Do you believe that some owners mistreat their dolls?

I think people are getting a tad too seriouse about this topic.

You can abuse any object like a computer ext.

But it is not the same kind of abuse as if you kick a cat or throw a small child down the stairs. Because as Humans nearly everyone in society respects that those thing are infact living have souls, and therefore by law are protected (quite right too!)

However if you beleive these dolls are alive and have souls and they are being abused thats your "beef" aka your personal problem. If someone disrespects your doll or stuff yeah fine that is even illegal to a degree. But society as a whole does not accept that these dolls have souls or are alive (a completely different topic.)

Fact is abusing a doll is not anymore illegal then driving over your £500 laptop. And at the end of the day if people want to do that let them get on with it and ignore them. As long as there not damaging your stuff thats fine. Seems like an excuse to have ago about something which I have learnt is pointless it is upsetting. But things that upset sometimes have to be ignored.

As for me I throw Theo ALOT. Yep you heard me.. don't be too shocked I tend to chuck him on my (soft well cushioned bed) Or drop gently by his leg into a soft coffin full or cushions and blankets. Me and Theo are always at odds with each other so it's ok... he always snaps his hand into my face when I put his shirt on so it's fair XD

And I often drag him by the arm out of bed for a photo shot. At the end of the day picking him up is hard in genral and he is secure and tight so I know he is fine with me doing this.

I doubt Theo is going to be on the phone to childline anytime soon.

 

I know it's been quite a few pages since this post, but I have something to say to this.

To me, a doll's not just a toy. No, it doesn't have a soul or any thing, it can't feel. It's not a collector's item, either. It's sort of inbetween, kind of in the same place as a book, in my opinion. You can't say it's JUST A TOY.

Yes, fine, go ahead and let children play with them. You can erase watercolor with magic eraser? Awesome. I care a little more about my doll, but, hey. It's yours.

Great, let them go crazy. I would let children hold my dolls, too. I'd prefer if they didn't hold them by the arms and legs, but I guess that's not going to break them. Now, letting a kid drag your SD through the dirt? Excuse me? That kind of hurts me on the inside. That's what I would call abuse. It wouldn't have been any more or less painful to ask the child if she'd like you to carry it for her. I can't imagine why you'd let a child do that, honestly. And the clothes! Please tell me you washed them after.

Now, I haven't been in this hobby for long, so I don't quite understand exactly how bad sun is for resin, but from what I've heard, three or four hours, just leaving them there, is ridiculous. A few hours wandering around in the sun, sure, but couldn't you have left them in the shade? You could've created the same photo story under a nice umbrella.

I'm just going to skip a couple paragraphs. I have nothing to say to the next two. And this next sentence...

I agree with it completely. But I really don't see how allowing a child to drag a doll across dirt can be called enjoying your doll, or even allowing others to enjoy your doll. I wouldn't let some one drag a book or a PS2 or a Monet print through dirt. You probably wouldn't either, I'd hope. Why would you let it happen to your doll?

 

i think that if someone misstreats thier doll then its thier doll to misstreat, they shelled out thier cash for it so they should be allowed to do with it as they please, but at the same time i would find it hard to watch lol

 

I let my son play with my dolls all the time.
But, a few good points on this.
First of all he's two and a half. He's not making make believe or acting out anything. He's trying to figure out how they're put together. He pulls their joints, streches their elastics, removing head caps held in with maganets, and pokes and prods them to see how they work. Its great for his mind, he's learning basic mechanics.

He is also sitting on his mother's lap where she can stop him if he get out of hand.

I don't understand glass case people. There isn't anything bad about putting dolls up for display, but I just don't see the fun in it. We all "play" with our things differently. Its our 500-1200 dollars, we can do as we wish.

 

I don't think a doll can be mistreated or abused, because those two words in my mind apply to living things. I believe you can possibly misuse a doll by say using it as a shovel in the garden, and misuse items on it such as sharpie or soaking it in acetone.
A doll in the end, is a physical item. Yes I believe that it's possible to misuse them and misuse items on them, but that's only my idea of what qualifies as misuse, and I don't really have any right to say that someone should do this or that with their own possessions.

 

I'm kind of dredging up a comment a couple of pages back...

This seems to be a common theme in this hobby... who "deserves" the doll more. It seems doll owners are often judged by "who loves it the most". But... them's the breaks. It's a free market economy, and I think that the person who buys the doll deserves it the most, whether they plan on pulling the doll apart and gluing the pieces to a canvas, letting it sit in a sunny window until it looks like a piece of lemon candy... whether they play with the doll frequently but carefully, or whether they leave it in a glass case in a sun-proof room untouched. None of these people are more or less "worthy" to own a doll.

If a doll owner feels that they deserve a doll more because they would have "loved it more" or "treated it better" than the person who did get the doll... tough cookies. It's a sad fact of the way our economy works. One person was luckier/quicker/richer, so they got the limited doll. And they should be allowed to treat it however they want, or love it as much/as little as they like. I might not personally agree with their choices, but I respect their right to do so.

 

I agree. They could stuff it down the garbage disposal, its their doll, their money. But for the people do spend and save their hard earned money these dolls have a certain value to them. They wouldn't just treat them so carelessly. I cringe every time my dolls even looks like their going to fall or tip over. Personally though, monetary value aside, I think it shows maturity when people take good care of things. Sure sometimes you could just go out and buy another one, but why would you want to? Its much easier to take care of what you have.

 

I think that some people will respect they're dolls more than others , maybe depending on how long they saved , if it was a gift , etc . but in the end it's just a possession and people have the right to treat it how they want.It doesn't have feelings to hurt. Some people may view putting double-sided sticky tape on the head to keep the wig on , as ruining the doll.Others might just view it as the obvious way to keep a wig in place.

 

first off, who would do that? But anyway. I think it all depends on the situation and what was done really. But as someone else commented concerning double sided tape for wigs, it depends on who is viewing it and what the owner of the doll intended.

For example-(sorry for offtopic) i have a 27cm obitsu girl and her wig wont stay on no matter how much velcro i use, so a friend recomended that i use low heat hot glue to keep it on, and that's probably what I'm gunna do, and dont worry, she's here on DoA so it's not like a random person suggesting it. Anyway, to someone who may have the same doll, that could be seen as the worst thing ever to do and I should get shunned from the earth because I'm doing it.

But if you're delibertaly like...taking sharpie to your doll out of boredom...or throwing them out of windows...garbage disposals...purposely mistreating your doll...then thats something different. if you dont want it...then just sell it?

 

My definition of doll mistreatment is either 1) never really taking advantage of the fact that you own one of these luxuries (manifested in several ways) 2) taking awkward unflattering pictures of them (nah that's just a pet peeve).

But I digress... like everyone has said, it's theirs and out of my control (therefore we shouldn't stress about it).

 

When I think about it the saying "There's never a wrong way to eat a Reese's" comes to mind. XD

There's technically no such thing as mistreating dolls. You can mistreat a kitten or child, but not a doll. You can burn the Mona Lisa. But that's not mistreating it. Same thing with flinging a doll into a volcano.

We've got strong attachments to these hunks of resin (accompanied by a lot of cha-ching), and our own views of the right and wrong ways to own a doll. We've learned different ways of care and play for them also. Some people wouldn't dream of touching a doll's face without gloves and wouldn't dream of using flash on them because of yellowing, others laugh when their dolls fall over on the grass outside in the middle of the summer during a shoot and even snuggle them. Do you play with it, or is it locked in a display case on the mantle, for example. It's kind of hard to accept how other people choose to do things sometimes, because we couldn't imagine doing said things to our dolls. From tossing them to someone across the room, to simply posing them, or touching their wig or cheek with a finger.

There are some of us that wouldn't mind letting a curious child hold their doll, others would probably have the kid crucified on the spot for even looking in their doll's direction with the notion of "Can I touch?" on their minds, you know?

As was said before, there's no real mistreating of dolls. Just someone doing what they do, differently than what you do, and your reaction to it.

 

I will just echo what everyone else has said, it is an object so it really can't be 'abused'. If you want to spend hundreds of dollars on something only to destroy it who am I to stop you? It's your money. There is always a small minority that enjoys abusing or destroying things though even dolls.
Of course that said, if I saw someone tearing up a doll and getting pleasure from it that would bother me. I'd get as far away from that person as possible because they have mental problems in my opinion.

 

I think dolls can be mistreated just like all possessions can be mistreated. I distinctly remember being a child and my mother yelling at me to take care of my things by not throwing them around or leaving nice new clothes on the floor. It's not a matter of the dolls having souls or feelings; it's as simple as taking good care of things that are important to you.

 

There is no such thing as doll abuse, one can only mistreat a doll.
If someone wants to do something unsightly or gruesome to their doll it's their business, and if it keeps them entertained enough to leave me and mine alone, I have nothing to say against it.
Live and let live, as long as what that person does has no negative affect on another or their way of life then there is no problem, leave it be.

 

As everyone has said its theirs to do what they want with, but the real problem is when people that don't take care of their dolls in another person's point of view touch or do things to someone else's doll.

There are dolls my husband and i stopped taking to local meetups becuase of a member who would grab and not ask. I had issues with part of a faceup disappearing after a person coddled, and hugged my doll into her obviously oily hair, or into clothes and linted onto my dolls faceup.... this person to one of my husband's dolls grabbed and moved a very limited doll he owned to pose around another doll ... okay so doesn't sound bad, but they posed her partially bent (very tightly strung springy doll) backed up to a pond... had she slipped she would ahve been soaked, special faceup by a very good friend could have potentially been ruined....

It is one thing to hug and coddle and dangerously pose your own dolls, but when you do it to someone elses without even asking because you think you and them are "cool with each other", that is when behaviour becomes mistreatment to dolls from another perspective.

 

and yes watercolor comes off and i found out later so does crayon. XD i found it on his butt. lol.

and i wash my dolls clothes often. is a germaphobe a bit, mom gets agrivated about how often i do that. saying it doesn't get dirty. lol she'd be surprised.

no umbrellas so nope couldn't. nor would've i wanted the lightening wouldn't have been as nice. (it would've helped me though when i started raining DX give you that) though my one white skin boy has yellowed alot since i got him in jan. and let me tell you i love him so much more for it. i hate white skin but now he looks like a pale normal skin.

i enjoyed it greatly. the cute little girl who my doll was nearly taller than dragged him over to her mom lifted him up the best she could and said look mom boy dolly. it was the cutest thing in the world to me.

and yeah i let people abuse books of mine, i've read books to kids and had them in my lap while they wipe there popicles over them. and i still find it cute. now on the ps2, i'd pay a kid to drag one threw chunked gravel drive way and toss it into incoming traffic. i have no video games so bad choice for me. and i believe kids don't get out enough do to them. i don't even own a game system. a monet print sure. a monet painting now. not quiet as easily replaced. so that might get held back.

and i enjoy the memories i guess as much as the doll. so the cute kid dragging my boy threw gravel is worth the few minutes washing him off and if it had which it didn't mind boggling, buffing out a few scratches.

though if it makes you feel better my puki stays away from children (obvious reason though not worries for the doll.) and my new boy stays away from small children after 2 weeks ago at renfaire this year. 4 year old learn how to pop out his eyes. and then tried to eat them cause one of the guys had given him candy eyes. i did almost die there, though not a worry for the doll again.

i guess i'm weird i care more of fleshies than resins in the pleasurement recieved from my dollies. only since i got my new heavy modded out boy (who i still let children handle.) have i've been worried about damage so i don't them run off with him so i can grab him if they drop him from weight or something but still it's not about to hender my enjoyment or hender letting someone else enjoy him either.

edit to add: what page did i post that on? dang it's been a while. lol i just got lucky seeing your reply to it. lol.

 

kuraiangels i have to say reading your post makes my stomach ache. I mean, you do whatever you want with your dolls, but like someone mentined, would you let the kicks drag around your PS3? Someone dolls worth more than one... and to me, if i was happy seeling my kid dragging a doll, i would give them a $20 barbie doll instead. For them there is little difference, but we know there is a huge one.

Price comes alot into consideration here. If the person is stupidly rich and having a $700 dolls destroyed means nothing, then fine. For me, who probably shouldn't have as many dolls as i do, the idea of having any of my boys scratched even makes me sick. Firstly they worth a fortune (specially my dollshe saint) secondly, i'm the kind of person who keeps even my dvds in their original wrapping, my manga collection is kept in a cupboard with keys... so yeah, i don't like having my stuff used and abused neither by me nor other people. Maybe i'm a materialist person... maybe i just value the things i have because i know how hard i had to work for them.

 

kuraiangels's post actually makes me get all warm and fuzzy and happy inside. To me she has the right idea about life in general. As much as we love our little resin babies, they are still just things and people are far more important. What is more valuable? The pure joy and glee of a child and being a part of their joyful and gleeful experience or an expensive doll? As far as I can tell, kuraiangels knows the risks she is taking and has simply prioritized the chance of making people happy over the monetary value of things. Dirt can just be cleaned off, clothes can be washed. Most of the time a replacement hand or limb can be obtained if needed or a doll restrung. To me, she shows a very wonderful kind of maturity - one that I hope to eventually reach one day.

When my girl arrives, she will be looked after, but not coddled. I will take her out, in a suitable doll carrier, not just willy nilly. I will play with her outside taking photos, sometimes probably getting mud on her shoes or clothes depending on the tearrain - I will try not to get it TOO dirty, but that is what the wash is for. I will probably let children touch her, as long as their hands are clean and they promise to play gently - but I probably would freak out long before the dragging the doll by the arms to show mommy point. I would probably show them how to hold the doll by the body instead. So yes, i am nowhere near the comfort level some people have, but I actually admire that. after all, if making other people happy makes you happy, and your doll makes other people happy when you let them touch and play then surely you are getting the most value from your doll by letting them do so? Unfortunately I am still too selfish with my toys in some ways.

Oh, and Saaya-chan - the PS3 is a bad example for kuraiangels, as she said - she HATES video games and would pay to have a kid destroy a console if it means that they are outside playing. So yes, she would let them drag around her PS3 and would probably encourage them to use it as a weighted jump rope. Her letting people treat her dolls like she does not mean that she does not value the dolls or that she didn't have to work hard for them. She just values the experiences she gets from the dolls more highly. Its all about where your priorities lie and hers are different to yours. And that is ok - we are all different and will treat our dolls differently.

I have no problems how people treat their own dolls as long as it makes them happy and as long as they respect other people's dolls and treat them like gold since everybody does have different standards (so give it the most deferential treatment possible unless told it is ok to loosen up a bit).

 

There is a level to each their own. The point of this hobby is two fold- some see it merely as collection based joy and others as experiential. I am careful over all with my dolls. I will let people hold them, but if they aren't someone I know or doll people I watch them. But I also do things that I know freak some doll people out. I've left my one doll standing on desk edge and left the room for hours. I know he wont fall over though. Or I've done some 'dangerous' posing that ended up with my one boy in a fountain. But I feel confident fixing things that potentially could happen because I do customizing and so know how to re-do a face up or oxy clean or sand. It makes me a bit more mellow about things.
I don't like to see dolls in the market place that have been sanded with a finger nail file or had sharpies used on them (and both have happened) or even if I saw one that had been dragged over gravel. It makes me feel sorry for the hunk of resin and that potentially the owner had to feel like they ruined it. But if a person wants to enjoy their doll and they are fine with the damage, it is their choice and there money. I don't agree with it, I would never do it to my own, and I would work to fix damage if I could get my hands on it, but it is their doll.
Some people probably think some the mod jobs I do are destroying a doll since they are carving into the resin. I'm making a tree nymph right now and I'm sure it wont be in everyone's taste. It makes me happy though, creates something I think (or hope will be) beautiful and unique, and lets me enjoy the doll.
Everything with a grain of salt has become my motto generally. It isn't fun to hear about, but it isn't ours to decide what to do and as long as it is a healthy enjoyment (not hurting a living thing or a malicious joy) it isn't our place to interfere or think we can.

 

i try and not to leave my doll laying around too much. most time i leave her on a shelf where people can see but not touch her. i think abuse of any kind, whether it be to dolls, people or animals. is wrong. living and non-living things, need the same amount of respect too.