How did you discover the BJD hobby?

The first time I saw BJD's was actually a photo taken so well I was shocked to find it wasn't of humans. Yes, DeviantArt. For years, a very good friend and I used two particular BJD photos as our avatars in our messengers that captured truisms of each of us in frame. From there on, I was determined to get one (or more).

While I still look for that particular doll model as my Grail Doll, in the mean time there are others that have grown to carry as much importance to me as well. I've just received my DikaDoll Aron and Obitsu Joshua then have a RS Pixiu on the way in mid-April. For now there's still one more I'm starting to save for, Doll Leaves - Wish, but I'd put him on hold for my Grail Doll if I stumbled upon one (I'll leave it unmentioned for now).

BJD's, you either love them, hate them, or fear them. I grew attached at first view and don't think I could ever leave them now that I finally own. To pay as close attention as I did for six years before getting one of my own, obviously I'm intrigued.

 

I believe I found them through cosplay-- a few cosplayers I admired dressed as a few DoD dolls and I went to the website to look at the source material. Fell in love with the dolls, but not so much the prices.
(Then I forgot about them for a few years until my housemate and her dollies came along.)

 

My cousin recently got me into the BJD hobby. I'll admit when she showed me her doll Gabe I was a little eerie, mostly because he's kind of scary looking. But then back in December she sat me down and had me looking at some dolls on Ebay with her and I just sort of fell in love with Doll Family -H Zhiyan. I ended up ordering her that night. It's not a very interesting story, but that's how it happened for me.

 

I had a friend on Livejournal who was posting one of those "what do you want for Christmas" memes or something and one of the things they listed was something like "this doll from Luts" with a link to a picture. My best friend and I initially thought it was crazy that anyone would consider spending so much on a doll, but the picture stayed in my mind and the more I thought about it the more I thought it would be really neat to have one. About a year later I ordered my first bjd on impulse off of ebay.

 

Saw a bjd from a friend's friend.... and as I saw more and more pictures she posted for her cute and beautiful bjds, I got hooked. For a long time, I was able to convince myself that I don't need one. Until this year I finally decide I want my own doll and I put it to action ^^

 

Several years ago, my ex introduced me to them and it was love at first sight. We had been roleplaying characters on the side and it just became a fun search to find the perfect one to fit the character and to find the perfect outfits. I don't really know how she got into them,but that's how I found out

 

I too, saw a photograph, and could not believe they were dolls. I was hooked, and started checking them out on the internet. I was a little shocked at the price, but quickly justified that away!

 

The first time I know BJD was several years ago, my friend showed a picture of BJD (now I know it's Shall from Dream of Doll) and she said that she want to cosplay as a doll. Years later, many cosplayer here cosplaying as DoD's. I'm not too interested that time.
But several months ago, I discovered a local BJD community and being poisoned to adopt one. Since I'm still new in this hobby, I still need to learn more and more while saving up money for my first BJD.

I have a plan, I want to have a male and female doll to represent myself and my future husband. Then show them in my wedding ceremony, lol.

 

A few years ago, I think 6 years exactly, I bought a magazine about manga & cosplays. I do not remember the name of this magazine but there was an article talking about some dolls that you can customize. On the article were some shots of dolls like Shall, F01, Leya... I remember I was very surprised by those delicated and beautiful dolls. So, there was a few links at the end of the article, one of them a spanish forum of BJD (sadly is closed now). Since that moment here I am, loving this awesome hobbie :-)

 

I found them by randomly searching something else in google in like 2000. It was one of those OMG moments but they were way too expensive for a 15 year old so I made a list of the few that existed that I wanted and promptly forgot about them for a few years.

Then I found the Yahoo!Group just as they were talking about moving here and joined up to wait for another couple of years before I could actually afford one. XD

 

Ahh, my story.. I stumbled upon pictures on Deviantart. (As I'm sure many other have.) In the description, Crobidoll was listed..I had no idea what these were or anything..So of course, I looked it up. I adored them! I thought they were the cutest things..But the price was off putting considering I was only 15-16 at the time..So to pay $500-700 for a doll..Just seemed unreal to me. So they were quickly forgotten about. I am now 20, and have recently fell back into my fascination with these adorable dolls and hope to be purchasing my first one very soon. Still, Crobidoll is my favorite company. Out of my 7 doll wishlist, 5 are Crobidolls. < :

 

I saw some pictures of them years ago but never made &#8203;&#8203;any major innterese in them at the time, then a friend showed me that she had two of this dolls, i wanted one but I had no money for it at that time. So my life changed a bit and another two years go by, i forget about them for a little while, then I suddenly see them on a table at a convention and i was hooked XD

 

I'm a photographer and I found myself admiring this other photographer's work. She had a series of photographs of this elfin-like creature that was so realistic and ethereal I actually contacted her and asked her what the subject was and how she created these photos. It turns out it was a BJD doll and she explained how the features are fully customizable.

I was definitely intrigued so I started doing my research, looking at different sculpts and little by little my urge to get one grew. It's been a year and I finally got Alythia recently and I absolutely adore her. I got her through Denver Dolls Emporium. I'm drawn to the smaller sculpts (MSD) because I couldn't believe how big the SDs were (after I calculated cm to in). Weather hasn't been cooperating but I plan to take more pictures of her other than the ones I already posted. I live next to the beach so I definitely want some beachy shots of her.

 

I had seen pictures on Deviantart for years and thought about getting one but I thought there would be no one else in my country with one so I didn't bother. Then only last year I saw a booth for them at a anime and manga convention and got details and it turns out my nearest city has a pretty big fanbase with markets and meet ups. I was so happy and now I have my own hujoo action doll!

 

Several years ago a found a website (or maybe it was a diary) where a girl posted photos of her dolls. She also wrote some stories about them. I didn't know anything about BJDs back then. I was so surprised that she could change their eyes and hair and even their makeup. The girl wrote that the dolls were from Japan. I thought that it's impossible to buy a bjd, if you don't have enough money to pay for a travel to Japan.
Last year I tried to find some information about bjd hobby. I learned that there are also Chinese and Korean ball jointed dolls. And I found out that the online shops can offer worldwide shipping. I realized that it isn't impossible to buy a bjd

 

2 years ago I read articles on the internet and I randomly opened website about BJD. And since that time I love them

 

It was in mid 2004, and one day I was visiting the Ebay Hong Kong page, which I accidentally clicked in the "Doll& Bears" category which I think, I might be interested as I love dolls anyway, so I just let the page loaded. (It was a rather short list with only a few hundred items) Then I came across an auction for a doll dress which costs like US $13 alone, (be worn by a 60cm doll!!) and I am very curious about that. But the most important thing is that I was really drown to the doll's face(It was Volks SD10 Sara in that pic) as it look so real and delicate, but at the same time I found it a little awkward? I even showed the auction to my sister but she said something like the doll isn't that flattering. (Now obviously we both love BJD to bits~)

Anyway, after I visit the website of the person who post up the auction about her dolls and things. I began to search for more information. There I came to know about a lot of doll companies and their dolls:3 Considering I was only 16 at that time, originally we both wants a Volks SD of our own but the price would be too high. (Seems I value $$ differently when I was younger, now I just don't care lol) And we don't want to get only one 1/3 doll for both of us, we decided we might want two 1/4 dolls so we can have one for each of us...

And it was my sister's idea that we can go for DOD's Too& Bee-a Set(at that time DOD only has a 1/4 line!!), I never thought of this option as I thought we will both get a girl BJD!! (I want a girl myself, as I hold a lot more interested in girls anyway~) I am afraid that she wanted the girl, to my surprise, she stated that she wants the boy instead (she likes Too herself=v=) And I also in love with the two, as Bee-a looks mature than other 1/4 doll on DOD. She is my type haha (Now she is like a child among my other 1/3BJD lol)

Actually I didn't even look at any BJDs for real before I got mine, but owner photos. After we have chosen our dolls, my father ordered for us through the DOD webpage. He was actually concern whether it is safe to do so but we told him that others from Hong Kong has also ordered their dolls from their official website. At last, after 6 weeks of waiting, in 25th Sept 2004, we received our first ever BJD all the way from S.Korean together^^ We rushed back home from school after our maid told us that our dolls arrived home!! It was pure joy for having them around. She is still one of my favourite.

 

By complete chance, I was doing a Google search of character (Rath Roiben Rye if it interests anyone to know) and when I accidentally hit the images tab, a picture of DoD's Black Ducan was among the results! Of course I immediately went "what. Is. THAT?" And spent a good amount of time poking around the blog that it led me to searching for anything related to that gorgeous whatever it was, and a good while longer once I tried typing in the URL to DoD's website that was on the picture and sitting there completely enthralled, which led to further google searches trying to find any info that was available about the dolls.

I still have a soft spot for the Ducan mold, despite my tastes having shifted away from DoD's dolls since then :'D

 

I think i managed to find this hobby from finding a beautiful picture of a girl doll. I was mind blown. I was complety oblivious to this type of doll and i think a bit shocked as to how beautiful they were. After saving that picture and raiding the site as to what type of doll and where i could get information about it. I learned about the "Bjd" and "Dollfie" I still remember the first bjd site i went onto. Dream of Doll ^^ Good old times.

 

I've discovered this hobby while browsing through the inter-web when I was in Junior High School,
ah, the wonders of internet~
It was by chance and I was struck in awe,
by these dolls that looked human but,
at the same time like anime characters that I often idolized as a kid.
Soon, I found out the company (which was volks at the time) and branched out from there.
The prices were heartbreaking for a 12 year old,
and folded my ambition to get one for myself.
It wasn't much later in high school when I revisited the site,
and found some more companies to fall in love with,
but of course, the prices didn't really help much and so,
I've folded my desire to get one and helped myself to Pullips and Blythes.
It wasn't till a year and half ago that I got my first BJD,
and it was through a friend whom I've introduced to the BJD's in the first place,
she had bought an doll for herself,
and I was amazed at the first glance and just had to get into this hobby.
So, I guess that's how I discovered and got started in this hobby? ^^;