Display or play

One of the main reason of why I stop collecting figurines and start buying dolls is because I can play will dolls. BJDs are designed to be handled and play with, only displaying them make them kind of defeat the purpose, in my opinion.

 

Not that I have mine yet, but I think I'll be doing a lot more play because I think i would feel like I'm not getting my money's worth otherwise.....that's just me, though. I really am looking forward to making/purchasing props etc and all the pictures!

 

I display them when I'm not playing with them but its usually play. Especially with my minifee they're just so fun! I really enjoy taking pictures of them too. I'm even planning on making a couple doll houses for them.

 

Ive allways been a "hands on" collector. I hated dolls that should stay in boxes like colletable barbies as a kid. When im not playing with them they sit on their shelf, in the bedroom which has blackout curtians because I hate the sun myself. lol. Otherwise, im posing one, dressing it, or taking one someplace for photos. So im deffinatly both.

 

Mine sit on a shelf with a double thickness cotton cover over them to block the light, I also close the curtains when the sun get that end of the house, I think I'll add a white towels to keep more light off them tho, having seen the other comments.

Play for me looks like changing outfits, sitting with them, imagining stories and writting stories relating to their characters a little photography now and then.

I'm nearly a year into the hobby now, and at first I was treating them like they were made of glass and would shatter if I moved them too much, I still move them gently and carefully but interacting with them is fun, so yeah, they get more play now. Never outdoors n still keeping them out of the light n away from dust, but I can still remember being given a 'special' doll as a kid, it was put in the cupboard, too nice to play with or some such I was told, I hated that doll. I was jealous of that doll, it was nice, I wanted to play with it, and if Icouldn't interact with it, I saw no point. Found it in the cupboard the other day, why the fuss mum, it was pretty average low grade vinyl.SUffice to say ???mum.

Your doll, your choice n all that.

 

I asked my husband for louvred shutters for the livingroom window as a combined Christmas and Birthday present so the louvres could be angled to keep the doll shelves in shadow while still allowing light into the room. They look great and I don't have to worry about somebody forgetting and opening the curtains while the sun is on that end of the house (even though the dolls are at the farthest end of the room from the windows, the sun is low enough in the winter months to reach that far).

Since I'm a displayer & player, our livingroom is awash with dolls (both BJD and off-topic), bears, and stuffies so it's always been a bit of an issue, even before the advent of BJD in our lives.

Teddy

 

I love to play with my dolls, touch them, change clothes, create outfits and make up stories.
Probably they are for me as living people who are at the same time silent best friends

 

I play with mine, though most of them are displayed in "rooms" of a glass and metal shelving unit when I'm not handling them. I make them clothes and regularly re-dress and re-arrange them. I intend to take more pictures of them in the future. I have OT dolls that I collected before BJDs that are more for display.

 

I love playing with mine too much to relegate them to display! That said I really do want to make some nice displays for them, so they can fulfill their true potential for me as interactive art pieces. So display and play for me!

 

I want to play but then end up getting in an existential crisis loop (want to play, but I'm an adult, there's no point in playing because they're expensive/I'm old/etc, life is short, etc) which just makes me sad lol. I currently have 2 of my bjd's pulled out to sit next to me while I work though

 

This is a neat question! I really don't have dolls that are just for display and I never really thought about it because, unless it's a one off, you'd want to mess with them a little.

My doll's get messed with equally. I don't really have any that are super limited so that makes it easier. I'm planning a couple of cosplay dolls but I'm even more excited to casually style and mess with them.

I will say I have yet to take a photo shoot outside though. I'm a little paranoid about them falling into the pond.

 

If by 'playing' you mean modifying them, working on them etc, then yes, I like to 'play'. Most of the time they are simply just standing there, though, because I don't have the time to work out the ideas I have for them, although this might change soon . I'm already watching wig-making tutorials.

 

play all the way lol. part of me wants to display them, and i did leave my newest standing on my (shady) desk for a few weeks in my old apartment, but im worried about sun a bit.... and more importantly, now i live in apartment with a chainsmoker on the other side, and given the fact that this new england 'apartment' is really a section of a regular house, secondhand smoke tends to seep through and poison my air :/ i dont want it seeping into my dolls.

i keep a boxfan in the window right now to keep my air pressure higher than his, which keeps the smoke out, but i worry about the power going out when im not home, or some other factor... and idk what i'll do in cold winter lol. so they stay safely packed away in their box and bag and only come out when i want to dress them up or need to try on a work in progress garment on them.

i also struggle with being too shy about carrying a doll around and worrying about their safety, so i havent worked up to taking my dolls out for pictures yet :'I but id like to take advantage of the lovely weather and leafy forests here at least once this year and take some photographs...! evolution of play, i suppose...

 

Sometimes play while sometimes display.
I like to collect so I have many dolls.
I think put them in the box will protect them well.

 

I am super hands on! Play for me is customizing, so painting and planning for sewing outfits and what have you. I also just like to have a "driving buddy" tbh! It makes me happy to have a doll or two near my art setup, even if they're not the one being drawn on

I live in a pretty dark apartment, so it's safe to have the dolls out. The only downside is I have very little space, so they have to take turns.

 

My doll usually sits on my desktop. I don't want to hide her in a box. Sometimes I take her somewhere outside to make photos. Once I would like to display her on event.
But as for author fashion dolls - I can't hardly image how to play with them. E.g. Popovy sister dolls (I don't have such a doll) - they look like a piece of art, specially in unusual outfit.

 

'Play', insofar as photography, clothing, having them hang out with me...

 

Play and store away for me.

 

I mainly display them but sometimes I'll play with them when I want them to pose for a new photo.

 

I definitely play with mine. They move around with me and sit in different places and get changed and interacted with. All very gently of course. And when they aren't with me they're displayed on a bookshelf in a diorama of sorts with chairs to sit on.