Dolls and Conventions

I've brought Coppelia to cons before and she's usually well behaved but I highly suggest having a carry bag of any sort, to avoid scratching and the like, plus our resin babies are HEAVY -_-

 

People just stare, mostly, and I have had people ask to hold him but I don't let anyone hold him I don't know because I'm afraid they might drop him or run off with him or something bad like that. So, I think it's fun to take your doll but be careful! I don't take mine unless my hubby is with me to "protect" them from crazy people.

 

My mom (hi, CSandi!) was _finally_ converted from a love of American fashion dolls over to BJD when she got to see them in person at Nan Desu Con. We really lucked out: we had to wait in a two hour+ line to get into the art show, and the person who was next to us in line had brought three BEAUTIFUL dolls, including a really exotic demon-girl. Sandi came home from the con and within a couple weeks I got an email from her saying that she had ordered a Soom HoneyDew.

Seeing the dolls in person is so much more exciting than seeing them online!

 

I have been to several cons with a doll group. Many people have been careful and curious of the dolls. Just keep an eye on your doll and everything should go well for you.

 

I have take my dolls to Sci-Fi Expo,All-Con and plaining to take them to A-kon .

 

I saw my first doll at a con and I intend to take my dolls with me when I start going back to cons. I'm worried about them getting damaged, but not so worried that I am going to leave them at home. My girls go with me!

 

Eh, yeah, I get a table in the artist's alley of my local con (Anime Weekend Atlanta), and this will be my first year at AWA with a doll. I plan on having at least one doll at my table, as they're great for getting attention.

I'm a bit nervous about having a doll at my table, as my table is an interactive type table where people are coming and going and generally jostling the table. I need to find a way to make sure the doll doesn't fall or something. D: But I'm not particularly nervous about someone snatching my doll or mistreating them. If someone does that, I will not hesitate to knock their teeth out. C:

 

We brought ours out to a couple of Cons now and things went well but we also meet up with other owners at the Cons. I think it’s safe and ok to do it as long as owners keep an eye on their dolls. And no person dressed in a costume pretending to be a super hero or whatever has any right to say anything negative about someone walking around with a doll.

 

I have a GIANT duffel bag that my boys travel in, and if there's a con to go to, they all hop in and go. I don't worry about their safety... I probably should, but the very worst that could happen is that they get broken, and there are plenty of fixers/restorers here that could patch them right up if need be. I don't worry that they'd get lost or stolen, because when they're out I don't take them out of my sight unless I'm leaving them with someone I trust.

People are generally friendly once they get past the "it cost how much??" stage. Nobody has tried to handle mine roughly yet and I've carted the lot of them to three cons and countless meetups within those cons so far. Much the opposite most of the time... people are scared to touch them.

When at a con, I never leave the hotel room without a little resin person on my arm.
And uh... vinyl. Poor Finn is singled out there.

 

At last January's ALA, there was a whole forum devoted to BJD photography, and special doll meet-ups, so some cons I know are very doll-friendly.

=^__^=
Anneko

 

some ppl would be fascinated to see our dolls at con, and will request to take pix. it's k if they wanna take pix, but i will request them to off the flash, as it is bad for the resin.
however there are ppl who will be scared off by dolls..haha

 

I took one of mine to a con and it was fine. ^^ Everyone was really considerate at the workshop so it was great.

 

i'm taking mine to Botcon in pasadena this year. :3

 

I went to the Expo last year, while I didn't see any dolls people didn't mind my doll being there. Someone even took a picture of her. I just carried her around in my arms or on my shoulder when there wasn't big crowds. It felt really great to just walk around with her and have no one care. She had a good 2nd birthday

 

None of my dolls have been to any cons yet. This will be their very first year at Anime North!~

 

Mods – Feel free to lock and move this if this is already a thread. I went back several pages and didn’t find anything but I might be under something different.


I personally am saving up for my first doll, and like many this money is coming from my cosplay fund for anime conventions. Also like many, I’ve been doing nothing but research and checking back on older threads of DOA, sucking up information like a sponge about different situations people have been in with while taking out their dolls to different places. One of the places that many enjoy going to happens to be Anime conventions. As I’ve read many horror stories of people with ‘grabby hands’ and at one case a girl being tackled with one of her friend’s new doll in hand, the question that that popped into my head was: “How safe is it to bring your dolls to a convention”.
Being a cosplayer of rare but highly popular characters myself and I’m rather paranoid about carrying around dolls while being in cosplay.

So here are my questions:
1. Are you a cosplayer? If so, does your doll cosplay with you? Have you ever had an overly hyper fan tackle you from behind with a doll, or without?
2. Do you think Convention environments are a safe place to take your dolls?
3. If you take your dolls, how do you prevent people from ‘grabby hands syndrome’?
4. What safety precautions do you take to assure your doll isn’t harmed/stolen during such an event?
5. Have you ever witnessed/have had an accident occur at a con with your doll?
6. Do you think bringing dolls to conventions is a good idea?

 

Dolls have gone with me to conventions in the past and yes, I definitely take precautions.

I for one never go alone in a convention. Especially if I have my doll. A lot of weird and overly-hyped people attend and I don't want to get into a situation without backup. I have seen people who tackleglomp unexpectedly, but most are nice enough to ask first. If I want a doll with me, I only take one per person AT MOST. Carrying more than one doll at a time is difficult enough without having to weave through crowds.

Another thing is that you should have a bag of some sort to carry them in, or close friend to hold your doll if you feel the need to set them down to either look at/buy something, or go to the restroom. Grabby hands can whisk your baby away in moments so never leave them unattended.

Preventing 'grabby hand syndrome'? Now that is a good question! My approach has always ranged from calmly warding them away with protective body language and a firm "he/she is very delicate, please don't touch'....to...well....extremely angry and threatening. It comes down to what the situation is and how well you handle stress. If they don't appear to mean harm and are just curious, then by all means, let them have a look....while your kid is comfortably sitting on a clean table. If they don't heed your warnings, or are just plain rude...that is what the backup is for.

If you are worried that someone will unexpectedly tackleglomp you...then you could always only take the doll out when not in cosplay, or have a friend carry it for you while you are.

 

1. I am a cosplayer and I have had my doll with me while cosplaying, but he wasn't cosplaying with me. I make sense :B Anyway. I haven't ever been tackled from behind while holding my doll, but I have without it. It's not fun and not something I enjoy about cosplaying. I don't mind people 'asking' for hugs and such, but just doing it? It hurts sometimes.

2. I think any place is safe for your doll providing you keep a proper eye on it. My doll never leaves my own hands if possible, and if it does, it goes to someone I can trust. This year I had an art table at a convention and my dolls sat on the table with me. I allowed people to hold and touch, but they always put them back.

3. I'm quick. If I see someone making a grab, I steer them out of the way. They then ask, which I will allow them to hold. I have yet had a person catch me off guard.

4. Keep an eye on it. If it means so much to you, don't slack off. You want to keep it, watch it like you would watch your wallet.

We had a doll stolen at the last con, but it was stolen from lost property. Go figure.

 

1. Are you a cosplayer? If so, does your doll cosplay with you? Have you ever had an overly hyper fan tackle you from behind with a doll, or without?
Yes, I'm a cosplayer. Just this past Otakon, I brought a tiny and an msd size with me. And no, I don't usually get glomped out of nowhere >>
2. Do you think Convention environments are a safe place to take your dolls?
I personally think a con environment is a fine place to take your dolls, you just have to keep an eye on them and be careful in crowded halls or dealers rooms.
3. If you take your dolls, how do you prevent people from ‘grabby hands syndrome’?
I never really experienced the whole grabby hands syndrome, but if someone asks to hold my doll, I generally let them and I just keep a ready hand and a watchful eye incase of an accidental drop.
4. What safety precautions do you take to assure your doll isn’t harmed/stolen during such an event?
This'll probably be the most popular response, but just like anything else of great value, just keep an eye on your dolls or if you have a good friend going (like I did) if I left, I made sure that my dolls were with her. In anycase I just made sure that my dolls were in my sight, especially at a big con like Otakon.

 

1. I took my boy with me to Sakura-Con in April, I was Oujiro and he was Wizard, both from Angelic Layer. No one has glomped me xD

2. A con CAN be a very safe place for a doll, as long as the owner is smart about it. Always have a good grip on your doll, I usually had him cradled in my arm or sitting in my hand against my chest so he was directly in front of me and people could be aware he was there. It also kept him from getting bumped in the crowds. I also carried a messenger bag with me so I could browse/eat/pass through crowded places without worrying about him.

3. Most con-goers have an idea of what a BJD is, or are at least smart enough not to grab one (at least in my experiance). I am not very clingy with my doll and if someone asks to see my doll and we're in a safe place to do so, I allow it. My doll is relatively cheap though so I can understand others not wanting to. Just keep your doll in a place where people can be aware that its there and do their best not to bump into it.

4. Keep a bag with you just in case you want to put it away for a while, and you will. If you set your doll anywhere, do not take your eyes off it. Not because people are klepto, but because cons are busy and crowded and accidents happen. Only let people hold your doll in uncrowded areas or if you have a good place to sit.

I wouldnt worry too much about it, as long as you're responsible and aware of your personal space, your doll should be fine. However, the biggest procaution you need to take is accepting the fact that anything can happen at any time, and if you're not prepared to handle having your dolls fingers break off or faceup get chipped or body parts cracked, or something equally random and horrible, then I would advise you to at least leave it in your hotel room or take him on a day you arent cosplaying or a less busy day like sunday. No sense in ruining your con experiance because you chose to try and drag around a multiple hundred dollar doll ^_~