'Cabinet Babies' or Playthings?

I tend to feel it's best to treat them as a bit of both. While they certainly are better for playing than other dolls I've seen, they are still delicate things. I wouldn't 'play' with them in many situations but when I do play with them I am confident in their durability. The majority of the time, though, they are displayed where I can see them.

It really depends on the collector as to what works best for them; some people would not buy a doll they couldn't play with, and some would not dare drop so much money on a 'plaything' but would for a doll that is a piece of art to display. Neither is wrong nor right. :3

 

I agree with nanlady. It works both ways, generally. However, when I'm not "playing" with my doll, she goes into her carrying case. She doesn't really sit out on display (because I have cats and they have a knack for getting into things they shouldn't, thus I feel Rylan is safer in her case).

But really, some people can't view ABJDs simply as "play toys" because of their cost and some simply view them as dolls because that's what they are.

Still, I don't think anyone roughly handles their doll - I think everyone carries a sense of value for their doll. So I really don't think anyone views ABJDs simply as "play things."

 

I... really don't think it matters. You bought it; do what you want with it. People can decide what they want to do with their own money. I take my dolls out, but I wouldn't drag them around like Barbies, if only because I couldn't afford to fix their parts if they broke (because I'm broke). But I know people who do, and if others want to as well, then that's up to them.

 

I don't see why they can't be both. When I'm paying attention to my boys they're very much 'playthings' - carried around, photographed, coddled and fussed. When I've got other things to focus on my guys are stored away in a box or a cupboard in pitch darkness for days, maybe even weeks at a time depending on how much time (or lack thereof) I have. I don't see the problem with enjoying your dolls to the fullest, but at the same time when they're not being directly enjoyed, why they shouldn't be treated with the utmost care and protection (I for one am paranoid about light causing them to yellow, hence them being shut away out of any light at all whenever I'm not doing something with them)

Really, the thing I take issue with in the OP is the word 'should'. Everyone has the right to do whatever they like with their own dolls: if someone wants to drag their doll through a mile of mud every day, fine. If someone else wants to lock their doll in a glass case and never touch them except with tweezers to fix their hair and clothes, also fine. I might not understand the extreme mentality in both situations, but I also know that I've got no right to tell someone else how they should or should not be treating their property - different strokes for different folks, to use a tired adage.

 

I fell in love with bjds after seeing someone interacting with them at a con, so it never even occurred to me to get one and just display it. My other dolls (porcelain and vinyl) are all display only, though I played with the vinyl ones when I was younger. They just don't seem as real...

So I keep mine out and take him places, like to my college or shopping. I imagine he'll get less attention when I'm older, though, since I hope to have a family to look after eventually. But I don't think I'll ever see bjds as a display piece; they look so lifelike, it would seem strange for me to keep one in a case.

 

I can't say what other people should do with their dolls--that's completely up to them.

Speaking for myself, however, I have no desire to keep my dolls in boxes or cabinets. Part of the fun for me is that they are very hands on. Yes, they need to be treated with care (not left sitting in the sun and placed where they won't get knocked over), but they are really much less fragile then they appear and that's appealing. I like to collect things, and I have plenty of other collectables that spend all their time sitting on shelves. Its nice to be able to do more with my dolls, and I think its one of the reasons I'm so attached to them.

As long as you treat them with care, there is no reason why they can't be played with and stay in good condition.

 

Interesting question. I do play with my ABJDs, and most of my other types of dolls, but to varying degrees. Some of my dolls stay in their original outfits and I simply display them, changing their poses or groupings periodically. Others I play with more often, changing clothing and such frequently, and even taking them on outings. While I have some antique dolls, the earliest produced in 1901, that are really too fragile to endure constant play anymore. Never the less, I do still enjoy having them to look at. So I guess my answer to this debate question is, I do both. Depending on my mood, almost any of my dolls can go from "cabinet" to "play", and back again anytime.

Juli DC

 

Interesting thoughts there. Mine are definately fall under both catagories. I love to take them to meetups and play, pose, photograph and generally cuddle them. I dont mind walking around with them at conventions either, i love to show them off.

That said when im not playing with them they stay in a glass display cabinet. I just couldnt store them in their boxes when i wasnt playing with them. I want everyone to be able to see them if they come to visit. But i want them to be safe as my fella quite often has the guys over at weekends and it can get a bit chaotic. They are on view but safe from the marauding elephants when they have had too much to drink.

 

Well, I used to think it was crazy toting around something so expensive and putting it at risk. If I had anything ultra rare I still wouldn't be able to play with it casually. If I had a Sei Tenshi or something it wouldn't ride around in the crook of my arm or get posed on top of railings. Why I can play with the ones I have is just because others in the hobby rubbed off on me, I guess. I still know it's a touch risky but I've gotten kind of desensitized to it.

 

I'm a bit on the fence with this issue cause I know owners that feel both ways. And I'm finding I feel both ways depending on the doll.

My first doll she has been played with and she has a couple of marks on her from needles that cut into the resin slightly as I did not take care in pinning test pattern pieces to her. I pick her up and play with her as I did with my dolls when I was little. I am careful with her face and hands (DZ MSD fingers are long and thin), but pretty much she is a play thing. Now I do not freak out with her as I used to. She is a Shoyo and the mold is still being produced so worse case scenrio I can buy another Shoyo. An attidue I know some do not share. I play with my second much as I do with my first.

Now number three is on his way home. He is the first full set doll I have purchased. He has a special face up and outfit and all of that wonderful things. Am I going to treat him as if he's made of glass? Probably not, but he is going to be watched far more carefully. A limited face up is something I want to protect and be able to enjoy for a long while to come. He is just going to sit with the others, probably wear his faceup protector a lot more than my Shoyo ever did.

None of my planned dolls are ever going to be in a cabient or just sit and look pretty. They are meant to be played with in my eyes, but some I just choose to be more careful with for a number of reasons. No way would I spend hundreds of dollars on something to just sit on my shelf. I want to enjoy it.

 

i have 15 cabinets in my house. in them not a single bjd. just barbies. my fashion dolls go in cabinets. my bjds and action figures come out to play, often. sure my bjd costs more. but it's not in as much danger of being destroyed out of the house as the fashion dolls are. plus the size makes them easier to play with and convent than the fashion dolls.

i think it depends on how you use it. if you use your bjd like a fashion doll, keep it in a cabinet. if you use it for pictures and playing take it out.

 

My tastes on that have changed- when I first got into dolls, I lugged my poor Adelais EVERYWHERE. I don't regret our experiences together, but Adelais' faceup suffered damages in the long run from being in a case and being taken along everywhere. I LOVE the photos I have of him about, and I will still take him on trips; but at the same time, now my dolls only go out and about for special occasions, photoshoots, or if someone requests their presence.

That doesn't mean I don't play, though! My dolls usually sit where I can reach them, and I mess with them, posing and taking photos, and I enjoy them just as much.

The reason I stopped taking them out was more practical, really. Dolls are heavy! And even my sweet Adelais felt hefty after a day of having him perched about on my arm.

I take my dolls to cons- and one usually accompanies me on the floor. If anything, just so other doll people can spot me and chat, in case they can't come to the meets. But if it gets crowded and busy, I wrap them up and pop them back in my purse.

It would just be sad to lock the dolls in a cabinet and never touch them- They're so poseable and have so much personality, it would seem sad. But I DON'T advocate dragging your doll out everywhere- from personal experience!! They get dirty and damaged, so be careful!

 

Ooooo I have to play with mine.. This is the very reason that i don't do well with vintage dolls. They are too fragile. I like to sew for them and dress them etc.. It would just be no fun at all if they could not be handled!

 

A lot of people are saying that it's really up to the owner what you do with your dolls, and I strongly agree with this.

Personally, I'm not one to just keep them behind a case on a shelf. I like to primp and preen them, take them outside and over to my friend's place for photos, lug them with me to meets. They are expensive, it's true, but my feeling is I'd rather get enjoyment and use out of them beyond just gazing up at them from time to time and thinking how pretty they are.

But other people are perfectly content to admire, and it's definitely safer to keep them contained and inside. But I think that would be a pretty dull fate for a hobby that is so different and so unique.

 

Mine are a combination of both, I think. I'm ever conscious of the fact that they are very expensive and in order to keep their safety and their value, I'm careful of how I play with them, but I do play with them. It's one of the things that drew me to BJDs and away from my other doll hobby, Barbie. Barbies don't invite play; unless you're buying them from Walmart or Target, they're meant to remain in their boxes. They're packaged in such a way that discourages removing them from their boxes. After a while, buying a shiny box with a shiny doll inside and putting it on a shelf grows very boring.

So, my dollies are a healthy mix of beautiful display collectibles who are always ready to jump off the shelf and play dress up!

 

The most "playing" I do with my resin kids is to occasionally dress them, or change their face-up, eyes, clothing or wig. Then sometimes pose them to make them look different ways or maybe take a picture. Other than that they spend their sedentary lives sitting on my dresser drawer. I have been a little rough with one of my dolls before (such as cramming him into a girl's dress for fun and making him dance) but generally I take good care of them like most of my other "toys" (such as stuffed animals). These dolls are meant to be played with, otherwise they wouldn't be so poseable. Of course, I wouldn't ever hand any of my dolls to a grabby-hands, messy 5-year old who would probably end up breaking something!! I do own collectable Barbies that I wouldn't dream of taking out and playing with.

 

This is just my personal quirkiness, but my thought is, why in the world would you pay hundreds of dollars for a doll that you're just going to stare at?! xD I pay that much money for them because I really, really enjoy playing with them, painting them, sewing for them, posing them, taking pictures of them, etc.. not staring at them all day!

But on the other hand, I can see how others would keep them as 'cabinet babies' just for the collection thing. I don't personally understand or agree with it, but it's not my place to tell anyone what they can and can't do with their dollies.

 

I keep my doll in her box most of the time. I am very careful with her. I have thought about getting a cabinet. But I would only put my doll in a cabinet if I could decorate the cabinet to be forestlike. That would be more interesting to me than just putting her in a plain cabinet. It would not be a collection thing, but a way to decorate my room

 

Another note for agreeing that it's not really my call about what dolls 'should' be - or if they should be one or the other.

My boy sits on my windowsill a great deal of the time, because he likes it up there and I'm often busy with school and other things - but when I can I do bring him down and hold him, pose him, etc. I've made plans on getting him more outfits, and hopefully doing a photoshoot someday - and really, photoshoots and photostories... they're kind of both in themselves, aren't they? You're playing with your dolls, but there is an element of display - or they wouldn't be going in a 'gallery'

So I suppose he's both for me, and that suits us just fine.