Did you play with dolls as a child?

Yes, I've played with dolls as a child. I've always loved them because, to my mind, dolls are one of the most beautifulthings in our world

 

Yes, I too played with dolls as a child and have lots of happy memories.

 

So. Did you play with dolls as a child?
I played with Barbies some because everyone bought them for me. My grandma also bought me porcelain dolls that were just to be displayed in my room.

Why or why not?
I hardly ever actively wanted any barbies (the ones I wanted were the unique collectors ones I wasn't allowed to open :<) and I never liked baby dolls (which is interesting because I plan to never have children too! lol) because i thought they were sort of creepy and I didn't get the point of them. I liked Barbies that had something special about them. Either a different design or clothing or like the mermaid ones and stuff. I wasn't really into playing the whole "Barbie goes about her every day life" thing. As for the porcelain dolls, I loved them. All they did was sit on my shelves but their clothing and carefully painted faces and intricate curls fascinated me. I thought they were beautiful and just liked looking at them. I thought they made wonderful decoration and I loved all the handiwork that went into them even if, looking back on it, I know they were nothing special. Just cheaper pretty dolls.

If yes, did your childhood love of dolls get you into BJDs or was it something else?
Partly I think. My penchant to "customize" my Barbies (often with terrible ends) and my liking to just admire the beauty of the porcelain dolls fits well into the BJD thing. Now I can customize the dolls and try to sew beautiful clothes for them then let them sit for me to admire until I feel like futzing with them again!

 

I didn't "play" with them, per se, but I designed and made clothes for them. I guess that's how I got into making costumes for the stage, and later for historical re-enactment. I still do all of them!

 

I've had plenty of dolls. Played with them when I was little and as I got older it became more about the clothes. Even now I make doll clothes for everyones dolls around me. If I make a human sized dress there will be a doll sized dress for someone.

I really like the larger sized BJD...better for for me to sew/knit for.

 

Me too! I hated the Barbies or something when I was a kid.
That's kind of weird haha.

 

As a kid I would have rather played video games or "house" with my sisters than with dolls. I actually got into Bratz dolls when I was in about 3rd grade to 5th grade and that was about it.

 

I hated dolls. A lot. I used to damage my sisters' dolls, and the last thing I wanted was one of my own! Now I love them!

 

I owned a lot of Barbies when I was little, but I always broke them, by taking off their heads, but I am happy to own bjds their heads detach. Lol

 

So. Did you play with dolls as a child?
Yes - but only when our neighbors moved in and their daughter (my best friend at the time) got me into it. Before that time my sis and I would go for matchbox cars and little plastic animals and things. Our mom didn't want us to have Barbies at first, but we did get them in the end ... I even had a childhood grail doll

Why or why not?
Well, my friend was into dolls a lot, and it was fun to play with her. Also she had Barbies and dolls that looked 4-6 years old, which I preferred to the baby dolls we had. Once we were old enough we stopped playing with them and started spending weekends at a time sewing and making things for them (saddles and bridles that were NOT pink for the Barbie horses, all sorts of clothing and accessories, furniture, you name it) - guess I haven't changed much

If yes, did your childhood love of dolls get you into BJDs or was it something else?
Indirectly, yes. Partly BJDs are what I used to wish all dolls were like: Jointed, customizable, comfortable to sew for. When I first saw 1/6 Obitsus I actually told my parents that someone had made my childhood dream come true So I got two of the little ones and started customizing away ... but I really wanted a bigger one, started researching, kept researching for a year or two and now I've got BJDs. So my childhood dream got me into the little ones, which in turn got me into BJDs.

 

By being a guy, no I did not play with dolls as a child. I had "Action Figures" lol! GI Joe (both the 12" and 5"), Planet of the Apes, Micronauts, He-Man, Mego Superheros, and Thundercats. My sister would make clothes for them which I would promptly take off and then use the offended "action figures" to raid her Barbie townhouse and take hostages.

The above mentioned sister is now the reason I have become addicted to BJDs so maybe she was on to something those 30+ years ago...

 

Zainan, your story is hilarious. Thank you for making my day. :'D

As for me, I never played with dolls either. Gave all dolls to my sister and went out to play dinosaurs in the mud. (No hostages, alas. Had to keep up the peace treaty terms)

 

I had forgotten until recently that I did love dolls as a child ..one of my all time favourite Christmas presents was my first ever poseable doll (pippa) who could twist her waist and had Knee joints, along with her boutique clothing set.

This thread just tiggered a memory of being told by my dad that I should be ashamed for asking for a doll for my 13th birthday, and called a big baby. And, that was that! It's taken me 34 years to come back to dolls (and now I've let slip that I'm no spring chick, damn!) Wow! isn't it funny how memory works!

Anyway, here I am, finally back dolls!

 

I played with dolls as a little girl. I liked Barbies, and baby dolls, American Girl dolls, and other figures--they were all fun. I had different scenarios for each type, and I enjoyed them at different ages.

I don't think that was what got me into ball-jointed dolls, though. I think there's definitely some overlap--I liked dolls then and I like dolls now. However, I like the appearance of the ball-jointed dolls much more than I ever liked the way a Barbie or a baby doll looked. I like being able to make choices about the hair and eyes, or even the face painting. I was not interested in really changing the way a doll looked when I was just a kid. I didn't want to take pictures of dolls. I didn't fret over the details of doll clothes--I wanted the playtime more than anything else. That's not how I feel about the dolls that I own now. It's a different experience for me.

 

MilkyTea -- Very well put! I enjoy the artistic aspects of the BJDs. Its not like I am playing with them or having them for tea. Not often anyway. Ok, never more than once a day! Seriously though, I am an artist in graphite, charcoal, and watercolor so they give me an outlet as faceups. I love woodworking and that manifests in the dollhouses and building of miniatures. My knitting and crochet goes towards making them clothes. I enjoy Dungeons & dragons so I can use that to make the doll's back stories. BJDs ties in someway or another int all of my hobbies.

 

I didn't. I'm a boy and my father didn't believe boys should be allowed to play with dolls. My brother and I weren't even allowed GI Joes or any action figures because he felt they wer dolls. We did play with our cousins' toys on the sly. I guess that made me want to even more . He has apologized since we became adults and said he was wrong.

 

I had a number of dolls as a child in all shapes & sizes...however nothing that compares to BJDs!

 

When I was little I always loved dolls, I had multiple barbies and brats but I didn't really play with them I just customized them with markers, heh. Then I got an american girl doll and kinda switched to cloth dolls like ragdolls and such. Then I found this one barbie that was sorta jointed and I had like five when I was 12. I have always loved dolls.

 

My mom tried to buy me dolls all the time when I was a child. Most meant nothing to me. I have the three that did. I was more of the chemistry set, model rocket kid which was difficult in the south in the 1950's and 60's. Girls just did not do such things. My dad actually had to go to bat for me so that I could join a model rocket club and the Civil Air Patrol when I was 15 because I did not have the one thing required to be a member...that was a penis.

I followed the same path most of my life, becoming an electronics technician (when women were not allowed to even try for the job at my company) and now a nuclear technician at a facility where they have never had a woman do this job....and I do it well for an old lady of 59. And now I also love dolls. Funny, huh?

Anyway, the dolls I love now are nothing like the ones my mom gave me when she thought I was going to be like her.......

 

not much. and i guess that is the reason i love dolls so much now as a grown-up. an over-correction i guess. i always wanted dolls and fuzzy toys when i was little.just love them !!