How have non doll collectors reacted to your collection?

My brother recently got into collecting shoes. He says he "gets it" now. My sister collects vacations. She doesn't understand why I buy dolls instead of going on vacation.

 

my friends and partner have all been pretty neutral to positive i'd say! individually ranging from mild disinterest to an "oh that's neat" sort of reaction (aside from one friend who is very into fashion dolls who thinks BJDs are amazing and wants one too lol). nobody has acted like it's creepy yet, but i also only have one doll at the moment... people might feel differently about a large collection of dolls maybe?

my partner is very much Not a collector type, but is supportive of my hobby as long as i don't go crazy with it. which i get, we have a pretty small house, so storage space is a precious and highly limited resource. i'm not a Huge collector either, so i don't imagine it'll ever get to a point where i have enough dolls that he's really uncomfortable, especially as long as i'm actually doing stuff with all of them! his main issue is with things that just sit and collect dust, he's far less bothered by things that are actively used.

 

Most people have been chill. They tend to be more accepting of my MLP collection though. A lot of people are afraid of dolls, I think, and they're used to doll collections being porcelain, bisque, or composition babies.

 

I have a very close friend of 13 years who is a great seamstress and was looking for ways to make a little extra money, so I suggested making bjd clothing. She's not really a doll person but loves looking at mine and was excited about the idea. I've been a bit too preoccupied to make mannequins of my MSDs with plastic wrap and tape, so I decided to gift her one of my old SDs to get her started. He's a Wang Ye head on an old Iplehouse model body from 2010 or so, freshly wiped, washed, restrung, and given a new faceup. I wasn't sure if she'd name him or just simply use him as a clothing model.

As soon as he arrived, she and her roomie unpacked him and got him all set up on a stand in the area of the house with the least sunlight. And within the first few minutes of having him they've named him, decided his gamer tag, and found that his favorite game is Raid Shadow Legends. And sometime soon we'll do a zoom call because her roomie is now very interested in bjds! Also, since I asked for a few OT blind box bunny bjds for Christmas my mom became interested in them too - now she has two of them that hang out with her collection of gnomes.

I regret nothing.

 

You, are A Bad Influence

Jolly well done!

Teddy

 

Lol, my boyfriend is getting into collecting vacations as well (and I like to travel too, so it works). It's fun to bring the dolls along for photos!

 

Everyone collects something, specially with so many collectables popping on the market every day now, so I think anyone is more understanding of others' collections even if they do not share that particular interest. I've never have any problem with non-doll collectors personally. Even if my close friends or family do not usually get what my dolls mean to me and how I use them as a creative outlet and emotional support too, they're either supportive or simply don't mind them.

 

Ahahahahahahaha, thank you!

 

I don't have a BJD yet but still have a doll. My grandma really likes mine but my parents and sister don't get it. I lied to them about the price too. I'd hate to think how they'd react when I get an SD...

 

I would say my experiences with others learning about my doll collection has been overall positive. I actually got more negative feedback when I was collecting and customizing fashion dolls before getting into BJDs. Maybe it's because BJDs look more akin to collectable figures and art pieces than they do children's toys. A lot of the people close to me these days are either collectors of expensive things themselves, or are creative and appreciate the artistic aspect of the hobby. I think it also helps that I don't overshare and only talk about it when someone else brings it up in conversation or stumbles into my doll room/office.

 

I work in art spaces so none of my coworkers have ever reacted weirdly, I think they are imagining like Barbies/bratz/monster highs when I say I collect dolls and not 40cm+ dolls lol.

What scared me more was a potential partners reaction.
I took a big gap in my dating, and when I re-entered the dating world I was so scared about how the reactions would be.
But I ended up meeting someone that meshed so well with me pretty fast and when I warned them I was met with a reassurance that doll collections were not a new thing for them to live with.
When I went to their house for the first time I saw why, their mother was an avid doll collector of fashion dolls and vintage dolls. Within this relationship I have continued to buy dolls, go to bjd related events at anime conventions, go doll hunting, do faceups and various other crafts, and recently my partner(now fiancé) has shown interest in bjds and has started researching into dolls to shell their DND characters into.