Dolls and Conventions

I'm waiting for Anime Apocalypse in my area...It's gonna be awesome. XD;; I'm gonna take Avalon and my girl I'm saving up for.

 

Although I wouldn't bring any myself because cons are so busy for me, I've occasionally seen others carrying dolls. As far as I know there weren't any problems beyond the logistics of trying to keep track of them while jetting from event to event.

 

Tez, you said you leave them in your car trunk? It is safe for the resin if it gets hot in the car? If you make sure no light gets to them??

I have a con coming up and I want to take several of my dolls, but I own all SD's so I need a way to drop them off after the doll meet at the con. But I'm worried about damaging them in the car.

 

I've brought my doll Angelo to two cons so far, and I plan on taking all three dolls to Otakon this year. I haven't had any bad luck so far *knock on wood*, but I also am very careful. I bring a carrying case for when I eat or get tired of carrying them, as well as to protect them when I need to. I do get a lot doll-related interest, and often have to tell people not to touch the face-up. But, I will say that I am a very brave doll owner. I decided early on that I would not be too afraid to enjoy my dolls as much as I want to. I've met up with other doll owners at cons, and I would say that taking dolls to cons is okay as long as you're careful. Just bring a carrying case, and don't ever let them out of your sight. My dolls even come into the bathroom stalls with me, inside of their case. I've heard stories of stolen dolls that were out of their owner's sight for just a few minutes. But a con is much more fun with my dolls there! I love to take them and will continue to do so. Don't be afraid, just be careful!

 

I take my dolls to cons and have never had a bad experience, even if people think it is weird.

Just make sure you know where your doll is at all times/have a place to store the doll safely! Hotel rooms with no crazy roommates are usually the best deal in my opinion.

I don't let kids that i don't know touch my doll, but i'll let older looking people poke at him if i'm present.

 

Yup. Temperature was no issue at all; I live in an area where it very very rarely gets overly hot, and that's especially true of late March/early April. That said. a car's trunk (caveat: this must be a TRUNK, not a hatchback and not a pickup) is usually several notches cooler than the cabin of the car on a truly hot day thanks to the lack of windows and general better insulation. Windows are what make the inside of a car scorching hot in the sun, they're like gigantoid magnifying glasses. No light is going to get to your doll in a car trunk (and this is doubly true if your dolls are packed in a carrier of some sort) and really, it has to get really freakin' hot outside to damage the resin if you do that. I mean really, REALLY freakin' hot. I've left my laptop in the trunk of the car on 85-degree days for several hours and had no issues, and if a computer is fine, the odds are very high that a doll will be okay too. Where you park is also a consideration; I was parked in a covered parking garage, which knocked the temperature down even further. If your con is in an urban area, your odds of having to park in a garage anyway are pretty high. If you want extra protection then stick 'em in a cooler -- not with ice or anything, that's just asking for trouble, but coolers are by nature insulated so that's another level of protection (although I guess if you REALLY wanted to go that route and you know it's going to be Really Freaking Hot you could wrap up some of those blue ice thingers so no condensation got to your dolls and stick those in there too, but I think that's extreme).

There are a lot of stories about resin issues in heat if a doll is left in the car, but most of the time they're about a doll left in the cabin of a car, not the trunk. Where's your con at? When is it?

 

I'd say as long as you can transport/store your dolls safely DEFINITELY take them to a con. A con is a gathering of the odd anyhow ^^ so just think of yourself as an emissary of the dolfie world. We have a dolfie panel at local anime cons here. A sort of 'meet and greet' style. Someone from the club says a bit in explanation for those who are curious about what they are and then we mill about ^^. Just be mindful if you let others handle your dolls (especially younger ones). Gotta watch for 'grabby hands'. They can come out of nowhere O_o.

 

Haven brought my doll to Anime cons..only to doll meets as I would be too busying running thru stores and a watching lined up events. :P

 

I didn't have any major issues. Mostly, I left them safe and sound in my room and only brought them out for the meet up.
I DO strongly advice some wig tape or a cap if you don't have one. When I brought Icarus (my first doll) to a con, he didn't have one and the wig slipped off while I was walking from the meet to another area. Luckily, someone saw it lying on the ground, recognized it as a doll accessory, turned it into lost and found and then kept an out for someone with a bald doll (me!). I was freaking out and so happy that someone turned it in. I didn't bring him to another con until he had tape, though.

 

ya the wig thing is important, maybe use elastics on the shoes too. loop it around the ankle then over the foot to prevent shoe loss too. (not a problems for some but still).

 

I recently went to a con and I myself didn't bring my doll [because I recently moved to the area so had to idea the con would actually have doll related things since it was an anime con] and there were cons of people who had them there.
But I think what you really need to be careful of is not to bring any of your doll's little accessories or props that might get easily lost if someone were to bump into you and it fell off.
In this con around the BJD related tables people seemed to realize they have to be more careful and give space to those people holding dolls near the tables. I do not know how you really deal with it though when you start to go around to different areas of the con that might be more busy and unaware that you are holding something that needs its space.

 

When you go to anime conventions or any kind of convention do you take your doll or dolls? If so how many do you take? I am going to Ikasucon in IN this year and also to RomanCon in OH. I hope to take two to Ikasucon and as many as I can to RomanCon this year. Let me know what you think.

 

I've taken my dolls to cons before ^.^. I recommend packing all of your dolls safely in a carrying case rather than carrying them around in your arms(especially in the dealers room). Since cons are usually tightly packed and people tend to bump into each other constantly you want to make sure you can keep your dolls as safely packaged as possible.

 

as i ve only just got my first doll i havent taken him to any yet. but i will be taking him to animecons. my plan is only in the day time and keep him away from the bar so no drinkers of smokers near him, even tho i do both i dont round him. personally i would only take one tho. my girlfriend has 6 but only takes her msd mika with her and again its day time then locked away safe in the room ready for the night or partying. i ve found every one very accepting at cons so dont worry. tbh i got in to bjds after meeting her and her mika so defo take them just plan the times you can take them out.

 

I took Allegra to Acen once and I had a great time!!! It helped start conversation with other owners, and I even met a boy who was considering buying one but had never seen one in person. As long as you are careful it can be a totally positive experience!!

 

I bring my doll to every con I go to since I have an artist table. Though I think I would take him even if I didn't. I definitely enjoy seeing other dolls. My last con this guy brought 2 SDs that looked AMAZING. I wish I got to see more dolls, but sadly not many people bring them.

 

I had my boy with me in local rpg -convention. It was awesome (he got some nice attention), but also exhausting. I had just got him, so I wasn't that aware of his weight, and it was also mentally exhausting to be worried all the time.

There is another convention coming next month, but I'm not sure if I'm taking my boy with me. Not for both days, that's for sure.

 

I just got to take three of my dolls to RamonCon 2013! I had a lot of fun, and I think that all three of my dolls did too. XD

 

This year is the first time I'm going to a convention specifically for BJD's and I thought about bringing some of my own collection with me, but I've decided against it. Together with my own stand and all the stuff that's standing on it, I think taking my dolls with me is a bit too much. If I could keep them close with me, I'd consider it, but half the time, they will probably be forgotten.

We used to have meetups at doll fairs in the Netherlands. When I went to those, I usually took one, maybe two dolls with me, depending on how heavy they were, because I had to carry them all day. It was fun, but by the end of the day, my arms had gotten at least a few inches taller.

 

I take them if I'm not cosplaying. I'm really shy, so I kind of dislike visiting conventions without a "conversation starter" (costume or doll) - I find it a lot less fun that way (mostly because I have a tendency to sit quietly in a corner and stare at people like a total creeper, unless something forces me out of my shell). I had my two boys (back when I owned them) parked on my artist alley table once, and a nice girl ran up to me and confessed she was totally my [doll's] online fan and didn't realize that I was a Canadian doll owner. ><

The only annoying thing is that if you bring a doll people constantly ask you to take a photo of your doll and you're just like "Grrrr, no! Pay attention to me!!"

In all seriousness, the only problem with dolls is that they can become a burden if you want to be an active participant in the con and start running to places and trying to do all kinds of fun social things - but then you have this big fragile doll you need to constantly mind and worry about. Kind of a bummer. I only ever bring one doll, unless I know I won't be moving around much (for example, minding an artist alley table), then I might bring more.