'Cabinet Babies' or Playthings?

I had... three American Girl dolls, a Bitty Baby and the Twins. Because I was a spoiled brat.

BUT ANYWAYS. XD They are all fine. I played with them ALL the time. But I never really took them anywhere with me like I do my BJDs. They are all in pretty good condition because I was always careful. The only thing is Felicity's wig is kinda... it's not ruined... but it's been brushed. It's kinda wiry. But she was my first one...

 

I dont belive in not playing with dolls! I would feel very sad to see a girl or boy closed up either in the box or in a case begging to be played with!

 

All of my dolls sit on the bookshelf in the dining room right by our dining table. They look at us when we eat and we look at them when we eat. XD
Almost every photoshoot I have done with them are outdoors, there isn't much to see indoor really.
I try to keep them away from direct sunlight for too long, but they are plain out in the open.

Originally I was really paranoid about dirtying them up so I kept them in the box all the time. Then I realize, I pay so much for them, I might as well get my money's worth. Look, touch, play!

That, and I am just lazy. I don't wanna pull them out of the box and have to dress them and wig them before I can play... that'd make me never take them out of the box. Sure wig cap stain... nothing that can't be fixed. :> The idea is I get to look and play a lot.

 

i dont like the idea of locking them up, But my mom collects antique dolls and when i was a kid we could play with them, even her expensive ones, on the bed if they were breakly. dolls are meant to be played with. mine sits on the table and watches tv with me, ive taken her to anime cons, that is a big part of why i like them,playing with them is why i get them

 

If it's night time I take one of my dolls out to sit with me. During the day they stay in their boxes so they won't get damaged. Or I did that when I lived at home. Right now my dolls aren't with me

The day my F-15 turns yellow will be very sad for me, I want it to be very far in the future.

 

I take my doll out all the time! I feel really bad putting them in their boxes; I feel as if I'm locking them up. While I think it's fine for people to keep them in boxes or cases, I prefer to have mine out, even if they are just sitting on a desk.

 

I like to keep my dolls out and look at them. That's how I get all those little customizing ideas. I know that they are expensive dolls, but it seems as if that is an even better reason to look at them and enjoy them as much as possible.

 

Well.............. they're expensive. Why throw money away on a doll you'll keep locked in a box or something? I'm keeping mine in their boxes but only at night because I've got pets and hell knows how they would get in my room and kill my dolls XD and I just don't want them to dust or fall or anything so while I'm not around I just like keeping them safe. But I take them out of their boxes and keep them around me often, and tonight I'm taking my first boy out of the house for his first time! And it's the first time I take one of them out, too. He'll enjoy the quiet park at night ^__^

 

Dolls don't like being cooped up. Eventually they go crazy. Didn't any of you see Toy Story 2? Geez!

I have a few figures that are hung up in their boxes, but my dolls get out with me. The only problem is that I have too many 1/6 scale babies to take with me places. If I drove, maybe. But shlepping them all around with me on the bus? I don't think so.

 

I don't have one yet, But I wouldn't exactly 'play' with them, though I definitely wouldn't say that I could never touch them. I'd definitely have them where I could enjoy them, but I would also lock them away when it was appropriate *Like if I was leaving the house or going on a trip*

I know that I'm going to be the type of person to do a lot of photographing with them and I'll take them out and about to get good shots, I'll also keep them at home most of the time and I'm sure that they'll end up on my lap while I'm watching TV and doodling and stuff.

 

My BJD will get the same treatment as my Pullips.

I have them on display, maybe pat them on their head or something or change their clothes but I woulnd't like sleep with them or properly play with them, just display them.

 

I don't really care if other people keep their dolls locked away...but I couldn't do that...it just wouldn't feel righht to me...To be honest I dunno anyone personally in this hobby that does that

 

I understand the sentiment on both sides.

Having them be simply display pieces that are never touched and also having them out and about all the time. It really comes down to what whomever purchased the doll bought it FOR. Of course an enormous part of owning a bjd is the customization capabilities, a lot of people buy these dolls to be character dolls. Then again you might look at someone who sees things from an "art gallery" point of view and maybe they just like walking through their house admiring the beautiful things that they've collected and that's enough.

I personally am the kind of owner who "plays" with her dolls. But I would never fault or judge someone for enjoying the hobby differently than I do. I don't think it's 'wrong' or 'cruel' to keep dolls strictly as display pieces.... it's just different.

~Gio

 

Previously I thought that I would keep the doll in a box. But it turned out that my Prince is boring. So he watches film with me, walk with me and sleeps in my bed. I think you need to play with the doll. This is cruel indeed to close the doll in the glass show-case and to leave him there without attention and care.

 

In preparing for my first girls to arrive, I actually bought a cabinet I found a stellar deal on. I figured it would be a nice, cat-free zone where they would be safe when I wasn't fiddling with them in some form, to keep the dust off, and to potentially warn friends that might get grabby in that subtle way: "This is a valuable object, if you want to handle it, please handle with care."

They have yet to visit it, and it's now taking up precious space in my foyer... empty. So much for that idea. The cats just sit in their laps and don't chase wigs or chew as I'd feared, they get moved around too much for dust to settle on them in the first place, and I really don't have too many people around that don't know what they are and to be careful, so it became unnecessary. I'll probably fill it with the handful of fashion dolls I won't be parting with whenever I get around to weeding through them, and just call it a day. They don't move around much, so yep, they have the dust problem to worry about.

That said, I don't drag them everywhere with me. Only one has traveled with me -- possibly because I don't travel too much in the first place -- but I haven't exactly taken them to nearby locations as yet, either. My camera gear tends to be awkward enough when I'm going somewhere for photos, and in those places, I'm not entirely sure they'd be welcome -- mostly, local gardens with paid entry. We have a fairly large yard, so outdoor photos in gardeny-spaces could easily enough be done there, and I'm more comfortable with them remaining safe that way.

I drag them around the house as I'm fussing with accessories for them when I have the time to make them, and they get their clothes changed when there are new clothes to be had or I just feel the need to change things around a bit, but they don't get slept with (I flail and could crush them or poke an eye out or something) or taken to the mall or things like that.

Mostly, I've been sussing out the fine points of how to arrange them on the new open shelves, how to furnish those shelves so they have 'spaces' that reflect who they represent to me.

It's how I played with my dolls as a kid, too -- set them up in their 'space' every few days, imagine what they're doing there, change up their clothes, and so on.

So... I am not really sure where I fall on this spectrum. Somewhere in the middle, if I had to guess. They aren't the NRFB 'don't even breathe on the box!' type collectibles, but they aren't carried around all the time and each one fussed over daily, either.

 

The only doll that I have recieved(gift or bought by myself) that I haven't played with was a barbie that my aunt gave me for my birthday, my mom wouldn't let me take out of the package. All of my other dolls have been played with. Not roughly, but the dolls I got when I was nine do have scratches, and you could tell that I had played with them a lot, not because they are beat up, because they are a bit shiny and hair a bit frizzy from being brushed so much.

I'm not about to spend 400+ dollars on a doll just for it to sit on a shelf and stare into space. It should at least be moved around, and posed differently at LEAST once a week. Thats why don't like Precious Moments(these small, five inch figurines that my mom collects, she has about fifty)

In my opinion, a doll is to be played with, not to be set on a shelf.

 

Same.

I will pose them, fawn over them, spoil them. But I have a different purpose in mind for them - inspiration. I will talk to my dolls the same way I talk to my Steiff teddy bears, but I know I will not "play" with them. My husband is building a beautiful shelf for our hallway, the most visited area of our home. I know every time I walk by them I won't be able to resist hugging them.

I don't think a doll needs to be classified as a plaything or cabinet baby. Every collector is different and has different ways of showing his or her love. Just because some people don't physically play with their doll(s) does not mean they don't adore them. I personally think that is what makes this hobby so unique - the dolls' purpose in life is only limited by the owner's imagination. Collect them, play with them, pose them, customize them, be inspired by them... anything is possible.

 

I have to play with mine once in a while. I can't just let them collect dust in a cabinet. They should be allowed to be out and about when I'm out and about. I wouldn't do something reckless like take them through a crowded dealer's room...I did that this year and quickly learned my lesson...at least with big dolls...my tiny is very portable so I usually take her now. Anyways...I think that you should be able to play with your dolls...but be careful when doing so...

 

I think it mostly depends on your point of view of the hobby. For some people the dolls are collectible items, so it makes sense that they have them perfect just for display, since most of the time the dolls doesn't even have a name. But I think that once you give them a name and a history, you can't help but want to play with them. I don't usually take them out with me, mostly because it's uncomfortable, but I take them to meet-ups and when I'm home I pick them up and make them pose, talk to them and all those things. I like taking photos of them, but I don't do that often because I'm a bit lazy :P

 

I guess everyone has to do what's right for them but I couldn't keep my girls in their boxes. I need to be able to see them and interact with them - call that playing if you must. I get so much joy out of having them around and couldn't bear not to have them nearby. But as others have said, this is noe of those questions where there's no right or wrong answer.