Giving a doll as a gift

I haven't bought a doll as a gift. Though I might buy one for my brother for Christmas.

 

I'd just like to post here again, because I am still planning to give a doll to someone as a gift after I restore it, but mostly because I want to share the reaction I got when I gave one of my dolls I've decided to reshell to my grandmother... The character needed to be a bigger doll but I LOVE her in her current form and couldn't make myself sell her, and my grandma always LOVED her and would often joke about taking her home. My grandma's been having a rough time recently with moving to a new apartment, and on her birthday we went up to move some furniture in... I had wrapped the box up all pink with a white bow and when she opened it, oh my god, she was so happy. She looked like she was about to cry, and I was so, SO glad I gave her my doll. I dunno, I just felt like sharing because it's totally worth it to give a doll as a gift, even if it costs you a bit (I could've sold her and I needed money pretty badly) It's probably one of the best gifts you can give. (To a doll enthusiast, anyway!) I'll post again once I've given the other doll as a gift too, if that's okay! It'll be interesting because the recipient has never seriously thought about buying a doll, so hopefully they will know how much work and love I'm pouring into that doll for them...


EDIT: I would like to report that I have given the other doll to the other person, and it went really well! They weren't as happy as my grandma had been, but that's okay, I didn't expect them to be. The doll's name is Bellus and he and his owner are bonding really well so far, which is wonderful 'cause his owner was doubtful about owning a doll before, at least enough not to buy one themselves. But they were really happy too, and I'm glad I could give them a little friend. I still recommend dolls as gifts, but only to other doll enthusiasts or people who you really love and will appreciate how much it means that you of all people gave them a doll, your pride and joy. It's a great thing. ^ - ^

 

I have not done it yet, but I would definitely love to! I would get my friend a Fairyland pukiFee Pongpong; she totally fell in love with him but doesn't have enough to get him!

 

My mom really likes bjds and she's SO good at the customizing aspects like making amazing clothes, pairing shoes and wigs well with the clothes, doing faceups, but she can only afford the cheaper ones (off topic ones) that I can tell she isn't happy with. Her birthday is coming up and I really want to get her a nice one. She specifically told me not to spend a lot on her but I know it will make her happy... I'm just worried I'd end up picking a bad sculpt or something she isn't 100% in love with. She loves fairy type dolls with the elf ears, so I've been looking!

 

I bought a FantasyDoll Charlotte, a fairly cheap and small (1/6) doll, to help my friend get into the hobby. We're both pretty poor so I wanted to help her out. The only thing about buying a doll as a gift is that you really have to know how devoted they are and have a pretty good idea of what they like.

 

My little brother seems to really, really love my dolls. He always wants to come with me when I photograph them. He loves to hold my tiny, and he'll tell them goodnight before he goes to bed if I have them out. Every so often, he says, "Tell Angelo, Lily, and Tessie that I said 'hello'." Christmas and his birthday are both coming up, and I was thinking about getting him a doll. I mentioned to him that I might do this and he was ecstatic. Is this a common idea? What are everyone's thoughts on this? Has anyone done this before? Or, has anyone gotten into this hobby because of a sibling? I'd certainly love to hear any stories. I can't help but to think of how wonderful it would be if I could get my brother into the hobby with me!

 

I think this is a wonderful idea! Just make sure to get him one you know he'll really like.

 

I don't have any siblings but I did get my mum two dolls for mother's day and Christmas. She was thrilled and loves them to bits, though she's not involved in the community

 

my son is getting my first doll (SD size AoD Qian) for Christmas - whether he likes it or not LOL - Well he has in the past been adamant that I should not sell her - he has always liked her and even spoken to her (he's 19yrs old) So I told him and he seems secretly pleased (all his emotions are secret from his mother anyway of course!) I have had the MOST fun this Christmas buying wigs/clothes for his doll - I never did it when she was mine!

I would say the most important thing is to make sure he likes the sculpt, and bear in mind he probably won't want to wait for it patiently - so a used doll, possibly one of your own collection if you can bear to part with any of them, might be best for him

 

I bought a hujoo nano Freya for my now-13-yr-old-sister for her birthday this tuesday passed, and she was really happy. I think it's a great idea.

Make sure you have enough time for the doll and everything for it to arrive; Freya is a junkyspot exclusive, and junkyspot only sells in stock dolls, so she only took about a week from the us to england. Buying in stock from dealers or second hand is a good idea.

 

Also make sure to check the faster shipping out companies. Resinsoul sent out my Bei less then two weeks after I made my final layaway payment and she arrived roughly a week later. My MSD used came to me in about a week as well but it depends on the company. RS dolls are in stock at Jspot and Emory has been known to ship out orders as soon as that night.

 

Aww, sounds so sweet, especially when your brother loves the dolls so much. :3

My big sister has been pestering me to get her a doll as a present. She's going to get a Pullip for Christmas and maybe later a resin doll if she takes good care of her Pullip. ;-)
I think a doll as a gift is a very good idea if you know that the person who's going to receive it will appreciate the doll.
I'd really like to get a small doll for my best friend, it'd be awesome if we could enjoy this hobby together. But unfortunately, she said herself that she doesn't care for dolls. So I don't think she'd be too happy about the present and I'd feel sad for the doll too...

 

yes I've just been checking out junkyspot - they have loads of dolls in stock, but the customs charges from US to UK are crippling - Great if you live there though! Mint on Card is another one in the US which carries a fair bit of stock.

 

If my sister was as much in love with dolls as me I'd get one for her, probably from the MP to make sure it arrives in time.

 

I agree with getting him a used doll. All of my dolls were secondhand, and that's how I plan to keep it. I love to give a home to something that didn't have one, plus they usually come with extras, ship faster, and cost less. However, I only have three dolls and I don't plan on parting with any of them! I'm glad to hear that this is a pretty common thing. When I brought it up to my parents, they didn't seem so pleased. I think the hardest part will be finding a good face sculpt. I definitely want to get him a boy though. He's a bit too young for a girl doll that has the parts, and he said that he wanted a boy.

 

I'm planning on getting my best friend a doll, probably as a late Christmas present. She's had dolls in the past, but due to financial problems she's had to part with all of them. Now that I've finally gotten into the hobby, she's excited but I can tell she's a bit jealous.

 

Skai- That's a really kind thing to do, I bet she'll be over the moon about it. =)

 

I have bought a cheap BJD for my niece for Christmas, she is ten years old so I thought a Mimiwoo baby ted would be a good place to start. She loves to knit and is learning to crochet, so I think the doll will be a big hit with her.

 

My granddaughter just turned 8 she loves Monster High dolls so I thought I would get her a Pullip. We don't see her much she hasn't seen my dolls so I have no idea if she will like it or not.

 

One of my best friends (and now roommate) has been wanting a doll for 7 years now, ever since she saw mine. She is still saving up to get a Migidoll Jina. Her birthday is coming up this month, and I decided to surprise her with one! I really want to go big on this, and already told her that her gift has been shipped. She's DYING for a hint on what it is.

So, on to the discussion points:

-If you were surprising someone with a doll, what sort of hints would you give? What hints do you think would give it away?

-Would you simply let them open their gift, or would you try and give them their doll in a creative way? (example: hiding it somewhere in the house and waiting for them to find it)

-Would you make sure that you included accessories, like wig/eyes/clothes?

-If YOU were being gifted a doll, what would make it most exciting for you? Are there any ways you can think of adding to the excitement of it?

-Anything else you feel like adding to the conversation would be extremely helpful