Dolls and Conventions

I took a couple of my dolls to Comic Con once. I won't do it again. I put them on a big Tonner bag, and while I was still shopping around, I felt someone trying to pull one of them out of my bag. When I looked back, this dude has his hands on my doll, and I was like, "Dude wtf?"

 

Obviously you're going to have both good and bad experiences where ever you go when dollies are involved. I've had bad but mainly good experiences when it comes to dolls.

I've noticed a lot of people complaining about lugging around more than dolls at cons and I've created a solution. Two dolly friends (one NeePanda and one jaf123188 by name on here) and myself split the price of a children's wagon. We load the dolls into it and take turns pulling it with us. It's a nice way to show of the dolls and it's easy to keep track of them. Someone pulls, the other two walk on either side to assure the wagon won't be bumped or that anyone won't be stupid enough to try and grab a doll. The wagon is deep enough that the dolls (even SDs are secure and you can fit a ton in there. We've even gone as far as to add a second level (well we didn't, my father did) with belts and whatnot so we can put even more dolls up there.

 

I took my doll to Karoshi con. It was fun there was a doll meet and panel I attended and I carried him around in a Build-A-Bear carrier that went over my shoulder. Course about a pound of resin got REALLY heavy after all those stairs...

 

I can't speak for cons because I've only been to a few and I didn't have dolls then to take but I took one of my (OT) BJD's with me to a Halloween horror night thing dressed in one of her pseudo Goth costumes and she was a huge hit. People loved her and I got compliments on her all night. The new one that's coming tomorrow will likely go with me next year. She has fangs. I don't know if I'd take my only two real resin dolls with me though. If I lost one of the others it would make me upset but losing my only two resins after waiting so long for them? I don't know if I could handle that.

 

Also I was in the dealer room for the con and holding my doll in my arms for awhile and one of the guys at one of the booths I was looking at said out of the blue: "What is that?" I answered: "An Asian Balljointed doll." He said: "That is FREAKING SCARY." I just smiled and shook my head. "Nah their not scary their cute." And after a few quick words I left that booth and moved on. There was a giant Derpy Hooves plushie there and I wanted to photograph him on it...But my hands were full.

 

I actually would not recommend something like that... it's better to keep hold of your dolls at all times. What if your friend turns their back? The wagon is below their direct eye-line so someone could still reach out and steal a doll. It's better not to have more dolls with you than you can easily carry. If that means only one small one, so be it. I've also found that, with the conventions near me anyway - it's very crowded and dodging around a wagon would be a major hindrance to other con-goers.

I was at Shuto Con this past weekend. I was hosting a doll panel and before it started my friends and I waved over a pair of Katamari cosplayers, to see if they wanted to come to the panel. The cosplayers were in character and being cute and silly - one of them bounced over and stuck a piece of wrapped hard candy in the front of my busty doll's shirt. It was adorable and hilarious that they would interact with her. (I think some people would probably get mad about something like that, but I thought it was too funny not too.)

 

I actually take offense to that. You seem to imply that I am not only a completely irresponsible doll owner, but someone who doesn't care about other con goers. The other two around the wagon both have dolls in there as well so trust me when I say they're well watched. We care far too much about our dolls to have them stolen. We also don't go dragging this wagon into extremely crowded areas. We also don't bring it out during the peak times of the day. We do know what we're doing as we have brought it to cons before and it hasn't posed any problem whatsoever. We do know what we're doing and we aren't morons or inconsiderate, thank you.

 

Yikes, calm down a bit. There is nothing in that post that implies you a moron, nor does it call you inconsiderate. All they said is that they "wouldn't recommend it". The wagon method may work for you and your friends, but might not be a good suggestion for most people. No need to get personally offended.

For my two cents, if bringing dolls anywhere public, make sure to have a bag or other carrier where the doll can be completely hidden and enclosed if necessary. If you're walking around and keep getting flanked by less-than-gentle con goers, you will want somewhere to stash your doll in full protection and cover. If the crowd is receptive and careful, having an extra bag with you isn't a huge inconvenience. It's always better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

 

It wasn't so much what was said but how it was worded that offended me.

As for the bag idea, I agree. It also makes "clean up" for doll meets or pictures a bit easier. Put doll in bag, move out of the way, and then get the doll situated again. We even carry bags with us when we have our wagon. Bags are good for carrying non-doll stuff too (money, id, things of that nature)

 

If it enhances your con experience, that's great. I said exactly what I meant to, though. It wasn't meant to imply anything other than I think that, for most people and in most con-related scenarios, the wagon thing is not really a good idea. There is always an element of risk with taking a doll(s) out of the house and it seems unnecessarily risky to leave them loose and exposed, regardless of who is watching them. Also burdensome - if you're just wandering around doing con-stuff, as you said, it greatly limits where you can go. When it gets crowded or if you wanted to go into more crowded areas you'd either have to leave someone behind to guard or truck them all back to your hotel room or car.

You and your friends might only have the wagon out at less crowded times of the day and not go into busy areas (you didn't specify that bit of practical information in your original post), but it would not surprise me to find that there are people who would not think about that and use it at all times - they would perhaps not be intentionally inconsiderate, but inconsiderate none the less. I could see it being useful when going directly to and from a meet or panel, when you have other stuff to lug around, but that's really about the only time.

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I usually carry a doll around with me at my local cons - I didn't this time and it was actually rather liberating. It isn't unusual for people to stop me to check my doll out - I'd stop to talk (and don't get me wrong I enjoy doing that), but then I'd miss out on panels and such. My arm is much happier, too.

 

I can agree with you! im 4"11 as well and everyone towers over me XD Actually, once during a convention a guy stepped on my feet and when I turned around to see who did that, he was washed away with the huge crowd. I agree with you on having people with the same interest together, unfortunately I do not know many people who own Bjds

 

I've never brought my doll to con, but I have seen people bring their dolls to cons including Fanime (im going this year too!).

As far as what I have seen, people are respectful about your doll. Though, there are some cases I have heard about people getting their doll damaged at a con by people touching their faces or chipping a part of it.

I'm not trying to scare you out of bringing your doll to a con! I think it would be a great and fun experience! Just make sure you are careful and you should be fine .

 

I've brought a doll to a con before. My Feng cosplayed with me two days at Kumoricon last year.
I think a little common sense goes a long way. You're carrying something delicate and expensive, so don't set it down anywhere and be realistic about how long you plan on carrying it. (And plan accordingly with a bag to put your dolly away if you're in a situation where it's hard to keep it from getting jostled, your arms are getting tired or you want to eat and still have your doll very closeby)

From what I've seen, people are usually respectful when it comes to touching the dolls. Even if that respect stems from apprehension or fear. "OMG THAT IS ONE SCARY PUPPET!"

Everyone who was interested in my doll asked before trying to touch him. But NEVER be too trusting. Cosplayers overall are a friendly bunch, but don't expect them to know how expensive or special your doll is (or what it is...) and always be on the lookout for those wildcards. o_o

 

I brought my charlotte with me to fanime last year! She was nice to carry around, small and not very heavy. There were quite a few doll owners i met at the cons who fawned over her, and they brought some of their dolls that i fawned over ;v; it was really nice. i didn't have as much of a problem as some people might have since my doll was small and not as noticeable to random con goers. but this year i plan to bring my new boy, a 65cm SD wit me one day, so i'll probably be getting a lot of weird looks lol

 

I've taken my dolls to a few conventions, usually only tended to carry around Rakel (my DZ Yume) just cause she was the smallest and easiest to carry. I didn't really have any problems with others touching them, and most people were curious at which i would explain and fill in what she was and whatnot. I'm kinda picky on who I allow to touch my dolls, so I really didn't allow many people to, only a few who I trusted. I staff for a local convention and I even had her with me at one of my shifts in the Vendors room, she sat up on a shelf near by as I sold stuff, it actually brought more people to the table cause she caught their attention lol I think we actually made more sales cause of it hehe

I say its good to take them with you just be prepared just in case someone does get a chance to touch them, as well as very well prepared for a lot of questions and whatnot.

 

I never go to a con without taking at least one doll, and I usually take two (because that's how many one bag holds, makes it easy). I never carry more than two, and I never take them without a bag that zips completely closed. I don't just carry them around. They get heavy, and I hate having one more thing to keep track of, all the moreso because these days I take my daughter to conventions too and it is WAY more important that I keep an eye on her. The zip bag is a must, though. I don't feel comfortable unless my dolls are entirely closed up and fully in my control at all times. Call me paranoid but I just don't trust people that much.

I only bring them out for meets. Otherwise they either stay in the hotel room or in my car (as they did this past convention; I was parked directly across the street from the convention center, so I just trucked them back to the car and locked them in the trunk when I wasn't at a meet). I absolutely hate having excess baggage at conventions. I hate props, they drive me insane, and I hate bags and the like just as much. Give me a small drawstring bag big enough to hold my phone, wallet, and camera and I am totally golden, or my purse if I'm out of costume. Any more than that and it makes me crazy.

 

I will be bringing my Luka with me to her first con at the end of this month, I am excited and worried at the same time, I will not be taking her to the dealer's room because people are so pushy they and just bump into you without apologizing.

 

I've taken at least one BJD to every anime/comic con I've been to since I started collecting BJDs. Some people give funny looks, some say they're creepy, but most people are curious and ask to see them more closely, hold them, or to take pictures of them. More often than not, if they acknowledge them at all, they ask to see them, ask to take a picture, or ask what they are. Asking to hold is far less common. ^^ I've had dolls at...six cons I believe? That sounds about right. And had a few at a ren faire once. I've never had any issues. No thieving, maybe a lost sock or so here or there, but nothing major. No one's ever tried to take my dolls, nor do they frequently ask to handle them. If someone asks to hold the doll and you're uncomfortable with the possibility of it being stolen, just politely decline. Say you're very protective of it.
I've heard horror stories of stolen dolls and broken dolls, lost dolls, and even just forgotten dolls.

Advice I'd give is, be careful of who you allow to hold your doll, don't bring more than you can manage (so if you have a large collection and fear forgetting one or losing it in a moment of hurrying or a meet up or something, only bring as many as you can keep constant track of), make sure you pack them safely and TAKE INVENTORY BEFORE YOU LEAVE! Make a list of what you've brought with you, keep that list at all times. When you take your dolls out, double check that list as you're packing up so if you're missing something you'll know immediately and can search for it. If you're setting your doll down for a moment, don't leave them out of your sight. While that seems common sense, it's easy to get caught up in a moment of "oh could I take your picture!" or something of the sort, turning your back to your doll and leaving it vulnerable to being stolen.

It can be really fun to have a doll with you at a convention, it allows you to come in contact (and identify yourself) to other doll owners, thus making new dolly friends! Just always be careful and keep track of your dolls.

 

I haven't brought my doll yet, but I'd love to! I always check the convention calender and would plan to bring her on the day of an event. I think the only reason I wouldn't bring her other days of the con is because I'm incredibly paranoid I'd lose or damage her somehow. I think for the most part people are respective to doll owners at cons from what I've seen, but I think it depends on the convention/city and the best way to learn is to go for it.

 

I've brought my boys to cons before but it was only local ones since I don't feel safe bringing them to out of state cons since hotels cant always be trusted. But I've never had a problem with people. Just the occasional "creepy" comments from passer by's. But as long as you have an eye on your doll and have people you truly trust to handle your doll when you're in the bathroom or stepped away for a bit, then there shouldn't be any problem. And if there is, go to con-ops right away to report anything~!