Dolls and Conventions

Ahh, this is good to hear. XD *reading up on this thread*

I recently received a Dollfie for Christmas. I plan to bring him to FAnime 08 and AX 08. It's good to hear that he'll be safe and such at cons. I was worried to bring him somehow and how to bring him. Thanks for everyone's input into this thread. It makes it good to hear that cons will be good. ^^

 

yeah i second that...everyone is very helpful and nice! ive had alot of things handed to me that ive dropped ^^;

ive been to cons and seen dolls there and i certainly wouldnt be afraid to bring mine. its nothing to worry about, just take usual precautions. however im on a con hiatus for a year or two.

 

Word of advice: Have your doll Cosplay. They'll fit right in, and no one will go "SCARY DOLL D:" cause they'll think he's just another "action figure" (albeit a freaaaaaakin' awesome one! :3)

If you do get protective, then I highly advise watching how people ask to hold your doll. If it's nonchalant, loose hand point, and they are very relaxed, they are probably going to treat it like just another action figure, moving it, flipping it over, looking up skirts, ect.
Every single person I have met that ask "can I hold it?" and does that treats Tony like he's a 10$ action figure from walmart. D:

 

I've never HAD dolls to bring to cons before. Phoenix Comic Con(PCC). I'm worried that the 'crazier' anime fans will hurt both of my girls, but on the other hand I'm sure there will be loads of people that will love them. They both dress lolita, so I'm sure they will fit in just find. I'm bringing them to 'hang out' with other dolls there at the Tea Party, and also they are going with my kodono costume.

We're being extra careful. Watching our dolls 200% of the time. Careful of who holds them, know my surroundings, doll-sit for others who need to go to the bathroom. Espically, because my friend has a tiny. Someone can EASILY snag a tiny if you aren't careful.

I've learned a lot from this thread, so hopefully you will all get to see pics from the convention at the end of this month

 

Mmmm I've been to only two cons, and I never really noticed any BJDs there--considering I was clueness and not looking out for them--But I know that...well people at cons generally are really...ahh I can't think of teh words. But you know...quite accepting of this sort of thing...the whole BJD thing would seem to be rather natural at cons...

 

Agreed. They generally are. The thing you have to watch out for, though, is all the cosplayers playing Sesshomaru and Inuyasha fighting (for example) and getting carried away and not seeing you and your doll and accidentally running into you.

 

That's why we have con staff. At respectable cons, hall fighting isn't allowed, no matter how in character it is. If you see it, report it. Some otaku need reminders that one doesn't turn one's brain off upon donning the badge.

 

I agree with everyone's comments about taking along a bag. Be aware of what you can handle -- it may not be anything to hold one doll in each arm for a meet that lasts a couple of hours, but at a con you will have to be on your feet a lot, relocating back and forth for different events and accumulating more things to carry as you visit the dealers room. Under these circumstances, it's often easier to carry your doll in a bag.

Speaking of dealers rooms, one thing that occurred to me the last time I brought a doll to a convention was whether it made me an easy target for pickpockets. Everyone is always very careful with their dolls -- that is obvious. But if you are trying to hold on to a doll while paying for something and getting merchandise in a bag, etc, you can be easily distracted and your wallet may be in more danger than your doll. This kind of thing may happen -- remember you are in a public place with lots of people from every walk of life. The bottom line is -- just know what you can handle. If you can balance everything, more power to you. But if you think it may be a problem, see if you can shop with a friend who can help you carry things, or leave your doll in your room, etc.

As for the people there, I find the response generally good. I have run into a guy or two that seemed to get a kick out of harassing me but you can't expect everyone to be nice (or at least polite). The friendliest people I've met are the ones who don't own bjd but are very interested and curious about them. I've met many very nice bjd owners too, but I've also met many at conventions who seem too worried about being insulted or having something bad happen to their doll. I've approached such owners with and without a doll, and either way they come off as distant or cold, or kind of nervous. I'm sure they are all very friendly and nice people, but that is the impression I got from them.

What I'm trying to say is, just relax! Remember to have fun! Don't get too scared or worked up by the "dangers" in this thread (and even in this post, ahahaha). A lot of it really is just common sense, stuff you already know. I personally found bringing dolls to conventions too stressful and tiring, so I don't do it anymore. And I don't miss bringing them, either.

 

Hey everyone!

With Otakon coming up, I was wondering if anyone had anything to say about bringing dolls to conventions. Is it fun? Is it more trouble than it's worth? Has your doll ever been damaged/stolen at a con? Do people try to touch your doll?

Tell me about your experiences with bjds at conventions, please give me foresight and advice!

As a side note, last year I saw someone pulling a wagon with five or six bjds at Otakon. I was really worried that someone would steal one from the owner!
I thought that was brave/a little stupid.

 

I survived AKon wish Nesha intact. What helped me a lot was carrying a messenger bag lined with his pillow. Not only could I carry stuff, I could put him in his bag if my arms got tired.

 

Kaesu and I survived Oni-con and Anime Matsuri with no problems. The people I ran into were all very nice; most just wanted to see and take pictures. I did let a few people hold him, after telling them to be careful, and we were fine.

 

I have yet to bring Hansel to a con and the only two I've gone to were pretty small so I didn't see any others except at doll panels. I do plan on bringing him to the next one I go to but after all the horror stories I've heard of dolls getting stolen/snatched up by rude people I think I'll be keeping him close... just in case.

 

I've only taken my dolls to one convention so far.. and I took two of them ^^ So I could alter between carrying them (even though I only carried them for a few hours.. I kept needed to put them down to look at stuff *le sigh* I began getting scared of dropping them). Wish there was a way to keep them proped up on your shoulder.. as if they're sitting there without being scared of them falling. Maybe I should make that into a project >.>

 

I am afraid to take the big boys out to cons. They are alot to carry, get heavy after a while, and just the crush of the crowd scares me. Plus carrying a doll makes it harder to look at things. I did take Arafel to Akon with me, but she is a mini, so not so much to carry. I will probably take Kitsune to Afest and leave the others at home. Noble is just too big, and Arafel is in desperate need of tightening and sueding. Kitsune is only 27cms and so easy to carry around. Maybe some day I'll get brave enough to take Noble out to a con, I'd love to show him off.

 

At the time of Akon this year I had my two boys Vincent (DZ Mo) and Edward (MNF Shiwoo). They both went with me... they boy ran around with me. I loved it to pieces. I almost wish I didn't take Vincent only because at the time he was in need of restring love. He was a little floppy. I did take a bag that I could throw them into if need be. With all that said I'm going to be brave and bring Phage (DOI Crush)!! Only because he's bran spankin' new!!
I've seen my friend Keriko drag her whole crew out as well. She's braver then me, she doesn't always have a bag with her. She also cosplays. :S

shh... I just got BJD's so I wouldn't have to carry her's anymore. LOL!!

I'm also taking them on a plane, which should be fun.

 

I've only got one doll at the moment, so it's easy to decide which one to bring. Since I do Artists' Alleys, I usually set my doll on the table, as does my table buddy. I've found that a lot of people are friendly and curious. There was a girl at the last non-doll con I was at who had rather grabby hands, but she asked permission to touch my friend's doll first. When she came back and seemed to think she had permission to touch every time.

The most important thing at a con is to be sure that you have a friend with you that you can trust with your doll if you're in the bathroom or need to tie your shoe or something. Also, be prepared to carry your doll everywhere, especially if you don't have a hotel room. SDs can get heavy fast, so consider Minis and Tinies unless you'll be able to set your dolls down often.

 

Yes, I should have said I have a room at all the con's I go too. It's nice to sometimes leave them with the cable.

 

I’ve taken my boys to one con so far, and they’re going the their second soon. But I took them to A-kon and for the most part people liked them ^^ I even met some boys there who were really interested in Folken and asked where I got him and they were blown away by the fact that you can change their hair and eyes. So then we (My sister and I) took them to the Dollfie table and they were in shock and awe at the dolls

 

I've been taking dolls to different cons for two years now, including two bjd cons, yearly anime cons (two in Dallas each year) and even a sci-fi book con. I've even gone to the Japanese fall festival two years in a row with dolls.

I carry mine in an inexpensive baby carrier so my hands are free to take pictures and shop. The carrier keeps them close, too. My arms are not sore by the end of the day because they've been in doll-carry-lock mode all day. I line the carrier with a small Wifey quilt when carrying my Yo-sized boys so they don't fall out the legs.

 

I've taken Kiyoshi and Minnaloushe to two cons so far--CONvergence and Anime Detour. Kiyoshi is very shy and hates being poked at, so he hides in his carrier most of the time and I only take him out at the doll panels/meetups, which makes him kind of not fun to bring (which is probably his point ) Minnaloushe, on the other hand, lives to be adored, so I make a leash from rattail cord that goes from her waist to my wrist and carry her part of the time. It's amazing the number of people who either don't see her or pretend not to notice, and I did get one "creepy" response at CONvergence about her (my sweet, adorable princess kitty, creepy? ) Next con, I'll be able to bring Sard, and then we'll see who's creepy !