Does any doll you buy have to fit a story?

Absolutely. If a mold I like doesn't fit an existing, loved character, then it's no-go. Maybe if I had unlimited funds to own every. single. character, then I'd probably go for a mold and try to make it into a new character, but absolutely not going to buy a "nameless" mold if there's a character I want to make first.
I'm struggling with this right now. I really want a DollPamm doll but it fits NO ONE unless I make a hybrid but the breasts are too small for one short character and too large for the other! So I either have to mod the body to have the correct bust size or I don't buy it at all.
This keeps me on a strict wishlist, that's a good thing for the wallet, I guess.

 

I had this exact problem with DollPamm's dolls; I really wanted one, but I didn't have a single character that could fit that size and shape, and just couldn't work out an excuse for her. I ended up "solving" it when I decided to add another doll family, and realized (after looking at a ton of other sculpts for her) that one of those characters was actually perfect for that shape! She's really a terrific doll, and I'm glad I got her, but I'm glad too I didn't get her before finding a character that fit one of the sculpts. It definitely works best for me when there's a character the doll fits.

 

For me it is all of the above. I like BJD's just because of what they are so I don't necessarily have to have a character in mind. Although I am writing a novel series (forgive me if I don't talk about it but that's sort of my policy ^^) and am very prone to buying dolls to fit into the characters. But the thing is, I have more "rules" about some characters appearances than others. So some of my characters (at least the hero/main character) I have such specific features set into place that it's hard to find the perfect doll to look like the character. So therefore I won't try to make him into a doll unless some miraculously similar doll sculpt comes out. But other characters I am loose about and am willing to make them into dolls--perhaps the dolls can help me fine-tune the characters even.
So to sum things up: I love to buy dolls that just look good. I am open to buying a doll and letting it inspire me to create a brand new character (I actually think that's about to happen soon with a doll I'm waiting on ^^). I buy dolls specifically to channel a character into the 3d world. And some characters I probably will not make into dolls unless I try my hand at sculpting it myself lol. This was a very good topic and I thank you for asking! ^^

 

I don't have any pre-existing characters to shell, the character usually just comes along on its own later after buying the doll, though there is a story (world) that any dolls I buy must fit. They need to look like they can belong in that story/world and not look out of place with any existing dolls I may have, like being stylistically too different or too disproportionate.

 

I make them fit my story!
I used to only buy Msd and Yo-sd dolls, although I always had this special soft spot in my heart for a DollZone Stramonium. Knowing she would be a weirdo amongst my dolls and not fit my story, I never went for her. Untill one day I also saw two SD guys I liked. I ended up buying Stramonium and decided on one of the big guys so she wouldn't be lonely. After recieving them I still got doubts for a year, deciding if it wouldn't ahave been better to sell them again and if they would find their place in my dolly adventure. But now I just changed my story around to fit them. I went from the 'normal size and pixie' story, to the 'normals' - 'pixies' - 'giants'. And although I'm aware it might be weird to other people, or even some would not make them a part of their story. To me, it gave me a piece of mind to have finally found a way to get Stramonium into my dollfamily, and yet make her not the only outcast. And I wouldn't trade my giants for anything

 

lately I find myself very much tempted to buy dolls that don't fit into any of my pre-existing stories, there are so many gorgeous dolls and there are some I just want, I'm sure that I can create a story for them in time or maybe that is just an excuse to buy more dolls that normally I wouldn't allow myself to buy.

 

I find if a doll doesn't fit anywhere in my story, it is unlikely to stay (with the exception of one head that mostly just hangs out on the head shelf until I want it to borrow a body and wear clothes the rest won't wear). Because of that, if I don't have a good idea how it'll fit in, I'm unlikely to buy a doll even if I like it.

That said, I've gotten really good at finding ways to fit just about anything into the story, so it's not that much of a limitation!

 

Mine doesn't have a specific story as context but she has her own story as an individual, how she was raised, why is she like how she is right now, etc

 

I'm an aspiring novelist. I basically look for dolls that embody the characters that I write about. I just really want to have real physical forms of the characters I write about and I think having them around would serve as a lot of inspiration. Does anyone else do this? Do you ever look for dolls with a character in mind or do you find a doll you like and then come up with a character for it? I feel like I'm in the minority here because I search for dolls with a name and character already in mind.

 

I think a ton of people do this. More specifically, 95% of the times I'm the same way; I hut for dolls that look like my characters. Sometimes it's a specific trait that pulls me in (Crobidoll Zion's eyes were just screaming Devon's name for example) and some others its the entirety of the sculpt (from the moment I laid eyes on my Immortality of Soul Chaos I knew he 'had' to be the one. No one else could possibly be Bosschan. All in all I find it hard to commit to buying a doll otherwise, I'm always much more comfortable if they had characters before I even selected them.

 

I got my girl with an original character in mind. It made it so much easier picking out a sculpt since I was just matching physical attributes.

 

There are plenty of people who do this, and plenty of threads about people doing this. I always have much better luck with the ones I bring home who have a character and concept waiting for them (both the OC group and the fan-character group); I only have four here right now who came without a character in mind, and only one of the four has truly settled into a character and personality for me.

And honestly, I love the chase itself, too! All the hunting for the right look, finding the right combination of head, body, height, build, wig, eyes, and wardrobe is just so much fun for me. Even when I get frustrated (like I have with the two incoming ones), that moment when I finally spot the perfect sculpt is just so great.

 

i only collect MSD girls for my girl school sort of dolly world setting...and since i'm no writer but an artist i just draw a bunch of little girl faces i find interesting and hope that one day i bump into one that fit my description of a certain girl...

it's sometimes a pain in the ass when you find the perfect eyes on the wrong set of nose and mouth and wish i had the skill of modding.

 

I plan to do this. I look for dolls that look like my characters but rarely end up buying them. Usually I end up buying a doll I fall in love with and then fitting them into my doll family. One of my characters Skyler in my Novels I have found a doll that looks just like him but I think well now that I found him do I really want him now he is not limited so he will be there and if not I can just look at the page. I usually buy dolls that look like other peoples characters. I have many that are based on other peoples characters and actors. One day I hope to have all my Characters from my novels in dolls but not quite yet.

 

I ended up having so many characters it became easier to look for dolls to be personal archetype actors that fit in to my library of face molds. It's easy for wide face with down turned eyes or thin face with round eyes. Each doll has a name so it's works out as so-and-so starring as this character and so-and-so as that but it works.

 

Some dolls have some stories, some dolls doesnt have. My case, Mostly boys have some stories but not girls :-) I don't know why, but I think girls doesnt need to, because they are so beautiful and nice. Just way that they are.

 

I'd rather say they make the story. Some of them fit the story, sure. But sometimes I see a doll, fall inlove and then just have a new story/new story line/new events in my story.
They make my story alive)

 

None of my dolls come from stories/are a specific character, but I still like to believe they have their own traits~ I do believe that they are all part of a family though~ (since they're living together )

 

no all my dolls have their own personality and their own place so they do not always fit in a story I will make a story for them of their own if they do not fit a current story I am working on.

 

My first doll was bought on a whim, so she didn't really fit any preexisting character I had. Not that I had any to begin with. x'D
However, after receiving her, she somehow formulated her own personality [though, at present, it's still continuously evolving], and somehow, while creating her story, I ended up with 4 possible characters who themselves have skeleton personalities as of now.
Anyway, I think that I wouldn't go so far as to not buy a doll just because he/she doesn't fit into my story. I think that as long as I like him/her well enough, I'll probably get him/her. Anyway, I'm sure that in the end, the doll would be able to fit or adjust into the story anyway, so there's really no problem. At least that's what I think. xD