'Cabinet Babies' or Playthings?

I treat my girls as family. So it's not so much that they're playthings, but I just have them around like you would normal family. (=

 

My sister has dolls in a pretty cabinet in her room. Mine are all over the house sitting in doll-sized chairs and couches waiting for me and my minion/niece to play with them. My dolls have been out and annoying my sister for decades. I will keep mine as playthings. She is dreading the Doll Chateaus I want.... Play on!

Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 2

 

At home my dolls sitting on the bedside table in the corner of the room, hidden in the shadows behind a cupboard. But sometimes I like to play with them and take them out into the air.

 

At home in a cabinet. I would take then with me to cons though, which I know can be dangerous. Honestly I'd probably wear gloves to carry them at a con to keep then clean. I'm paranoid about damage x.x

 

My first bjd's should be here next week (three of them due to arrive, from two different companies!) so this is a topic I've been giving a lot of thought to. On the one hand, I don't see how I'm going to be able to stop touching and fussing with them. On the other hand - gosh...my bedroom has curtains / blinds on all the windows that I almost *never* pull up. But I had an off topic vinyl doll with tan skin turn part orange where her bangs weren't covering her face - and she wasn't expensive but she was hard to find, took me six months to find her in the store so I could buy her at her real price instead of what the dollie scalper toy's r-us mom's were charging. *Ahem* I digress - it made me really nervous though about these new dolls and what will happen to them. I also have three cats, one who is a serious acrobat and LOVES the tops of shelves and will go to great lengths to get to the highest point in the room, even if it's to hang off the edge of the open door frame for a few minutes. Another one who likes the floor and Loooovess knocking things over to hear them go boom. I'm not sure *where* my new dollies are going to be safe at - but I also don't want them hidden away, because that just seems sad to me. I do want to find a beautiful glass / enclosed cabinet so I can see them and they can not be hurt - but don't know when I'll be able to find one I could afford.

Any ways thats just my two cents - I don't care what other people do with their dolls of course, though I do think it's sad when they fall to disrepair from lack of love- like the first MH doll I ever bought was missing part of her arm, and my boyfriend scoffed at me and I replied that amputee's need love too! I guess I'm just weird like that.

 

So interesting to read what everybody likes to do wit their dolls. I personally like to play with mine, I only have a few bjds right now but have lots of Blythes and I just love dressing all my dolls up, customising them, making little things for them and taking photos of them in general, so is the creative playful aspect that attracts me most to the hobby. I have my bjds on a shelf next to my other Blythes as I like to look at all of them everyday, even if I'm too busy to play with them.
Taking dolls our of the house to meets however still worries me a bit, I have taken them out, but I'm always superworried something might get damaged.
I am aware I need to be more gentle with my bjds than I usually am with my other dolls, but to me it would be such a shame if I had to keep such beautiful little pieces of art shut away in their box all the time. Again everybody has different feelings about this so it was good to read all the different comments

 

I tend to treat my dolls as both--I handle them very carefully, but without gloves, but like to pose them for pictures. I also have a large collection of wigs and clothes, so I like to change their outfits often. To each their own, I think. I purchased my dolls to "play" with them and admire them, so it would feel strange for me to place them in a cabinet and never touch them. Again, that's just me.

 

I'm answering this before I read anyone's response. You've been warned!

I have six full dolls that I play with. Two MSDs, two SDs and two 70cm. I play with them all the time. The closest I have to "closet babies" are my two MNFs, who reside on my bureau due to lack of space on my bed since the addition of a 60cm and 70cm. My dolls go with me places, are in photoshoots, go with me to my anime club and conventions and grocery shopping and everywhere! I'm rarely seen without a doll, nor do I want to be. They are my friends and constant companions.

Sure, I could have them as "closet babies," especially since some of them are LEs but to me, they'd be no fun if I was to do that!

But everyone has their own opinion, and I'm sure "cabinet babies' and/or "playthings" are the right thing to do for each of you!

Ryu

 

I do a bit of both. I will have my doll out, continuously dress her and take photos. But whenever I am leaving the house/going to bed/work (or whatever) I take off her wig/clothes etc and put her back in the box she came in. I think because of how expensive these dolls are, I am really freaked out of it falling off of the shelf when I am not home - or younger siblings coming in and touching/playing with her. So I do a little bit of both. But I don't take her outside that much (afraid of sun damage). Also afraid of wig stains and clothing stains.. (hence - taking everything off her at night). T_T

 

I love this response! I have always been worried that even just touching my dolls will make me a bad 'doll owner' not to mention I keep them on my desk! It's encouraging to a relative newbie like me to hear it's okay to actually play with your dolls. I want to take them everywhere, I'm just too scared. Both mine are LE white skin, not including my first doll who got damaged, I guess that's why I'm so scared, I never want that to happen again! But I feel I do need to lighten up, relax and enjoy my dolls more than I do!!

 

It's a bit of both for me. I have a cabinet with glass windows, and that's where they stay when I'm not taking their pictures or playing with them. The only ones who have their own chair are my three 70cm boys, because they don't fit anywhere else! However, I personally couldn't store any of them in their boxes.

 

I think what many people seem to forget is that BJDs are toy dolls.

Sure, expensive dolls, but toys nontheless. They can be put behind glass and looked at as works of art, or played with and taken places. Both are right to do, or any combination thereof. The final choice to make them a cabinet baby or plaything is yours to make, and its what's right for you.

Ryu

 

Watching my guy with his Kell, I KNOW he'll never put him in a case. Every day, he's in some stage of dress (or undress).
Love ya babe.

 

a friend and I usually get at least one person who gives us that response every time we go out with our dolls, our usual response is "well, you leave the house with your laptop don't you?"

now onto the actual question,
I definitely don't treat my doll like the typical 'plaything', in fact I don't think I treat anything I own quite that way as I take really good (paranoid) care of most of my things, but she definitely isn't a 'cabinet baby'
I don't like to leave her out when I'm not home (because I have a cat) and I don't like to take her out on particularly hot days, when it's raining or when I'm going to school (to classes like 3D Design and Ceramics where it is obvious something could happen to her) but I do enjoy playing with her and having her out with me and am not really too worried about things like yellowing or what people will think of her or me for having her

 

My dolls spend 98% inside my dark closet covered in blankets mostly because I don't have the guts to take them out. D: I took my dear Rooney to work one time but he sat on my desk for like 10 min. and back into his bag he went haha >_<;;

 

I guess both? I don't have as much time as I would like to spend with my dolls, so they are in cubby shelves in my closet most of the time. I take them out for photo shoots when I have inspiration/time/feel like it.
I also take them out sometimes to try different outfits/wigs for a little while, then back in the cubby they go! After photo shoots I like to sit them out next to me on my bed or shelf to get some outside time

 

I don't really play with mine, sits on the shelf mostly. Come down for new clothes or photos or if I just want to admire. I love looking up and seeing them on my bookshelf, they're so gorgeous.