Have you ever accidentally influenced someone into the BJD Hobby but..

I got my boyfriend into BJDs by just being interested in them myself, and always talking about them and showing him pictures and threads on DoA. At first he just supported my liking to them and thought that BJDs were cute, but then he decided to get one for himself. He picked out a doll, but I wasn't too excited because I felt that he made a very arbitrary decision. But just before my first doll arrived I convinced him to rethink his decision and look through the database database. He sat there and studied pictures, saving some that he liked, when he came across Crobidoll's Lance. He refused to look at any more dolls and didn't want to save the other pictures; he said he knew that he wanted her (we're going to put the head on a senior Delf female body). He seemed really excited about the sculpt, and now when he's at my computer he wants to look at the company photos to peek at her. I also just got my BJD (an msd compared to the SD that he wants) and he really likes him and thinks he's uber cute. So I'm glad to be able to share the hobby with him ^.^

 

(It's also nice because all my other friends are into Pullips and not BJDs so much)

 

I discovered BJD's by accident when I was looking at hand-knit projects and happened on some that were designed for (and modeled by) some GORGEOUS BJD's! I shared what I found w/a knitting friend of mine and now we're both saving for our own dolls. ^_^

 

Squeeee! California Hugs! Those are warm and I am cold right now!


But, yeah, I was where you were, too. When I first became aware of BJDs, through Haute Doll, I was flabbergasted by the price tag and swore I'd never look at another one. But they kept calling to me, like they do (you know HOW that is!) and I finally started researching them. I whined to the nice ladies on the Prego board about the price and they were kind enough to tell me that I needed to stop looking at the limited editions and look at the basic dolls, for a more affordable option. Now, the prices were still high, but manageable. Then, I ordered my first doll and haven't looked back.

You can tell who is truly interested and who isn't. When you start going into the detail and all the clothing and accessories and dollie friends that the dolls insist on having, then that pretty much weeds out the disinterested.

 

Since I started seriously saving for one, my 10-year-old sister's been insisting she's going to buy one, too. Now, there's no way she could, unless it was a very small doll (she wants one of the BIG ones though), because she's... not good with money shall we say. And I know her, and I know she would probably leave it on the couch for the puppy to chew, or drop it on the floor or just... lose interest in it. So I keep telling her to WAIT until she's older and can really afford it! I love my sisters, but really. -rolls around-

 

I've shown very few of my friends and family about the hobby. My sister thinks they are really cool, but is more preoccupied with spending money on her wardrobe and various other things to save up for one. Maybe once I get a doll her interest will go up a little bit more, but I honestly don't know.

The two of my friends that I have actually shown pictures too think they look neat, but aren't very attracted to the price (not surprising).

But If anyone I told about the dollies decided to get one for themselves then I wouldn't stop them. It's their money and if they lose interest, they're the ones that own the doll. Not to sound heartless or anything, but if I did press them into getting one I would feel worse.

 

Oh yeah have i ever done that.

When i started in this hobby there was only one other major BJD among me and my friends, not to mention within a 50 mile raduis. not more than a year later, Half my friends are OOHing and AWEing me and my freind's dolls, and then decide to try to start getting them. Some of the friends are cool with their dolls but some...... It should really be considered abuse. they used sharpie and markers and a lot of other unmentionables... Ive NEVER seen a more stained doll-on purpose. .______.;;; and told them this wasn't their kind of hobby... *shudders*

 

Are they rich or something?? To treat a doll like that...

 

Oh nope. and whats worse is she got it for a present and it had a VERY nice custom face up made just for her, and she took it off to do that with sharpie...

I was horrified when i saw her i looked like this:

 

There's several people who have seen my dolls and now want BJDs of their own and a handful of them make me want to scream.

There's a couple cousins of mine who are younger (not saying that younger folk can't handle them) and they are little terrors....I hate having them anywhere near my stuff. I have a collection of ReMents and anime/game figures and model kits and.....they always end up making a big mess of my stuff.

There was also my old roommate in university who was so jealous all her friends liked my side of the room best she became obsessed with everything of mine. She wanted me to give her my posters and figures and buy her CDs and mags and she kept playing with my doll when I wasn't there. She was terrible to all of her stuff though and her computer was a mess after only a week of her torture! I managed to only get her into Miyavi (the singer) and she never watched any of the anime I burned for her...I'm just glad the troll never really got into BJD. I'd pity them. She'd be the type to give them permanent marker face ups too.

 

That's just plain rude imo. I mean to expect other people to buy you things.

Perhaps she would have had a bit more respect for the doll if she had had to save up for it herself? Or perhaps not. Some people just never care about stuff.


I have gotten three people interrested in BJDs. One is a close friend who's now seriously into BJDs. She has 3 MSDs and 3 tinies and I'm trying my best not to influence her to get another Lati Yellow . . . right Asneth?

The other one is a designer but works weekends as a home aid. She come to help me the weekends she's working. She is seriously interrested but just can't afford one at the moment - especially because she'd want an SD. She would want it to make clothes for it so it shouldn't be too small but she's also generally smitten by them. I feel a little guilty for making her interrested when she doesn't feel she can afford it. (If she saved up for one she'd feel guilty that she didn't use the money for better things for her son or for something her husband could enjoy as well.)

The third one is the daughter of one of my friends. She's 13 and a very sweet girl. I have always been close to her and I don't think she really wants one. She's just interrested because I am. At one point I was considering getting her one for her confirmation next spring but on second thought I might just give her the money. I think there's other things she wants more. She wouldn't mistreat it but she'd probably put it away and forget about it after a while. To her they are just much cuter Barbies.


Dustbunnie

 

A close friend of mine was over and I dragged her onto the computer with me for another spastic look at dolls/ ranting about them to her.

(Keep in mind she is also Ashael's friend, so she has to listen to us alot >.>')

We hit the luts site and dollfairyland, she fell in LOVE with the kd cherry and a sd girl on dollfairyland...I think she mentioned wanting to buy one for sometime, but I was relieved when that passed. *sad to say*

She takes very good care of her possessions, but I don't think she realizes the responsibility and time it takes in this hobby *she's know about prices for a LONG time*
She just likes to look at pictures

So I guess you could say I've influenced someone in that way...

 

I have! A friend who keeps me company all night in viewing rooms at anime cons died a little inside when I brought Miyabi (my beautiful Kill_U SP~) in to snuggle and watch instead of my usual plushie. I noticed she kept looking over at him and I didn't think anything of it... she also wanted to trade snuggle partners and I was fine, I love Moogles~!

But she was beside herself with want by the time we were done and actually cut herself off from any dealer's room purchases to start saving. I tried to explain to her how expensive and addictive dolls can be (and also how delicate they are as she's pretty hyper/careless and I could just see her dropping one...). She had herself a Tender-Too by the next event and what happened? Her and the other Naruto cosplayers got too crazy and the poor boy fell out of her arms onto the floor and his nose is now damaged.

I would never tell someone not to get into the hobby but I knew that was bound to happen and it irritates me when people don't handle their own dolls with care.

 

My friend Chrissy, who lives with me saw them and fell in love with the sexy boy dolls and was like OMG I want one.

Now she is bad with money to start with so I doubt she could save up to buy one and ontop of that she is irresposible with her things. She spent $200 on her phone upgrade only to drop it and break it within TWO MONTHS and had to pay twice that to replace it (she colud have bought the newest version of the iphone cheaper then that).

I have found her MP3 player all over the place. She lost two diskman(portable CD Players) by dropping them in iced coffee at work (McDonalds). She lost one her gameboy advanced with one of MY games in it (she still owes it to me). Now she went and lost her DS along with a $25 game. So if she ever did manage to save to get a resin baby, I don't think I could look at him (or her) because I'd feel bad for how they might end up.

 

Hehehe...well, it wasn't really an accident, but for some of my friends it was.

And then when we had a family staying with us because their power was out, their ten year old daughter was like, 'I want a BJD.' And I just bluntly said, 'No you don't. Not yet. Wait until you're older.' And she just shut-up xD

 

My husband lately has been saying he wants his own doll but he is just kinda bratty with my dolls well the boy dolls anyway. If they are sitting on the couch he will give them a little push and say"move over !"

but now he wants his own ( probably so he can be really mean to it I dont know)

but I have influenced two people that I know just by showing them pictures of my dolls I dont know how long they will stay in the hobby we'll see but they each have their own doll now.

 

i wouldn't say I got him into the hobby, but oddly enough, of all my non-doll friends, the person who likes my boys most is my ex-boyfriend who is a total jock. when ever we have to work on school projects he always pets their heads and remarks on how "cute" they are...but then again, we've been teasing him for his habit of saying really non-jockish and slightly "gay" things...like calling my friend's mini cooper adorable and proclaiming that he'll trade his giant lifted pickup for it. ^ ^;

 

I'm scared I'm not going to like my boy in a few years. >< I always go through little hobbies that I love for a month or a year or so, and then I just don't care any more. I really don't want that to happen with BJDs, but I don't know how to keep myself interested. xx;

 

I know exactly how you feel. I bought my girl after only months from the first picture I even saw. I tend to rush in and then get bored and I'll admit after a while I did get kinda bored, but it never died....that was over 4 years ago. This past April I got my second, a boy....wow...its like love all over again. And not just him, both of them. its a whole other thing when there's two to play off each other. So don't give up faith!