Have you ever renamed a doll?

I waited for a long time, made a lot of research and wrote a big list before giving a name to my doll. I have carefully thought about it, that's why until now i didn't think to change it.
But sometimes, when you received your doll and have already choose a name, or choose it after his arrived, it doesn't fit anyway. So you renamed your doll, and try to pick a better one.

 

Have you ever renamed a doll you own?
Yes, I have.

If so, Why?
It was a small change. It went from Aiden to Aide, just because it was easier to pronounce, and the new meaning of the name fit better my doll.

Did it feel strange?
No really

Did the personality of your doll change as you got to know him/her?
Not in the case of Aide, but it did with one of my other dolls. The plans for my first doll was that he was going to be 16 years old and somehow cute, naive, chiildish, etc. But the more I knew him, I realized that that was not his age or personality. So now, he represents a 18 years old college student with a positive personality. His name didn't change. I usually choose the name of my dolls based on the meaning and sound of it. For example, I got the idea of Demian's name from Hermann Hesse's book "Demian" , plus the name means "victory of the people", which fits the optimistic personality of Demian.

 

My Kalishi was a long time without a name, incidentally also no body, then in my mind came Kiara, moved in a week, now we're happy.


At home, Erick (Don Ringdoll), Hwang Lee (Luke # 1 Dream Of Doll) Hana Kiori (Cherie Iplehouse) Kalishi (head or Eris Doll / impldoll body) and head of Tae (souldoll)

 

Have you ever renamed a doll you own? Yes, my Volks YoSD Lin, whom I'd originally named "Lilly".

If so, Why? Because Volks, later released a YoSD named Lillie.

Did it feel strange? Yes, a little, I'm still getting used to it. I may even change it again, once I get her head repainted.

Did you get tired of the old name? Did it become too popular? Did it not seem like the doll's real name? Already answered above.

Would you rename a doll if you already haven't? Yes, now I would. At first, I wouldn't, because I usually take my time naming my dolls, and normally wait until I see them in person to pick their name.

Do you feel as if your doll has something of a life of its own, a name it already wants to be called? Yes, sometimes. The first time this happened was when I opened my Black Melody Narsha. As I looked at her, she very clearly announced that she was a ghost of my handsome Volks SD13 Heath's dearly departed little sister :Angelica". Heck, up until that moment, I didn't even know Heath had a sister! LOL!

Did the personality of your doll change as you got to know him/her? I would say it's more like their personality evolves. Like in the case of Heath, he broods, but I didn't know the real reason behind it until Angelica's arrival on the scene. Heath blames himself for coming back home from his travels with an infectious fever that he recovered from, but Angelica contracted and died from. She haunts Heath, but their littlest sister Liddelle, has also seen Angelica's ghost from time to time, and thinks of her as a guardian angel. The death of their sister is what prompted Heath to experiment with time travel, thus trapping he and Liddelle in this 21st century.

Juli DC

 

Have you ever renamed a doll you own? If so, Why? Did it not seem like the doll's real name?
So far, twice. Once for a funny reason: I had expected to get a certain Holy Grail doll in the summer, so I planned to call him Natsuyume, "summer dream". But I ended up not getting him till autumn, so he became Akiyume. =) The other time the name - the nickname, actually - that I had chosen absolutely did not fit.

Would you rename a doll if you already haven't? I'd certainly do it again if need be.

Do you feel as if your doll has something of a life of its own, a name it already wants to be called?
I do, and I always try to "hear" that when choosing a name. If the one I'd chosen didn't feel right and I couldn't find the "real name", I'd be OK going with "hey you" for awhile, rather than saddling the doll with an awkward name.

Did the personality of your doll change as you got to know him/her? Oh, gosh yeah. Sometimes right out of the gate, sometimes more gradually. Twice I've been absolutely certain of what persona a doll would have, right down to clothing style, and been voted down in every detail (and these weren't the same two dolls that had name issues! - or only one of them was. Lasse (Soom Alex) is a very strong-willed lady.)

==It's all part of building a family. =)

 

Have you ever renamed a doll you own?
Sure have. A few of my dolls went through different names before settling on a permanent one.

If so, Why?
The names just didn't feel right. I don't have characters for my dolls, as I'm not a writer, so I usually come up with names once the doll is home and is put together (face-up, eyes, wig). Sometimes, the first name I pick just clicks and that's the end of it. Other times, the name is just not right for the doll, and I keep referring to the doll by the mold name instead of the name I gave her. Most recently, this happened with MNF Mirwen. I went through a couple of names before I finally picked one that stuck.

Did it feel strange?
No, it felt right. What felt strange was referring to the doll by the mold name because my chosen name wasn't right for her. Finding the perfect name felt very satisfying.

Did you get tired of the old name? Did it become too popular? Did it not seem like the doll's real name?
I don't care if the name I pick is popular. Also, once I pick the perfect name, I don't get tired of it. So, I suppose the reason for name changes would be that the original name did not feel like it is a good name for the doll.

Do you feel as if your doll has something of a life of its own, a name it already wants to be called?
Hmm. No, I don't feel that my dolls have a life of their own. It has more to do with the reasons why I like the sculpt. For example, going back to my MNF Mirwen, I love her sculpt because she looks a bit grumpy, has a very defined brow ridge and looks very serious. The names I went through for her did not associate well with the grumpiness and seriousness of her look. Inevitably, we associate many names with certain traits - be it because of prior experiences with people, watching movies, reading books, historical figures, etc. etc., so the 'perfect' name has to match up to how I perceive the doll's sculpt in order to be just right for the doll.

Did the personality of your doll change as you got to know him/her?
My dolls don't don't have well-defined personalities. As I mentioned, I'm not a writer, and, thus, don't have many original characters that I am shelling in a doll form. I do give some of my dolls very basic personalities (for example, MNF Mirwen is moody, grumpy and serious most of the time - that's the extent of her personality in my head), and that does not change for as long as I own the doll.

 

Only one...the one I couldn't bond with but changing his name made things slightly better...I still don't bond completely and what I mean by this is that I would not mind selling him if I get the chance.

 

No.

One of the signs that I'm going to probably buy a doll I see on a website, is when I start naming and coming up with a back story for the sculpt. By the time I do order the doll, I've got the name down, its not changing, and I've already started on the bits of the back story or at least her [as I've only had female dolls so far, waiting for the right male] personality.

 

I'm about to. I have one doll that used to belong to a former partner. As things have soured, it has negative connotations.
It feels weird as all of my dolls have very significant emotion attached to them, but this one really needs a cleansing for my peace of mind.

 

Ive never renamed a doll. I feel like once there is a name, its their name, and it will grow on them if they dont grow on it. On a different topic however, when I was itty bitty I used to lug this small stuffed kitten around everywhere I went and I named him Warden because I confused it with Raven. Even when I tried to rename him, Warden stuck. Although it did sometimes make me think of prisons and such.

 

Have you ever renamed a doll you own?
Only changing default company names of the doll (though one has kept her "company name", since it fit).

If so, Why?
Don't think the company name fits most of the dolls I've gotten or they were a pre-planned character that the sculpt fit well for.

Did it feel strange?
No.

Did you get tired of the old name? Did it become too popular? Did it not seem like the doll's real name?
Kinda already answered this.

Would you rename a doll if you already haven't?
Beyond what I have? Well, I guess I would if the doll didn't seem to fit that name anymore. But I most likely wouldn't.

Do you feel as if your doll has something of a life of its own, a name it already wants to be called?
Yes, they seem to have a life of their own, but I still tend to figure out their name before I get them.

Did the personality of your doll change as you got to know him/her?
Not change. I just learned more about them. As a writer, I'm pretty good at fleshing out a character in my head incredibly quickly, and just smaller details get established as time goes on.

 

Have you ever renamed a doll you own?
Yes

If so, Why?
First time it happened, the doll was just not who she was supposed to be ^^; Things with this doll never did resolve and she's in a happy new home now.

Second time it happened, I decided to reshell a character to a new sculpt that wasn't around when I was ready to bring him home the first time. So the old doll got a make over, including a new name.

Did it feel strange?
It only feels strange having to explain it to "non-doll" people, like my parents ^^; Otherwise I'm used to it now, he's quite obviously not the same character and therefore wouldn't be suited to that name anymore.

Did you get tired of the old name? Did it become too popular? Did it not seem like the doll's real name?
No, the character I had in the doll originally is going to be put into a different doll now, so the old doll needed to change.

Would you rename a doll if you already haven't?
This question seems to be worded strangely, I don't quite understand...

Do you feel as if your doll has something of a life of its own, a name it already wants to be called?
Sometimes. I buy some dolls because I like them and I let them "tell" me who they are, but I also have dolls I assign characters to that fit them and they seem perfectly happy to be them.

Did the personality of your doll change as you got to know him/her?
The first time, yes. The second time, no. Second time it was like, as soon as I knew the character was definitely going to be reshelled, he left his old shell and I knew it was just a matter of time before a new character took over. Then when he did it was fun getting to know the new guy, as if he were a totally new doll.

 

Kind of, Even before I pay for a doll, I need it to have a place in my story. Naturally, that means that I'm going to give them a name. So, like with the one I'm waiting for, I've changed her name several times, just to make it fit as perfectly as I can. But, the name I have for the doll when it arrives is kind of like, it's permanent name. Though, I'm sure if I found a name that I liked better, and that I thought fit better for the character, I would rename the doll.

 

Have you ever renamed a doll you own?

Once in a while, sure. Usually when I want to change the character of the doll in question, which admittedly hasn't happened recently.

If so, Why?

As I said, if I want the character to change, the name will change along with it, along with the hair, eyes, faceup, wardrobe, etc. More often, I'll change a character from one doll to another (reshelling, IOW).

Did it feel strange?

Not really. These dolls are just hunks of plastic. Any life or character they have comes completely from us and can be changed or transferred as we will.

Did you get tired of the old name? Did it become too popular? Did it not seem like the doll's real name?

No. No. And I don't think the last one is quite right, either. Sometimes I just change my mind. My lifemate calls me "Butterfly" because I tend to flit from one mindframe/fandom to another.

Would you rename a doll if you already haven't?

Not if I didn't have to. Mind you, I sometimes call Chaeri "Cherry" or even "Ri-ri", but those are nicknames, not a name change.

Do you feel as if your doll has something of a life of its own, a name it already wants to be called?

As previously stated, any life or personality the doll has comes from our projection, not from anything intrinsic to the doll itself. That being said, I think sometimes the attachment of our projection can be stronger in some cases than in others. Perhaps some dolls, particularly BJDs, are natural "receivers" for this kind of energy. I've certainly felt certain strong impressions from my dolls, and Chaeri particularly has even changed positions on her own, with no help at all from me.

Did the personality of your doll change as you got to know him/her?

Absolutely. Maybe it's my tabletop RPG background (which is instrumental in creating and interpreting characterizations, or at least it has been for me and my gaming group friends), but sometimes my original concept for a doll evolves into something very different. Megumi, my first Asian doll, didn't even have a character base background when I got her, and I originally envisioned her as a meek, sweet-natured, docile little thing--the very Japanese concept of a yamato nadeshiko, the idealized Japanese female--but although Megumi is native Japanese, she's ANYthing but traditional. She's very sensible and doesn't suffer fools gladly. I'm not even 100 percent sure Meg can cook. My other dolls haven't changed personality so drastically, at least not to date.

 

I've tried naming my Shall in the past. I wanted to give her a new personality. No matter what I kept referring to her by her old name. After a while I decided to give up on the new name, she was dead set on the old one!

 

We changed the name of our Kid-Delf Bory. He was originally called L. Because he was cosplaying as L from Deathnote. We decided we wanted him to be his own person though. So we renamed him Lucius. Still trying to find the name that fits him perfectly. I think with an outfit change, it will be easier to bond with him and find out his true name. He really needs new clothes that suit him.

 

Nope. Zevran has always been Zevran~

 

My EL has been renamed a few times, mainly because Im debating on what to do with him.
I could either make him into one of my old characters or some up with someone new....but I really wanna put that character into doll form!

 

Have you ever renamed a doll you own?
My Kalix has gone through so many name changes it's not even funny.

If so, why?
Just out of trying to figure out a character, I suppose.
By now though just his aesthetic doesn't really fit in with my projected idea of a doll family, but I'm trying to change him around to make it work, so I gave him a new name that better fit my plans.

Generally if I were to change a name, it'd be the result of a character change.

Did it feel strange?
Strange for my family since they will get used to calling him one thing and I'll suddenly be all "hey guess what? He's not Kas anymore! 8D" For me though, no.

Did you get tired of the old name? Did it become too popular? Did it not seem like the doll's real name?
No, I think my names are generally not too common to begin with. They're just somewhat unusual names that you nevertheless might see in real life, nothing very fantasy-ish. When the name no longer suited my future plans, I changed it. Poor Kalix :'D

Would you rename a doll if you already haven't?
I'd be happier if I just kept their names...it's confusing for me as well to have to reintroduce him to people xD

Do you feel as if your doll has something of a life of its own, a name it already wants to be called?
I think a doll eventually grows to look like its name, but because we come to see it as that name...so no, the doll doesn't just "have" a name, we make it what we want it to be.

Did the personality of your doll change as you got to know him/her?
Way too much, honestly @.@
This is what I get for not getting a doll that represented a pre-existing, well established character. I'm so fickle with things like names and character backgrounds...

 

I've always wondered if people have named there doll a name, but then thought they didnt like it or they wanted to just simply change it?

I'm having a bit of a hard time figuring out what to name one of my dolls and dont want to give him a name and then think "No. I want you to be named this instead." It maybe doesnt help to that I'm very very picky with names and have sometimes spent 2-3 days figuring out the perfect name *face palm*

There is also another thing going through my mind. I was to base a story around my dolls. This doll will be my first and i think part of me wanted to give him the 'main characters' name, but im not to sure if he would suit it. And im afraid im going to pick the wrong name for him. ( Or maybe im rushing into things as i havnt even got my first doll yet as there on the way. )

So i'd like to ask.
How did you think of your dolls name?
Have you ever changed your dolls name, if yes why?
And thoughts about this if you think your dolls name shouldnt be changed.

(I couldn't find any posts like this so sorry if its a repeat)