.

 

Thanks! It's nice cos I always thought it was just me. But I guess if you're an emotional person then it just comes to be!

 

I have posted here once about this but I have to again. My MSD Boy Canaan has been a odd with me since the start. I have never ever taken comfort from anyhting that didnt have a pulse. but when I am sick, or when I have lost a loved one, I find myself reaching for Canaan just to stare at him, or as strange as it sounds hold his little hand o_O. I am not even ashamed to say at 24 I am comforted by a doll. Lol I just love them all so much ;_;

 

I don't get attached to inanimate objects. I hold on to things I'm a packrat. I want the dolls as 3 d model for characters. So I feel I am buying them to become attached to them.

 

I am attached to alot of things, from dolls to figurines to stuffed toys. They all, somehow, mean something to me. Its hard not to love your doll, at least, to me.

 

Ahahah, this is so like me as well. XD

I am horrible about getting emotionally attached to virtually any possession. It's probably not entirely healthy (I'm not ready to go on one of those hoarder shows yet, but my coworkers often remind me that I'm working in that direction) but I cannot help but develop attachments to things.

When I was very young, I had a little pencil - nothing special, just one of the standard yellow, no 2 pencils. I'd used it until the eraser was totally flat and it had been sharpened so many times it was only about 5cm long -- but I still wrote with it! One day the teacher decided I needed to get a new one, so she took my pencil and tossed it into the waste bin. Poor lady couldn't figure out why I burst into tears. XD

I don't have any BJDs yet (very soon, I hope!) but I have no doubt that once they arrive I will "bond" with them. If I can get so attached to a pencil, I'm sure a doll will take no time at all to work its way into my heart.

 

I too am one of those people that think objects have feelings
and therefore I don't want to through much away when its been with me for a while
(specially something that has two eyes >.< that makes them "real" to me)
I've thought about giving stuff away but I don't think anyone will care for them as I do

 

Well, I get attached to things easily so its preeeetty bad if I get into expensive hobbies cause once its in the house...it never leaves. I can't sell ANYTHING at all, I get tempted, put up a sale thread...but then I cant bring myself to do it and usually close it a day later.
Its cause everything I have, has memories. I can give away some clothes..not all though. But toys/electronics/etc I cant. Especially anything to do with my zelda games. I cant sell my dolls either lmfao, even the ones I don't pay much attention to.

 

Oh I certainly have that issue. Not with everything own but most items I used every day. For example I have an older iPod nano that I want to replace (storage needs are great than it provides) but I just can't get used to the idea. I've had it for over 3 years. I look at new ones online and in the store and yet I still not ready.

My dolls are the same way. Even worse maybe. I dislike change for the most part. If they were removed from my life or changed dramatically it would take me awhile to be comfortable. My favorite doll is gonna need a new face up soon. The idea of sending him off for a new one scares me. Even if he going to my good friend I will still be out of sorts till he gets back.

 

I bond to inanimate things too xD
I really horde things-- but only partially because of the bond.
There's always, "But it's a waste to throw it!" "But maybe I can use it later...." "But what if I need it?..." "There's a use. ...I'll get to it someday."
...and so on.

 

I definitely bond to inanimate things: erasers, acorns, stuffies, books, dolls, etc.
I also horde, I'm much too sentimental and attach fond memories to everything.
It definitely sped up the bonding process for me with my dolls. It always helps when the inanimate object's attractive and has a face.

 

I am horrible attached to toys,figures and other inanimate objects. Yesturday my truck mess up and I spent 2 good hours holding my dolls and my transformers and other thing cause I was so scared I have to sale them to pay to fix my truck. Glad I don't but I miss things when they get lost or have to be sold. Heck I say I am sorry when I run into my chair or bed.

 

I name Everything I got. From my iPod down to my Journal. I think it's because I'm kind of an only child. Lol

 

lol I know how that is AlineUnbroken. I still have a coat that's slightly too short in the sleeves cuz I can't bring myself to get rid of it or cut it up for fabric. It's silly cuz I have about 5 coats and I never WEAR that one anymore cuz the sleeves being slightly too short bugs me, but I just can't throw it out.

When I was little I was attached to anything shaped like anything and was always bringing home usless pieces of junk from the school store like they were the best things in the world. Especially if it was something I found. If I find something then I feel like it was meant to be. When I was little I used to think that people left babies on doorsteps with notes attached on a somewhat regular basis (damn television) and would dream that might happen to me when I was grown up. When I first got into this hobby and before I got my first doll I'd dream about finding a damaged, discarded doll in a park or something (crazy, I know. Like anyone would just throw one out) and taking it home and fixing it up and I knew that one would always be my favorite, even if it was ugly. I think I have a complex for ugly things. I like watching the ugliest animals in the cage at pet stores and I get sad cuz I know that they'll probably be there for awhile and I can't very well take them all home with me.

But yeah, point is I'm very sentimental about pretty much everything and my doll is no exception. I'm about to get two new boys and I'm sure I'll get just as attached to them. If anything ever happens to Tovi I'd probably act the same as if I'd lost a family member. I know when I saw a picture of someone's dolls that had been in a fire I felt very sad for them. The dolls themselves, I mean. I felt the same as I do when I see kids with cancer on St. Jude's Children Research Hospital commercials and ASPCA/Humane Society commercials with beaten, starved, disease ridden animals. And at the same time I was very proud of the owner of the dolls for spending hours scrubbing them as best she could and getting the majority of the black off and keeping them even though they weren't "perfect" anymore and never would be again. I know some people would just lament the money they'd lost as they threw the "ruined" dolls in the trash. She said she'd just make the damage a part of their stories and made the best of it.

 

It's impossible for me to have a "bond" with an inanimate object such as a dolI. I'm a doll enthusiast who's been collecting them for many years simply cos I like the look of them, it's as simple as that. Doll collecting is a superficial hobby in that a doll has to appeal to you "looks" wise in order for you to want to buy it. You may find the doll beautiful, interesting or quirky but you have to really like the mold otherwise you will get bored with a doll very quickly. I see them as works of art, pretty much in the same way I may look at a painting or figurine. I'm content just displaying my dolls, I don't have to do anything with them in particular to justify having them. I wouldn't sell a doll simply because I don't have a character for it. Just because I don't touch them on a regular basis, take numerous photos of them or treat them almost like a human being, doesn't mean I appreciate them any less. They are expensive and I do see them as an investment, I take care of them, making sure they are maintained & so forth and just lurve looking at them. I find that its predominately within the BJD community that people feel they have to give each of their dolls characters/personalities in order to substantiate owning one, which is a baffling notion to me. Among many other doll communities where people collect various fashion dolls, vintage dolls etc, there isn't so much emphasis on giving your dolls individual personalities or the need to have a strong emotional attachment to them. Sure BJD's are more expensive and have advanced articulation but they are still just dolls no matter how lovely they are to look at.

 

I don't get easily attached to objects but when I do its complete and 100%. I love my dolls so very much and have bonded with each of them for very different reasons. I think of them often when they are not with me, I love taking care of them and making stuff for them and sharing my ideas for characters and future dolls with my friends and family. I am not a packrat but if I am not vigilant I could be one very quickly

 

I was quite lonely as a teenager, so I formed strong bonds with my dolls (To the extent where they would be alive in my dreams, which sounds a bit silly) But it was very easy to form an attachment to my dolls. They all have extensive backgrounds and their own personalities and I was so attached I kept them and didn't sell them even when I was away from the hobby for two years.

 

I get very attached to inanimate objects. Like other people have said, even leaving something as simple as a coat behind somewhere makes me worry and feel anxious for it. It's the same with my dolls. When they're not with me I miss them

 

I don't consider items with faces to be 'inanimate OBJECTS' - I consider them solid representations of something unseen - a concept if you will. It's not that I think my dolls or stuffed animals etc come to life, nor do I necessarily hold onto them forever (some I do) - rather that I treat them slightly differently than I do my teapot. When I get sentimental over a plate or something like that, it's because of its associations (ie my grandmother's chinaplate, last of her tea service, that I keep even tho it's cracked). With an object representing something alive, I'm different. I treat it as if somehow the 'connected' being knows what I'm doing. I do get rid of old items like this - I've even sent dolls (Barbies) to GoodWill! I've right now some old porcelain dolls I've stripped of their clothing - one I'm keeping as a dressform but the rest will also most likely go to a thrift store. BUT I still feel differently towards them that I do towards my coffee cup....
The only other 'objects' that I feel this way about are BOOKS

 

I have a really strange connection to inanimate objects.

As a child, I had a wild imagination and would give not only dolls or figures names and personalities (and sometimes stories), but also random objects. I included all of my toys in my "Clubhouse" (which was basically my version of PeeWee's Playhouse, so ALL forms of "creatures" were welcome) and I had everything from dolls to stuffed animals to figurines to bouncy balls, buttons and even a ball bearing with names and profiles! I kept character sheets in a binder. This started when I was 5, and at one point, each club member had their own personal folder with their picture, basic information, and any other personal details. This lead to a closet full of toys and random objects that I refused to part with. I always wanted to be a minimalist, but I couldn't do it.

As a teen, I hoarded dolls. Not BJDs, but others as well, and they all had names and personalities, maybe not full stories. I still felt like I had too many, but I couldn't break the habit. I ended up with over 400 Bratz and Barbies. Selling them is how I afforded my first BJD!

Now, I've cleaned out most of my dolls and toys, but kept my favorites. I bond to the characters because I create them and put a lot of work into them, and I think that helps me bond to the dolls, but I don't instantly bond to just any doll that falls in my hands. I don't believe they have feelings or thoughts, they're just a hunk of resin, and no damage is done by selling the ones I don't enjoy as much. They are what we make of them. Once I get bored of a character, they can quickly go from this personal OC I've created back to 'random doll' within a day or so and by the time they hit the MP, I don't even think of them as that OC I loved at all.

I think it's interesting that a lot of people in this thread have commented on being a pack rat or even hoarding. I was as a child, and my grandfather would even tease me about it, but now I'm the opposite and often feel like I need to clean and get rid of clutter, even when I know I don't have any real clutter and I do use most everything I keep. This usually means I lose a lot of money by selling for much less than what I paid. That part of not feeling attached to most objects is definitely a downside. I hate to think about how much money I've lost because I impulsively bought dolls or doll stuff, felt nothing for it, or only did for a short time, then turned around and sold it for half what I paid.