How have non doll collectors reacted to your collection?

Most show interest at first but it quickly becomes part of my background for them.

A few (like my eldest sister) are doll phobic to one degree or another, and one friend is phobic enough that she won't come to visit any more because the dolls creep her out and you can't avoid dolls in my house. Another visitor positioned herself facing the dolls at all times becuase she didn't trust what might happen if she turned her back on them....

My colleages are on a scale from indifference-to-interest. When I was in the office full time, people form other offices would make a point of calling in at our office to see which doll I'd brought in with me each day, now I work from home except for one day a week, it's happening less.

EDITED TO ADD: I don't get many negative comments. I've heard about people being told they're wasting their money spending so much onf dolls. I think anyone who knows me is well aware that I'd not hold back when replying by pointing out all "pointless" things they "waste" their money on, and perhaps those that don't know me are sufficiently thrown by encountering a big, fat, loudly-dressed, fifty-something man who collects dolls that they don't voice such opinions...

Teddy

 

My family understands it as a creative hobby since I do faceups, so whenever people see my dolls, they will inform them that I painted them, which shifts the tone of the conversation from curiosity to an understanding that these are art dolls. So, so far I haven't gotten any "Why are you playing with dolls?" comments.

 

The ones who aren't creeped out by dolls in general tend to think they're cute.

 

I brought my dolls to work (school library) during the Pandemic and once kids returned the ones who love dolls have dropped by on occasion to visit whoever's come with me to work that day. They also have favourites and will request dolls to return so they can see them. It's been mostly fine and not too many make mean comments. There are some doll-phobic kids that I make sure don't see/interact with them. Hilariously, kids who LOOOOVE scary stories hate the dolls. It's very ironic.

 

Overall, they are usually in awe when I show them my collection. I guess it may be because I am in a very artistic environment - but they usually love my collection and dedication to it! Some are collectors themselves (even if not of dolls), so it's quite awesome.

 

My partner thinks it's neat even if he isn't into it himself!

Most people that I tell think it's a cool artsy thing and aren't really phased, but I guess I realize I don't really talk about it with non hobby people? Most of my friends and acquaintances have their own hobby, so if they learn of mine, they have an appreciation for it even if it doesn't appeal to them! I have had people tell me that dolls in general creep them out, but that's a common fear so I get it haha

 

My doll is a litmus test to new folks I meet.
Everyone I want to be friends or more with will meet Soraya eventually.
Ive had some people call her creepy, or brush off the introduction. Those relations never last long.

My husband gave her a little handshake and will refer to her as her own person like I do. My close family know her by name too and will sometimes show me things they think will fit her. It's very sweet
My brother has a shelf of dozens of figures of ladies in crops tops and he's offered to clear a spot for my next doll to sit in the center as like "the boss" (Because we like to talk about You Story scenarios with our stuff )

 

I don't know what people think they're going to see when I say I collect fancy dolls, but everyone is (positively) surprised when they actually see the BJDs. I have a few non-doll friends who keep an eye out for tiny things I could use for dolls, which is super sweet of them. One of the friends I game with sent me photos of BJDs he saw at an anime convention and just captioned them "I FOUND YOUR PEOPLE!" so that was hilarious!

 

Most people are fairly neutral about it, in my experience. I do like to warn them if they ask to follow me on Instagram – I also do historical costuming, and people often want to follow me for that, but I try to head off any discomfort with the doll pictures before they get into it. Only had one person decline to follow me because of that.

i’ve actually converted a couple of people from doll phobia! Every so often there will be someone who says they’re scared of dolls but they want to see pictures of mine or even meet them in person. And when I oblige, without fail, they get surprised and say, “oh, that’s not what I expected. That’s not scary at all!“ I think they’re conditioned by the media to expect like a cheap 1970s – 1990s porcelain doll from the thrift store in bad condition.

 

I think so too, and even then I wonder how many people are really that uncomfortable. "Phobia" is thrown around so lightly these days.

 

I have two friends who refuse to visit becuase of my dolls.

One of them is phobic to the point I warn her in advance if I'm posting doll pictures on social media where she follows me and the newsletter for group she's active in was sent to her with a plain cover over the actual cover when the picture featured another member's dolls.

The other friend came to visit once, found the one place she could sit so there were no dolls behind her (she wouldn't turn her back on them, she wanted them in sight the whole time so she could "keep an eye on them") and didn't move from that spot the whole time she was here. She has never come back since.

And then there's my eldest sister, who has never liked dolls, even as a child she sad they were like dead babies.

Phobias often don't make sense. I myself have a huge fear of dead mice. I'm absolutely fine with live ones (used to mouse-sit a friends mice, while he was away, when I was a child) but show me a dead mouse and I can't cope. Of course, my cats are hunters who try to present me with dead mice as gifts.... My husband tries to head that off before I see them.

Teddy

 

No doubt that they're actually afraid, but do they have issues with statues as well? It's difficult to tell many doll sculpts apart from regular sculptures, especially in pictures, where there's no scale factor
I'm genuinely curious of how much overlap there is.

 

Nope, nor figurines as far as I've seen, but dolls freak her out.

I have another friend who is uncomfortable around dolls, rather than scared, and not to the extent that she won't come visit. With her, however, it's something to do with their faces as dolls without faces she's fine with. And, again, it's only dolls.

Teddy

 

I’ve been lucky. I’ve always approached my collection from an artistic standpoint, not lining them up on shelves but placing them artistically in little vignettes like art instillations throughout my home. Each vignette tells its own story…like a painting but in 3-D. I think it’s because of this people find them more fascinating than anything else because they realize they’re looking at art and not just dolls. I’ve never had any negativity from family, friends, casual acquaintances or even repairmen. Everyone is just very interested.

 

I think most of my family is used to collections of some kind as a hobby so they reacted pretty well to my doll (they think he's very cute!). I think I even got a few interested in getting one of their own. Only one of my brother in laws thinks my doll is kinda creepy, but I think he doesn't like any dolls in general so oh well.

 

I'm still a turbo n00b to dolls, but I'm a very very private person irl. I don't talk about any of my hobbies to people who don't know me well. But outside of that, my family and friends are used to my interests (weeb-adjacent) anyways, so it's not a big deal. I appreciate the fact that they try to make conversation about my hobbies despite the fact that they aren't into them themselves. It shows that they care about me, and I try to return the favor. My mom especially really loves Cammy!

 

I'm lucky that most of my family is pretty positive on it, even if they don't fully understand it. My mom enjoys helping me set up dioramas to photograph my dolls in and thinks they're cute, and my girlfriend is a huge doll fan of her own and hopes to own a BJD eventually! I'm something of the "doll expert" of my friendgroup, lol. The only negative reactions I've had have still been pretty neutral, with people disliking me having my dolls sitting in my bedroom because they think a doll watching me sleep is weird. But beyond that, I haven't had any severely negative reactions, and I hope to keep it that way!

 

I was out taking photos of one of my boys last week and someone asked if he was a robot.

None of my BJDs look like robots; they're all fantasy themed.

 

It's the joints. They probably assumed that the reason to have all those points of articultion must mean it has some sort of remote controlled mechanism to make it move about. One of my brother-in-law's friends made that assumption.

Teddy

 

Mostly people think they’re really cool, at least the ones who actually come up to talk. A lot of people just quietly stare, which I’m fine with.