How many dolls are enough?

My experience with collections is that no matter how many I actually have only about 7-10 can actually hold my attention at a time while the rest are woefully neglected and making me feel guilty

 

My limit will be 20.

 

Hi
I like the idea of keeping my circle small.
Now that I have my grail doll I do feel like I'm content. Not looking for any additions just enjoying and focusing on the ones I have. If something breathtaking comes up I probably won't say no but I'm a quality over quantity kinda person. I used to have a large collection but a smaller group is better for me at the moment

 

For me, the limit does not exist. However, I usually find myself thinning the herd every once in awhile when dolls I bought on pure impulse no longer float my boat, or worse if a financial pickle pops up, like it has a few times this year

 

I currently only have 8 dolls, but I think 27 is a nice number...

 

The number I currently own is the right number, until I fall for another beautiful face and then...

 

As the years go on, there really is never enough.

 

I'm very particular about what dolls I get. So far I have two with a third on the way. I don't see myself getting any afterward except in certain circumstances (if some on my wishlist get released, or pet bjds to accompany my dolls).

 

I have three Resinsoul dolls..and maybe I'll get one more but three to me are a hand full sometimes lol..dressing them and the wigs an all

 

Dolls are like goldfish. They grow when the space exists.

 

My joking answer from page two of this thread aside. Enough is whatever makes you happy and you have both money and room for, be that 1 or 100 plus.

 

Yeah, this was almost exactly 2 years ago. And it turns out my hubby with the eye roll was right. I’m now up to 52 once all my current layaways are completed. I’m not sure exactly how this happened, but I’m really happy it did because I’m absoluely thrilled with the collection I have today! So my new answer is it’s never enough, as long as it fits within my budget, my space, and brings me great joy and satisfaction. Go me!

 

I know this is a doll forum but fishkeeping is also one of my hobbies and I just wanted to say that goldfish don’t just grow when the space exist. Keeping them in small spaces cause stunting and negatively impacts their health. The myth that goldfish can live in small spaces causes many goldfish to be put in small tanks and most of them die before their full lifespan of 20+ years. Sorry I just wanted to say this as goldfish mistreatment is very common and I hate seeing such adorable fish suffer.

 

I thought I was done purchasing accept for a few I already had in mind. My birthday came and I saw a Fairyland Luha head that I loved. Now I no longer know as looking at them makes me happy. As long I can still pay my bills and I have room, I don't really have a set number.

 

My bratty inner child says there's never enough, lol.

My grown-up self realizes that too many is, well, too many, and it feels as if my imagination is stretched thin, dealing with so many characters. I look back at a group photo I took in Spring 2006, about 9 months into my BJD collecting, and become wistful. There were 16 dolls then, all with definite characters, and I think maybe that would've been the ideal stopping-off place. I should've found different ways to further express their characters, or go into different story dimensions, like a theatrical repertoire. Then I think about how I enjoy the dolls I acquired during the rest of 2006 and onward, and the characters I made for them, and how I'd miss them.

I also have a weakness for old and discontinued dolls, like some Volks FCS, or Unidolls, or Elfdolls, which leads me down the path of being more of a collector than character-driven. Not that I was character-driven in the beginning; the character inspiration followed, and followed, and followed... which puts me squarely where I am today, with too many!

 

How many?

.....

.....

....... all of them?

seriously though, for me, I can only say that it's not going to be a set number, but rather a feeling that comes over me that I've gone too far.

 

Since I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to actual collecting, I haven't really thought much about a specific limit, I imagine it will change quite a bit depending on my living space though (right now I don't have a lot of room so even like two or three dolls and a couple floating heads is starting to feel a little much).
It's also interesting, I don't think I thought much about the type of collector I would become back when I was watching from afar and hadn't started collecting yet, but I'm noticing I'm leaning towards a revolving door approach? Part of that may be because I'm pretty new and I'm learning my own tastes but yeah. Nothing wrong with that approach at all, but part of me feels anxious like "what if I look weird selling a doll after only having it for half a year!!!!!" which is pretty silly to worry about LOL there's lots of ways to enjoy a hobby after all~

 

It'll be enough when I can no longer manage them due to space or I start feeling overwhelmed. Everything, including boxes and accessories, has to fit on my bookshelf, so that's my only limiter...for now.

 

I don't have a number limit, but I'm naturally a "small collection" person and buy things slowly - I've never had more than 5 dolls home at any point in time.

I've discovered, over time, that I have all kinds of subconscious "brakes" that slows down my doll collecting. For one, I'm quite picky about doll sculpts that I want to own (vs. ones that are just pretty to look at), so my wishlist is already tiny. More importantly, my dolls all have characters which I develop alongside owning the sculpt. A big part of my hobby enjoyment is to get to know these characters, which happens by playing with the doll, trying different appearances to find what works for the character, taking photos and photostories of my crew interacting and developing relationships with each other. This is stuff that can't be hurried (I tried in the past and just got frustrated), so I've learned to cruise and enjoy. When I've gotten all of that character building settled, then I feel mentally prepared to add a new doll to the family and repeat the process.

I don't have an upper limit, but I think I just naturally want a small crew. Currently, I own 3 dolls, in the process of getting a fourth, and have a fifth on the wishlist (just waiting for preorder to reopen) -- and that's literally it. I'm sure there will be more dolls to come in future. I'm happy to take it slowly. But "enough"? I guess "enough" is when I have no more stories to tell with dolls... and I have so many stories right now!

 

I feel like my current collection is good. 6 on topic dolls, 2 off topic, and 2 art-doll types. There's two distinct groups, and they fill up their allocated space. I'm looking forward to having the last two completed, just waiting to get their heads back from faceup and some clothes.