How many dolls are enough?

I only started participating in the hobby, but the plan is two to three dolls. I don’t think I could realistically play with more with the consistency that I’d like too.
I do want at least two though so my guy as a friend.

 

Doing what other people are and commenting what my current plan/goal is to see how I change in a while :3

I don't have a specific amount listed as 'enough' right now! Though I plan to make a plan. I have so many hobbies I want to get to, so I tend to set limits for myself, and they usually work...

My discipline there is strong, even if it's lacking in other areas in life, LOL.

We'll see if it remains strong in this hobby!

 

I always try but I am really bad about sticking to it. 3/4 of my current doll collection I actually got as gifts but over the past near 4 years I've definitely spent a few bucks on mostly used dolls. I'm not great at turning down a doll I see and absolutely love. I went without purchasing any dolls for like 7 years almost out of necessity. I was homeless and while I had a few still in my storage locker and could visit them all my BJDs were gone because they got stolen from me coming up to NYC.

When I got safe and housed again my best doll pals online that I've known for like 25 years they started just sending me dolls and within a couple of years I had a growing collection of one of my favorite dolls and I had a few resin dolls that I'd never had before. They were very good to me and really appreciated what they did for me because for me "normal" meant having a whole bookcase full of dolls. Since like 1998 I've had dolls around and it would have been very strange to not have a nice collection to play with.

Dolls are therapy for me. I suffer from anxiety and C-PTSD, get depressed some and the dolls and my cat they're what I need to have around me to feel safe and fairly normal. I work within my budget because I'm disabled now and I have to. I don't live on much these days but I do not feel guilty for buying them. Their worth is great to me because they help me to play and that's good for me mentally and at least I have doll pals.Offline I'm a bit introverted and I don't have many friends now. I'm working on that but in middle age making new friends is harder.

 

Like most when I started this hobby (over 16 years ago) I thought it’d be 1 or 2, at last count I was rather surprised and a touch horrified to discover I’d somehow managed to accumulate over 30! That’s even with a 10 or so year break where I sold all except 4 tinies.
For me ‘enough’ is when you enjoy what you have and don’t feel overwhelmed. Currently I think I’m at ‘too much’ as most haven’t seen the light of day for ages and I feel very overwhelmed! When interacting with your dolls feels like a chore then the line has been crossed I think.

 

I do not have a cap and try not to impose one on myself. I do make sure that I don’t just buy sculpts because they interest me. If I don’t have a character that fits that sculpt, I don’t care how temptingly gorgeous it is, I won’t allow myself to buy it. Typically these characters already exist in my imagination before I start thinking of shelling them into a doll. However, I did have an instance where a doll that was originally meant to be split into two other hybrids, ended up staying whole and taking on a character of his own long after purchasing him. ❤️

 

Right now I'm sitting around 12 full dolls (minus 2 I plan to sell) and 1 floating head. I maybe want no more than 20 dolls max, but currently I feel content with my collection except for maybe acquiring 2 more dolls I would consider dream dolls.

I used to try shelling all my characters, but I honestly felt like it made doll collecting a little stressful since I felt more prone to impulse buying and completionism. So a think a smaller collection of dolls I can play with and change on a dime is more fun for me personally.

 

Im at 15 (12 full & 3 heads) and it is starting to bother me a tiny bit. I love them all, they are sculpts that Ive looked for so at this point in time I dont want to part with any of them, but a sweet spot for me would be 10

 

At the moment, I have two (MSD and SD size) with a 75+ CM on preorder, a few floating heads and a body for a WIP project. I think my hard limit would be 4 or 5 depending on scale due to space limits like many others!

 

I have two right now and can't see myself having more than five or so, just because of how difficult it is for me to justify the expense of these guys. Even if all the bills are paid and I've got plenty in savings, I have a hard time getting over the cost of a new doll, and I think I personally would feel too guilty about the money spent to enjoy a big ol' pile of them. That said, as I've gotten older, I have gotten more comfortable with the idea of selling off dolls that aren't bringing me joy, and maybe that possibility will be the key that unlocks the floodgates :'D

 

I have about 15 BJD (including ones that are ordered but i'm currently waiting on) and I don't really think I want to have a limit. I don't exclusively collect BJD, I also have Monster High, misc other dolls and plushies, with the MH being in the hundreds and I don't really want to stop. My collection makes me happy and it makes my space more colorful and fun. I find dressing them up or doing face ups soothing.

I'm not interested in buying every single doll in existence, but I think I'm not going to limit myself on things that spark joy.

 

"enough" is a relative term, hahaha... I've been collecting for 15 years and I've modified my limit so many times... right now I've forgotten about the number and just enjoy what feels right

 

I tried to say 5 and no more... But that didn't hold long

Now I don't have a limit, but if I ever come to that feeling that it´s more burden than fun to own them, then there are too many dolls... I still have to have the space for the doll I want. So beside time and money, space is whats deciding how many I can have now.

 

I swore I'd just get two. I'm not like the kid from Gremlins, I wouldn't mess that up. Then a doll happened before I got the 2nd one I planned and there was another doll I wanted on the MP, so I had to set the limit at 4, but long story short I've got a 5th one coming.. I think I'll stop at 7 (maybe 8). At least for a while, then I'll see, but surely no more than 9 or 10.

 

I don't have a limit, but in my now almost 20 years in the hobby, I have accumulated about 20ish dolls? And aside from a couple more characters I want to shell, I feel quite good about my group. My dolls are shells of OCs, and what I've learned is that while I have hundreds of OCs, not all of them feel like they need a resin shell. In fact, most don't.

In a world where I had endless space and money though, I would definitely have a lot more dolls and buy ones that are strictly beautiful pieces of art to display and admire vs. strictly shelling OCs.

 

I thought I was going to have 10, maximum. I passed 10 a long time ago and have no idea how many I have now...

I know there's someone on here who has over 100 dolls!

 

I think the sky is the limit! But only if you can afford it where it doesn’t hurt your important living expenses like paying rent or eating. And as long as you have the space for more and it doesn’t become a hoarding situation. And I don’t mean having boxes stacked in the closet because there’s no place to display. I mean true hoarders who can barely move in a room or home because there’s so much of what’s being kept.

 

I learned long ago that if I have 10 or more than I start feeling overwhelmed (I think I peaked at having 15 at the same time, but that was long ago). Right now I have 4 SDs and 2 tinies and I'm happy to stop there for the foreseeable future. I feel comfortable.

 

I’m feeling okay about the amount I currently have. 13 full dolls, 3 floating heads with 1 doll plus two heads on the way. All the heads are Minifees so they easily share a body. I prefer it this way cuz I like to change up my shelf and having more than one character is fun for decorating. I think 20 would be my limit.

 

I'm at about 20 and I feel pretty good about it
But like, I could always cram a couple more in

 

I only have 4 (5 if including my Leeke's nude head) and I feel kinda overwhelmed right now ( ´ ᯅ ` ) I'm still an university student and I'm working a part-time job to pay for my bills and my dolls at the same time, but somehow I'd got carried away I purchased 4 dolls in only 5 months (I'm still decent-fed and have a nice place to stay, I've purchased mostly secondhanded) So right now I'm kinda broke, most of my dolls don't have nice clothes to wear and one doesn't have wig that suits him LOL. Also I feel like one is biased than the others, which is very unfair to them. I still wanna keep them all, so I plan to only buy clothes, wigs or accessories for my dolls until the end of this year.

So maybe to me, having five is enough. I feel like I should focus on developing their styles, their clothes, maybe try building their rooms if I start feeling bored of the hobby. I think there are plenty things to do for them, and having too many dolls would distract myself from gaining what I truly want. After building some rooms and having some furniture I may consider to have more or give some away if I need space, but not right now.

It might apply differently to other people though, so as long as you give your dolls the amount of attention that you feel right and you think you have more space, time and money for more dolls, number isn't what to feel concerned about.