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Have you always loved dolls? [Poll]

Jan 20, 2021

?
  1. Yes, I've been fascinated with them since I was a child

    101 vote(s)
    50.0%
  2. No, I was never particularly interested in them until I saw my first BJD

    35 vote(s)
    17.3%
  3. No, I actually used to find them extremely creepy

    8 vote(s)
    4.0%
  4. Only sort of - I enjoyed them as a child and then lost interest...until BJDs

    53 vote(s)
    26.2%
  5. Other (Please elaborate!)

    12 vote(s)
    5.9%
Multiple votes are allowed.
    1. Can definitely confirm always loved dolls. Buckled to peer pressure and putting away childish things during teenagerdom and early 20's but life is way to short for me not to do what I do.

      I love dolls with great fashions and face shapes to repaint. And diversity.
       
      • x 1
    2. I used to collect Barbies when I was a kid and always had an eye on pretty dolls like Blythe and Pullip. Then, my childhood friend introduced me to this hobby when I was in 7th grade. My friend had a DOD Leya and she said she wanted to buy a twin yosd dolls but she didn’t have that much budget. So, we split the twin up; I got the girl one and she got the boy one. Sadly, we decided to sell them because she wanted to focus mainly on DD and I wanted a bigger size. Well, at first I thought I would stick with 1/4 and bigger size, but now I have 1/3, 1/4 and yes, 1/6 hahaha. :XD:
       
      • x 1
    3. I always preferred animals to humans and didn't think young children were cute, so I wasn't interested in dolls and actively disliked Barbie (a poisoned well--the girls who were obsessed with Barbie were the ones who bullied me for gender nonconformity) and baby dolls.
      I did have an American Girl doll that my mother got me in an attempt at making me Normal And Relatable, but I enjoyed the props and accessories way more than the doll.

      I think what I disliked about dolls in childhood is that the ones presented to me weren't great for roleplay. It's hard to convey emotion with a toy that can't tilt its head or touch its face or bend its knees. I remember holding a BJD for the first time and being charmed by how naturally she could sit in the crook of my arm, and even now, my favorite thing about them is their ability for nuanced gesture.
       
      • x 2
    4. I never really liked Barbies. Action Girl (Miss Dollikin in the Americas) was preferable to me (mine was called Sabrina after Kte Javkson's character in Charlie's Angels - The Angel who actually did stuff) as she was better articulated, and marketed as less of a bimbo clotheshorse. Sabrina had all sorts of adventurous escapades and missions along with my other dolls (occasionally hampered by the inclusion of my niece's barbies in the games, and abetted by my nephew's Action Man - G I Joe to Americans- who at least had decent articulation and access to a range of weaponry and other useful equipment)

      Articulation was always a selling point for me - I still have pictures that I drew (as a nine-year-old in the 70s) of my ideal/dream dolls and they're basically BJD. I wanted a Palitoy Katie Kopycat doll because she has/had elbow joints and torso articulation. I was envious of a neighbour child's 18" doll which had jointed knees (never knew the brand of that one). I became interested in antique porcelain dolls (and reproductions) because they had articulated ball-jointed bodies. I also made and dressed cloth dolls and later (in my teens) reproduction porcelain dolls.

      I was also drawn more to either very large dolls or very small dolls - Barbie/ActionGirl and other 1/6 scale dolls fell in between so was not my ideal size for dolls. Action Girl/Miss Dollikin had become a favourite simply because she was the best articulated of any dolls that could be easily got at the time. Pippa (Dawn size for Americans) was a preferable size but while she had jointed knees, her elbows weren't articulated and the less commonly available and less well advertised Sarah Louise/Little Miss Dollikin/Triki Miki dolls were preferable, though scarce, alternatives due to their superior articulation.

      So, as a lifelong collector* and maker, I already had a house full of other types of dolls (porcelain, vinyl, plastic, wood, cloth) by the time BJD's appeared on the scene. I still do, but now it's got the addition of around 50 BJD ranging from RealPuki up to Lusion. BJD's just had to find their place among the already numerous dolls, bears, and stuffies in the house,

      Teddy

      (* when I say "collector" I mean I had amassed a lot of them to play with)
       
      #24 Teddy, Jan 20, 2021
      Last edited: Jan 20, 2021
      • x 3
    5. When I was a child I liked dolls but there were none that fascinated me. I never liked Barbie dolls because of the girlish model they represented (before there was not as much variety as now, unless they were within my reach) Barbie was the prototype of the rich and posh girl. My favorite doll was Nancy and I used to make clothes for her using scraps and sticking pins directly into the doll apart from cutting and dyeing her hair in the strangest ways like using lipstick. Of course their faces also suffered my creative outbursts.
       
      • x 4
    6. I always hated dolls. Porcelain dolls especially. I always loved miniatures though, and loved the detailed clothing on porcelain dolls. It was mostly their lifelessness that really bugged me. Even the most expensive dolls looked like they were frozen in agony, to me. Dolls that blinked but otherwise didn't move...really freaked me out. I really loved horse figures, and dinosaurs...and any animal, really. Still do!

      I discovered BJDs in highschool, and had fun browsing through them all. I liked how lively they were, and as a character artist, the idea of shelling my beloved characters really appealed to me. Funnily enough, I haven't shelled a single character through my dolls. I've just fell in love with sculpts, and created a character anew.

      I didn't get my first BJD until I was an adult, just a couple years ago now. It's hard to wrap your mind around the price point at first, but the ability to layaway really helps with that. I never thought I'd go over a certain price point....but I certainly have now! :lol:
       
      • x 3
    7. I can't really say whether or not I was always a doll person. I mean—I leaned more tomboyish in my youth, and absolutely hated Barbies and anything remotely baby doll-like as a kid. There's also the fact that it seems like I mainly played with the ones I had in those elementary school days to keep my sister entertained. I can say I was mildly okay with the sister dolls for Barbie, the friend dolls and even Ken to an extent, and had a passing fascination with American Girl dolls (I might have been more fascinated by the historical aspect and the characters tied to them rather than the actual dolls, as wells as the quality of their accessories; I've always had a thing for highly detailed miniatures).

      I do recall having a few that I favored, like the Ariel dolls when the Little Mermaid was released, or Mulan and a few other Disney ones released later. There's also that Babysitter's Club set that I had, and I had a short stint of being really into Kelly (Barbie's little sister and her friends released in the late nineties) when I was in my teens. I also casually collected some Bratz dolls, Winx Club dolls, and other miscellaneous lines that I eventually lost interest in and parted with.

      Even saying that—I was much more interested in nature, stuffed toy cats, My Little Pony (to a degree), and horse miniatures (Grand Champions come to mind) over dolls really. I also leaned more into boy toys like toy cars, dinosaur figures, video games, etc.

      I think there was always this part of me that secretly despised dolls. Growing up there was always this sense of girliness attached to them, and that was never my thing. It didn't help that most of them geared towards kids were all about fashion, dressing pretty and wearing makeup (or taking care of a baby, which I never enjoyed—even to this day honestly). I got into the Disney ones and Winx Club because of the characters attached to them, and Bratz really because of their uniqueness (I mean, I was drawn more towards their multi-colored hair styles and range).

      I don't think I ever really connected strongly with dolls until I discovered Pullip though. Their poseability, eye mechanisms, and the ability to customize them—the sky was the limit. It allowed my creative side to explore, and gave me a chance to finally give life to characters I'd always dreamed to. At first it was mainly existing characters without any toy/figure tie-ins, but OCs eventually trickled in. I'd discovered bjds shortly after Pullips, and was entranced by them.

      It took some years for me to become fully immersed with bjds, however. I've also mainly taken to them to express my inner creativity through a variety of different characters. The beauty of bjds for me is that they're a fantastic blend of doll and action figure—and art piece. I think that's always something I'd had a desire for, even when I was little, and it's not so much the doll aspect that appeals to me, but the unlimited creative avenues they offer. I'm finally able to properly give life to some of my favorite characters in a way I'd always hoped, and a canvas on which to create some of my own.

      So, in essence—I can't really say I'm a doll person. It might be more appropriate to describe it as character creator/art figure enthusiast, with a bit of appeal for play-ability and poseability on the side. :3nodding::kitty2
       
      • x 4
    8. I wasn't just "not interested" in dolls when I was younger. I actively despised them, for a variety of reasons. I didn't like the lack of posing in the average Barbie, I didn't like the vapid expression or weird proportions, Ken's molded-on underwear was creepy, and I had a rather... unpleasant, let's say, estranged relative who operated under the belief that I was forever a super girly four year old, so whenever he'd think of sending a gift, it would be some form of Barbie (real if he felt particularly generous, knockoff otherwise), and I wasn't all that girly even then. My sister liked Barbies, but when we played together, the My Little Ponies and Little Pretty Kitties would move into her Barbie Townhouse. :)

      It wasn't until I was well into adulthood that I discovered the idea of customizing things like action figures (yes they're technically dolls :lol:), and thought it would be neat to make figures of my OCs, but the body types were all wrong and even in those, the posing left a lot to be desired. So that never really got done, though the idea stuck with me until many years later when, well after first noticing BJDs at anime cons, I realized they were actually made to be customized! (There were far fewer companies back then, and there was a particular look that was very in vogue, so with all of them ultimately looking so similar it didn't really dawn on me that the similarities were just a quirk of that point in the hobby and not deliberate from the makers.) And even then, dolls still didn't interest me, because I still hadn't found anything that fit. It took finding that one specific doll that started my collection to finally get me interested!
       
      • x 4
    9. Nope, no dolls, only stuffed animals or plastic farm or zoo animals. I had Barbie dolls, they were gifts, and didn’t play with them. Baby type dolls were an absolute NO. I love dollhouse miniatures, but no dollhouse dolls, just animals. Then one day I was searching the web for Japanese dollhouses and saw my first bjd. I was instantly interested as these dolls were completely unlike any dolls I’d ever seen. After looking I was completely surprised to actually want one, or more! I finally decided to get one, and 12 years later I still am interested.
       
      • x 4
    10. Another tomboy here, I didn't like dolls at all as a kid. When I got a bit older I enjoyed some anime dolls and figures. I generally always liked plushies/stuffed animals growing up (still do!). So far I'm mostly drawn to the anthro or "pet" BJDs though, so that animal love is still hard to get away from! Plus, they fit well in the world I've kind of created. Looking forward to a few orders I placed to come in! And to making clothes for them (another thing that drew me in to BJDs as of late).
       
      • x 3
    11. I've had dolls since I was a kid, and my favorites were Bratz dolls and My Scene dolls. There was just something about 'em. They just looked and felt better than my Barbies. Bratz are probably why I'm so into alt fashion now, they had more darker styles. Like the Bratz Pretty n Punk series! *chefs kiss*

      Kind of fell out of taking care of my dolls until Monster High came out as a teen, but there was just something about them that put me off. Maybe it was the way the faces looked and the bodies were shaped that felt, I don't know, wrong to me? But when the Ever After High dolls came out, woah, I fell in love. I had Lizzie Hearts and Kitty Cheshire. Some life things happened and I don't know where they are now, but I've been thinking about getting a couple of them for a while now, I miss having them around.

      I learned about BJD's a little bit before that, but came from a low income household so there was no way I was going to even ask, so I just admired them from afar. Fast forward to a couple months ago, my friend gave me their 5stardoll Alyssa (not for free just to note, I'm paying them back) and I've been so happy to have her and flesh out her character and style. :kitty2
       
      • x 2
    12. I hated dolls as a child and only had stuffed animals, and was into miniatures and collected animal figurines. I’m 35 and just got into BJDs last year. I mostly collect 1/12 scale dolls for my miniature scenes. I was always fascinated by wooden manikins for figure-drawing, though, and my 16” fashion-style art BJDs are beautiful art pieces reminiscent of those.
       
      • x 2
    13. As a kid, I think I was mostly indifferent to playing with dolls aside from liking MyScene ones, but I was always into sewing felt dolls and plushies. I also liked to look at collector's edition Barbies since my mom had one and the different outfits and designs were nice. I first got interested in BJDs when I was in middle school through my sister who somehow started looking at them online a lot. They were so pretty to me back then and still are to me now. I've always had fun with creative hobbies like sewing and photography and I love to customize things so it fits well with the hobby.
       
      • x 2
    14. I loved my Barbies (and Barbie horses!) as a girl and used to put them through some very elaborate and outlandish dramas. I also had baby dolls, and when I was a bit older, porcelain dolls. While I liked these, they weren’t as much fun to tell stories with or take on jungle adventures in the yard or luxury poolside vacations and spa days at the bathroom sink. I remember drooling over American Girl catalogs, though even most of my Barbie stuff was from thrift stores and garage sales so they were far too expensive to hope for. It wasn’t the doll aesthetic I liked so much as the amazing furniture and the fact you could order a doll customized to look like you. I definitely think that unmet childhood desire followed me here.

      I was about fourteen when friends started wrinkling their noses at the mention of playing with dolls. I reasoned that I had two younger siblings who played with me, but a bit of a turning point came when I was was totally embarrassed by my cousin coming to visit. Not only did she laugh in my face at the idea of playing with barbies, but refused to sleep in my room unless I put my display of ‘creepy’ porcelain dolls in the closet. Dolls then got packed up, but I don’t think the love of dolls ever waned—from then on I was just more focused on real horses, writing, anime, art and costumes/sewing. I got into BJDs at 18 and it all came rushing back, along with the opportunity to use skills I’d learned in other hobbies in a new way.

      (A friend and I actually pulled my barbies out for a nostalgic doll day a few years back, only to find that mice had gotten into the bins and lot of their things were destroyed. :( I salvaged what I could, which fortunately included most of my childhood favourites.)

      Now I’m looking forward to my daughter being old enough for us to play dolls together. I don’t know if I can bear to stop at ratty thrift store barbies for her, though... if she’s into it enough, I hope to give her the amazing doll house I always dreamed of...

      All right, I’m rambling, but the short answer is yes, I think I’ve always loved dolls—primarily as a tool to create stories.
       
      • x 4
    15. 10 Year Old Me: *abandons Barbies to play with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & G.I. Joe with my brothers*

      30 Year Old Me: *poses two BJDs together* NOW KITH. :3

      Of course, BJDs fueled something in me that Barbie never could.. and that was the ability to customize and make them truly my own. Perhaps if that had been a feature of Barbie and other dolls at that time (like they seem to have more on the market now) perhaps my love of dolls would have flourished then.
       
      • x 6
    16. I loved Barbies as a child, but was absolutely PETRIFIED of any kind of doll that wasn't Barbie sized. So much so that when I would spend the night at my best friend's house, I would make her move all of her dolls into her bathroom and lock the door.

      In high-school, I sat next to a girl in my first day of art class. She had a photo of a Dream of Doll E-An taped to her binder, and it was like a switch flipped in my brain. As soon as I saw her, I no longer was afraid of dolls and became instantly obsessed! The mind is a strange thing indeed.
       
      • x 3
    17. I have loved toys in general my entire life. Action figures, stuffies, video games, dolls, it didnt matter, I loved them all! I carried a doll with me everywhere I went, long past the age that sort of thing was socially acceptable, haha! My family was very poor so all my toys were from the thrift store. But I wanted an American Girl doll more than anything. I slept with the catalog for years!
      I was never really into Barbies though. I always gave my toys names and personalities and back stories. But Barbie was already Barbie so I guess I never felt there was any reason to play with her.
      My favorite dolls were called Quints. They were so tiny and there were 5 of them!
       
      • x 5
    18. I have always loved dolls and playing with them. Dressup and fashion has also always been a passion of mine. The main reason why I got into BJD was because I have always dreamed of owning a doll that resembled me. My hair, my glasses, my skin color, my style etc. but I could never find one from companies like Barbie or so. I found out about BJD and was instantly in love. The first dolls I ever saw were minifees and Chloe was my first BJD. Now that I have a job and am not a student anymore I've been able to afford some of my dream dolls and I'm so delighted.
      My mom used to tell me not to get that many dolls because at some point I'll stop liking them but well... I never did xD
       
      • x 1
    19. I’ve had a doll obsession for almost my entire life! I also experimented with repainting barbies and cutting their hair. I even made my own cloth dolls because I wanted a wide variety of boys that were impossible to buy. I had 1/6 obitsu as my gateway to BJDs because I thought I would never be able to afford one. Thirteen years later and I have 12 BJDs. Except for my American girl and four other dolls, I exclusively have BJDs now.
       
      • x 3
    20. I've always loved dolls. I had babydolls, then barbies and porcelain dolls. My Nonna would travel a lot and she always picked up a doll for each granddaughter from every place she visited, so I have those, too. When I was about... 11? I was obsessed with getting an American Girl doll. I did eventually get one, but since I couldn't afford the accessories and hadn't yet learned to make my own, she wasn't as loved as she should have been.

      The transition to BJDs came pretty naturally. I was into anime and had started picking up figures a little, then saw a BJD for the first time at a convention. Took another couple of years before I learned what they actually were to look up more about them (thanks deviantart, lol), then nearly fainted at the prices of them. But once I managed to get one home, amassing an army came surprisingly easily :sweat
       
      • x 2