Buying a doll that doesn't fit your collection

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)

I have, actually. I'm definitely not prone to impulse buying, but I completely caved when RS introduced Pixiu. Little guy doesn't even remotely fit into my resin-family, but I love him to bits anyway and I'm very happy to own him.

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?

Surprisingly, no. But, since I ordered him blank, I had a lot of time to spend with him, giving him a faceup, blushing all of his little parts, making clothes, etc.

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?

Well, the fact that he's adorable certainly helps. No, seriously, it was fun to try something new. I knew when I placed the order that he didn't fit in with the rest of the boys (they're all original characters from my novel), but in the long run it doesn't really matter at all. I didn't own (or even expect to own) a doll with neat little fantasy parts, and I must admit it's pretty cool to have one. Plus, I'm an absolute sucker for anything with wings.

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?

It's up to the individual, but I think accepting that the doll isn't quite going to fit in, even before you order it, probably helps. It did for me, at least.

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)

Yes, A Luts Dreaming El, Nabarro`s Har, Volks Rengemaru, Kuuta, Ringdoll frankenstein, Soom Minette / Glati, Pukipuki Sugar

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?

Yes and no. My family mainly is about Aesthetics. I have the "realistic" family, where everything is relatively matched up to the Volks SD F-16, MSD F-20, Yo-SD Remi/Colin.

El was a dream doll of mine at one point in my life, but once acquired, his facial features were too sharp and thin for my taste. I didn`t bond.
Volks Rengemaru had the cute puppy eyed face, but once he met my other Yo`s, his face just didn`t work out. So did Kuuta.
Nabarro`s Har is still with me. His face is a bit "long" with very small eyes. Ringdoll`s Frankenstein also has this problem. I`m hoping a change in faceup will keep those both here, but they are on the borderline.
Soom`s Minette is still with me, but the Glati`s left me. Again, Soom`s faces are stylized to where they just don`t bond well with me, and I somehow don`t like the engineering and resin. I hated how my Glati`s arms kinda flopped. Minette had an extra piece in the arm that let her arm bend, but her stomach flopped around.

Puki Sugar was my 3rd doll, and the first of the tiny tiny size. This is mainly the reason it has not left me. Sugar is too "smiley" for the rest of my family.

If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?

Minette has been sueded in the horse-torso where she usually flips around.
Kuuta left me for my mother, as she grew attached to him.

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?

A very different skincolor (Frankenstein). I enjoy taking photos, and the slight resin color difference (i.e. pink-white v.s. yellow-white) makes one of them look severely yellowed when it`s actually not. By owning a completely different color, It`s easier for me to not mind it as much.

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?
Not really, I`ve been having several hit-or-miss, I think you gradually learn what you want and don`t want.

 

None of mine "fit in" with each other. I've got an sd "anime" girl (and a couple more on the way), a realistically styled msd human, a tiny fairy, a tiny anthro pokemon, and a tiny faun girl on the way. I don't care if they do or don't fit, because that way I'm not resticting myself to only one kind of doll and ending up needlessly worrying if this doll that I like would fit or not.

I get the dolls that appeal to me, regardless if they're fantasy or not, big or small, humanoid or not. As long as I like it, I get it. I know they don't HAVE to be "existing" in the same "universe" if I don't want them to be.

The only time I had an issue bonding with a doll is when I had a newby mistake and expected something I didn't order (fell in love with company faceup photos, but didn't order the faceup so doll came blank). It had nothing to do with it not "fitting in".

As for advice? Why not see about trying to get yourself to a meetup? That way you might be able to see if anyone has a fantasy doll (most likely there'll be at least someone that does) and get to see it in person and maybe get to handle it in person and see what your dolls would look like next to one. That should give you a decent idea if you think you'd really want one. My only other piece of advice I can think of would be my own opinion of: no the dolls don't need to exist in the same universe if you don't want them to be. If that's the thing about them that bothers you anyway.

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)
No, but that doesn't mean I haven't thought of it. I've thought to buy a Yo-sized doll, even though I really have no idea what part they'd play with my other dolls. Realistic v Stylized isn't a hard and fast rule with me; if it looks good, I'd consider buying it. Sometimes stylized looks good, and sometimes it doesn't. It all depends on where you go. So far, neither of my dolls are from the same company.
I'm not too fond of most fantasy dolls; while I can appreciate the work someone has put into one, I feel that they'd be too difficult to dress, or handle in comparison to my other dolls. The only fantasy doll I'd consider would be a doll with elf ears. I think elf ears aren't going to be too difficult to manage, aside from keeping them safe from hitting into things, or breaking. I'm considering buying an elf doll, now, even.

Because most of these questions are aimed at people who have bought a fantasy doll, this is the only other question I think I can answer. I think you should know the limitations of any doll you're going to buy. How easily do they pose, and is it realistic-looking? How easy is it to sew/acquire clothes for them? Is there any special care needed to protect special parts (like horns, ears, or hooves)? You should know what you're getting into, so that you know what precautions to take.

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)
Yes, I bought a Dollfie Dream last year and I couldn't get over how different she looked from the rest of my collection. Although I did buy a Soom Faerie Mixi and was perfectly fine with her fantasy parts, in the end I didn't like the size.

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?
I don't know what it was really. I guess I did have a bonding problem. I still wish that I kept her and I may buy another Dollfie Dream in the future.

If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?
No, I ended up selling her after a few weeks of getting her.

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?
I would recommend thinking about it so you don't end up regretting selling a doll you really did want simply because they don't fit into your collection. I have since realized that I don't mind having a different mix of dolls.

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)
All the time. I can't seem to limit myself to one aesthetic of doll, even though that was my original goal. I do have a storyline, preexisting from long before I knew what a BJD was, and I actually have to stick too it or I go semi-crazy with dolls and then have to sell them all...but luckily it's fiction to the 9th degree and as I am the writer/creator, I can do whatever I want.

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?
Yes and no. It really varies...some dolls I've sold on, others are some of my favorites >.<
I think a lot has to do with what character they get or become (I have a lot of unused/undolled characters and find it too easy to tweak them to become a doll or simply make up a new one), and what I do with them.

I had a doll with hooves once, and I sold him not because he had hooves or was too fantasy or not a character, but he was a character that - in the story - didn't get along with the rest I had dolled...so I couldn't do much with him and lost interest. I have dolls that are super-stylized in my group of mainly semi-realistic dolls that I love and would never get rid of, but I've sold plenty for that very reason. For looks if they don't work well with my two "main" dolls (Dollmore Kara Klum and Migidoll Ryu) they usually get sold. If they hold their own against those two they have a better chance of staying. Looks actually does matter, if they can't all be in the same room, and on the same shelves together, they don't stay. I have actually sold dolls just because they ticked me off next to the rest of my group. Mostly this happens with mature minis....

If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?
If I have a problem with a doll from the start, or sometimes even later on, they're half-way out the door already. I don't mess around with dolls I have issues with, I have too many others that I adore. If one doll isn't making me 100% happy and it's one I can't figure out, I start making up the sales post in my head...and then it's over.

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?
For my dolls that don't fit in that I did/do still have, bending/breaking my rules helps. I didn't have elves in my storyline but I wanted a B&G Sapphira so freaking bad...so now I have elves. That Doll Chateau Colin is too much a mature mini to fit with my 1/3 scale crew and I already have a million Adult Alexes, so now I've got a Miniverse (similar to my Chibiverse which is all Puki-sized dolls) for my characters to muck around in. Miniverse is way more flexible than the actual 'verse the rest of my dolls reside in, and some of my inhuman tinies have found their way there. Many of my dolls characters can exist anywhere from the 1700's to 300 years in the future, so clothing from any time is acceptable! And I get an adorable Baby Alex to spoil rotten. I LOVE FICTION!! I can do anything...*maniacal laugh*
Ok I'm normal again. *twitch*

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?
DO IT. Nothing is permanent in this hobby. You can change everything. What works for me, or does not work for me doesn't apply to anyone else....if you decide having vampires sucks (ha ha see what I did thar :B ) sand off the fangs. Get human arms or legs for your doll with fantasy parts...take the elf ears off or just hide them with a wig (James doesn't have elf ears! Nope, if I can't see them they aren't there!). You will never know if you like it or not if you don't try it.

I have to learn to edit myself...these posts get too long =_=

 

I buy the dolls I like, regardless if they look well together. When I can't stop thinking about him/her, that's my cue that I should save up money. The story I've invented around them, makes this easy too, because the main characters are dolls of different origines and so I don't have to worry about things like head-size etc.

Still, when I bought my EID, I new immediately that he had to be part of a new story. The character I planned for him didn't fit in with my original crew and I couldn't see Hayes as anything else. Now I have two different 'crews', one for dolls that will fit the original storyline and one for dolls that look well with EID's. So, that's one way to deal with collection problems, I guess :p.

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)

*sings* One of these things is not like the others~

Yes, yes I have. I mostly stay within the 1/6th and tiny scale but recently bought an MSD boy.

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?

Nope.

If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?

n/a

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?

Well, I was already in love his face before I ever got him

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?

You won't know unless you try, and you can always resell him if he's not the right one...

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)

&#8203;I did, actually. The first one of those was originally only bought as a "face up/body blushing"-test doll, but then I ended up bonding with him, more so than with the one I already had. He was a fantasy doll (Dollzone Leo). Then, I got another one who didn't fit in; the doll I originally fell in love with and that brought me into the hobby (Leekeworld Mihael). He didn't fit in for aestetical reasons, simply because he's got a much more realistic face than the ones I had before (he uses smaller eyes than both my Yo-SD girl and my DZ Leo, and he's two and a half times (or something) bigger than the biggest of those two aforementioned).

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?

I never had, no. I love my current three dolls almost equally, and expect to do the same when it comes to my fourth one, which I'm waiting for. I'm picky when it comes to choosing my dolls, but then I'm sure it's one I want, and that makes me almost immediately bond with every doll I acquire.
However, I would probably have trouble bonding with them if I couldn't get my dolls to fit in together, but I have means of fixing that...

If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?

Now see here...
All my dolls are connected to at least one of my stories, and have a personality of their own. The neat thing about my stories, is that I keep them in two different universes. Terra, or the earth, is where I set my realistic, non-magical stories, and everything fantasy takes place in Lenice, a parallel world. Lenice is filled up with many different human or humanoid races, which makes it easy for me to shell in any fantasy or fantasyish character I acquire. Also, both worlds share an origin, and every now and again, a space-time gap will leave an open passage between the two worlds, for everyone who knows how to find it, or for unaware, unlucky people to stumble into. This way, fantasy characters can easily in some way tumble into Terra, and humans may find themselves in Lenice. There, worlds united, problem solved.
This way, I can easily connect every dolly character I get to the huge webs of connection I've spun between my two literary worlds, and if I want fantasy to meet realism, it's not a problem.

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?

If it's a limited, the easiest would just be to take the chance. You may regret it otherwise.
If it's not a limited, make sure you REALLY want it. Spend some time, browse for pictures, think a lot about it, and if your interest in the doll doesn't fade, take the chance. Also, creating things for your doll and generally spending time with it helps bonding, or so I've experienced, so that might be an idea. Sew/craft things for it, maybe try out different face up-styles etc.

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)
Yes!

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?
At first, yes; mostly because she was just so different from what I have.

If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?
I began to like her more when I remembered why I purchased her in the first place. I bought her because of how beautiful I found her face. It was very elegant (as opposed to the softer more romantic faces I like).

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?
Know exactly why you want to buy this doll. If you have plans for it, put them in writing. If it just to be a one-off set up, ask yourself if you will really enjoy a doll that does fit what you have.

As an added note, I did purchase the doll just because she was so pretty. She has been wigged and dressed but other than that, she is never moved. She is set up doll not a play doll. When she first arrived I wasn't sure I would like her; but now, when I see her sitting in my bookshelf alcove, she just looks like a beautiful piece of artwork and I'm really glad I got her!

 

I really don't have a storyline or resin type or any of that. I just buy what I like. I think that if you see a doll that you really like no matter what it is you will buy it. Because it felt right. You will find a place for him or her. You will also love him or her just as much as your other doll maybe even more because the doll was something new for you.

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)

Yeah, I've done that. I bought Impldoll Dorisy in blue resin with swim parts. I've always had a thing for water, so when I saw her, I had to have her!
I have to different storylines.
one of them is a story that I've worked on for years! and the other one is a storyline based on my first doll, whom is a supernaturale in our normal world.

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?

I didn't really have a problem with it, cause I left her personality up to her, so now she is her ''own''

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?

As I said, I alowed her to ''make her self'', but I did have a problem with her not fitting into any of the stories. I couldnt just create a new race in my old story, so I created a world for her in the story of my dolls

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?

If you dont try, you'll never know! Maybye you could create a story for that doll, and that might open up a whole new world for you!
And if it doesnt work out, youve tried, right? You can try selling it, and not fell bad that you didn't try at all

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)

Yes. I only collected realistic looking sculpts, and then unexpectedly I had extra money to spend and I bought a Unoa Lusis. It was a complete impulse-buy and her style/aestethic was very different from my other girls.

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?

No

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?

I decided she would be an Artificial Intelligence in my storyline, and that worked very well. It explained her look and the difference with my other girls. I'm also very fascinated by the concept of AI so it was great that I could explore it in a character.

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?

I puzzle different worlds together if I need to. So many stories begin with a completely normal world and then the main character finds a passage into another world that is very different. A simple story like that can 'connect' a fantasyworld to a normal world. For myself the concept of AI is enough to cover any sculpt that I like, but I still like to puzzle worlds together either by 'passages', timelines (if you cover a society over hundreds of years, there will be different times with different cultural values etc), world-writing technology (which you can take as either magical or scientific/virtual), or continents (physical distance will also probably mean different societies). The connection can even be yourself and your house and their being dolls. <I saw a blog once of someone doing that and it was really well done, very cool.

 

Whoa, that sounds just like me! I like realistic dolls in a modern world and prefer normal everyday wear to crazy, unique costumes. And it's surprising that they seem to be so much harder to find!

And then I met Roke, Fairyland's Dragon Knight. I'm not even the kind of person who's into dragons. But he was soooo beautiful, I had to have him. And that gave birth to my idea of building a fantasy set, and calling them my Monsters Collection. Because after the dragon, I found Ringdoll's Frankenstein. Then I found out Soom made a werewolf, etc.

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?
Well, I love all my dolls, but now that I think about it, I think my fantasy dolls are my least favorite, though I love them, too. To be fair, my two favorite 'normal' dolls are based on beloved role play characters I've been RPing for like 6 years, so that's hard to beat. Plus they have parts that stick out or are otherwise bulky and difficult to handle: Roke's long, pointed ears; Frankie's gashes and bolts; and Jerome's enormous were-paws.

If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?
Like I said, I built a separate collection around them. ^^ So I've got 'normal realm' and 'fantasy world.'

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?
They're just so gorgeous and unique, I couldn't help but love and want them.

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?
You might consider keeping the 'other' doll in a separate location? I've got my dolls together because I don't have the shelf space to spread them out a lot, but it might help.

 

Sometimes I feel like my house is a revolving door, with the way I've bought and sold dolls. I've had any number of faces that are absolutely beautiful, but for whatever reason they just didn't fit in. I just recently sold my El head, after resisting for over a year before finally coming to accept that his roundness just doesn't fit in with my pointy family, no matter how much I wanted to make it work. I currently have a Mr Wolf head in a drawer that I'm deathly afraid is going to go the same route, but I'm still holding out hope for him.

The only advice I can give is to try, give the outsider time to see if he/she can find a niche in your family, and if it absolutely doesn't work out, well, that's what the Marketplace is for.

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)
Yes... But then again - all my dolls are different and aren't connected by a storyline or anything. I buy those I like and thats it)
Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?
I sold a couple of my dolls. One was in 1/6 doll and I couldn't get rid of the feeling I'm holding a barbie and I had enough of that in my time) The other.. I just grew out of the company and aesthetics.
If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?
Other dolls that didn't fit in were my Dearmine cat dolls. What helped? They are just so cute) And probably the only ones my boyfriend approves of XD

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?
I'd say just go for it. If you are sure you want this particular doll why not? You can always develop a story or a character... If it still won't fit, you can always sell it, right?

 

Have you ever bought a doll that didn't fit in with your main collection? (either due to storyline, fantasy vs human, aesthetic, resin type, company, etc)
No before I buy a doll I will think of it for a long time in case I don't like it

Did you have a problem bonding with your different doll?
In the past , Yes. But now ,No. I love all ot them.


If it was a problem, did you fix it and keep the doll? If so, how?

If it was not a problem, what do you think helped you accept this doll?
The love. Although some of them are not the limited ones, in my heart, they are unique.

Any advice to somebody wanting to try something new but afraid to take the dive?
Just go for it. Perhaps you can find what you are really looking for