Do you appreciate your dolls less when you have more of them?

I took 11 to Pam's meetup in one of those little folding rolling carts they sell at Staples. Granted, five were tinys and it wasn't a long distance, but there was plenty of room for more if I'd needed it. I also have a half dozen cases of each size if they need to go farther/need more protection.

 

I'm jealous, sometimes. People like pony_gery I can't help but wonder if they're secretly someone like Bill Gates, or some other millionaire!
They're soo lucky to have that much money to spend on a hobby that they love.
However, I'm happy with Daisuke. I'm going to buy two more, only because I want to give a 'body' to two of my characters. However.. 2 tiny ones cost more than my big one did. @____@

 

I try to buy dolls I'll only love a lot. I could bond with virtually any doll. (>_<) So the problem is finding the perfect ones that will keep me content.

I plan on moving a lot, so I don't have room for many dolls. (T____T)

 

Wow, I loved reading this thread.
Once everything settles around here (hopefully by the end of feb...), I'll have a population count of 5.25. A LaTi white totally doesn't count as a full doll when it can fit in someone else's lap. XD Shh, I like denial, and it likes me. I'm hoping this is my limit, but you never know what may come out next year.

I don't consider my boys a collection. This is more like a collection (that's also mine, so I think I can accuse myself of collecting there... ^^; ). So what's the difference between the two for me? The individuality. If someone came to me saying, 'can I have your whole Rockman figure collection if I give you the exact same collection back?', I would say sure. Hell, they could burn my old collection if I had a new one exactly like it (there are some of sentimental value for me, but general point still stands).
Now, everyone's doll is their personal thing. If someone came up to me with Riku's creepy cloned twin, I would not trade Riku for the clone. It wouldn't be the same.

I just hang out with and play with whoever demands attention at any given moment (Idea happens to be a loner, in which he doesn't want attention, and that's okay too. I fuss with him when he lets me). And, you know, some are just more social with strangers than others, so they're the ones to go to meetups. I've yet to have anyone really feel left out of anything.

 

I own four dolls. Next year, I plan on acquiring my fifth doll. That will complete my core cast of characters. I have a sixth character in the back of my mind niggling to be realized in resin form, but she hasn't pestered me like Cady, Tam and the Elisden girls have.

In my opinion, "too many dolls" is when you stop having fun with them. If playing with your boys/girls gives you a bad case of guilts/resentment because you keep thinking of how better else you could have spent your money, then... yeah. And I'm speaking to myself here, too.

I have had moments where I think, "I could have all of my DVD collections completed, and some new clothes, and some new books, if not for my dolls!" Then I start laughing, because the longer I wait to complete some of my DVD boxsets, the cheaper they'll be; plus, I hate clothes shopping, and I always get books for Christmas and my birthday. Besides, nothing compares to the fun I've had with my girls. ^____^

 

Exactly! :smile:

 

I don't have as many as most but I love each and everyone of my dolls and I absolutely love the joy they bring me. I bring them with me quite often...almost everywhere I go, to school, to work, out to friends houses, meet-ups, conventions, etc.

I don't always take all of them...I only take all of them to places I trust 100%
(ie.my friends houses and now soon to be all Ningyo-con meet-ups(the people there are just wonderful))

I have a friend Geri (know as Pony_Gery on DOA) and she is one of the most wonderful people I've ever met and it's such a joy to see someone love and cherish thier dolls the way she does. she loves all of them individually and can most definately look at each doll and tell you why she loves each and everyone one of them. She's crazy about all the dolls she has and I've never seen a single doll of hers be "neglected" or go unappreciated...Geri and me are two totally different people and we sometimes have a few different veiws on certain dolls but we both know that these dolls bring us Joy and happiness and isn't that all that really matters?

and I agree with the people on the board who think it's a bit silly to compare caring for dolls to caring for cats =^-^= it's such a big difference...situation wise.

 

well put! that's just why I feel I couldn't "collect" dolls. it would be like saying I have a "collection" of friends. =)

 

Windswept - your Rockman collection is glorious beyond words! O_O

I definitely think that with a hobby like doll collecting, you can approach it from 2 different ways - you can treat it like having a family, or you can treat it as having a nice collection to look at/enjoy. Either way, if you're happy with it then that's all that really counts.

Personally, I can't see having more that 4 or 5 dolls, because I worry about being "fair" a lot. When I was a child I'd strictly rotate which of my Beanie Babies sat in bed with me at night because I didn't want any of them to feel unloved, and I think I'd probably end up being just as neurotic about it today if I had a mass number of dolls. ^_^; Right now 4 looks to be the magic number to me.

 

For me, having too many dolls makes them definitely less special. At one point I had a SD, a SD13 and 3 MSDs and it was definitely too much, so I sold off 2 MSDs.
Now I have one SD and one MSD left, but in the mean time I got Unoa, Narsha, Liebchen and a few small ones, so it's doll-selling time again.
Having too many dolls, too many clothes, too many wigs makes me feel oppressed. I can't travel light in life, I need possessions, but I try not to travel too heavy.
Currently my favorite are Liebchen and Unoa, I don't touch my SD and MSD anymore.

 

It doesn't make me depreciate the dolls. I think what it does is make it harder to split my time between them all. I don't play with my dolls like I used to 5 years ago, they sit in my room facing my bed, and I move their positions from time to time - and take photos of them - but they have a fairly quiet life. I write stories about them, and they have a rather fascinating 'life' outside of my home, and my love and affection for my dolls - stem from being tangible expressions of beloved characters.

It was easier when I had one or two, to buy them clothing or accessories, shoes. But now that I have 7... It's a bit harder to purchase things for them individually when clothing and other items can run me upwards of $200 for each doll. And then it's a matter of who gets to have some camera time... Or who goes to a meet up - or to the latest dolpa.

Sometimes some of my dolls even have extended holidays with their respective 'partner' at his/her owner's home. Xashi and Kiba have stayed with Alexial Leigh and her dolls, for months at a time - and I've missed them terribly when they've gone. Nobu goes to visit his sister, who's owned by PandorasToyBox. Only Bailey, Shady and Kylyk stay home. It could be because they're white and I fear accidental sunlight exposure, paranoia and all that... Or it could be that I can't be away from them for too too long. ^_^;;

What I have realized... Is that when I buy a new doll - if I don't have an immediate attachment... and she/he's in limbo - then it makes it harder for me to keep him or her.

 

*****n/a*****

 

I just hope people can read and appreicate everyone. Because remember....it is because of people with "massive" collections who KEEP buying lots of dolls that KEEP these companies making more and more dolls for us to enjoy!
If everyone only had one or two dolls, why would the companies want to make as many as they do? Look at Luts who's planning on many more tanned dolls and DIM who's expanding and all the new Volks (amoung other companies).....It's just amazing. These people are helping make them more accessible to us who don't collect as many. It also gives us the opportunity to see owner pictures of dolls we may have never seen before and let us see if we really do like it or not.
I heart BJD collectors in general and think it's great that everyone has a different amount and personality for their dolls.

 

Well Said Angie (evolving_me) =^-^=

 

I really played around with the doll-people I wanted to live with - I'm one of those people who is litterally overflowing with stories and characters all the time - but I just...flirted *grin*, till I found the combination that felt really /right/. That happens to be four - it may change, I suppose, but then again...it's been that way for a while now, and who they are just seems to balance perfectly. For me, I guess it's less a matter of how many, and more a matter of who they are. Some, I'd connect with no-matter what - others I probably wouldn't be as close to even if they were the only doll I had...

 

Haha! Don't know how I missed this topic, since I think that the poster was addressing it to people like me. When I first fell for this hobby, I planned to get only six -- I knew from the start that one or two wouldn't be enough. Well, once I got six, that still wasn't enough. You see, each of my dolls has a specific personality and relationship with the other dolls and embalances can develop where someone needs a playmate or significant other or relative, so I need to get another doll to bring things back into balance. I'm at thirteen now and have roles in mind for three more, but I've given up saying that I going to stop at a certain number. I love all my dolls dearly and equally and while having more means less time for each one, I find that I am still able to spend "quality time" with them.

Having said that, I totally admire BJD people on either end of the spectrum. The ones who have one or two very special dolls obvious have such close relationships with them and I think that it is so sweet. And then the ones with many dozens of dolls obviously appreciate the great beauty of their dolls and I'm so glad that they share pics of them with us. I think that we should keep in mind that no matter how many dolls we have, we are all BJD people and should strive to support each other, since the rest of the world thinks we're nuts.:wink:

 

Hmmm, in my house there are currently 4 dolls, with three more on the way. My mom and I share this hobby, and we've tried to decide on a set number, but we really feel we can't. I don't take my dolls with me other than to meet-ups, so I don't worry about any of them feeling neglected. They all stay in the same place, and when I talk to one, I talk to them all. So I'm sure I will purchase more if I find ones I love; I don't think I'd be able to set a limit on myself.

Everyone needs to decide what is appropriate for them, personally. Some people are happy with just one doll, while others might end up with hundreds. As long as they bring you joy, that's all that matters!

 

I have had nasty thoughts about people with lots of BJDs before.. but that is because I'm jealous, childish and I suck. I try not to think that way. I'm really just jealous.

I think if I had the money I'd also want to surround myself with beautiful things. And I'm saving up for a $6k doll, which is worth a dozen BJDs.. or a nice car. I can't judge. >_<

 

I second Kellyhime's emotion--I feel like this is the perfect thread for me and I'm glad it was not locked. ops:

I have seven. (Don't do it my way. Do it Kiyakotari's way instead. It's a good way. Avoid the use of pretend money whenever possible.) I meant to have just one, Caro. Then I tumbled very rapidly down the BJD hill, stopping within inches of falling off the Yukinojou cliff.

I feel like I'm right at the edge of my quantity envelope. I love my posse very much. But there's things that haven't happened that need to happen. Simon has a tattoo coming. Ira's got this series of letters to write. Martin needs proper clothing. And Tseng...er...

Tseng: <patiently> Well, a body would be nice.

GJ: ops:

I feel like the right direction for me to take my hobby is delving deeper into the dolls I already have, not necessarily spreading my resources and time out even more thinly. Of course, your mileage may vary.

There are other dolls I would like. (I am also, terrifyingly, starting to ogle antique takeda-ningyo. No, no, no...) A girl dollie would be nice.

Fontenrose: XD We REALLY need a girl.

But the real issue for me, aside from questions of time, is that I really want to adjust my pace. I can't repeat last year's performance. It's not that I'm dead set against more dolls, but I want to approach it differently, more deliberately. And with real money. ;-)