Did you give some of your favorite dolls to the street kids or Orphanage?

I'm not kind enough to give away expensive things to complete strangers regardless of age.
And uh, honestly...I can't remember the last time I've seen an orphanage. Do we even still have those here? I know we have foster care cause I've seen them and lemme tell you that game room...freakin' amazing. Food was terrible though. At least the rooms were private. That was nice. The building felt like a prison (who puts barbwire on a fence with children nearby?) but eh what can you do.

I don't mind donating books or buying new toys around christmas and tossing them in the collection bin with pretty wrapping paper and ribbons, because 1)it's affordable 2)Books are good for your brain and I'd rather give a new toy than a used one, but bjds...they're money sinks, imo. I don't know how I'd feel about giving someone who needs things something that eats money like a woodchipper does to wood.

I get wanting to brighten up a kid's day but I feel it's a bit impractical with a bjd.
That said, if I ever had a temporary lapse in judgement I'd probably sell the doll itself and donate the money instead.

 

I usually give the kids at the children's shelter the things they ask for on their wishlists. Generally, they want things like barbies, video games and legos. Last year, many of the kids wanted colorful rubber bands to make bracelets with. Normally, they want what all the more fortunate kids want. Older kids usually ask for clothes, gift certificates and things for school like backpacks. I've never had one ask for a bjd. The kids who are old enough to have one usually want things that are far more practical and will help them fit in better with their peers.

 

I really don't think giving resin dolls to young children is a good idea, considering the amount of small parts and the possible toxicity...

Also why would I give away something I spent so much money on when I don't know them and it's not even age appropriate? lol like really.

if I were to get a BJD as a gift for someone it would be for my BF or a close friend who is into the hobby.

 

I would not give a BJD to children, as I consider these dolls dangerous for children. If they fall onto a hard floor like tile, there may break a finger or something. Then if the elastic gets worn out, there may be the risk of the whole doll falling apart. Then you have many resin parts, among which are also pretty small parts (danger of swallowing), and the long elastic which is also dangerous.

And who will put this doll together again? If you do not know how, I think it is extremly difficult.

I really prefer to donate real toys or money to charities. Personally, I do support SOS Kinderdörfer. If you absolutely feel like using your BJDs for this, it would be better to sell them and donate the money you got for them.

 

Something DOA needs to do. XD Like buttons.

But yeah... These are way too loaded statements....

 

Agreeing with many others here. A bjd is not an item for a child and no I would not donate one to an orphanage. There are far more appropriate things to donate such as money, childrens toys, food etc.... Bjds are highly breakable, can be a health risk to children (small parts, toxicity of resin etc...) and are not meant for them.
I cannot really understand why the question was posed in the first place as it is kind of strange. It's feels like it is testing us out to see who would donate to charity when this topic would really give no indication whatsoever who does or does not do so. Just because someone would not donate a bjd doesn't mean that they don't help in some other more appropriate way.

 

I think the question is a bit silly since allthough these items are referred as "dolls", it doesn`t mean that they are dolls for children. There are many things that are named like childrens toys but are far from that. These dolls are collectibles and works of art, not something little children should have. I would never donate my dolls to anyone, even adults, and as a matter of fact, I wouldn`t even buy a doll to anyone as a present. To be purely selfish on this, my doll are mine! Also, I am not that rich that I could just randomly buy or give expensive dolls for all the ones who want one.

 

The idea of giving away a BJD to an orphanage just strikes me as odd! Children in that situation need food, support, a roof over their heads and the protection of adults who care for their wellbeing. I can't understand where a BJD would ever factor into this?

I understand donating toys to children, but BJDs are not toys (I am sure a few people I know would disagree with me)!

 

[MENTION=59715]Arashi Uchiha[/MENTION] - It's not available in General Discussion, but in many of the other sections of the forum there is a small heart icon in the bottom right of each post, so you actually can "like" many posts across DoA! ^_^

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In addition to all the reasons above, the material of BJDs is not child-appropriate (customization is a tempting venture for which they probably can't know or take the right health precautions) and the doll is composed of many small parts that, if come apart, are choking hazards. They are not toys for kids.

I've made ragdolls (easy to dress, carry, stuff into a backpack on first day of school... I know I did it as a kid! Haha) and plushies for my local city mission that distributes them as Christmas gifts to children in really hard situations. This year I'm also fixing up a vintage LittleTykes Dollhouse for the same cause. But a piece of art such as a BJD minimizes the benefit to the charity, since the charity generally has to re-sell such things to turn them into cash (think Salvation Army stores) and would make a deep price cut to sell it fast. Better off donating cash or something that can be given directly to a child.

 

Kids don't want bjds, kids want plushies and barbies and toy trucks. Bjds are heavy and awkward to play with, and with the price of ONE bjd you could buy toys for 10 kids. You need to think of the person receiving the gift, and not of feeling good about yourself by making a gift!

 

I don't think I can give my BJDs to anyone, they're expensive and kids really don't 'need' them. I think normal dolls like teddy bear will fit them. If them have BJDs, they need to pay more money for outfits, shoes and many more things.

 

Ridiculous. You can't eat a BJD, and the kinds of people you propose to "donate" a doll to would rather have food, warm clothing, or money for a few nights in a shelter or cheap motel. Nor do they have access to the resources they would need to sell a doll for anything like what it is worth. An MSD or SD BJD is large, awkward to carry around (especially for someone living on the street) and even if the person you gave it to valued it, you will have given them a literal "white elephant," something impossible to properly care for, and a burden.

If you are feeling that guilty, and don't have the ability to "keep your doll and give things away too," then use those resources you have, sell your doll, and give children money or food or warm clothing.

 

Guys I wouldn't get upset with OP, I think they just meant it as a question to think about and to play around with. Thinking OP would try to "trap" you is so silly.

My dolls are way more than just things or toys to me, they hold a LOT of value to my heart. I wouldn't give them away to kids as they are not a necessity for them... or me, honestly, but I did work very hard and they mean a lot. I WOULD, however, rather take those kids to a toy store and buy them all a doll they wanted THERE. I have done this before and the look on their faces when they get to pick out whatever they want on their own is heart warming. So I'd rather do that or donate to Toys For Tots or that tree thing I can't remember the name of and do that.

I do understand though that in the end, in a more world view of things, your happiness should not be put above others for things that are not harming you. They are just things after all. I understand this, I've given up a lot of things I love to people and children who just wanted it because I felt like their happiness mattered more than mine on something so simple. I think that's what you meant OP and meant for people to think about. But... for these particular kinds of dolls to all of us they are so much more than just things. They are our family, maybe even part of us. So it would be near impossible to give them up because of the way we feel about them and get attached.

 

And seeing that this person is a dealer she likely HAS the means... So this question is just all too loaded.

And I don't believe I'll be buying from that site either.

 

I work like a slave making nine dollars an hour and it takes me up to three to four months maybe longer before I can even afford to buy a Bjd. Sometimes I choose to skip meals and use less gas just to save extra money for a doll. The thought of just giving one away to someone else regardless of whether their less fortunate or is like putting myself in an early grave. I worked very hard to buy myself my Bjd and I would never give one away on a whim. It would literally be like throwing away three to five months of hard work, starvation, little traveling, and misery for nothing.

 

You don't maybe think that's... a little extreme for something so silly? Dollk is a wonderful site and if you ever need something that's limited and has been gone for a while - there ya go.

 

But maybe she has been asked by an orphanage or a kid for a BJD? So she genuinely wants to know if it is a good idea to give away BJDs to them or not? Without any bad thoughts?

 

I think rather than giving away something that's meaningful to you, if you really want to be kind, donate some of your doll money instead. Find an organization that fulfills a child's wish list and purchase some items on it. I think your heart's in the right place, but this idea of giving to "the poor" really needs to be focused on the needs and wants of the individual and not the label we slap on them.

 

I have given some of my favourite dolls away to less-fortunate children. It broke my heart to do so but I've never seen a child more happy than when I told her the doll was really hers. She couldn't believe it and couldn't stop crying. Mind you, the doll was not a BJD seeing the poor girl would barely enjoy those.

BJD are high-maintenance art objects, even a person with a full-time job struggles with the costs. Let alone a poor, misfortunate child. It it too fragile for children to actually be enjoyed by them. I've often visited orphanages, institutes and events where the less-fortunate gather and I always love to give away items I don't really need. It makes me happy to see them so excited about something that I wouldn't have even thought of value.

I agree with most here though that BJD will hardly make a street kid or orphaned child happy. They'd rather have your friendship, a shelter and food than material items. If they do want a material item it is often something practical to help them in day to day life. We should be very thankful for everything we have. Who cares if you can't afford a certain doll? Be happy you have a warm meal waiting for you at home.

 

Like others have said they wouldn't really have much use for them. Toy wise they'd probably prefer something soft to hold and fun to play with, like a plushie. A video game/game system would be nice too. And stuff like food. It just wouldn't make sense to give them a bjd, not even so much for the cost it's just not something that most would really want anyway.