How long did it take for you to find out your doll's personality?

Depends on a doll.
When my Souldoll Yewon arrived I understood that it was a tomboy. I like to dress her like a lolita, but still jeans and t-shirts are better for her.
Soom SO Heliot arrived about 1 month ago, but I still don't know what kind of person he is. I've just finished his make-up, he is beautiful now, but still closed from me: no name and no idea about his outfit.
Doll-zone boys are my cosplay dolls, and their personalities are in accordance with the characters they cosplay.
Soom MD Amber is a mistic woman in my house. I don't know her at all. Oo

 

Really depends on the doll. For my first bjd, She developed after I got her. For the next four, I had an idea of who they were before I got them and stuck to it so far, though they havnt been painted yet so it might change. There is one though , that came as a practice head, and kind of took over the other BJDs. Her personality was unexpected since she was just supposed to be a practice head. She is now the one that demands the most attention and time.

So yeah, I guess its a range of possibilities for me.

 

When i bought my doll i was struggling to come up with a character for him, i have plenty of other characters that i have created but this doll didn't fit a single one, so... when he arrived ive just been sitting, looking at him and trying to figure out who he was lol and surprisingly hes exactly like me ><" which is nice too because i love him a lot hehe

 

The dolls personality was pre made before I bought the doll since my dolls are based on my story characters, but if I had to just come up with one on the spot it would be based on their faceup, and facial expressions.

 

I'm vice versa, I'm buying a doll already based on a personality. I don't know if I'd get a doll out of shear 'want' then try to figure everything out. I like to know what I'm getting into. I'd hate not to be able to 'bond' with it the way some people say they do. That way I'm already in love before they even arrive, haha XD But I may end up doing it with a female doll, as I have no female character personalities I've liked. When it happens, I'll let you know ;P

 

I have two dolls which represent very bland personalities. The one is totally introverted, and the other is simply bored of everything. Needless to say, I get bored of them too. Six years later I'm still trying to figure out the first guy's personality past the "introverted" part.

A third doll is made to look and feel very happy and energetic, so he came that way. Didn't have to decide a thing.

The fourth always looks very temperamental no matter what, which came out as soon as I started painting his face. I tried four times and then gave up and decided that's just how he is. He's just a sour kind of guy.

 

All my dolls are based on pre-existing characters so I rarely have that problem when the doll gets home. It's before they get ordered that I have to struggle...

 

I only had gotten my first doll little over a year ago! But I wanted one since middle school. I had planned on getting a boy originally, and planned him out for years... Only to get a girl! I love her to pieces, but I'm still figuring out what I like on her; and how I picture her personality. It's the same with my other girl that I just got a month ago. But, I know how the girl I bought second hand off a friend is. She's had her for years, so she's set in stone for me. I can't see her any other way then how my friend had her! Hahah.

 

for me it takes really some long time (many months), I only have 2 dolls who are already part of a story I'm writing so I know who they before arriving to me. My other dolls, I would send them to have faceups and then try on different eyes, wigs (styles and colors), dressing, trying to pose her and then photograph, it's come slowly to me who is she it's really fun this way and I'm not in a big hurry to find out who is this doll ^____^

but for my volks dolls I'm not really into giving them personalities (maybe because I'm still into discovering their's)

 

The dolls I bought with a character in mind sort themselves out pretty quickly. Well, my first boy was easy. He looks good in almost anything.

The ones I don't seem to be easy to figure out are the ones I end up wanting to sell... Like my Dollmore Aidan. Nothing I tried on her ever stuck. Also sold a Leeke Eli because nothing I did to her stuck either.

Currently, I'm waiting for my Soom Sov to tell me who she is. She seems to have shot down my forest camo idea... It doesn't look right on her like I thought it would. But I sorted out her face-up so we're on the right track for now.

 

Usually I already set their personality before I bought the doll I want, but when he arrives I will modified his personality a bit =)

 

I can't see myself buying a doll without already having their character intricately detailed. Whatever floats anyones boat, but I'd be afraid of scenarios like OP's I'm hyper OCD, and if I didn't have something in mind from the very moment I ordered them, it just wouldn't feel right.

 

It varies from doll to doll. Some have it before they are sent out to me, others never seem to gain one and others keep changing/evolving with time

 

Honestly, I wasn't expecting either of my dolls (one was a gift and one was a prize) before I got them, so I didn't have any chance to make a personality beforehand.

I've had my first girl for almost 2 years now and honestly, I'm still not sure who she is just yet. I am startint to suspect she is a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I've redone her face-up (for practice and because it isn't quite right for her yet) MANY times and I still don't think I've got it yet.

My other girl though, I haven't even had a year and her personality is starting to jump out at me. I was afraid of removing her standard face-up for months but once I did she really started to jump out at me as a sweetie who I want to dress in lace and frills. (Her original face-up said 'tom-boy' to me)

So, like everyone else has said,(2 years vs 8 months) I guess it really just depends.

 

I've had Nadeko for nearly 3 years now and bits of her personality are still randomly coming to me. I know that I don't fully know who she is yet and that's ok with me. It did take a lot more than 2 weeks to learn what I do know about her though, it's a slow process but eventually the doll will just tell you something (as crazy as that sounds).

 

Depends on which one of these two categories the doll falls into:
1. I want a certain character added to my story, so I'm buying a sculpt that fits the idea.
2. I come across a sculpt I just adore and need to have, no matter what - even without having a set spot for him/her in my story...

I'm a writer/artist anyway so I have high expectations in my own characters, they need to be someone, they need faults and bad sides as well as good traits, they need real personalities.
It can be really hard to balance everything to go beyond the usual "this guy is really hot; this character has the hots for this other one" and so on (yes I love romance stories lol).
To find out every single detail about a character takes a long time for me.

 

My 2008 Elfdoll Sooha. I'm still trying to figure her. She has made me nuts over the years. I love that doll, she beautiful, and she was my first bjd. I have bought her so many outfits that she did not like or felt good in. Im not sure but I may have Spent over timed or her, 1000. Dollars. Like I said she makes me crazy!

 

Usually, I have my dolls' characters and personalities planned out long before I buy a doll. However, on the rare occasion I just buy a doll without a planned character, it can take months to fully figure them out, but basics come to me within a week or two. If I'm still getting nothing after a month or two, I usually sell because it means I have no bond to the doll.

 

I plan out my dolls before I get them, but once they arrive I like to spend time dressing them up and getting to know them. I let them tell me who they are. My girl Daiquiri was meant to be more outgoing, but once she arrived I realized she was more modest and quiet.

 

It depends on the doll, but my current ones have been evolving ever since I got them I only have one with a confirmed story.