1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
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  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
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How old were you when you got into the doll hobby?

Jul 23, 2018

    1. I've been collecting other types of dolls since I was a child (porcelain dolls, Barbie dolls, etc). I first discovered BJDs through Haute Doll magazine in my 20s (so late 2005 or early 2006). My boyfriend now husband bought my first doll back in July 28, 2007. Around this time, I introduced my doll and whatever Haute Doll magazines to my family and best friends (as a way to share the hobby and also to see if anyone else was interested in the hobby) but only one of them was truly interested in BJDs and got interested enough in them to find Den of Angels. She joined DoA first then I did in late September 2007. Now that I've been in this hobby for nearly two decades, it's amazing for me to see how much the hobby has grown over the years amongst fellow BJD enthusiasts and even how it is becoming more accessible in a way.

      Hope you were able to find a job and were able to get the dolls you wanted. You still got time so no don't worry too much if you're not there yet. Whatever you can get, job or doll wise, can either be a stepping stone to something better or something that can grow with you over time. Good luck with making your characters come into physical form! That's always fun. :dance
       
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    2. I was 18 when I first really learned about bids, I had a friend who had a few and showed me all her favorite companies. I didn't get my first until I was about 23 though, I just couldn't afford it before then.

      I'm 28 now and have since learned another good friend of mine loves bjd and my boyfriend has gotten his first!
       
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    3. I fell in love with the SOOM dolls when I was 13, but my first doll is Souldoll's Juhl. it's a little ridiculous. well, now it's been years, my photography hasn't improved at all.
       
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    4. I loved dolls as a kid, but didn’t start collecting them as an adult until 2012, and that was some OT dolls. I started collecting BJDs in November 2017 after an amazing gift from a great friend, and I was 32-years-old, at the time. :sweat
       
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    5. I think I was 13 when i started collecting dolls, but I didn't start with BJDs. I bought Pullip dolls at first and bought my first BJD when i was...17 I think? Had a few years break from buying new dolls when I was in college, but now that I have a steady job I can jump fully back into the hobby!
       
    6. I think I was 21 and now Im 23 :D is hasnt been very long time but I wish I had started the hobby earlier ^^
       
    7. I got into the hobby when I was --holy cow, 12 *_* I didn't even realize I was so young back then lol.

      I wouldn't worry too much about affording a doll though, it took me years to get my first one and in my early 20's I totally abandoned the hobby because I was focusing on university/jobs/paying my rent. The hobby is always there and it's better to save up for the dolls you really want!
       
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    8. First introduced to bjds online at 13, but obviously couldn't afford them. Got into the hobby a month after I turned 20!
       
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    9. hello from mexico, i recently start in this hobby i only have a 1/3 hybrid azone doll, i do not know if she can be considered as a BJD, and i order a Khan from Dollshe and still waiting! i am 35 yo
       
    10. I first discovered Asian ball joint dolls in 2005 when I was 17. But have been interested in customizing and sewing for antique and playline dolls as long as I can remember. I learned how to sew when I was 6 or 7 so I could tailor my barbie clothes to fit better.
       
    11. I first learned about BJDs when I was probably 12/13? But I only got into them this year, at 27.
       
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    12. i waas 32 when i looked into bjd, i just wanted something realisting on my shelf, and now im making wigs, costumes for them, just because is interesting and i like to learn something new in caase to empty watch tv. so im 35 soon.
       
    13. ANCIENT, lol. I was already a mom with a nine year-old daughter who was old enough to appreciate them...and now she's almost twenty-one. :XD:

      But hey, you're never too old to play with dolls...
       
    14. I was first aware of BJD probably a few years back but just now got really into it so its tough to say exactly. Before getting into it I just thought they were really neat and didn't really think much of it/do much research do to other time consuming hobbies of mine. I will say now at the age of 25 since I'm actually making stuff and collecting BJD.
       
    15. About 14 when I discovered them, maybe 13. I got my first one at 15, but I settled for something I didn't love. This year I'm 20 and I finally got a doll I really wanted! It sort of feels like a new beginning.
       
    16. I really fell for their look as a teenager (around 14/15) but ordering something so expensive online seemed impossible to me. And my English was basically non-existent back then. After a few years I moved on and kinda forgot about my interest in BJDs. But 15 years later a friend reminded me of my teenage dreams :). She even brought a few BJDs over to my place when she was visiting me (we live in different countries). Seeing them up close closed the deal for me :love.

      Haha 30 year old me is finally able to afford my teenage dreams :wiggle.
       
    17. Learned about them around 15 and only just got a doll this year at 19... I definitely could’ve afforded them (maybe even more than now, actually :sweat) but I had other preoccupations, wasn’t too particularly keen on spending a chunk of money on a hobby I wasn’t absolutely certain of, and was happy to settle for some lower commitment ABS and vinyl tinies...
       
    18. I know I like BJD doll when I was middle school (like 13, 14?) but at that time I could not afford this expansive hobby, I get my first doll when I was 21, get my first month of salary:whee:.
       
    19. I was maybe thirteen, so around 2009. I got my first doll around fourteen as a gift, and though I loved him at the time, it made sense that I would eventually fall out of love with him (I bought him mostly because of his price, rather than his sculpt)

      I'm 24 now and getting back into the hobby in earnest with a better aesthetic, more handicraft skills, and infinitely more money and patience.
       
    20. I was 10-ish when I first saw a Dollfie. But I was 15-16ish before I bought my Resinsoul Long. The three and a half years spent scouting them before that felt like eternity. I was never a doll person, but once I saw elf ears and weird skintones, I knew this hobby was for me.