'Cabinet Babies' or Playthings?

I was very fearful, originally, when i opened my first BJD. I mean they were SOOOOO expensive. I even remember the first tumble that my Volks Megu took, at a con. My heart like completely froze. i just new i was going to look over, and find her in broken pieces. Fast forward, 2009, and i've had my dolls tumble soooooooooo many times, that it just barely phases me anymore. I've (knock on wood) never had so much as a broken finger on a doll. I've come to realize that while the fingers and faces are can be delicate, the overall durability of the dolls is off the charts. Because of this, i just can't see putting them in the cabinet, the way you would a porcelain doll. HOwever, that is how i feel for me. I cannot conceive of telling anyone what they should or should not do with the dolls they pay so much for. Some are just not comfortable with taking them out and around, for various reasons. Some fear damage to the doll, some fear what people would think, etc. There are different comfort levels. Being that i used to be so paranoid about breaking them, i can completely understand how some would want to leave them in the glass cases, never to be touched or played with. However, being that i've gotten much more comfortable, i can also see now, why people want to take them out and around, to play with, pose, and photograph. Now, i'm solidly on the side of taking them out and around, but at the end of the day, i think people should do whatever makes them most comfortable. Isn't that what this hobby is about? Being yourself, and doing with the dolls what you wish? I mean i think that's why they come in a box that MUST be opened. No windows, or ways to see the doll unless you take it out, and put the clothing and wigs on it.

 

I think of my dolls as extensions of myself or.. people of themselves. I dance with them, sing with them (sorta) and take them where I go. My friend gets mad at me all the time for it too. But I paid to have a doll that I could do this to.
Yes they ARE expensive. But no price is enough to stop fun. When you were a kid and your parents said "This is a collectors barbie" or a "collectors Beanie baby" what did you do? Open the box, rip off the tag and you took it into pre-kay to show all your friends and got glue all over it. But you still loved that one and possibly the most.
I see them as things that need to get out and have fun. No one wants to be behind a glass case. To do that I feel it's a waste of money.

 

Play, Play, play.

I didn't buy my doll to watch him sit on a shelf. For me, I'd rather buy fish. I bought him to play with him. but "playing" with him doesn't mean I do rash things with him. There's still care involved, but he's definitely not a cabinet warmer. I have to agree that I wouldn't feel like my money was worth it, if I couldn't play with him. He's not an expensive piece of art to me; he's my doll. However, my doll is also very precious though, like a child's blanket. ^_^

 

This is such a beautiful sentiment. I mean u know it's the most adorable thing ever when you see a little kid, and they got that doll, or bear, that is just falling to pieces. You know that that toy was REALLY loved by that child. That this toy was something that brought so much happiness and joy. I remember in school, when i was in kindergarden, i brought bunny into my class for show and tell. Bunny, ironically enough, was a stuffed toy dog with floppy ears. I had that dog FOREVER. He was dirty, he was ragged, and of all things, he was crazy rare i found out later. The toy was some sort of rare collector's item that my mother originally bought to be put on a shelf in my room. LOL I got ahold of it, and she could never get me to leave it there. I still have that dog somewhere, but there is no stuffing left in it, and he's missing an ear. I also know that he has no eyes, and his nose is falling off. LOL I'm also pretty sure that i will never get rid of him as long as i live. I've had friends see him, and pick im up by his remaining ear, and say "Jeezus, could you get rid of this dirty old thing?" but, i just ignore them. LOL I think i've put him in a box somewhere in my closet now though.

But there is just no way that, as a child, i could have left him sitting on a shelf. He had a character (or personality, if you will) and he was like my best friend as a kid.

 

Theres a book called 'the velveteen rabbit' and its all about how a child's love gives the toy a soul. Its really sweet.

I totally agree with anoniemouse - and just looking around DOA you can see the varied ways the dolls inspire creativity and imagination. You wouldnt get that if the dolls just stood and stared from the confines of a show cabinet.

 

I don't have one yet, so I'm just thinking about the one i'm saving up for. I can't imagine treating him roughly, but at the same time, they seem made to interact with, with all the joints and personality. To just lock them up would make me sad.

 

Mine are shelf babies. They set atop my desk so I can look at them when I feel upset or stressed while doing my homework. I am VERY gentle with them and rarely take them places.

The exception to the not-taking-places is Yuki. Because of her size it's easier for me to stick her in my handbag and bring her to school with me.

 

Not every person was like that as a child. I certainly wasn't. My absolute favourite model horse, that I received when I was 7 years old, is still in almost mint condition. I believe that if you truly love something, you cherish it and take good care of it. It's not love for me to drag it through the mud and chip it and break it and make it dirty. Love is respecting it, keeping it clean and pristine, so that it could be enjoyed for many years in the same condition as it was received. I always found it very sad that other kids couldn't treat their belongings with the same care.

 

Don't find it sad- other people have the exact same love for their most cherised things, and just because they take it everywhere and put all their love into it and it gets dirty or broken or old doesn't mean that they don't love their special things as much as you love yours.

Everyone is different- you should try not to judge so harshly.

 

easy to say for a model horse LOL Not so easy to say for a stuffed doll. They inevitably wear out just from cuddling them. No matter what you do, they end up looking ratty, unless you keep in on a shelf, out of kids hands. I mean even washing the stuffded doll in the washing machine can contribute to it starting to look ratty. And as far as kids "respecting" toys, well, i hardly think it's reasonable to expect a child ages 4 -6 to 'respect' a toy, if it means that they never drag it around, toss it around, or play rough with it. It's a toy. It's meant for them to play with, and have fun with. And while i'm sure you were an exception to the rule, generally, kids play rough with their toys. I've never seen a kid wipe their toys down after playing with them. (heck let's face it, it's hard to get some kids to even put them away) But i don't think that means that they 'respect' their toys any less. I think it just means that they are doing what kids do. Being kids.

well said

 

I don't see where Kim was judging.

People treat their loved things differently. Like Teruchan, I was always very careful with my beloved things; I'm a protective kind of girl. I can't help that. I respect my belongings and cherish them. I get sad if my prized posessions (my ABJDs, my LV handbags or even my BELOVED stuffed elephant, Peanut, that I got when I was 3) get 'hurt' or dirty.

Some people love their stuff so hard that it SHOWS! They get worn out with love! And there is NOTHING wrong with that. People are just different.

No one was judging.

*Gets off soapbox* Kthx!

 

Yeah, I don't see too much judging here either, just different perspectives. Some people enjoy their toys pristine and perfect, and are saddened when others don't keep their stuff like new, thinking it's disregard for the item or whatever. Some people don't mind that their toys show wear from play, and are saddened when they see things that are still perfect because they think they don't LOOK loved (even though they probably are). To each their own. Personally, my toys as a child looked well-loved - they played outside with me and both my sisters in the woods and mud and sandbox and sometimes swimming pool. Many of them were previously well-loved as well though, lots of yard sale toys in our house.

I try to strike a balance with my dolls - keep them out and play with them however I want, but still keep them in as good a shape as I can (go go gadget magic eraser). I think that's what most people here who chose "plaything" are doing, too.

 

Do you feel that dolls should be kept in cabinets? Why? What qualifies them as "cabinet material"? I mean, they are very expensive .

Cabinets? Maybe, while one is at home. When I'm at home, my dolls are usually stored safely in their boxes and out of harms way, and on the rare occasions when I have them out, I generally try to make sure they're in safe places and away from anything that could be potentially damaging. Even if I had room in my curio cabinet (it's packed so full that I can't even get any more nick-nacks in it) I don't think I'd want my dolls just sitting in there collecting dust. Yeah, they're pricey- but they're also dolls.


Do you think dolls should be played with? Should they always be out? What makes them any different from larger-scaled action figures?

I don't 'play' with my dolls too much- if I'm with friends that have dolls, I'll partake of the 'find a cute pose' game but otherwise I tend to err more on the safe side for fear of damaging them. Too expensive to treat like any other toy, but too toy-like to treat like anything else.I don't think they should ALWAYS be out (but then, I also have animals so my house isn't exactly safe) but I don't really think they should exist only inside their boxes as collectors items either.

 

Sounds like you were a rather stuffy and boring child.They're toys for God's sake! They were designed to play with and enjoy. Respect is what you give people who do things deserving of it, not toys.

On that note, hell yes I play with my dolls! I've already broke one finger, just a touch of glue and we're off and running again. I'm the sort of collector that drives "serious" collectors batty. I play with/ read, pack around my favorites and generally closely co exist with my cherished items. Every line on my face is reflected in creases, food stains, juice splotches in my favorite books, that's just the story of our life together.

 

My boy is definitely a "plaything" although when he's not being messed with, stripped and forced to endure photo shoots at three am. He lives peacefully on his own place on a high shelf.

While I'm not as easily upset as minor things about him as other owners may be, that does not mean I love him any less. When he took a tumble off of a rock at a meet-up I was there to promptly care for him, and now he has a near un-noticeable scratch on the bridge of his nose. I wasn't happy that it happened to him, however after being mostly buffed out, its only added to his character, and most people don't notice the scratch unless his face-up is off.

 

Goodness. AkiPocky declares that to keep dolls in a cabinet is a 'waste of money'. Kim says that she feels sad when 'other kids don't treat their toys with care'. And you think Kim is the one that's judging?

From my interpretation, Kim just enjoys her toys in a different way. She's not saying it's bad wrong evil to play with your toys differently from how she does.

Now this sounds judgmental to me, and based on very little too. Just because a person doesn't run their toy through muck, doesn't mean they don't enjoy the toy in their own way. Why is it that through all ages, people will always insist that toys have to be played their way, that fun can only be had in a certain way? Shouldn't we be growing out of this mentality already?

When I was a kid, my parents taught me to treat my toys and books with love. I played with my toys and I read all my books over and over again. But I never drew in my books, I never tore their pages, I never broke my toys. My soft toys were well-worn and old, rough around the edges, but they were never treated so badly that they fell to pieces.

I guess that makes me the stuffiest boringest kid around. Except I remember having many friends as a kid and having quite a lot of fun. Because other than being careful with my toys, I was also friendly and outgoing. If that equals stuffy and boring, I quite liked it then.

 

Count me in the "stuffy" group as well! I was taught to play with my toys, but not to wreck my toys. If I played too strongly with them, guess what? I didn't get any more toys. That means some toys stayed on the shelf, and some toys traveled all over with me.

I'm not sure if "respect" is the right word. It should be more like "personal responsibility". I am responsible for the state of my property, toys or not.

For the most part my dolls stay on a shelf. But that doesn't mean they're not with me. They sit right next to me on my computer desk. So even if I'm not messing with them, I can still admire them.

 

Wow guys. Did some of you have a bad day? I mean, some of this is kinda below the belt here. Play nice, no matter how you play...

Me, I play with my little ones! They still look nice and pretty, so I guess I play carefully. For my toys as a kid, they are in nice condition. I played with them, but I also played in the bath with them, and from an early age washed and conditioned the hair of my My Little Ponys. Yea, mom had to buy conditioner a little more often. So while I took them everywhere and played with them, at the end of the day, they had a bath like me, so now they all have really nice shiny hair to this day! And sure my childhood stuffed animals look loved, but not super worn. I always liked my things to look nice, but I still played.

 

Expense isn't a good reason not to play with something... it's a reason TO play with it. That way you get the most worth from it. I suppose if you are happy to just see your doll in a cabinet, that maybe enough, but they're not that delicate, and most things that go wrong can be fixed some-how. On the other hand the weird looks, cumbersome-ness and potential dangers mean that taking dolls on a little walk or down to the pub is not something I'd do.

 

I don't think that there is any wrong way, or even just one way to love a toy. I had cabinet toys and ones I just literally loved to death.

I was taught to take good care of the ones I played with. I still have my very first doll, who is as old as I am. She's nowhere near pristine but she's looking pretty good for her age. I played with my Holiday Barbies, too.

My favorite toys were the ones I carried around with me. I played with my Littlefoot (from the original "Land Before Time"; I saw that in theaters when I was 5) so much that his fur wore thin and the stuffing squished out of his neck. He was my "Velveteen Rabbit."

I bought my dolls to play with, but that doesn't mean I won't cherish them and keep them nice. I plan on taking them outside when it gets warm and doing a photo shoot in the hedge where I used to make nests for my stuffed animals. For old times sake.