Bonding Issues: Have you ever struggled to bond with a specific doll sex/gender/size?

Well, when I get a new doll bonding is always an issue. No matter how much I wanted it in the first place, sometimes it doesn't click and it has to go. For me painting my dolls fu's myself is a key part in the bonding experience, in fact I don't own dolls I haven't painted myself. I've found that when I don't do it it doesn't feel right, like it isn't "my" doll. The thoughts and effort I invest in it help me to get that "right" feeling for a doll.

I get what you mean by asking if it's their size. I had the same problem when I got my first male doll because up to that point I had only owned girls. And while I had him for a good year or so (and kept his head to make a girl out of him) I came to the conclusion that male dolls just aren't for me. I still love looking at other people's pictures and I adore many male dolls but I'm certain that I'll never own one again.

I am very happy and content with just owning girl dolls (and that they're only one size; SD). I don't see why that's a problem. After all the dolls should make you happy. So if you find that you rather own one size or gender or type of doll than the other - go for it! You can still enjoy dolls you wouldn't want to own while at meets or just looking at pictures.

 

I definitely get the size thing. I have found that I really only like those 65cm+. Because of this I am going to sell two of my smaller dolls. They are lovely dolls but I just don't do much with them and they don't fit in with my others for photoshoots. I will keep one MSD even though he is small as I adore him but I will never get any more under 65cm.

 

YES.

At first, I only liked MSD, for about the first two years. Anything bigger or smaller didn't stick around long. Then.....something changed, and I fell for SD. Anything bigger or smaller than the 56-65cm range just doesn't work for me most of the time now (I have 3 exceptions--one YoSD, one 72cm, and one 8cm pet doll).

On gender--I've always had an issue bonding with female dolls, but I've figured out why and am changing that. In the past, I bought female dolls because they were pretty, not to shell a specific character. The only one I've loved for years is not the most gorgeous doll, but I love her character. Now, I've taught myself not to buy the prettiest girls, but the ones that fit characters I've created and love. I can finally bond to girls! My next two dolls are likely to be girls now.

 

Definitely!
I have as of yet not had a male doll that I could bond with. I believe that it is because I've not owned a mature male doll as of yet, all of mine have been MSD (or a head, but that doesn't count!) and they looked a little too young for my liking. I have found a couple male dolls that I would absolutely LOVE to have and hope that someday I can buy them and be able to bond a bit.
I've also had a problem with sizes larger than MSD. I just recently received my first resin SD in a long while and right now I really like the size, so we will see!

I think sometimes it is just about finding the right doll. Even if you do not like one male/female doll you've had it doesn't mean there isn't one out there for you.

 

Jeez, yes. I can't bond with an MSD to save my life. I don't know what it is. All the MSDs I've had or wanted so far I've moved on from for various reasons, but I just... can't get attached to them like I can with bigger or smaller dolls, I guess? I mean, I can barely handle my tallest doll right now, but I could never part with him, and I've got a bunch of shorter but thicker dolls on my wishlist, so clearly I don't have that big of an issue with larger dolls. And I adore about half of the Soom tinies, oh my gosh, soon I'll have five Soom tiny hybrids. And I've got a realpuki too! I mean, she's a stretch, I don't want any other dolls that small or even close to that small, but I love her so that's that. But MSD... I dunno... I love the fact that you can carry them around way easier and they're easier to handle and pose (in general, because of weight) and yet... I can't seem to make it work. Love SD. Love YoSD. But the middle ground? Nuh uh.

 

I didn't have that problem with my first, my with my second I sure have. I think the reasons I wasn't bonding at first were 1. She is an SD and a huge size leap from a YoSD, which is my only other doll, 2. She was an impulse buy, and 3. I had nothing prepared for her when she got here so I couldn't really do much with her. Now that I've become more used to her size and have begun to make her some clothes, I'm finding myself really enjoying her more.

 

No I have not struggled over gender or size. I have gotten annoyed by a -company- even though I liked the dolls very much. I just got incredibly frustrated trying to get the dolls to sit properly let alone stand. It's a pity because I love their faces but not their obnoxious bodies!

 

The MSD size for sure; I've had one in my dolly household for years now and I still treat her like the forgotten "middle child" she is even though I love her aesthetic so much. I bond with my SD and tinies much much more than her for sure and would most likely never purchase another MSD in the future no matter how lovely I find the particular sculpt.

 

I love male and female dolls. I love MSD, tinies, puki pukis and SDs(I have all those sizes).....the bonding problem for me is with the sculpt and whether I can see the vision for that doll but size and gender has never been an issue. The only size I'd not like to get or that I'm still not ready for it is the 65cm+ size...but knowing me, I'll probably fall in love with one someday^^ I like variety!

 

I've had dolls that I really liked right out of the box... and dolls that I had doubts about and eventually sold on. But I don't attribute that to "bonding issues". I'm not a bonder. I just chalk it up to the doll not being quite what I expected once I saw it "in person".

I guess I just don't feel the need to excuse not liking something as much as I'd hoped by pretending it's more than simple preference.

 

I thought I was the only one who had issues with the 1/4 scale dolls. It seems when ever I end up selling a doll it's usually one in that size. They have to be really special or unique for them to stay in the collection. I absolutely love the big dolls. If I had more room and money I'd have at least a dozen.

Girls vs. Boys? I don't seem to prefer one over the other. It's pretty evenly split between the genders here though I will admit to having some issues with dressing my girls. Mostly because I'm more comfortable dressing men than women.

 

Yes! I bought an SD sized doll about a year ago and I just was overwhelmed by the size. I ended up adopting her out as I just couldn't get used to it. I think I would have the same issue with a male doll. I just like my dolls to be girls like me.

Dani

 

My Dollzone 70 doesn't get much love because of his size and I get to tend to his twin, owned by my sister, as well. We won them as prizes so we can't get rid of them. The 40cm Orientdoll gets forgotten because he's an odd size out. I'm mostly a 1/6 scale fan but I take my 45cm Dollzone out a lot.

 

Since I don't exactly "bond" with my dolls, I never had any issues. I'll get the dolls I like enough to shell out the money for them. If I don't like them, I don't buy them. I also always tend to like the newest doll best for a while and they'll get the most attention - until the novelty wears off.

 

Normally I don't have any trouble bonding. I usually am already feeling that connection when I purchase the doll because I wait till I see one for sale that is upon site I feel something.

The only exception to this, even with the instant omg I must have him, is Metato. The faery from Soom. I had a plan for him, everything...and then when he got here and I took him out for the first time at home... He is the first and only doll I have ever dropped. My heart sank. I panicked and inspected him and found I chipped one of the two points on one of his ears.

I think I feel some sort of guilt. Which is why I am having that disconnect with him. I feel bad for dropping him and damaging him. I've been trying to rebond for some time but it isn't there. All because of his poor little ear.

 

I never have trouble bonding with my dolls. I think I'm just very lucky, and both a) am a good judge of how I feel about dolls from their company photos and b) found a company that I click with, whose dolls I can feel confident about liking once they get home. It is odd though, that even though I spend more time interacting with my Teenies and Rosettes, I'm more bonded with my SuperGems. I just find making characters for SD dolls much more satisfying, somehow, and that leads to what feels like a stronger connection.

Edit: I just did a quick headcount, and I do have 17 girls to 7 boys, though. So obviously I do have more trouble bonding with male dolls/characters, it's just that I realise I won't bond before I buy dolls, and so don't have the trouble of owning dolls I'm not bonded with.