Dolls based off/in tribute to loved ones who have passed away?

I have made a kitty doll based off my cat, who died a little bit before I got into the hobby.

I had him cremated and put into a cedar box, and I regretted it because it only reminded me of the painful, horrible way he died and not the playful happy kitty he was. I bought a Camillia Dynasty Wong to help though, and his little angel halo and wings remind me more of how happy he was and how peaceful he is now that his short life is over.

I'm not sure how I would feel to shell a human being though. No one close to me has ever died =/ so it's hard to say. I'm interested to read if others have done this.

 

I have a doll based off my cat who passed away several months ago as well...His head was something I've actually had for years, along with a second that will be based off my still-with-me cat. I only just got him a very adorable, very poseable body so he's a real doll now XD I still have to blush him to match Buzz, and then get a second body for Rocky...

 

I wouldn't do it. I think it's a bizarre idea, but all that aside, I've never seen a BJD that even remotely resembles any real person I've ever seen. o.O

 

I don't think it's creepy at all. I'd love one day to make a doll based off my beloved babies (Leopard Geckos) who both passed away last year. The boy died, leaving me completely broken hearted and I think his mate just pined away for him. I miss them both every day, they were my best friends. I think making a doll based off a beloved one who has passed on is a sweet idea ^^

 

I've done the same thing! On the doll end, that is. And the doll sculpt I chose was also Wong, though mine is still un-blushed and un-painted. My kitty died not long after I got into the hobby, on my first day home from the hospital after having my second child. I spent what seamed like FOREVER looking for the right kitty doll to embody him. He has the angel set of halo and wings, because he was my angel, and the demon wings and tail tip because he could be a mischievous little devil, too.

For real people...well, if I were to find a doll to match my grandmother as I remember her, I'd do that in a heartbeat. But shy of making the doll from scratch myself, it's not likely to happen. Beyond that...while I've lost a few people close to me, there isn't anyone I would particularly want a doll of that I've already lost. For those still with me...I'd really rather NOT think of who I'd want a doll of to remember them by. Though I DO want to eventually make dolls (either child-like BJDs, or reborns) of my two little boys, so I'll always have a reminder of how sweet they were as babies, or how fun they are now, that I can look at when they're driving me nuts when they get older. And maybe a little to freak them out with when they're older, too.

 

To have a doll based on a diseased love one. . . I'm not sure about that one. Not my cup of tea LOL
I think it would contently remind me of that person in a sad way.
I don't find it disrespectful as long as the doll is represented respectfully.

Animals and celebrities are a whole different story LOL .
I think those are just fine.

 

This is also a good point. I have thought of making a doll of my mother before, but then I get this really bad feeling that something awful will happen to her. She's 58, so it's not like she's on death's door or anything, but I still don't want to start thinking of "replacing" her just yet =/ Same thing about my husband. Something has been keeping me from wanting to do that, so I just haven't!

 

I have a doll whose character is based on my mother when she was very young. My mother was a girl and young woman in the 1920's which is an interesting time in which to have grown up. She told me lots of outrageous stories about her life before she settled down and got married, and having a doll that reminds me of her is just another way to remember her fondly. If she were still around, I think she would probably be amused that I have a doll based on her character.

 

That was my thinking also. My doll isn't really just like my mother, except for having red hair and her name, but her face projects a certain attitude that reminds me of her quite a bit, and I find it comforting.

 

Personally I wouldn't do it. I don't think it's disrespectful, but I feel it isn't really coping with the grief in a helpful way. I'd worry that someone would invest too much psychological energy into a piece of plastic and it would come to have undue significance in their lives. I think for animals it's different, but for people... no. I had a very close friend who died tragically a short time ago, and I'd never dream of making a doll inspired by her. It would demean her somehow, I think, by reducing her from the vibrant person she was to what is essentially an animate object.

 

I named a doll after my great-grandmother because something about the said doll reminded me of her. I bought the doll before I realized that there was a slight resemblance, and since I didn't have a name for her already, I felt that it was fitting to name her after the person she reminded me of.

I also bought an anthro kitty that looks a lot like my real kitty, so they now both share the same name.

As far as finding a doll that is based on a deceased person in more ways than just a passing resemblance, I'm not sure that it's for me. I have a feeling that it would remind me too much of the person and make me very sad. Of course, I could be wrong, because I haven't actually seen a doll that would be fitting for such symbolism.

I don't think it's disrespectful or creepy at all; it's simply not for me, because I'm too emotional when it comes to relatives who have passed away.

 

My mother died about 10 years ago and she lived a long fairly happy life all the way into her 90's, so isn't a question of not dealing with grief in my case. I'll always miss my mother and naturally nothing could ever replace her, especially a doll, but people get inspiration from all sorts of experiences and also the other people they meet throughout their lives. Basing the invented personality of a doll on someone one knows (or perceives knowing, in the case of celebrities or actors) is fairly common in this hobby. I don't have any more energy invested in my doll that reminds me of my mother than I do my other dolls, really. I make up personalities for all of them, if only in my mind, just for fun.

 

I think it would be too saddening for me to do through with that, especially if the person - or pet - was very close to me. My cat passed away just about one year ago, and I'm still reeling from the events that occurred to have that happen. We have set up a little memorial, and it's still hard to look at it for more than a minute. It would be way too saddening to make a doll to resemble my cat, and it would be hard for me to do that for people who I knew, too.

 

If it's not creepy to YOU, and you want to do it, then do it! You're not making that doll for anybody else but yourself-- so your opinion of that doll is the only one that matters. Memorializing the dead is a highly personal thing. Some people glue photographs onto paper & surround it with glitter and cliched poetry quotations; some people treasure the possessions of the departed, or wear their jewelry/clothes; some people write songs; some people make art, from portraits to dolls. Of all my friends who have died over the years, sometimes it's the darnedest little things that make me remember them the most vividly-- a borrowed paperback novel I never got to return, a pin on my jacket, a mix-tape of songs we both loved. I think you get to memorialize your friend in whichever way makes you feel the best.

Personally I think mementos morii are a nice idea. Your friend might well enjoy being remembered in such an endearing format as a doll. (I know I would.) If a simple doll is too creepy for some online viewers, they're welcome to hit the Back button.

 

You have a point there; when both of my grandparents died, the thing I wanted most from them was one of two very decorative lamps. Trust me, it's a beautiful lamp, though it doesn't even work. But it still reminds me of my general experiences with them because I was always fascinated by the artwork on it, even as a little kid of around 6 or 7, and they were always in the living room for anyone to see.

I agree that if it makes the individual feel good, then they should do it. I'm sure there will be people out there who criticize the idea (I already said it would make me too sad) but I'm also sure that there are people out there who would think I did too much in terms of memorializing my cat. I know I wouldn't like people trying to correct the way I set up my memorial; it would make me very angry.

 

I'm planning on building a doll of my dad eventually. He passed away late Feb of this year of lung cancer and it was a very speedy decline so having something that represented the young and spirited him would be quite nice. I don't think it's a bad way to deal with it honestly and it would give me something to talk to that isn't just the wooden box of ashes, talking to it is just far too depressing. If it helps then why not do it? I mean, who could I possibly offend by it? No one else in the dolly world knew him and if they're creeped out in general they're welcome to go away and leave me be.

To be quite honest when I got Val last year he got parts of my father's personality. He likes beer more than any man should, he plays the guitar, and he chases anything in a skirt. He reminds me so much of my dad, and I didn't even realize it until he died. Heck, I'm probably not the only person to base a character off someone I know subconsciously.