Can you love them all?

I think I have 19 at the moment, and 2 on layaway. I definitely don't treat them all equally, there are some that are extra special to me, but I love them all. I wouldn't have bought them in the first place if I didn't love them! I am self employed and I have very little free time so it's hard for me to do stuff with my dolls at all, I'm sure if I had more time, they'd all get more attention, but that's just part of being an adult I suppose. I don't have an ideal number in mind, I'll keep buying dolls as long as I keep seeing dolls I'd like to add to my collection.

I think it's easy to say you'd prefer to have less, but it's very hard to stick to that when there are so many beautiful sculpts out there, with awesome new artists popping up every day. I wish I had less so I could spend more time and money on them, but I love each and every bjd I own, they are all special and unique in their own ways, and I honestly wouldn't want to part with any of them, so I'll just have to deal with spreading my attention across them.

 

I would like to own a small, concrete collection, and maybe one day I will. However, I've come to the conclusion that my dolls will always be fluid.

I have around sixty-some full dolls and a pile of heads. Next month it could be fifty. My circumstances are a bit different from other posts I see.

I am a faceup artist. When I look at sculpts that interest me, I get an overwhelming urge to own one and paint it for myself. But sometimes when I get that sculpt in person, it doesn't speak to me. It may not even get repainted before I move it on. Or I paint it and then I'm done.

I've been asked when I'll open commissions more than once, but I don't feel confident enough in my consistency to do that yet.

My journey through the hobby has been a massive evolution in taste; there are sculpts I own today that I wouldn't have touched ten years ago. It's a combination of dolls I bought early on, dolls I wanted early on, and the dolls that have joined us along the way. I've sold it off twice over the years to pay off bills, and every time it comes back bigger. I don't like having so many of them, but I am reluctant to part with the ones I've bonded with. I think one of the biggest challenges you may face the longer you are in the hobby is discerning, "Is this a doll I want in my home, or am I content to enjoy owner pictures?"

Do they get treated equally? No. I have to be invested in that doll at that time for them to receive attention. I do try to rotate. I keep my eyes out for things they all need. Some will always be favorites. But a doll has to be completely neglected before I ask myself, "Should I move this one on?"

 

As someone who has no kids or family to speak of my dolls really do become a priority in my life a lot of the time. Anytime I have extra funds to spend on something of my choosing it goes towards dolls. For me they fulfill so many different desires I have, whereas other people might find travelling fulfilling or many other things.

I have 32 Dolls right now and I'd say I love them all equally. Any dolls that I find myself not really liking I sell and I can usually tell right away if I don't connect with a doll. I have every single one of my dolls out on display in my bedroom with blackout curtains so I don't have to worry about yellowing. I ensure everyone of my dolls has his or her perfect eye/wig/clothes/shoes so I can be 100% happy with them. Sometimes it can take a long time of trying things out to really find what's perfect for a doll but once I find it I generally don't change them. I'd say I'm a perfectionist so if any dolls have something about them that i'm not totally satisfied with I will lose sleep knowing something's not right. I view my collection as a whole, rather then individual dolls that I can choose to like more or less.

The last time I went to a doll meet I thought about it for over a week and couldn't pick a doll I wanted to bring more then the others, I on the fly just grabbed one on my way out the door.

I wouldn't say I really "Spend time" with my dolls other then being constantly surrounded by them. For me the journey of discovering my dolls personality and gathering all their ideal items makes my bond with them very strong. I don't think this experience would be the same for someone who buys a doll to match a character, since they would already know that character.

I think the way people enjoy their dolls really depends on how they enjoy life in general. I don't enjoy going out and having new experiences. I'd much rather prefer to stay in with the same person and do similar things every night of my life, seeing how I describe my interactions with my dolls I think it really reflects that aspect of myself. Even though I have a lot of dolls now, I don't think I'll stop getting more unless I literally run out of space to display them, or no longer have the finances to continue growing my doll family.

Overall for me dolls are like living art, I respect everyone of them in different ways, and I think each of them has something special that the others can't bring to the table.

 

I only buy dolls that I love the look of, and if they arrive and I don't feel the same when I see them in person, I sell them. That way, I'm left with only dolls that I think are completely wonderful - and that has happened a ridiculous number of times by now, so yeah, lotta dolls in my crew. But love, as in a spiritual connection? Love is for my human family and my pets. My dolls do not need emotional support, they do not need my time or attention, and they certainly don't crave affection. As long as I enjoy looking at them and playing with them when they're out, who cares how much time I give to each one? I like owning them, even if I don't handle them for months at a time...so how is that "pointless"? Nothing is pointless if it makes you happy.

 

I'm currently at 20, and waiting for a body and a whole doll. Most of them are on shelves, sitting on couches, so I see them every day even if I don't interact with them. I do love some more than others due to posability, story/personality development, or unique-ness. Handling them, making things for them, and writing stories about their characters are all part of why I enjoy this hobby. I want each of them to have the perfect wig and eyes, but some of them have far more clothes than others.

I've sold a few that didn't work for me, but most have stayed.

 

I have about 15 right now, who all stay in the closet when I'm not actively working on one. Same with my figures. We're in a small apartment right now, so there's no room for a display for them. It's fine. I don't wear all my shoes (of which I have fewer than 15 pairs, lol) equally but I don't think anyone outside of practicing minimalists would look sideways at that.

Like others have said, they're things. Whether they're being actively enjoyed on the daily or taken out of their box and admired every couple months, they don't care either way. If a collection starts to cause anxiety, whether over space or money concerns, then by all means it's time to go Marie Kondo on it and thin the herd. Otherwise, it's fine.

 

I have two and originally I was so set on keeping as just two... alas, they don't match well together and I still want both of them.
So... I will eventually get two for the two I have... hopefully one at the VOLKS event if I can go in Sep even tho it's going to be all lottery... I find that everyone loves (although maybe play with/enjoy would be the better word) their doll in different ways so, I might spoil them with too much clothes but others would rather use the same amount of money for different dolls. So love is love, I do keep reminding my friend to take her dolls out of the box because she has too many, she gets anxious with them sometimes but loves them all and don't want to part with any.... I feel like doll numbers should be manageable, and everybody's number is just different. I thought I'd go crazy with more than two... but we'll see XD

 

I just have 6 dolls. Sometimes I would sell a doll, after I buy another one. I like them, but I think I can't pay attention on too many dolls.

 

Everyone collects differently. I prefer small collections but I know several people with large collections and they enjoy themselves just as much as I enjoy myself.

 

I have really enjoyed reading the replies on this thread as It makes me happy the way people enjoy this hobby in different ways.
I have 15 at the moment with two in transit and four on order. Because I am limited on space I set myself a limit of 30 BJDs I have a favourite and I love my collection but in a different way to loving my pet cat Cleo for example.
If I did not love collecting and having time with my crew I would not spend money getting them. I don't though play with then every day I don't have time for that but they are on view in my living room so I can look at them daily
What ever works for you in this hobby be it just a collection to look at and admire or one where you take your doll out with you each day is what makes it personal to you

 

I don't think quantity is the issue for me with loving them. It's time. If I have taken the time to love and appreciate each doll individually they will be in my heart always ("it is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important") This includes time spent mooning over a particular sculpt in my head before I purchase it xD Honestly, the sculpts that I am in love with, some of them I've been lusting after for ten years!

I have to space out my doll purchases a lot to allow for this time spent bonding with each one. That's really what makes each doll special to me, and remain special to me, no matter how many more I acquire.

I also have this rule that if I couldn't imagine owning just that one doll on its own and none of the others, and being happy with it, then it's not worth me having. I'm really brutally honest with myself about this because I personally can't stand to have dolls in my collection that I'm not excited to spend time with. It just ends up feeling like I'm watering myself down, and stealing attention away from the ones I do love.

Learning all of this about myself has made a huge difference to my happiness with my dolls. I'm starting to get to the point now where, in the past, I might have felt overwhelmed by the number of dolls I own and started selling them (I think the most I ever managed before was 7, and I have 6 now in various states of completion), but that's not happening this time because I put a lot of time and thought and love into each of the dolls in my current collection. I can't imagine ever losing that attachment to them.

 

I currently have 11 dolls, including 2 floating heads. Of those, two are complete and I'm working on finishing up the third (I blame the overabundance of MiniFee clothes, my MiniFee Rendia is spoiled rotten while 2 of my dolls are wearing other doll's clothes)

I have a long wishlist, comprising of at least 60 dolls. I don't know if I'll own all 60 at once, but I would like to own all 60 at LEAST once lol. And of those 60, some of the others I want aren't listed. I want to comb through every doll company I know and see if there are anymore that catch my eye, maybe finally complete a "masterlist" of dolls I would like.

 

I currently have around 50 BJD (plus many, many, many, other OT type dolls, bears, stuffies etc.)

None of them are packed away. They're all out so I can pick up and play with whichever oned take my fancy at any given moment. Of course I can't play with all of them at once, but rarely a day goes by that I don't pick up a few of them for a bit of a play'even if it's only for a short time, or even in passing. I sew clothes for them, re dress them, take them places with me.

I bring at least one into work with me each day to sit on a shelf by my desk (I have a thread for that on another forum) who get picked up/re-posed or whatever in the odd moments moments between work tasks.

Any that I realize don't get played with get moved on. For example, BJD's around the 8 inches size rarely stay - they get dressed, set down and then not touched for months on end until I decide to redress them. Once i realize that's happening, I start making plans to sell them on.

Teddy

 

Like it was said before, I do not love my dolls, I enjoy them. If I don't enjoy a doll anymore, I sell it.
I have around 50 dolls and I don't equally enjoy them, but I'm happy to take them out of their boxes once in some months. I have 4 in display in my living room and around 8 out of their boxes in my workshop. I'm happy this way

 

I have about 10 now (give or take, with random parts laying around lol)
I think this is the point where it's enough. I'm finding it's hard to keep up with them and when I think about my dolls I end up almost forgetting about a couple. I'm not bonding with my newest msd and half my dolls haven't been touched in a while. I'm probably going to find a new home for the one I can't bond with.
I'm planning on stopping buying dolls - at least for now (there is a Smart Doll I'm going to get later this year probably)...it's hard, but I need to. I just can't keep up with them all anymore

That being said...aside from that one I can't bond with, I do love all of them...they each have a special purpose and origin and I wouldn't get rid of the others

 

I currently have 22 dolls, 3 floating heads, and 1 headless body with at least 1 more definitely planned, 2 more tentatively so. I don't know how many I will ultimately end up with, but I recently realized that I want groups of dolls for each story/franchise I have doll characters for. Ultimately, I want each group to have its own display space, with a backdrop and/or furniture. That way, I can express some of the story ideas I have that I don't have time to devote lots of words to. I do love each of the dolls fairly equally, although some are easier to work with than others. I love each sculpt for different reasons, and I absolutely LOVE finding the perfect sculpt for a character. I don't find it too overwhelming, since dolls don't need food/attention the way pets do, but I do find it frustrating that I don't really have enough room to display them all like I want to right now.

 

I have about 40 bjds (really who's counting anymore?) I look at them and they make me happy, especially as they get closer to being 'done'. Is that love? I don't spend time with each one, or do any rotation to take them out or anything, nor do I feel guilty for not doing so. After all, as others have pointed out, they're not pets. They don't need love. They don't feel anything about it because they are dolls. They make me happy and that's enough. If one doesn't spark happiness, I sell it.

It does make me wonder if the tendency for some to feel like they HAVE to love or give attention equally to dolls has to do with the fact that they're in the form of something living. Do people who collect plushies feel the same, and how would that compare to someone who collects matchbox cars?

 

I have a herd of dolls & love each & every one of them. I used to have at least double what I currently have but sold the ones that stopped making my heart beat faster. That's my criteria for keeping dolls, I must continue to love them. My 1:3 dolls are all just display dolls now. I don't really play with them anymore but I still love having them & display them in little vignettes. Right now my Little Fees & friends are the ones I play with the most & my slim minis get their clothes changed several times a year, either seasonally or when the urge hits. I have no problem with loving a bunch of dolls as their mere presence gives me joy.

 

I keep all of my resin dolls in my closet to keep them from yellowing too fast, but also to keep my fur babies away from them; I got a person commenting on one of my gallery threads on here, that it was really sad that I only took the doll out whenever I took photos of them. I don't think of dolls as living beings, I think of them as objects. I like to think that I respect and treat them as the expensive customizable toys they are, but I don't think they need me to spend time with, at all! I don't need to see them all the time to enjoy them either, I can play with them when I have time to do so, or when I feel like it and not worry that they'll feel negletcted because they are not alive. I like to keep my resin collection small, but even so there are times when I don't play with any of my dolls at all, there have periods of time when I don't play with them for years at a time (some of them I haven't played with in more than three years). I don't feel like I have to do so either, because they are inanimate objects I collect, not living creatures. I sincerely feel like I love all of them equally, but I don't feel like I owe them time or attention because they are once again toys.

 

@UrbanHermit I tend to think of our dolls as embodying the characters they're shelling (since, well...) and thusly feel as if they have their own wants/needs - though of course I ultimately just treat them as the expensive toys they are. I also collect a variety of plush things, and off-topic dolls, and other figures, and other expensive high-end plastic toys, and I cosplay. It's quite busy, I suppose, but I do try and give the attention to anything I think needs it, and if anything in particular (even if it's a collection of gadgets) sits for too long unattended I do feel guilty (if only because they literally start gathering dust!). The BJD probably get the most attention as they are a nigh-constantly changing display space, whereas many other things are static once complete.