Choosing your first doll - How hard was it for you?

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I had been wanting to get into the hobby for a while, and I decided that if I was going to spend the money, I was going to get the doll I first fell for.
And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
I got tingles when I saw his picture, and by chance I was browsing on ebay not even looking for or to purchase a bjd, and I stumbled upon an auction for him, at an incredible price and won it. I knew that I had to get it then, because it was just meant to be!
Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
Nope. I am estatic. I got what I wanted.
Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
DoD H.Ducan named Aiden.
extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
Yes, I decided he was going to be a Christmas present to myself.

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I did a ton of research on different companies and decided to go with LUTS. Their sculpts appealed to me the most. I have two in mind but am leaning towards one. I want an SD size.

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
I felt an instant connection to the sculpt.

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
I am still saving so can't answer this yet.

I am almost 100% that either sculpt I choose (SD kara or SD Laila. Most likely Laila) I will love and have no regrets.



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How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I decided that if I was going to spend a lot of money on (essentially) a toy, it would the one I wanted the most, regardless if the price was higher than some of the others I could have gone with.

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
For a while I was happy to just look at photos and enjoy from afar. The moment I realized she would be my first was when I started to customize her in my head. I thought of the cute wigs and eyes I could try out on her. And planning cute clothing for her to wear. I started to look on flickr for pictures with all different styles and then I knew-she would be mine.

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
Nope, not even a little bit. I had a hard time finding her at first and almost fell for another but I held out. And I know it was the right decision in the end. If I had bought the other doll I'm sure I would love her just as much, but I would not have been able to get my dream girl because I would not have had the money and I would still be without her. And I'm sure I would be pining for her still now.

 

How did I decide? I did no research and wasn't even intending to buy a bjd at all. Although I had admired them for a couple of years, I thought they were expensive and hadn't seen one I really liked, plus I was scared of ordering from Asia online, and hadn't heard about dealers either! I chanced upon an Angel of Dream Qian on ebay one day, and I liked her pleasant, friendly face - she looked 'normal' compared to some bjd I'd seen - so I ordered one after seeing some youtube videos about Qian, which mentioned happyhouse dealers in China.

When did I know she'd be 'the one'? As soon as I saw her on ebay. Although I didn't get the one from ebay as it was nearly the same price for a new one, so I figured I'd rather have a new one.

Was I happy with my choice? Well at first I was - especially as I only had to wait a month for her - but when I joined the forums and started looking at other dolls, I did wonder why I'd chosen her! She's NICE, lovely quality and well designed - but not remarkable or special in any way, so I wonder why she was 'the one'. I still have her though, and couldn't bring myself to sell her - I'm giving her to my son for Christmas so she stays in the family

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I knew I wanted an SD sized doll first (If I had to cough up that much money for a doll I wanted to go big. And then I ended up with the smallest SD sized boy there is....heh.). I had a list of features I was looking for in my first doll. It was all about eye and mouth shape, expression and something I have a hard time explaining but will try anyway: I wanted a doll that looked almost out-of-focus, with soft features. So many dolls have very defined features and that turned me off when I first started looking because it wasn't what I wanted. I draw and this picture over my desk that I was using to compare. I was only using the terms "ball jointed doll" to search with because I didn't know any others, so all I found were "bigger" companies like Luts, Volks, DIM and some dealers - I looked at Junkyspot, but none of them had anything I liked. I was pretty fed up with looking at one point, and remember thinking that this would be my last search...and Dollmore came up. As like, the second link. :/
Why it hadn't before I don't know XD but I went there and found my doll the second the site loaded.

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
Real answer: the second I saw the thumbnail on the front page. I didn't even need to look at the other pictures (I did. They made me want him more)
"proper" answer: six months later when I still hadn't changed my mind and was ready to actually order.

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
God no, he's perfect. I'm very glad I got into this when I did, if I had waited longer or searched better or joined DOA first I might have second-guessed myself or kept searching and bought something else first and it never would have worked. I'm going on 6 years and I have yet to find anything I like more.

He actually worked out better than I could have hoped, the longer I was in the hobby the more I realized that due to his odd size, he's the only doll I could have picked for his character and still had others to go with him!

Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
Dollmore Kara Klum. I still own him (he's sitting on my desk right now looking annoyed...) and now I also own 5 more! *twitch*

extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
No present. It was all me.

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first? I was looking for a doll that looks similar to my original character


And when did you know that this doll should be your first? Because I think he looks like my favorite original character


Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one? Maybe because I order him with no face-up and his face is so small I can't give him a face-up, I don't know how to do face-up (my sister said it would be too easy but I was an idiot for listening to her > ) It's so hard for me but I really like him


Which doll was your first and do you still own it? Dante from Cherishdoll, and yes I still have him.


extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present? --

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
-Well, basically it happened right after i found out all this bjd-thing. There was a website, dealer of several companies, and i didn't know that there was another place to buy them, nor about other companies... So i had very limited choice at first.

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
-I just kind of picked out the one i liked the most... And that's it.

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
-Actually... I didn't see any bjd in real life before, like, at all, ever. So i had nothing to compare her to. Probably if i had some more time to think and choose, i'd order a different doll. But i preferred to not to think about it and just enjoyed my time with her. I must say i was happy, we cuddled, walked in the forest, i took pictures... Yes, i did wish that maybe i ordered someone else though. But after all it was alright.

Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
-Dollzone Tintan! I actually never thought she was pretty, even when buying her. But someway she just stole my heart! I didn't know why it was her, there were so many prettier ones, and i knew it very well, and still she was so cherished. I remember looking on promos over and over again while waiting, loving her before she even arrived. I still have her. But i modded her head. And now can't find it, oops. But it has to be somewhere in my house.

extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
-She was a New Year present actually, my mom bought her for me for New Year. But she would have ordered anyone i pointed out, so i had a choice.

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I had been considering getting a doll for months and LOVED the Dollzone Helen mold. We were rping heroes at the time, and my friend got the doll for the twin brother of my character. I felt Helen's sculpt was perfect for that character (Zee) and felt drawn to getting her first. What sealed the deal was another doll friend had a yellow skin female body in the right size and wanted to sell it for another body. I went to my first doll meet and when I had money left over, put down my first payment.

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
The moment I got to play with the body and my friend went "I love the body... it's just not right for this character... I think I might sell it." I looked at the yellow skin and went 'I can live with that versus pink skin' which was my first choice.

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
Not really. I loved the face and I knew that I would love it more with the face up my friend could give it (the one who owned the body). I thought she would be a very good first doll and I still love her to bits.

Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
My Dollzone Helen, yellow skin. I do. She and her brother need more play dates.

Extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
I did choose my own doll.

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I wasn't sure whether I would really be into BJDs so I picked a safe size, a YOSD.
And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
Coz she was the only other doll that jumped out at me and demanded me to buy her.
Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
While waiting for her I went on other sites and I did regret choosing her for a while. But after she arrived I've fallen in love with her again. I just wish she was larger in size now...like, as in grown up.
Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
Peakswoods Naomi. Yes I still have her.

Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
Yep. Bought it with my own money.

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
My first doll, or rather my first customizable asian doll, was off topic for DoA. I bought her because she was available in a store for me to see in person, and dirt cheap. I wanted something very inexpensive, to figure out if I'd actually like dolls as much as I thought I would.
My first BJD was the one I couldn't stop looking at. I had access to DoA as I was looking, and it wasn't that long ago, so I had tonnes of variety. Dozens of dolls made me go "oh, pretty" but only he made me go "WOW" and keep going back to his page time and time again.
And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
Maybe a week or so after I found him, when that initial admiration hadn't gone away and no other doll did the same thing for me. I found a lot of dolls I really liked, but he was the one I adored and just had to take home. Well, a few of the other sculpts from the same company also gave me pause, but in the end I thought he was the best combination of aesthetics and size available.
Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
No way! There are times when it's annoying that my first doll has such weird measurements, but I think I just like more stylized sculpts. I'm also really glad that I had a starter doll experience first, with said off-topic doll, so I didn't freak out too much about the price.
Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
A Doll Chateau Ingemar, in WS. Yes, I definitely still own him.
Extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
I was fully financially independent when I purchased him, so I had full say over what I spent my money on.

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I fell in love with the BJDs I had seen at MCM Expo in London, October 2006 and felt there was no way I could ever afford one. Even so I began to save up. So the biggest factor in choosing my first doll was price.
And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
When I had saved enough money for what I thought was a good BJD at a cheap price...
Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
Definitely. It was not a BJD as defined in this forum, it was plastic and nowhere near the quality I was expecting. I wish I had saved a bit longer for a better doll or researched more.
Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
It was an Obitsu, and No I do not own it anymore. Unfortunately after a couple of years the plastic joint at the stomach crumbled and I did not know where to get the replacement parts. I sold her for spares.
Extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
I chose it, my fault, lesson learned.

 

It was hard because all the dolls within my budget didn't suit my tastes...until I learned company photos don't always do them justice!

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?

It was very much love at first sight. I just loved her big expressive eyes.

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?

I was looking on the net for a tiny bjd and happened to stumble open Luts and the Tiny Delf Dorothy just happened to be my favourite on there at the time

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?

I love my Amy and still love her as much as ever and always will. I do wish I would have chosen the Zuzu Delf Bichon who was out at the same time as her but i never checked the Zuzu section because I had a fixed idea in my head I wanted a little girl….

Which doll was your first and do you still own it?

She is a Tiny Delf Dorothy. Of course I still own her she is far too precious to me to ever be sold or traded, she will always be my special one even if I should one day happen to get my grail doll

extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?

I had 300 pounds spare in my bank account in November so i decided to get myself an early Christmas present

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
On the beginning I didn't have much idea about where I could order BJD from my country and so I searched it from internet. I bought my first boy (DF-H Xiangyi) from a German dealer. He caught my eyes and the price was ok for me to try ( I used to be afraid of losing money and got something I didn't really like).

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
His sculpt and price caught my eyes.


Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
No. I was so happy that I chose him as my first doll. Even though I had 2 dream dolls but I was bonding with him the most.

Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
He was Doll Family-H Xiangyi and he is still with me and will always with me. I won't sell him definitely!

extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
Yes. I chose him by myself.

 

I fell in love with BJD's when I saw my friends doll. I knew I had to have one of my own. I searched every site I could on the web and found a doll I really loved. I chose a Doll Family doll that was EASILY affordable and I LOVED her sculpt! If she had been more expensive I probably would still have gotten her, because I love her look so much.
I have NEVER been unhappy with my choice. In fact I own TWO Doll Family Ellas. One with a store faceup and one with a custom face up. I prefer the original faceup, which is what made me fall in love with her in the first place!
Yes, I chose her.

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
First, I decided on the size I liked. Tiny! :3 YOSD/26cm seemed to be the upper limit of size I was interested in, so I looked at everything I could find between those and the smallest tinies out there!
I was narrowed down to a PukiPuki or YOSD, and collected a folder of images of about 6 dolls I would have been happy with any one of,
and then BOOM. Discovered Eun-Ryoung. I don't recall exactly where I first saw OceanMoon's name, but as soon as I got to their site and saw their sculpts I was done considering anything else.

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
The body looked right for what I imagined, the posing was nice, and the face so sweet. What really did me in though was that I fell so hard for the Limited Edition (2) Knit Set Eun-Ryoung girls. I loved her slight smile (that was a requirement for me!) and big innocent eyes. But I was scared off by the price, and that's how I ended up with a blank Eun-Ryoung as my first BJD!

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
As soon as she arrived, I was so thrilled and had no regrets. Over the next few days and weeks, I realized that the extra cost of the limited edition of her would have been completely worth it, since I have spent about half as much money in art supplies and about 2 work-weeks worth of my own freetime trying to make her look as nice as the LE. I now find myself scared that someone else will get the LE before I can save up enough for her, but if possible I'd buy her when it seems rational for me to spend so much on a twin sister for my girl... =_=
I don't consider it the case that I regret the blank doll, I just wish I would have known not to be afraid of the extra cost for all the accessories, clothing, wig, eyes, and faceup.

Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
26cm girl "Eun-Ryoung" by OceanMoon, and yes I still have her (it has been one month now!) and love her SO much!

extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
I did choose her. I requested faceup, but it was not available at the time.
Otherwise the she was exactly everything I could have dreamed my first doll to be!

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I knew I wanted MSD size and I knew I only had about $200 to spend. Also I didn't want to order outside of America because I'm terribly impatient so that basically limited my options to what was in stock with US dealers.


And when did you know that this doll should be your first?

Honestly, I had a kind of "the stars aligned" moment when I had just the right amount of money, the doll I wanted was in stock and with normal skin AND a faceup, and I had finally found some owner pics that sold me on her.

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?

Absolutely not! I absolutely love her! She is a very pretty sculpt and even though her posing is sort of fickle, I love her body and face so much it doesn't even matter!


Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
Resinsoul Ya and yes I still own her. I'll probably never sell her because a) I still enjoy her quite a lot and I can't imagine just not wanting her anymore and b) I treated her pretty poorly when I first got her because I didn't really know what I was doing when I was handling her. So since she is pretty cheap to start with, plus the little scratches and minor stains, I doubt she would be worth very much anyways


extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?

I was able to choose it! At this time in my life, I was still embarrassed that I was getting into dolls so I didn't dare share that information with anybody who would care enough to gift one to me :b

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
The first go-round it was an Elfdoll Rainy Soah. She looked extremely realistic, proportionate, and very asian. She was beautiful. Now that I've returned to the hobby years later, I had planned on starting small with a 1/4 sized girl... Ended up seeing a 68cm Resinsoul Ling on the marketplace, and loved her sweet face. So, she'll be my second "first". So much for starting smaller. At least her pricetag is easy to swallow.

And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
Pretty much the second I saw the photo. There was no doubt. I immediately put her on layaway with Junkyspot.
With Ling, I pondered over it for a few hours. Talked to my fiance about it. Asked the seller a few questions. He encouraged me to go ahead, so I did.

Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
I was never unhappy with my decision to get my Soah. In fact, she was even better than I imagined when she arrived. I battled with whether or not I wanted to add a Sooah also, but never regretted anything.
Ling hasn't arrived yet, so I can't say for certain.

Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
I sold my Soah long ago to someone on here. I regret selling her now, but at the time, it seemed silly to keep her. I never had time for dolls and we kept moving so she and my other two dolls just stayed in their boxes in the closet.

extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
I chose both dolls myself. I wish someone would decide to gift me a doll, but I doubt that'll ever happen considering the prices

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I think, I just saw her and liked her.
And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
Her face, her clothes - everything was just perfect for the character I imagined.
Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
I've never been unhappy with my choice.
Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
It was Souldoll Arina. She is with me for now.
extra question: Were you even able to choose it? Was it a present?
It wasn't a present, I chose it myself.

 

How did YOU decide which doll should be your first?
I always wanted to have SD size and decided that my first must be girl. So I started my search.
And when did you know that this doll should be your first?
She was only 1 (!!!) I liked between of all companies.
Did you get unhappy with your choice? Do you wish / did you wish that you've ordered another one?
More than 2 years passed, but If I'll need to choose again I'll make the same.
Which doll was your first and do you still own it?
It is Angel of Dream Yuki and she is still with me.