Do you think your doll has a soul?

No they don't have souls, but they do take from our energy, its like our energy is reflecting on our dolls, you know when you go to an old house and you feel that this place is having something from people who lived in who n longer living there anymore? it is like it captured their energy or a tiny bit of their souls, I guess dolls are doing the same

 

My Grandma (a very wise lady ^^) told me once that if you love something enough, you give it a soul. Human beings earn a soul through living, suffering, interacting, feeling...but inanimate objects can't do that on their own, and they need someone to love them and imbue them with the gift of a soul. So when I meet my dolls they are just cute chunks of resin. But when I dress them, brush their hair, talk to them, take photos with them, go on trips with them, and share memories with them, little by little they gain a soul

 

Thank you [MENTION=68018]MissyMagoo[/MENTION] you have just explained what I wanted to say 100 times better than me

 

No, I'm skeptic. But I'm a little jealous of those who believe.

 

A personality, yes, but I do not believe dolls have souls. I do believe each doll will take on whatever personality the owner gives it and if some believe that constitutes a soul, I would never argue with them. A piece of the artist is in each doll as well as a piece of the owner, making each doll unique.

 

[MENTION=68018]MissyMagoo[/MENTION] your Grandma sounds like an amazing, wonderful person. I couldn't have said it better myself, and in a sense, I feel like it also explains my feelings on the matter entirely... I'm happy to know there are people that feel that way about our little resin companions -and not only-

 

They don't have ......... you give them......

 

I wonder how many of the people who think their dolls are in some way alive or have feelings or souls are the same ones giving them tragic backstories and doing horror mods on their dolls lol

 

Because every few years we learn something ground breaking in human potential or science or tech - I can't say that I definitively know what has a soul and what doesn't. Personally I like the idea of "things" having a soul or some other part to their existence that we humans cannot perceive. So in that sense I leave my judgement open.

 

[MENTION=3379]Nefla[/MENTION] *awkwardly raises hand* although it's not the norm, in a cast of so many characters there are at least a few that have come from a background of less than favorable circumstances. In addition there are some that I pray I never meet the likes of in real life due to being down right frightening in what they do or used to do. Biggest nope ever.

 

I'd say I wasn't a believer in animism but, honestly, I tend to attribute human characteristics to things I like. Stuff like calling my car a girl and trying not to say anything offensive about it in its presence, lest it stall on me or something. I'm not sure I'd say I think the car is alive. I'm a writer, though. When it comes to characters I create, I do kind of think of them as existing in some abstract way that's parallel to me.

When I customize a doll, I think of it like I think of a character I've written or as an extension of that. I'll refer to them with pronouns and treat them with genuine affection. It's like having a stuffed animal when I was a kid. I'm not sure on the soul front, but I tend to instinctively treat dolls/statues/stuffed animals like they're sentient in some way that's unlike how humans are sentient.

Sounds kinda of silly to put into words, but I really don't think it's that uncommon or unhealthy.

 

Yes. They come to me empty and I give them the soul of one of my characters for safe keeping. I am often asked if I am afraid if one of my dolls will get possessed or gain a mind of its own; it is my belief that if I fill them up with enough personality and character and soul-ness (is that a word?) that they gain the being that you would wish them to have. If they are already full of great things they can't be taken by the bad. They have souls, personalities, things they like, and things they don't. They are expressive and unique even though they are made in a mold.

 

I've often wondered if the reason we bond with some dolls and not others has to do with some kind of spirit or soul. Even the OT dolls I make - you would think that since I made them, I'd love with all of them equally. But some end up put away in a drawer or box while some end up being part of my strange little doll family. Or why some dolls arrive and immediately inform you that they're NOT the character you wanted them to be, they're someone else altogether. Or why you see a particular doll and just can't get him or her out of your mind and you KNOW they're coming home to you, if not now, someday.

I do feel like there's some kind of presence there with the dolls I love the most. They're not alive - not like humans or animals - but they're not just empty objects, either. It's not a bad thing, it feels like there's something friendly around. And I don't think it's anything bad or unhealthy. I have friends, I have a life, but this is one part of it. And it's a part that brings me nothing but happiness.

 

my dolls have the life that I pour into them.

 

I don't know about a soul per se, but I do believe that whatever I give them I receive back. Love, care, joy, whatever. I like to think that they come to me with their own personality, but how I treat them will imbue them with heart and character.

 

[MENTION=68018]MissyMagoo[/MENTION] 's Gramma has it pretty dead on. I believe in souls. I believe my soul is one big bowl of jello. I believe when I really love and care for something, like a childhood plushie or a collectable doll, I give them a dibble of my jello soul. So yes, my most cherished items have a drop of my soul. This also applies to my works of art. Not every sketch, but something big, like a completely full sketchbook, it has a part of my soul.