Have anyone ever purchased multiple dolls just to find the perfect doll?

Lol, I agree with Zagzagael on this one. I love my dolls, but just kept going back to the Minifees, despite the issues with FL right and eventually Chloe (wonder why?). Sometimes it takes multiple dolls (owning, selling and what have you) to find that perfect doll you have always wanted. It's like shopping for the perfect Christmas gift for someone. You travel in and out of hundreds of stores, trying to find the one thing you know that they will love, but it's when you can't find or about to give up that you find yourself staring at it the entire time.

 

Before I bought my first BJD, I have been thinking for a long time (several years) if I should buy a doll at all, and then for a long time (several months) about which one to choose. All the thinking was silly actually, because the decision to buy one was made because I had seen a certain doll online in the first place. And of course, this doll also was the one that I "chose" as my first dream doll (well rather it chose me, hehe).

I own this sculpt now, and this doll always was and still is one of my absolute dream dolls. I love everything about him - his face sculpt, the body, the resin colour, the poseability - just everything. He is one of those dolls I constantly play with, and my attachement to him increased over time, expecially since I have found the perfect look for him. He IS perfect.

BUT: This first BJD I decided on was not the first that I actually got. So it would be too easy to say that my first doll was my perfect doll. The ones that arrived before him were not perfect. They were wonderful, and I still have them (though one has been made into two hybrids because I wasn't able to bond with like it was). But not perfect.

I don't expect that I will like all my dolls equally. I play favourites ^^ In my opinion, it is okay to like some of one's dolls more than others. And sometimes it is the little things that help with bonding - a new face-up, or wig, and the doll suddenly "comes to life", and you fall in love with it again. Don't be disheartened if the dolls you have now don't feel "perfect" to you. Try out a couple of new things with them, clothing, wigs, eyes - and if you still don't like them much, then you can either put them away for some time to try on later or simply sell them ^^ And then search for the doll you will like more!

 

I spent all 2011 doing this. First I received the CustomHouse dolls I ordered over a year ago, and just put them back in the box, since any enthusiasm I had was long gone. Next was a doll I'd liked since starting in the hobby back in '05, now out on a body I thought I'd love, but no. Then a LittleFee, a beautiful doll with wonderful posing, that just didn't appeal. Then a Pipos Mari, whose unusual sculpt and proportions I was sure I would love. It took months before she was shipped and then back from the face up artist, and after that she started looking weird, in a bad way.
Meanwhile, I got an American BJD, just because I could -- who was simply not cute enough, and then another, who was cute enough but still not right.
Finally a doll I'd wanted for over a year turned up on the MP and I snatched her up, planning to spoil her rotten. Two weeks later I ordered a doll that didn't fit any of the criteria I've made for myself(expressive face, child body, pale resin, no long legs) that I am crazy about. I had to go through 7 failures to find the 2 I love, though you'd think that after all this time I would know what I like.
I've been happy with these two dolls, but now, oddly, I just ordered a Doll Chateau Bella.

 

Nope! I currently own only one complete doll (by that I mean, an assembled doll with a face-up, eyes, wig, etc.), and the first time I saw her sculpt, I felt as if I'd just been slapped (but in a good way). No other doll has ever evoked such a profound reaction from me. I know she's my ideal doll.

 

I don't think there's one perfect doll. As much as I'd like to be one of those people who can be happy with one perfect doll, I've found there are too many different dolls out there with qualities that I enjoy to limit myself to just one. I've bought and sold far more dolls than I ever thought possible, but I consider my collection pretty solid right now based on those dolls coming and going.

 

All of my dolls are perfect
But seriously, I really do love them all, just for different reasons! There are a handful of dolls I love but they all are "perfect" as they are all different!

 

I have been in this hobby since 2005, and it wasn't until just last year that I ended up with a doll I'll never part with. Ironically, she's a Doll Chateau Bella that I modified a little. I've been through more than 30 dolls in my time, and they didn't suit my tastes due to posing, aesthetics, character decay, or various other reasons... Some stayed for months, others were re-homed days after arriving. Sometimes it takes a while to find your niche... I wouldn't wish my personal timeline on anyone, but it certainly can happen!

 

I bought three dolls until I finally got my perfect male doll, over about a three year period. It's just part of the hobby; experimenting and refining one's tastes until you get it right.

 

I've collected BJDs since 2006, and until recently I've never had a problem bonding with a doll or shelling my OCs. But in the last year, I've bought three dolls looking to shell an OC, and all three did not work out! (This has been a frustrating and rather expensive exercise.) The dolls essentially looked great in their company photos, but once I got them home they either didn't look quite right, or they just had the wrong vibe. *heavy sigh* So, now Im searching for a fourth doll; looking, looking, looking for that elusive quality that will embody this one character.

 

When I finally tok the leap after stalking the BJD community of months, I bought 5 dolls from Dollzone. I loved every one of them! They fascinated me, finally having them in my hands rather than staring at pictures for hours on end over the internet. I had already had some characters and story lines for them before I even got them home. Over time however, they just didn't seem to fit the story lines and characters I had envisioned and it became pretty frustrating. I ended up selling a few of them on DoA, giving one to my niece (who was just a bit afraid of it, turns out) and keeping one (the Leo I had gotten as part of an event for the silly cuteness factor). I took a break from "owning" any dolls for quite a while.

When I started putting my little resin family back together (with an entirely new story line and new characters), I did so very selectively. I fought every impulse and only bought the sculpt that I thought would truly fit the bill. Now I'm very satisfied with the collection I have. I plan on buying 2 or 3 more when timing and money coincide!

 

Just found this thread! I have tried eight times and failed to embody a girl character I have had in my head since 2006! Two of the eight have stayed on to become different characters in their own right (and they're perfect for me now), but the rest were sold away.

Iplehouse Freezia (tried twice!)
ElfDoll Carolei (Ruru)
Supia Roda
Unidoll High School Bess
DollZone Cherry (became my Maura)
Angell Studio Kana (became my Marjorie)
Senior Delf Annette

The character is Kiyako, the twin sister of one of my boys, a SoulDoll Lune named Kaoru. But I think I finally found the right head for her and am trying to find her a matching body. I hope the ninth time is the charm!

Has anyone else tried a lot of times and failed too? It's a lot of time, effort reselling, and money!

BTW, the rest of my BJDs aren't "perfect", but they're very close to just right for their characters, and there's not much I would change. I love finding the right doll for my character, or finding the right character for a new doll I've brought home. It happens both ways here!

Linda S.
galatia9

 

My perfect perfect doll was my 3rd doll. I don't have a clue why it worked out like that and looking back I was very impulsive in buying her! I don't even know what made me buy her, I didn't spend long hours pining for her, I didn't even like her the the first time I saw her, then I just happened to stumble on the same photo a month or 2 later and it kept me up all night when I found out she was still available (she is limited edition) now my doll wishlist is all about her! Finding the perfect friends for her, what I think would look good next to her etc. I think there are sensible ways of buying to give you the biggest chances of liking your doll, but in the end, it's practically luck when you find the right doll for you! The only advice I could give you is not to fall for owner pics, because when you get your doll, it won't be the dolls you've been looking at all that time, it will be a blank canvas. I think that was the difference with my 3rd doll, there were NO owner pics of her sculpt!
Lastly, sell the dolls you don't get on with! You'll make other people happy and you'll get back some of the Money you spent, money that could buy you that perfect doll!
Good luck with your Bella!

 

Linda S., I feel your pain. I eventually found the right big dolls, but just in the last couple of years have started assembling a tribe of mature mini dolls (which I swore I would never do, but you know how that goes in this hobby). In my quest to find the perfect small man for my girl, I have bought five so-called mature mini guys, after extensive comparisons of owner's dolls, and none of them are just right. One of them (the handsome pin head) is completely out of scale with her, three of them look like little kids next to her, and the last one's head is approximately the right size, but his body is wildly out of scale. I have bought several additional bodies for this head, but can't find The One. I've decided that the perfect body for him would be tall and slender like the Lati Blue body (47-48cm) and have the wide shoulders of the Iplehouse JID guys, but not have the stubby legs that go along with it. So far, this body does not exist that I can discover. Very frustrating and expensive. I keep hoping that some company somewhere will tap the market for small men and finally make the perfect one, so I can buy it, sell the rejects, and start playing again.

 

linakauno, I had similar problems matching my guy to his prospective twin sisters. ElfDoll Ruru's facial features were so large in scale, she didn't look right with any of my current resin doll family (which is more anime-like), let alone SoulDoll Lune. Some of my candidates had bodies and joints that I just didn't like the look of. And some their expressions were so cold, which just weren't what I was looking for in this character. One girl who stayed (my Angell Studio Kana) would have worked fine, but she decided to be a different character I had instead, and suited it much more.

Good luck in your search! It's frustrating, isn't it? Sometimes you will love a sculpt but no one seems to have owner pics, so you can't research it will enough to know if it will work for you. And if there are no comparison pics, you can't visualize how a prospective BJD will look with the ones you have! I've noticed mature mini males are way outnumbered by the mature mini available females. Did you look at SoulDoll Lester, at 50cm?

Linda S.
galatia9

 

I think, like a lot of things, finding a doll you really like takes time and experience. You have to hold, see, touch, and feel many kinds, shapes, styles, and sizes of dolls to see if it's something you're really interested in.

When I started this hobby, I thought my first doll was everything I wanted. It was not. He was nice and posed well, but I wanted something more stylized and older. After a few more dolls, I found that I liked the girls more. Then I tried different sizes and ended up with a few in each size. My favourite girl is a MSD-size doll, but even now I'm still searching for what I really want in the SD size.

Time, experience, and experimentation. You won't know until you experience each doll, at least that's what I've found to be true for me.

 

My perfect doll is my first doll, I wouldn't have bought it otherwise. I don't have money to keep buying doll after doll. I did a lot of research and looked at every single company I could find. I wasn't going to buy a doll if I couldn't find my "perfect" doll. Thankfully I did or else I wouldn't be here lol

 

Sadly for my bank account, I've loved ALL the dolls I've bought! I thought my first bjd was PERFECT. But I still bought more. They all are different and play different parts in my dolly world... For me, one doll won't be the One and Only, because I like so many different dolls!

 

I know exactly what you mean. I've never seen a bjd in person before so they only reference I had were from pics. I thought I did enough research before buying my first one which I thought was a Pukifee Ante but turned out to be a Pukipuki. Since then it's been a year and I've had a hard time bonding with several of my dolls. My taste in dolls seems to have evolved as well. At first I thought the biggest doll I would get would be a Littlefee and I was partial to Lati's but now I'm liking the SDs and MSDs. I've resold a few of my dolls and though I felt guilty I think in the end if you're going to invest your money and time on a doll it should be the one you really want. If not the dolls with just be neglected instead of being adopted by someone who would actually want it. That's my thought or maybe my rationale to justify it anyway