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First time...

Feb 11, 2009

    1. Hello~

      I apologize if there is a similar thread already, I've been searching rigorously the past few weeks and couldn't find anything pertaining to this subject. (If there is mods, feel free to delete.) *_* Hopefully this isn't a stupid discussion topic...

      How was your doll's first time outide?

      I'm not talking about photos in the garden or anything like that. I'm asking what happened when you first took your doll out into the real world.

      Where did you go?
      Was it a good/bad experience?
      Did you regret doing it?
      Also, what were people's reactions?


      Here's my input:

      I first took Kori out, maybe a week or so after I got him. We went to Joanns to buy fabric and a couple other things. No one really took notice of him since I kept him laying in the nook of my arm. Not until my mum started talking to a lady in line, infront of us, about how I was crazy taking my XXX priced doll out, and blah blah blah...

      It wasn't that bad of an experience in general, but if I could change anything about it. My mom wouldn't be there :|

      So how was your doll's first time?
       
    2. The first time James went anywhere was at Otakon. I padded my backpack, and he spent most of the day in there. He was out for about an hour while I was at the Otakon DoA meet, and for a while I carried him around the halls with me. It was a pretty good experience overall. I didn't really notice any reactions specifically about him. I was in lolita at the time, though, so I'd been getting weird looks all day XD

      The only other times he's been out and not to a convention has been to the mall/mall parking lot for the monthly doll meets. I get stares, but that's about it. One lady came up to the table and started asking questions, and held his hands for a moment to see how realistic they were. Again, a pretty positive experience ^.^
       
    3. I brought Sake to a dollfie convention to get him some things! It was fun.Almost everyone who was there loved dolls or were curious about them so I felt welcomed.I felt proud toowhen a few people complimented Saké! I'd do it again;)
       
    4. Well I bought Front et Baiser at a convention by Abio Angel. I was able to afford hair, shirt and pants. I didn't want him going around completely naked XD. I haven't done a photoshoot for him yet outside, but I plan to this summer. my mom has a garden I can take pics in.
       
    5. The first time I took Riddick out in public other than to my friend's house, my sister and I took him out one evening to the dollar store and Walmart. It was a pretty good experience, my sister seemed to especially enjoy it and said "we should take him shopping more often!" Most people either didn't notice him, or stared for a moment and then walked off. The cashier at the dollar store asked who he was, meaning was he a character from a movie or something, but the cashier at Walmart seemed to be deliberately and obviously trying hard not to notice him. It really wasn't a big deal. I haven't taken Crow out anywhere yet, but I'd be curious to see if he gets different reactions. His eyes are more open and catch your eye more than Riddick's do.

      Every child who has seen my dolls has just looked silently for a minute or two, then walked off without saying anything, even the kids who normally ask about every little thing they see. It's kind of odd.
       
    6. I first had Nabiki and took her out to ..i think it was to Tim Hortons and walmart. we got a few looks, but someone we knew from work came up to us and said that they look pretty nice.
      it was an ok experience, but i wish i wasnt so shy about it. I cant wait to start and be in the meet up im trying to get people for.

      i didnt regret doing it, but i wish it was like some mentioned above. (good ones of course)

      people just looked... The people here are so simple minded... and im sure i dont have to explain that.
       
    7. The first time I took 'Claudia' my Elfdoll Soah out in public was a doll exhibition. My wife went as well taking 'Mina Vespasia' her Luts DES. I was very nervous (being a bloke made my potential embarrassment even worse) and was ready to pretend I was a dutiful husband carrying my wife's doll. Happily most of the people at the doll exhibition had never seen BJDs before and were fascinated. Some had read about them in magazines or seen pics online and were thrilled to see some in the flesh as it were. Most were very complimentary. I enjoyed it so much we went the next year with our new dolls and had the same kind of reactions. :)
       
    8. The first time I brought Yewi out was to a doll meet in downtown Seattle and since I didn't have a carrying case, I carried her out on my arm. It was nerve-wracking for me because Seattle can hold some really strange types, especially in the area I was in. Some guy drove past me and yelled out his window "your a fag!" and drove off. The nerve! Some people can't feel good about themselves unless they're putting other people down!
       
    9. Is it bad I honestly can't remember? I know I went to a meetup that I was really late for and all I had for my doll was a kimono I'd hastily thrown together the week before getting him. The company I ordered him from even screwed up and didn't send me the boots I'd ordered for him. It wasn't a bad experience, not super remarkable and was about three years ago.

      I don't really take my dolls out anymore aside from meetups and photos. I don't get too many bad reactions but my dolls are rarely out in plain sight.
       
    10. When I took Gwenllian, (Soulkid Snyder), out for the first time it was quite an enjoyable experience. I took her to Conwy, a nice little town with a lovely church (brilliant for photographs) and an amazing toyshop called Yesteryears, where I wanted to see if some clothes would fit her.

      The owners of the toyshop were very interested in Gwenllian and had never heard of ABJD before although they had heard of Blythes and Pullips from toyfairs and I think they said they were planning to stock somet to see what the reaction would be before they went for more. They held her and looked at her joints and I think I showed them how the eyes could be changed and they loved her. The people in the queue thought she was great too, one woman asked lots of questions about where BJDs could be bought and how much they cost (she wasn't shocked), so I like to think I enabled someone else, :lol:!

      The only other doll who has properly been out for a walk is Rupert, my SDC Kurt. My boyfriend was living in Chester at the time and he was in work, so I went for a walk around Chester with my dolly :D Hardly anyone noticed him when I was walking around with him, but when I went into The Japanese Shop on Watergate Street the Japanese sales assistants recognised him as a BJD! I bought some Pocky, miso mix and some chopsticks and had Rupert sat on the counter as I paid, but I was served by an English girl who had no idea what BJD were and she didn't say anything. The Japanese girls were standing slightly behind a screen peeking out at Rupert, but I think they were too polite to dash over and squee about him, although clearly they really liked him :aheartbea

      I've had pretty good experiences, but I'm always on my guard for bad experiences!! I put Rupert in my bag when I went for a meal, I just couldn't take the risk that some diner with greasy fingers could walk along and pick him up!
       
    11. I don't really take Roslin out for anything. She stays at home for now, sitting on my scanner while I'm using the computer and on my shelf when I'm out. But I haven't had her for more than a month yet. Though she will be my convention buddy (and come along for all things convention related, food, running to a store while in costume, etc) and I'll definately take her or any future dollies to meets. But I don't really think I'd take her with me to any stores. Joann's would be a maybe, but I have a photographic memory and I can judge pretty well how something will look.

      I just don't trust people in my general area. Lots of thuglets and hicks that wouldn't understand the concept of BJDs.
       
    12. First time taking Tanal out I was feeling really shy about doing so, but I'd been telling a friend about him while I waited for him to get home, so I had to show her. Of course, this was before I'd done any real amount of work on his flexi-body.

      Carried him carefully out to the bus stop... bus driver asked "Is that one of those mini-me dolls?" (Don't think he was thinking of the DiM minimee, they'd only just started that a month or so before.) And of course Tanal dropped his wig on the ground at that. Got him to work, showed my friend, then came leaving work for class (I work for my university). I had to cross the oval, with a doll in total flop mode unless I carried him with his face tucked in and hidden. It was crazy went through the whole day that the brat would only behave when no strangers were around.

      After that I could deal with carrying the dolls anywhere. And all of my boys have been to work with me repeatedly... though Gamrut's only gotten to attend class once, I'm more careful about his white resin so he normally travels in his carry bag.
       
    13. My MSD is the only one who has been out, and the first time was to a very small anime convention. It was really fun though. A lot of people were interested in her, and I even bumped into other owners! She got her picture taken with cosplayers, and put a cramp in my wrist. XD

      When I get a puki, she is coming with me everywhere. Ohohohohoh...>.>
       
    14. The first time I took a doll out was when I took my MSD Homme Kirill (now sold) to meet up with a friend of mine who I hadn't seen since back in high school. I took him out in his MSD carrier and we walked about town for a bit before having lunch at Ichiban's. I took the doll out during lunch and sat him on the table as we ordered our food and waited for it to be brought to us.

      It was quite amusing because the people working at Ichiban were mostly girls and they kept coming over to look at the doll, and when one of the girls brought our food over, she asked if the 'little guy' would mind sitting on the wooden bench instead of on the table lol. She actually said that to the doll, not to me :lol:

      All in all, I'd say the first experience of taking my doll out in public was a fun one! I've taken my dolls out on various occasions now, and I've never had any negative comments made to me about them ^^;
       
    15. I haven't taken my girl out yet, she is bald and I feel bad. But we took my best friends doll to walmart with no hair, no face-up, and a homemade bathrobe the night he came in. No one stared at us, even though two adults had a doll strapped into the shopping cart. The cashier loved him, thought he was awesome and then he flashed his bits (poor boy, so embarrassed). Overall it was rather nice ^^
       
    16. Emblen, gentle hug, I know how you feel about your Mom's reaction. My Mom would do the same thing, worse: my Mom is a compulsive talker.

      So, my Mom & I came to a mutual agreement that, for now, the dolls stay home as they are so expensive.

      There is that feeling, that great temptation, to take the doll out into public and show him or her to the real world, or store world. However, I've learned from experience that it is best to carefully choose the "audience" you want to show your doll to. The general public here, is like rush hour traffic. And, I would be very careful which store I took the doll to. Perfection being that the store is only employees, or few shoppers.
       
    17. Other than meets...I first took Tima on the GO bus with me XD And to the food court of my local mall. It was a good experience. I didn't get bothered and I learned how to care less about what people think-I can carry my girl with me without feeling embarrassed. No I don't regret it all! It was a positive experience on both counts. LOL I don't even know reactions, I was too busy tending to my girl! The only time I got any sort of reaction was when I went to an incredibly small meet(3 of us) and there were kids just staring at us all snottily. I was like "Whut?" and that was the end of it.
       
    18. The first doll I got, Hart...erm. He was funny to take out. He was so lanky since he was a dollshe. No one gave me strange looks. He was just so effing white, you know? XD

      As for Sasha, carrying him at the mall that one day with you..XD We got some intriguing looks.

      I loved it! :O
       
    19. I remember that the day my Azakiel came to me, I just bonded with him instantly and I absolutely love him. And the next day, I couldn't separate from him despite I have classes the next day. So I put him in a temporary carrier bag and brought him to my art academy. It was a good experience, because my lecturers were curious about him and also most of my classmates knew that I would be having a BJD. Some of them were happy and like Azakiel a lot, and received a lot of attention. Of course I received some negative remarks like how Azakiel looks creepy and all, but I didn't mind and was prepared.
       
    20. Wow, I'm so happy to see people take an interest in this thread xD