How many dolls is too many dolls?

I am drawn to a thread like this as a moth is drawn to a flame! I find this question fascinating. Again, as often pointed out by other members, the answer is a personal choice. Whatever works!

For years, I collected any kind of "asian" doll:-- porcelain, cabbage patch, artist doll. I found after a few years, the my large collection of dolls stayed in their boxes, with very few on "display". I simply enjoyed finding, buying, and adding to my horde. The dolls were stored in a large closet and I had trouble remembering what I had purchased.

Then I bought my first bjd! I re-focused and decided to unload the majority of my previous doll collection. I am came to bjds with a different agenda. My new collection would be enjoyed, smaller, and would be played with.

In the bjd hobby since 2006 and with some mishaps along the way, I now have 10 bjds. Quite large for me, and I never intended to have so many. For the longest time, I had 2 boys and 4 girls. A perfect number for me! Try as I might to vote a doll off the island, I am unable to let one of them go. I love them all! Part of the reason I have 10 is I have acquired way too many wigs, clothes, shoes, eyes, and I could dress a small army. Who knows the number I will have in another few years. Never say never.

 

I don't think I'm gonna have a limit. My dolls are connected to my story that I'm trying to write and there are a lot of characters. I'm hoping to get the dolls for at least the most imporant characters. Most of them are boys but I have plans for couple girls. I think I will have too many dolls when they will not fit in my apartment anymore hahah

 

Well I'm glad and relieved to see I'm not the only person with 40+ dolls!! I know there are people who probably look at the bigger collections and are overwhelmed, but I love all my dolls! Maybe not equally, but they are a collection, not human being I have to provide for. I seem to be able to make the clothes stretch. I can also sew when I'm not too lazy to do it so they aren't all naked.

I buy dolls for the sculpture and the artistry not because I have any character in mind or because they are part of a story. So my reasons are more aesthetic. I enjoy having the dolls I do even if they aren't all on display or 'played' with constantly.

 

I thought I'd have 2 dolls mostly due to the cost of them and that the Hubby is pretty creeped out by them. That was going on 6 years ago and I'm sitting at 25 complete dolls and 1 floating head. I plan to purchase 2 more for sure. If I get a body for the floating head (I got it due to a mix up during a free head event when I ordered my first doll), I'd need to get his partner, so there's another 2 dolls. However, I think with the planned dolls, reaching 27 dolls is going to be a lot.

However, I say this now and I can see that POV changing as other characters of mine demand to be shelled as dolls and simply won't take no for an answer.

 

For me, personally, it's dependent on my finances and my space. Right now I'm hovering in the mid 20's and don't really want to go over 30 until I can find a bigger place and am more financially secure.

 

I had a period when I thought "I'll only have that one!" then it was 2, then it was 6. I'm down to 5 as one is being permanently re-homed at my mums who loves him just way more than I do.
Ideally I want 2 more, 1 SD and 1 Yo (okay maaaaaybe 2 but not more)...and then I'm done for good. Hopefully.
But I think 10 would be the limit for me, I already feel overwhelmed sometimes when I just think of finishing my collection...

 

I told myself I would only own one doll when I started this hobby. At the end of this I'll have at least 4 and there's still many more on my wishlist. Right now I'd say about 10 is enough for me, but that could easily change the more dolls I get. I don't want my house to be overtaken with dolls though. I want to be able to love each doll just as much as my other dolls and I feel like having a lot of dolls would mean not being able to appreciate all of them as much as they deserve for me. I also have other expensive hobbies and I don't want to give them up just so I'll be able to buy more dolls. I do find myself selling things from hobby to pay for another, but I didn't completely give them up. For some people this is their only expensive hobby, so I can imagine them wanting/having more dolls than me.

 

For me, the number of dolls that is "too many" is the number of dolls I have when I start to feel totally uninterested in dolls as a hobby. That's my indication. It's not always the same number every time it happens.

 

For me, I'm limited by space issues and finances. Initially, I declared here on the forum that I'd never sell a doll. I have done so, and may do so again in future. I'm currently at 20, and from this point on, am trying to be very selective, only wanting to shell specific characters (Although since I'm prone to impulse buying, we'll have to see how that goes!). And since I'm going to become very poor this year, I don't think I'll have to worry about my collection expanding too quickly.

I have reached a point where I have to think about a re-vamp of both the storage for the dolls and their things. When I get that sorted out, I could see an upper limit of perhaps of 30. But check back with me in a couple of years-things might have changed!

 

I just started getting into this hobby and right now only have one doll and a floating head on its way. I plan on having about five or six dolls in total but that may change.

 

For me, I'm limited by space issues and finances. Initially, I declared here on the forum that I'd never sell a doll. I have done so, and may do so again in future. I'm currently at 20, and from this point on, am trying to be very selective, only wanting to shell specific characters (Although since I'm prone to impulse buying, we'll have to see how that goes!). And since I'm going to become very poor this year, I don't think I'll have to worry about my collection expanding too quickly.

I have reached a point where I have to think about a re-vamp of both the storage for the dolls and their things. When I get that sorted out, I could see an upper limit of perhaps of 30.

 

At the moment I have 10 dolls, with definite plans for 3 more, bringing the total up to 13. I already feel like this is too many for me, and yet I am so attached with all my dolls (minus the very first one who I can't bear to part with....simply because he was the first) I can't bring myself to give any of them up. At times I would even like to upgrade two of my minis to dolls in the 50cm size range as it's my favorite size and I don't much care for minis anymore (plus I don't like how they don't blend in with the rest of the group), but as I really like their current sculpts and all the work I've put into them, that would require keeping the ones I have and pushing my overall number to 15...which is entirely too many for me. I'm conflicted, because I adore the three final dolls I'm saving for, but I worry about the space and potential to feeling overwhelmed. I do hope once I move to a bigger home and have a proper place to display them then perhaps I will no longer have these negative feelings.

 

I think if you have so many dolls that you can no longer maintenance them or you neglect them or have no space for them, you might have too many. I'd say you've reached the hoarding point. This of course differs from person to person. For some people that may be 2,7,10 for others it may be 20, 70 or even hundreds.

 

Hm, I honestly don't think I would ever need more than 6, though at the moment I only have a family of 3 in mind. I might want another couple that is SD sized if I ever decide I want an SD doll and maybe another 1/6 size if I want another child doll. Right now I am happy with the MSD size though~

 

I believe it totally depends on the person. Some have a psychological limit at around ten dolls, some more, some less. Some don't feel any particular need of having a "not too big" collection and are perfeclty happy with 30 dolls and more.
I believe the feeling of having "too many dolls" is really personnal, there is not ONE right number. Everybody have a different limit, which is great, because that makes very different collections and types of collections^^

 

I also think it depends on the person. I thought my maximum would be 15 dolls, but I've already met that number if you include dolls I'm currently waiting on. I have all of the dolls I want in my collection for the most part (I could live without having any others) but companies are releasing new dolls every month, so it's hard to say when my collection is officially "complete".

 

I'm at 6 but, well I may want more. I haven't decided yet.

 

This is a tough question... I used to think I might get up to around 7, but at last count they were 15! But I am selling 1. And the largest 3 are MSDs, then 4 YOSDs, and the rest are tinies. And from the tinies, 2 are $30 OT dolls, and 2 more are arguably my fiance's. So how many do I have REALLY? When I start asking myself that question, I feel like I could easily acquire more, but that's dangerous thinking

 

Hmm...this is tough because I can't predict that my feelings will change, but if I get to the point where I prefer to take pictures of certain dolls and start not even touching others, I'd feel like I wasn't getting my money's worth. I'd want to take pictures of all my dolls and play with them all equally and I'd feel guilty if I weren't.

 

I agree with the majority that is a personal matter and that it is a number that can change over time.
I originally thought "Just one is all I need." But that soon became two, then three. I think when I had acquired 4, I started to realize I was going to want to put into resin my cast of characters. I knew that at times I wasn't financially stable enough to expand my collection, but there were also times I got a little crazy and bought a few on impulse. These fluctuating circumstances have resulted in more dolls bought and sold than I currently own.

I currently own 17, but it sure doesn't feel like I own that many! One of my favorite ways to enjoy my dolls is through photography. I'm not great at it, but my dolls inspire me to learn more and try new things. It is my second budding hobby if you will. Lately I've been feeling that I pick up the favorite dolls because they inspire me to pick up my camera. I tend to neglect the others because they're "incomplete" and have been for some time due to lack of free funds, time, motivation.....It still makes me sad to think about parting with any of them, but I know I need to prioritize if I want all of them to look their best. ^^

Honestly, if money and space were no issue, I'd probably have a lot more, and not have a problem with it. Because I simply love BJDs!!