Bonding and YOU.

They have very expressive faces and are aesthetically very pleasing. The fact that owners are encouraged to handle the dolls helps too, I'm sure. It's hard to bond with something that's stuck in a box. They have such a life like quality about them--even the ones with the more styalized faces.

 

I think its the expressiveness of them, and the beauty of them too. The first I ever saw a picture of one, I didn't even know what it was, but I knew I had to have one ops:
Lucien is just... more amazing than I had ever hoped for. When I changed his eyes to black marbles, he suddenly just came alive! Sometimes he's smiling, sometimes he's sad or unhappy... and sometimes he's glaring at me for whatever reason >.>;. I can't explain it really, but they really do seem to have a 'soul' about them.

 

They're gorgeous and they're so individualized. Because there's so much emphasis on customization, you go through so much to make a doll truly yours and that's bonding experience, no matter what the object is. Customizing a car or motorcycle, whatever it is, of course you're going to feel attachment after all that work. With dolls, even if you're not doing all that heavy customizing, you're still choosing a look for them, laboring over what wig looks good with what pair of eyes, trying to come up with personalities that will stick.

And also, this aren't little purchases. xD; Unless you have a lot of money on hand at the time, you're going to spend a lot of time saving up and waiting for your doll to ship. That means a lot of looking at pictures, a lot of anxious waiting and excitement. All that waiting for that final moment of exhiliration when you open the box at last...

 

It's really interesting that you brought up the whole customisation issue - I haven't even ordered my first BJD yet - but I'm already completely obsessed. Going through the whole process of finding the right face, and now body, and...omg...it's actually quite emotionally draining. I'm already really attached, and he's just a presence in my head! I can't imagine what I'm going to be like when I finally put him together - besotted, I believe.

I also liked Taco's comment

That's so true - I can't stand it how people say that some dolls are too precious to be handled. Even with antique porcelain dolls...originally, most of them were made to be played with. Dolls become so distant and cold if all you do is leave them on a shelf - I think you're right that part of the reason why people become so close to their BJDs is because of all the physical contact.

 

I think BJDs are created with the express intention of fostering this kind of bond. I mean, people can bond to anything. But the makers of BJD clearly have this bonding in mind, in a way that, say, Tonner or Madame Alexander do not.

I collected 16" American fashion dolls for years and years. I have been smitten by the beauty of a special doll--but not until I stumbled onto BJD have I ever opened a box and had the doll inside look at me, and intimate that we were destined for one another.

You can call me crazy, because I am, but I have noticed subtle differences in the bond depending on doll maker. My Souldolls said things like, "Right! Let's play some really unearthly and complicated games together...do you like drama? I love drama..." or "OK, baby, what do you got? Whatcha gonna do with me, now?" My SDCs said things more like: "I'm so happy to meet you...Who do you want me to be?...I've been waiting and waiting for you..."

It could just be my specific dolls--but I wonder if there are slightly different approaches to the dolly bond being expressed by different companies.

Wonder what the Hyperdolly will say. A little apprehensive...!

8)

 

To me, it begins with the sculptor and the materials they use. They add their intentions and feelings to their work.

As far as materials go, the resin is kind of soft/flexible in a way (though it's not soft and flexible) and warms to the touch. It can have a translucency that makes the doll seem more real.
Also, the flexibility of elastic mimics flexiblity of human materials.

Additionally, there are a lot of personal touches that go into a doll.
Layer upon layer of hand-made, personal touches create a more alive doll. A factory that mass-produces usually doesn't put all the layers of human energy into their dolls.

You add all it all up with a hand-made outfit and wig and hand-made eyes? Magic... magic..
you can't explain it, but they are so alive with all of the energy they have from you and from the ones who've made them by hand.

Oh--and they're gorgeous. Gorgeous artistry.

Furthermore, the facial features--when they mimic our own in a way (or what we'd like to be), there's a more human connection. Also, many of them have larger eyes that mimic baby eyes. The human is connected with those baby eyes for species survival reasons.

Lastly, they're damn good companions with their personalities and versatility. They make you feel like someone's there. They can fill infinite roles depending on size and perceived age of the doll.

 

As other people have said: it's the face. When I used to look at other dolls, they always held that same glassy and lifeless stare. But for some reason, abjds have something more. I can't exactly pinpoint what it is though. It's just... this feeling that goes along with looking at them. It's difficult to describe, but it's there. They are life like, but for me the feeling doesn't go along with how realistic they are. It's something else, although I'm still trying to figure it out myself. ^^;

 

Same reason as why pets are so easy to bond with: they don't judge you.

 

they are so beautifully crafted. they aren't mass produced, their face-ups are done by a person, not a machine.

i couldn't bond with pullips because they were so hard to deal with, sqeaking and falling apart. the poor craftsmanship prevented a real relationship from forming. (no offense to pullip fans, i think they are adorable, but just not right for me)

 

One word; microchips.

I wasn't interested in owning one until I touched it, then my brain went "DING" and I instantly said, without thinking at all; "I need one."
(...$1200 annually on dollfie and accessories later...)
Microchips, my friend; mind-control microchips implanted in the resin by the dollfie companies, in order to recruit more zombie-soldiers who live only for dollfie. They need them so they can go to war against the other dollfie companies and then take over the world.



Ha ha... no.
I bonded with mine because I had a really messed-up childhood and have learned that anything that breathes will hurt me eventually. So, dolls are my friends; because they don't breathe.

 

All of my children tend to travel. Alot. Whether it's to get new faceups; visit fellow doll friends and owners or to be used for models or the like; it's a very rare day for all five of my kids to be home at one time.

In all since I started owning dolls, I've had eight; three have been sold; all to close friends of mine. In a way; they are all still "travelling children" in my eyes, as I still see them frequently, however the bond is completely gone, and only one of them I still see as mine; due to the heavy bond the owner and I have with each other. Now I am down to my five, and I realised, the more time passes, the more wary I sometimes get to send certian children away. Shige's lover lives only 20 minutes from me, but the idea of him being there even for just one night with Damii bothers me horribly. The idea of sending Erina away even for a faceup bothered me; and I was frantic for her to come home even when I left her at the post office.

However, once the children are gone, and their space is empty; sometimes the bond weakens, and the thought of "maybe I should just sell them now" crosses my mind. It happened with two of my previous dolls that were sold, which is what I attribute to really why they got sold in the end. Other times; it becomes like Erina and Shige, and them being away makes the bond so strong that I might cry over it; just wanting them to be there now. I sleep facing my computer and the doll table; so when I wake up, 90% of the time they are the first thing I see and that is always a nice thing to see in the morning.

Emiri now; since Otakon has been with Dizz, and for about two weeks, I noticed that *something* was missing from the table, and I wasn't completely sure what it was but it all seemed so dark, it didn't feel right. Before I realised it, I had completely forgotten about Emiri's existance; completely wrapped up in Luciel moving in, Shige's new companion .. and then Dizz contacted me today, telling me Emi was okay, and it whacked me like a sack of bricks ... I miss Emiri so much. I feel like our bond is weakened some; the thought of "well, he was here, but I forgot about him; does that mean our bond is gone..?' crossed my mind; and then the words kept repeating over and over in my head, "I want him to come home, I want him to come home."

Has anyone else had this experience?

 

I had something kind of similar happen when I sent Jules to Korea to get a new face-up. At first I was stressing 24/7, freaking out that he might get lost in the mail, freaking out about how long he was going to be gone, etc., etc. Then towards the end, when I finally got the notice he had been shipped out, I wasn't super excited about it. Even though he wasn't gone that long, I had been used to seeing him out every day, and then living without him for 3 weeks or whatever it was, it made it seem like I didn't even have a doll any more. I was afraid I had gotten used to not having him around and stopped getting so antsy. I guess I felt the same way you did, like the bond was weakening.

When he got home, I still felt kind of the same...I was glad he was home and all, but I guess I had gotten so used to not having him there, it seemed somewhat hard to slip back into the normal feeling of him being there all the time. But that passed in like two days and things aren't any different now then they were before he left. XD

So...I'm sure your bond with Emiri isn't gone~ it's a crappy feeling, and even if you still feel that way when he gets home, it'll remedy itself in a day or two like mine did. Hope Emiri comes home soon~ ;w;

 

I think there are a lot of reasons why ABJDs are so easy to bond with, but my number one reason is how real they can look. I'll go through pictures and even though I know that they are dolls, every so often I run across a picture and I have to look at it 2-3 times before it strikes me that, yes, it is a doll ^__^

Having one(now two, soon to be three) in my possession makes it even more amazing. I've had people come into my work (I usually bring Ryuen, Alex, or both with me) and comment on how they look just like little people.

Other things that draw me are indeed the eyes and how customizable they can be (even for someone not-so-accomplished in arts like me). ^__^

But, for me, it's definitely the "realness" that can show up at the oddest times and make you feel happy or sad or joyous or anything in between--I don't think a Barbie doll would keep me entertained at work, but Ryuen & Alex do because they seem so much like little people ^_^

 

i was going to say realness but then i thought of my blythe dolls, who aren't realistic looking, and i have a very strong bond with them. but perhaps the realness makes the bond easier.

 

I get the same feelings when I'm not around my doll, but just one look at him reminds me of my attachment! I think it's normal to feel that way, even in real life relationships. Sometimes it takes a little time to realize that you really do miss them ^__^

 

OK, as many people know, I sold my Too and Bee-A, Paris and Anastasia, because I didn't feel as though minis were what I really wanted and I didn't love them very much, because, well, they just weren't what I wanted. So with the money I got by selling them, I purchased the (big) doll I really wanted, El, from Luts. I loved him the minute he arrived. I feel like I've bonded with Gabriel so much, and so quickly!

So...I just wanted to say that I have found the right doll for me and I love him so much I finally know what it means to 'bond' with a doll. So...if anybody who wants to bond with their doll doesn't think they 'bonded' with their dolll because they don't know what bonding is, maybe you didn't really bond with them ^^; I know I didn't really know what bonding was, and was unsure if I had or hadn't with my DODs, but now I know what it is and Gabriel is SURMAZING.



/giddypost

 

haha! The same feeling came with Noes. I was kinda wondering before he arrived, "er, how will I know if we've bonded? o_O Does it even matter?" After all, I really just planned to use him for my photos.

But he came and BAM. Insta-bond. It's just something you feel. n n I'm so glad to have him here. Even if he is just a doll, he's my doll.

 

It took me three months, but now I feel really bonded with my U. ^^ I never knew what bonded really meant before, I just took it for granted that we were. After about a month the "newness" of him wore off, and he just sat in my room because I had lost the urge to play with him. After about a month I started considering selling him, but one night I just kind of looked him in the eye and he spoke to me in a way he never did before. Ok, so it was something along the lines of "Hey, woman! You bought me, so don't leave me sitting here all day. Play with me!", but he definately spoke to me. XD So for now he's not going anywhere. *hugs* :grin:

 

Yeah, it's nice just to feel the love.

 

That's great news! It's a wonderful feeling, isn't it? :grin: And you can definitely tell the difference with other dolls that you don't bond with as much.