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How many dolls do you plan on shelling?

Mar 6, 2022

?
  1. 1

    1.3%
  2. 3 - 5

    15.8%
  3. 6 - 10

    23.7%
  4. 11 - 20

    22.4%
  5. 21 - 35

    11.8%
  6. 36 - 50

    13.2%
  7. 51 - 75

    5.3%
  8. 76 - 100

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
  9. 100+

    6.6%
    1. I've been in this hobby a long time. As I recall, the term "shelling" came around precisely because the doll wasn't a perfect match to the character. The "shell" was either a placeholder until the perfect sculpt is released in the future (but no guarantees, hence the shell), or just the closest you could get based on limitations of what's available at all, be it a lack of fantasy resin colors and parts, deferred plans for heavy cost-intensive modding projects, or a limited selection of body types being available. IMO I've never cared for the term, even as somebody who used to take my OCs very seriously. To me there was always the connotation that the doll, which is perfectly beautiful and well made in its own right (and that you still paid good money for, more importantly) was somehow not good enough for your creative vision, and it didn't make sense to me that people would buy something so far removed from what they wanted by their own choice and then complain about it, lol. Also kinda has an element of "the doll is an empty husk" to it that I'm like, nah, blank slate is one thing but a shell is a bit much for me.

      I was inactive in the online hobby for a long time, and there are SO many more options available to bjd owners these days, so I was honestly surprised to see that the term "shelling" a character had stuck around. I'm also in the camp of not caring about numbers for characters OR dolls, but that's to my benefit because some are pre-existing characters but the vast majority just exist because the dolls needed names and fun clothes to wear, so they get little basic story ideas to fit. I realized a long time ago that the way I imagine my characters doesn't usually include very precise facial features, more just their physical shapes, ideas, and colors (eg. long wavy hair, fat body, dark tan skin, friendly smile etc). So searching for a doll to "click" with my brain as "this doll would be perfect for ABC" was extremely difficult, and made the hobby experience much less fun and more like a chore, like I was some kind of director looking for actors who perfectly match the description of a character for a movie. I buy dolls I love and can afford, and if all they get is a name and maybe a little personality, then that's fine. This may seem like a bjd old fogey thing to say, but there are a lot of ways to enjoy the hobby, so while it's definitely really fun to hear what other people are doing, make sure you don't let it overly influence what you feel is right for you (or, as stated earlier, feel guilty if plans change)! <3
       
    2. I have a few dolls already but I think eventually I will switch them out and start over. I would also like to start making my own bjd!
       
    3. I do not find joy in increasing number. Rather, I am filling the vacant positions with dolls. (Each 1/3, 1/4, 1/6 in each gender.) I have only one doll with a character, which is my Mini Me. Since I want boys to balance out but I know I’m not that into boy dolls to spend so much money on, my smaller dolls have sub characters in opposite genders. The only one doll that I feel I must get is male SD for my Mini-me. I have a infinite patience to wait to find “the one” for her:) I lately ended up with extra heads in 1/3 & 1/4. I haven’t decided to keep or let go of them…I even started thiking of having a pair in each scale, which makes 6 dolls in collection.
       
    4. My limit for BJD is ten, I own seven full-bodied ones and nine floating heads with no plans for a body of their own. I have no limit for dolls outside this hobby, although I wish I did, I have no self-control when it comes to action figures and hybrid action dols. (I blame it on my love of customizing dolls/action-figures to be my fan-art versions of fictional characters I love -- despite me already hoarding licensed figures based on them, it's not enough!) DX

      Edit: I have no plans to purchase more BJD, I did purchase one mature-ish tiny last year to embody another fictional character I love, but I have no concrete plans to purchase until I own ten BJD, that's just the limit I set myself with these types of dols. However, I never had plans to actually own ten. I'm more than happy never owning any more than the ones I own now, unless I get tempted by a mature tiny again. (:
       
    5. I am only limited by space. If I had infinite space (and money lmao) there would be no upper limit. Large collections of my favorite things make me very happy. <3

      Maybe I was a dragon in another life… :lol:
       
      • x 2
    6. Once I factor in little anthro cats I could easily hit the 36-50 range... in my dreams, at least. In reality, of course, with some characters I doubt I'll be able to shell to my satisfaction... maybe my collection will get into the 20s someday.
       
    7. So I voted 6-10 because the question phrased it as a "dream collection", which to me means if I could make the perfect dolls magically appear tomorrow fully-styled and cost no money. In that case, I think 6-10 would allow me to own basically all of the characters that are important to me.

      In reality I've struggled with owning more than one doll at a time over my 14 years in the hobby because I always feel like I could use the money and the space better. I somehow manage to be a simultaneous pack-rat/shopaholic WHILE hating clutter/having things I don't use/loving the idea of minimalism. Like I have all these doll eyes/wigs that I don't use and they just annoy me to no end... but I end up buying MORE eyes and wigs to try and find the perfect one!

      Right now I think my ideal collection is one doll - just one doll box, and one box of accessories to store. Granted I have never owned dolls that looked good together and that could share clothes, so that might have limited my ability to feel like I could "use" (or, play with) more than one doll at a time.
       
    8. realistically 1; dream goal would be 5-10!
       
    9. The real question is; how many characters are going to demand me to shell them?

      I mean, just when I thought 'maybe this will be the last one', another character starts tugging at my strings asking "when is my turn". Or I'll see a doll and it'll start speaking to me and telling me about all the great fun we'll have when I press that "buy" button...

      The worst is when they tell me they already have a connection to a doll I already have and that I just didn't know about them yet because of... reasons.

      Sooo... my answer is... ALL of them?
       
      • x 2
    10. Firstly, I don't shell. If I try to make up a character and then find a doll for them... well, it usually doesn't work out. So I just buy the dolls I like and then get to know who they are.
      Secondly, I don't plan, I wish for. And my current wish-list has about 40 positions (together with 16 full dolls + floating heads I already own), new dolls constantly trying to get their way into my home even before they show up on the list. Well, I kinda have plans like "I want a sister and a mother for this one, and those dolls seem good options", but they're not strict and may end up staying in my head, while unplanned dolls will just appear (and my monies disappear, huh).
      So, since I don't have plans, don't have a certain limit and don't want to sell anybody... It could really be an infinite number :roll: I'm not sure though if my brain is able to embrace more then 50, so let my answer be 36-50... for now.