For Second Hand Owners - Your stance in changing the doll's name

I've never been told the names of my secondhand dolls, and I've never thought to ask. I did once stumble on photos of one of my dolls with a previous owner, and there was a name there, but by then I'd already had him repainted and had an entirely different character for him. Not that I would've kept the name otherwise, I guess. Usually I have an idea in mind for who I want the doll to be, so I don't think I'd use the character or name of the previous owner. That's their character, after all, and I'd feel weird having someone else's character as a doll.

As for selling, both dolls I've sold have been renamed, and I'm 100% fine with that. One was sold to a friend who knew the name I had for them, but went a different direction with the doll's character (which is good, since I sort of re-shelled him). The other one, I didn't pass the name along, and the buyer didn't ask.

 

Animals can learn to recognize new names, though. My friends who do rescue work often don't know the original names of the fosters they take on--many of them were abandoned by the original owners, or found as strays that were never claimed. They give them new names, which they don't expect them to keep when they're adopted out. Similarly, my two cats were given names by their rescue that I did not keep; they have no problem recognizing their new names at all.

It may be more important with an animal, particularly an old one, to keep the original name if you can (again, in some cases, it's just not possible, and those pets turn out just fine), but just like with a doll, it's okay to change it.

And, in my opinion, I'd say it's more important with a doll than with an animal. There really aren't very many good reasons to keep a secondhand doll's name the same, honestly. Yes, some do exist (I like the suggestion above of keeping the name when buying a doll that belonged to a collector who's passed away), but they're rare, and in no case should the seller demand that you keep the same name.

 

I bought my Bygg 2nd hand and purposefully didn't ask her name because I was worried I wouldn't change it if I knew. I know dolls aren't alive and don't have souls, but I also kind of believe they do :p

 

I don't feel I would need to ask if I could rename them I purchased them and they must have sold them as they no longer feel inspired by them or feel their completed, but if I really loved the doll character they were previously I may find it hard to start the reshelling process

 

I want to add with animals, there is a good reason to change their name - trauma. My late dog when he was a puppy, was abused (he still had open wounds that were healing when we adopted him), starved to a point of emaciation and had bleached marks on his fur where he was left outside in the rain for extended amounts of time. His name was King and it was on his collar. Any time a member of the shelter staff called him King he flinched like he was going to be hit. I changed it to Yugi and he stopped flinching when called instantly. He learned his name in minutes and knew THAT was his name.

Sorry this is a bit off topic but that's my experience at least. Dolls the names don't really matter as they don't respond. It's us who pick the names. Animals it's different.

 

I don't mind, as I'm indecisive with names myself! Many haven't even got names yet because I don't want just any name for them, they have to have a name that just feels like them.

My Mirwen boy was called Chance, and it kinda didn't feel right. Then I got my DIM Larina boy and I kept calling him Chance by accident, and it just felt more him. So now my Mirwen boy has no name!

 

I'm definitely in the "I thought this was assumed" crowd. I know I'm usually on the market with very specific plans, and regardless of what the previous owner did, those plans will not change.

On the other hand, I am a very curious person and do like to know where a doll has been, even if the answer won't affect my choice at all. This is true of both dolls I've bought and sold. I just like seeing the varied lives they've had.

 

Almost half of my collection is secondhand, and I've never even considered keeping an old name or asking after an old name. Sometimes I see the old name in the seller's profile, or once I bought a doll from a friend and I knew his old character, but usually by then I already have my own name and character picked out for them. The doll is already going to go through a total change of identity, so why worry about keeping an old name? If it helps, I like to give newly bought secondhand dolls a cleaning when they arrive- it feels like I'm wiping the slate clean, so to speak. Take everything off of them and give them a magic eraser bath. Redress them as their new self.

If I were to sell a doll and have someone ask to keep the name, I'd pretty much be like, "I can't tell you what to do with it, name it what you want." As long as they didn't try to keep the doll modeled after my character- then I'd feel weird. Most of my dolls' characters are based on my book characters- even if those books aren't published, it's still my IP.

 

I think once you buy it, it is yours to name. I don't think I even want to know the old name. It's like that was the dolls old life and now on to the new one. Now if a doll was gifted to me, I would feel different. Then I would keep the old name because the person who gave me the doll would have to be a friend or loved one.

 

I think of renaming a secondhand doll as a part of what comes with it when you buy it. If I really liked the name a secondhand doll came with I would ask the previous owner if it was alright if I kept it.

 

I have two second hand dolls, male and female, and I only asked what the previous name was for one of them. By that time though I had already decided on what I wanted to name her, but I was still curious.
A name can show a lot of personality and pull together a doll's over all look. Heck, I even changed my first doll's name from Ansell to Nyx due to her personality not fitting as well with the first name.
So I don't think you should worry about the previous owner when thinking about renaming your new-to-you doll. If you want to take their previous name into consideration then that should be okay as long as the original owner doesn't mind.

 

To be honest I don't know what my dolls were called before I bought them. I bought my first doll from my best friend and didn't change her name or character because I wanted her like that. But from other sellers I wouldn't ask permission. They are my dolls now and I need to bond with them. For me that starts with choosing a suitable name.

 

Every doll I've gotten second hand have been left in a box or on a shelf and never really played with. So I doubted they had a name. So I guess I just went with that assumption... but changing wouldn't bother me, I usually have to meet the doll befor I name them anyways.

 

I honestly hadn't thought about it. When I bought my second hand doll, I had spent the entire time that I had waited for her to arrive crafting a character and a life for her. I think that once you pay your money you have the right to craft her doll into a whole new persona.

I think that the only exception would be if you really truly loved the character that the previous owner had crafted, and they agreed to let you continue with that character, though it would have to be 1000000% agreed on ahead of time.

The only things I would keep would be little story relevant things to pay honor to the original owner. Like the character's home town being where the doll's previous owner was, or working in something about a childhood spent in the same school as the previous owner's characters. Something small but nice.

 

As far a I am concerned, once I buy a doll from someone, it is mine to do with as I please. Whatever name, character, or whatever the previous owner had for the doll ceases to be a part of that doll.

So, no, I do not feel that the buyer of a secondhand doll has any obligation to ask permission to change the doll's name.

 

it's my doll once it is in my possession- I don't care what previous owner had it mind. I even change my pet names. I think it would be refreshing for the dolls too. New life, new beginning, perhaps? Not many humans get to have that chance XD

 

When I bought my first girl second hand, the first owner had been leaving the hobby, and that meant that my girl's name and original story had been erased. But then again, it was up to me when I buy bought her which included creating her story and her name.

 

well I got mine technically as third-hand already so.. but I personally think asking the owner about changing stuffs is not necessary. They are already selling it away so like, why bother? Most times they are interested to see what you actually do with the doll you bought from them so it is neither offensive nor disrespectful.

 

I think it really depends for me... The secondhand doll I bought came from an owner who never finished her and, to my knowledge, never got to the point of giving her a name. Honestly I haven't seen any sellers in secondhand groups that outwardly acknowledge the doll's name or character unless that's a specific selling point.

I would almost never buy a doll like that, though, even if it was a sculpt I liked. Because I'm definitely going to wipe it, and I'd feel bad destroying a character someone has already put so much effort into.

 

I have never even asked names of the second hand dolls I have bought. Or characters they might have been before. My dolls, names and backstory I have created.