Ball Jointed Peer Pressure: Who hooked you?

Honestly, when I first saw BJD's, I was like..."nice dolls" but was overall unimpressed with my friends' BJD's. She and her friend have mostly MSD's and YoSD's, which probably has a lot to do with it since I hate childish looking dolls. I have collected dolls my entire life, but I never liked baby dolls or dolls that look like kids. It wasn't until later that we were looking at dolls online that I fell in love, when I saw DZ Edward. Two weeks later, I put him on layaway and I haven't regret him since. I absolutely love and adore my boy.

 

I've collected dolls for over 35 years (not bjd's), until I found a photo on the internet about a year ago...the rest is history!

 

I actually got into bjds on my own--surprising if you know me, since I don't usually get into hobbies like this without already having friends to share them with.

I owe the final push that got me to get one to Rozen Maiden, though.

Since, however, I have gotten my boyfriend hooked... Can't say I mind, since he has the money to buy the Unoa I've always wanted, and he wants one too!

 

No one, really. At least, no one I know personally. I stumbled across BJDs during image searches and link-hopping. I remember back then going, "huh. Interesting, but not for me, I'm really not a doll person." At the time I never thought I would buy one, though I did look at the pictures. But the more I looked, the more the idea took hold.

Dream of Doll had the Too and Bee-A set, and I remember thinking, "what a great deal, how can I pass that up? Two for nearly the price of one!" They were cute, but I wasn't really motivated to buy them. I just kinda toyed with the idea and talked about it. Then the Dollshe Hound came out and that was it, I was hooked. So I guess you could say that it wasn't a person, but a doll that fully brought me into the hobby!

 

My grandma ( not bjds but porcelain dolls, though I find those dolls very creepy) and Danny Choo.

 

I was browsing Deviantart and I came across a photo. I didn't know if it was a real person or a computer animation or what, so I messaged the artist and asked her what that beautiful person was in her photo. I was blown away when she told me it was a doll and linked me to Lutz web page. I was also completely taken a back by the price lol but 7 years later and I have a doll and am totally in love with the hobby.

 

I saw photos. . . And saw them as part of this whole 'lolita aesthetic' - that is, an add on to the fashion itself (I guess? I am sure I could word this better) . . and the more I looked into it, the more brilliant photos I found. That was my initial idea - get them to photograph and to draw from (I was also an art student at the time) . . I am not sure what happened, though I did meet a friend that was also into the hobby later on and that surely didn't help!

 

I don't really have anyone to blame but myself.

 

I was looking for roller derby gear for one of my Barbies (long, long story), and stumbled over Wilde Imagination and Evangeline Ghastly. An off-topic doll, I know, but really, she was what hooked me. Once I had her, it was more and more elaborate dolls, until I finally crossed the event horizon into resin BJDs.

 

This ^

I've been a doll collector for years, and while browsing on the internet for another type of doll I collect, I discovered BJDs. That was back sometime in 2005-2006. I got my first BJD in 2009. I didn't even know anyone in the hobby until sometime in 2011, and that was a person I was only acquainted with online. I never actually made any IRL friends in the hobby until 2012. So, I pretty much got into this on my own and learned everything I needed to learn more or less on my own.

 

My mum introduced me to BJDs actually. She knew I liked manga and some magazine had an article about Volks' "anime dolls" (their words not mine) so she showed me and we ended up ordering my Volks SD10 a couple months later. She's always been super supportive of the hobby which is great.

 

I'm the one who convinces people to join the hobby, but nobody really got me into it. I discovered dolls while researching something for college... I was my own undoing. ^^;
However, I do have enablers. My best friend and decade-long roommate got into the hobby with me, so we often end up buying our dolls at the convincing of the other. ^^; I also got into the hobby with a pen-pal, so she acts as an enabler sometimes. It's nice to have friends who joined the hobby with you, that's for sure.

 

Real friend, A member here actually lol.

 

I was mostly hooked into the hobby by amazing photography. I loved seeing how realistic the dolls could look and how pretty! As for people I know with dolls, there were a couple of girls who had dolls at my college and seeing them with their dolls pushed me the rest of the way I think. After I met them I did some serious research on doll companies and sizes.

 

My roommate at the time was the one who enabled/"peer pressured" me. At the time, we were both doing Artist Alley tables at conventions (separately, but generally next to each other so we could share helpers, resources, etc). She was the one who first found the dealer we went through, and some reasonably-priced dolls we could afford with tax returns; the idea at the time was to pick up a couple of dolls (one each) to use as clothing models, and make clothes to sell at our tables. Well... we both ended up with quite a few dolls. I don't think she's still in the hobby anymore, but after a couple of years of break, I've still somehow ended up with two dozen, from that initial "Let's get dolls and make clothes to sell!"

 

I was introduced to the hobby by my friend. I don't think she had an intention to bring me into the hobby, but when I began to do research on it she does try to coax me into considering on buying one.

 

A friend of mine ( @earth.spirits ) who I met in another group posted photos of her dolls... and I fell into instant love and awe with them. I also bought my first doll from her.

 

I actually blame the dolls themselves! I cant remember how I stumbled upon them, but I kept looking at them and finding out more info about them and figured what type of doll and style I wanted.
I eventually gave in and bought one xD
I also fond out that that was how my best friend started liking them too, just after I got my doll she ordered hers, now we are looking at buying our 2nd dolls!

 

I also introduced myself haha. Found photos online and fell in love! I don't have any BJD friends or BJD collectors near me so that was really the only way

 

A friend, [MENTION=67736]MDollykeeper[/MENTION] introduced me. Though she joined DoA after me LOL.

We collect other types of dolls and she started on BJDs, and slowly but sure converted me too.