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How much do you aspire to know about BJDs? O_o;

Sep 6, 2005

    1. I know what dolls are in my favorite photo stories that people write, but by the dolls names...lol. Yea, I've just made a year in this hobby of finding the dolls, getting one, and having a growing family. I know a bit of info from looking for stuff for my kids, doll meets and reading stuff on this form. But it just took time for me to get some stuff, but I don't know half of what there is to know. Think of it like history, can you name all of our past presidents? All of the battles in a war? If there is anyone who knows every doll of every company and all that goes along, they are a genius. Just learn what you can and take your time!
       
    2. I found myself as a future doll owner to get as much information as I can about the dolls before purchasing one, as I do with any other major purchase. I can recongise a few companies dolls, but the dolls I recongise are on sites I go on quite a bit so that's a little expected. I have been trying to get a lot of information and understanding for the dolls since no one I know in my immediate circle (minus one or two) actually like the dolls and I get a lot of questions so the more I research and learn the better I can explain things to others.
       
    3. Well, I'm only of those people who like to delve in and research about certain things before they get deeply involved with them. I joined DoA a while before I got my first doll, but during that time I looked around to know what a bjd was, what kind of companies were out there, and how I was supposed to take care of them. Now I have more knowledge of them and I...have a doll now lol. Though I can say that I still have limited knowledge about bjds, but I know I"ll expand my knowledge the more I research about them.
       
    4. Considering what an interesting topic this is, I'm surprised it doesn't have more responses o__O

      I feel that a person should know the basics before buying a BJD. You really shouldn't be spending so much money on a doll if you don't even know what faceup materials are going to damage it @__@ You know? At least learn how to take care of the thing, otherwise it's such a waste of money. (And I feel bad for the doll who gets mistreated by accident.)

      Other than that, I don't think knowledge plays a part in how good of a BJD owner you are :D What really matters is how much you love them! For me personally, I LOVE learning all about them. Sometimes I end up reading about these intricate details that I don't even need to know, like how to mod a certain kind of body to fit a certain kind of head?? I have no current plans to mix companies, so why do I even need to know that?! XD I guess it's just interesting. And I'm pretty able to tell the different companies/artists apart, but that was sort of by accident, I mean it's not like I studied them or something @___@ I just made an effort to remember what molds I like, so I would recognize it in the gallery :3

      But, I totally can't tell the difference between acrylic eyes and glass eyes either. And I can't tell some Volks molds apart, but I think it's just confusing because some of the faces are similar but go by different names (like, F16 is the same as Lucas or Chris or something?? And then School A looks just like them but with different lips??? Gah!!)
       
    5. I know that when I see a doll I want, I buy it. LOL

      And that's all I ever care to know. Being a know-it-all is annoying, and it pushes people away from the hobby, but if someone asks me what my dolls are, I can tell them...

      But I'm not going to waste my life finding out everything there is to know about dolls. There's no point in it.
       
    6. Now that you've mentioned it, I only do researches just to find dolls / doll parts that match the look of my RP characters (eyes colors, face sculpt, etc.). :lol:
       
    7. Well,to answer your question first.I'm quite happy knowing what I know now about BJD's.I'm not going to go and do a lot of research just to know more,but I'm happy to learn more just ''by chance''.Like following someones ''help needed'' thread,and learning the same thing at the same time (like sueding a doll for example).:)

      Also,how much people know about dolls doesnt make them any better or worse doll owners in my mind.Of course at first it is handy to know what materials to use for keeping your doll clean and doing a face-up,it helps to preserve the doll for longer.But I wouldnt expect people to know anything before they're ''allowed'' to buy a doll.I mean all I knew was that you need to spray testors on before painting. :sweat Oh and not to use acetone.The rest I just asked about while waiting for my doll to arrive home.

      I'm very bad at recognising face molds (I can recognise the ones I have anjd maybe two or three others),and different types of eyes.For me learning all that isnt really that important at all. :)

      To sum up,in my mind people dont have to know anything before buying a doll,all you need is love (lol). :lol: :fangirl:
       
    8. Hmm...well, I haven't known about bjds for more than a couple of months, but I crave information, so I probably know a lot more than most people would who have also been into it for the same amount of time. I know the abreviations, many, many brands, etc. and I FINALLY got a SDF myself.^_^
       
    9. Knowing about what concerns me is all I really care about. I love looking at other dolls and find the rise of different companies and the evolution of BJD interesting, but all I really feel obligated to know about is how to care for my own doll. Thus I spend most of my time in the FAQ and the workshop sections.
       
    10. I agree with vivandiere, I always spend my time snooping around in FAQ in the workshop sections and try to broaden my knowledge, since I don't have my first doll yet and I don't want to be totally unprepared when it comes and not knowing how to do the simplest things can be quite scary. I try to learn and take in as much as possible to my own capability to be in this hobby, or at least all the basics and stuff down that would be necessary. :sweat
       
    11. I don't think it's important to know EVERYTHING. It doesn't mean you love your dolls more or that you dedicate yourself more to them if you do.

      I didn't know everything I needed to know before I bought my doll, so what? It doesn't make it a waste a money! I loved it and I got one, it makes me happy that's ALL that matters. I really don't get that idea that to be worthy of a doll you need to be an expert *_* If someone doesn't know something they can learn... the challenges, being surprised by new things... that's part of the fun too, isn't it? It is for me anyway. People learn with their mistakes, they evolve and they become better... showing that effort is more important than knowing all the dolls in existance.

      I don't know everything and I'm not ashamed to ask. I just want to have fun and enjoy my doll, it's not important for me to be an expert.
       
    12. You don't think it's a waste of money when people buy a $600 doll and then use a sharpie on its face, thinking it will easily come off? I only think it's a waste when people damage their doll almost beyond repair (like staining it or melting it with acetone or something) and it's only because they didn't know any better. I guess I think of it the same way I think of buying all expensive things... I would never buy a car without knowing how to take care of it, because it's a waste of money to ruin it simply because I didn't research it first. :0
       
    13. I haven't bought my first doll yet, so in the mean time I'm enjoying doing the research. I like being informed and knowing what my options are, so that when I finally do something, I can have the self-satisfaction of knowing that I've thought it through.

      Resin manufacture and glass eye type are a little beyond me though. Lol, I don't think I've reached that level yet. But I think it's wonderful to have people who are experts in certain areas of the doll fandom and are willing to share what they've learned. Not everyone has the time/energy/passion to acquire all the information - that's what this forum is for, isn't it? :D

      I don't think having more or less information makes a person a better or worse doll owner. What matters is how you treat your doll(s) and other people in relation to your doll(s).
       
    14. You seem to be forgetting that people can buy a doll knowing nothing about it and then, while they are waiting for it to arrive, they can learn the basics and then, with time, learn the little details involved in the doll hobby, that's actually what I meant.

      And to buy something so expensive to ruin it... I can't think of that happening very often seriously... because, as I said, if people buy one of these dolls it's because they love it so they will be careful but, in the end, what they do with them it's their business. It's the same with extreme mods, they are irrevercible, some people don't like them but it's the owners business not ours.

      What I was saying was that no one can be the "doll police" and say who can or can't have a doll, it's not a matter of deserving it. Some people buy out of an impulse and research later, so what? If they can't do things properly they can ask for help, and if they ruin the doll well... they should have been more careful, it's their responsability for not asking first. But it's not mandatory to know everything before you even buy the doll.
       
    15. Well I'm not sorry to admit that I don't know much at all, but I'm not a doll snob either.:)
       
    16. The stuff that I learn, I've come across and I've HAD to know - like how well Dollmore clothes would fit Rosencrantz when I get him, and how much of a discrepancy there is in the measurements (just because I'm a perfectionist).

      I don't do extra research beyond what I need to know for my own sake unless I'm really curious - like the difference between acrylic, silicone, and glass eyes.
       
    17. when I started collecting last year I didn't know much about bjd's..most of what I learned I learned from the more knowledgeable people on DoA..:) I just read threads, went to the archives and so on...I don't know everything, don't pretend to know everything, and really don't want to know everything..because if I did I would probably get bored and get out of the hobby..
       
    18. Spot on, this is just like me.

      I did three months of research before I bought my first BJD, Hiro, and he was pretty much the first BJD I ever handled. And he is still my favorite, so he was the perfect choice for me. When it costs THIS much to get into a hobby, you have to know enough to make a smart decision. I do agree, though, that a doll sculpt will "speak" to you, and that's how you can tell if one is right for you for sure.

      I also LOVE doing the hands-on thing. I suede and string all my own dolls, and those of a lot of my friends and acquaintances. I love learning about the engineering used by different companies, and I like how every doll is different -- even the same sculpts. One thing that I want to learn to do is faceups. And I am still learning something new every day.

      So... I guess I aspire to know a lot, but for me, it's like fun.

      (And shimmeringcat, you have great taste in boys. :fangirl: )

      Linda S.
      galatia9
       
    19. I'd love to know as much as possible, really. ^^;;

      Usually when I get into something, I know everything about it. (Anime/manga is my entire life, and if any of my friends are interested in a series, they ask me about if first. xD) But BJDs are something I'm not good at. XD

      I just want to be able to tell faces apart, and be like "Oh thats *insert doll*", because I'm jealous of the people that can do that. <3

      I can do it with a couple dolls, but even then, 1/2 the time I'm wrong. xD
       
    20. Every person has his or her own opinion on how much you should know. For me, I won't look down on anyone who isn't a walking BJD encyclopedia, but I do love looking up new things on different companies, dolls and ideas - even if they aren't about the ones I own or hope to own.

      This also includes making ABJDs and measurements, what the most popular stores are and why, the effects of sun and time on resin, just about anything!

      What I don't know, I want to learn, and what I do know, I want to share! I guess I am an overacheiver.... :sweat

      Oh.. And I started learning as much about BJDs as I could even before I really start pondering whether or not I'd get one :)