How you got started

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
I recall first seeing them at a panel at a local anime convention. It was an "elective" panel for me, filling dead time between other panels. I did not think much of them (positive or negative) at the time. I noted that almost all of the dolls present were goth in some way so I was not terribly impressed with what I saw.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
Rozen Maiden. It meant that I was at least paying attention to Volks when the "right time" came. Eventually they released a DD character doll I fell in love with (Feena) and the rest is history.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
I already collected anime figurines so I have a preference toward character dolls and the Volks DD line. That said, my resin girls outnumber my vinyl ones now--I find that I like having different body sculpts around, and the only thing different about the various DD are the heads and accessories. (Introduction of DDDy is the best!) I'd like to have at least one doll "representing" each sculpt I admire... eventually.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?

Well, when I first saw these neat little things was when my friend Devin picked up on it about two years ago. I watched her as she got her first doll and began wanting to know more and more about them. And after a while she began to get more and more dolls, well...three more really. And I found my self wanting one of my own.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?

Wating to put my charictors from my head into the body of a doll, wanting to learn more about them and just loving dolls from child hood. xD So it was a win-win for me ♥

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?

That I can't just have a doll to just have them, knowing know that I have to care for them. Learning about how to restring them and learn how to do their face ups. =3

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
I'm not entirely sure but I think it was on a Japanese art site waaay back in the day. I thought they were cute but that was all. I think because they were Volks and I'm still not a Volks fan. It was years before I actually decided I wanted one. I never knew anyone who was into dolls and they're really not my sort of thing but a few years later I noticed them again and started to look at the range of companies and the possibilities...
What drew you to pick up the hobby?
The diversification of doll sculpts and my own interests converging with dolls - I'm really interested in charactrerisation, anthropomorphosism and suchlike at the moment. I also had some inheritance and around that time I fell in love with the Zaoll Muse sculpt. It only took me about 4 years and a ton of research to decide on her. x_x
How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
It's hard to say. I have a deeper understanding of it...I honestly wouldn't have thought of making dolls of original characters! I've also been surprised by the variety of dolls and owners. Regarding my view of dolls - not really. I still think they're an awesome raw material for people's creativity, I do compare myself to other doll owners and wonder how I measure up sometimes. Oh and I've realised how addicitve they are. I thought I'd be happy with 2 but now I'm planning a 3rd.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
Unlike most of the people here, I wasn't really into dolls before getting into the hobby. I was into Japanese music fashion which naturally led to Visual Kei and Gothic Lolita. One day a friend emailed me a photo of a Lolita with a $600 doll. The doll was cute, but hard to see and I was curious about what sort of doll cost that much. I found myself coming back to the dolls and looking at photos and decided I wanted on a few months later.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
When I was little all of my Barbies and My Little Ponies were customized by me and I got into model kits when I was older. I just love putting things together and making them into 'mine'. Plus it turns out I really do like dolls, I just never had the right ones.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
When I got into the hobby there weren't very many companies yet and I wanted a girl or two to dress in Lolita and look cute on a shelf. Since getting my first one though, I do a lot more photographing of them and I play with them. In the start my idea of customizing was changing the hair and clothes and faceup, now I sand and reshape noses and eyes and mix parts from other companies. I guess I went from thinking of them as collectors dolls to something more.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs?

On the forum of a porcelain doll artist.

What was your initial reaction?

If only I had discovered these dolls when I was a teenager! But they are quite expensive, and so many of them look like bratty thirteen-year-olds...

What drew you to pick up the hobby?

Over time I found sculpts that appealed to me, and they began to seem like a cheaper alternative to the work of that porcelain artist. Also: the people! The people in the BJD hobby are awesome; they are full of talent, creativity, and generally quite respectful of others.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?

I have even more admiration for the people who do mods, make clothes and wigs, and have no fear of turning their dolls into something truly original. I have started sewing a little myself, and hope to eventually give face-ups a try (though it is so very intimidating!).

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
The first time I seen BJD's was at the Idex doll convention in Orlando. I had been collecting doll for about ten years at that point and had a collection of a variety of dolls. I was interested in fashion dolls then. This was a huge convention so there were loads of dolls to see. At one of the booths was a dealer with BJD's. I was mesmerized by them. She must of had at least 12 displayed and each one looked completely unique. I had a feeling these dolls were out of my league but I summoned up the courage to ask if she was selling them. She told me she was selling the fashions that the dolls were modeling but for the right price she would sell the dolls. I was too afraid to ask how much. Later I learned the dealer was Val Zeitler. But I didn't see BJD's again until I started to collect Blythe and seen pics of them in someones photo stream.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
Well I went to the same convention again a year or two later and there was a booth there selling them and doing body blushing right there. I knew I really wanted one but was scared off by the prices. When I returned home I really started to research them with the intention of buy one for myself.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
Prior to getting into Blythe and BJD's I collected dolls only to display them. Doll collecting took a whole new turn for me once I got into BJD's. It became a hands on hobby and collecting would never be the same. It was so much more fun changing clothes, wigs eyes. I've gotten into Photography. Just purchased a new DSLR camera. Now I interested in creating sets for them to photograph. I didn't know that as an Adult you could still play with dolls. Before I would have thought it strange but the possibilities are endless.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
I saw a sleeping Suzuna and an awake Rengemaru in a half page Volks ad in a doll magazine and I had to have one. I was watching a show about anime cons and saw a girl holding an msd in her arms while the host interviewed her. They were so cute! Of course, the interviewer never asked about the doll so I had to look them up myself.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
I joined this site to see more pictures and learn about these dolls. I wasn't completely sold until I got marketplace access here and saw a few dolls that I knew I wanted to have.


How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
I've always had an attraction to dolls and action figures, I though these dolls were like the ones you dress and paint and never ever touch in fear of damaging them. I got over that quickly.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction? i was browsing things on ebay (i cant remember what exactly. it must have been custom clothes for dolls (i was probably looking for something for a living dead doll or little apple doll) and i came across a really beautiful male doll. he must have been tonner or obitsu though cuz his eyes were painted on) i looked at the price and remember thinking "whoa thats really expensive for a doll" and then i read the description and the price was for the outfit only. and that got me curious about more doll clothes (i wanted to find out why that dolls clothes were so expensive) and i found someone selling BJD custom cybergoth outfits i fell in love with her dolls and of course wanted to know where to get one and how much they were. i was afraid of offending her but eventually i sent her a message and she told me a little about them, then told me to get an account here if i had any interest in getting one after seeing the price. i decided they were really pretty but that i didnt want to spend that kind of money on a doll (im normally quite the penny pincher)

then i looked up dolls on DA and i found a cyber bohemian shiwoo. i was in love and wanted to buy him. i PM'd the owner and she told me he was a limited edition and sold out and again recommended i get an account on DOA if i wanted to know more. i loved looking at pictures of them and when i found out DOA had gallery's and wasnt just some kind of info page i joined.


What drew you to pick up the hobby?
i was really interested in the way people had a character and found a way to shell their characters into dolls. and i started wondering what my dolls character would be like if i had one, then i started looking for molds that would fit and after a little while i just decided one day i would buy one. my tastes and characters changed drastically but now i have a solid story line and a whole family planned out. i wanted a hooved boy so bad that when i saw sooms heliot there was no backing out for me. i bought him the day he was released.


How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
since first seeing the dolls? yes. i always thought they were beautiful but i didnt think it was worth it to spend that much money (as i said up until soom heliot was released i was a huge penny pincher. i always save my money and it was actually hard for me to spend it lol. i used to make multiple trips to the store when i had cash to spend and look around for hours and see lots of things i liked but i left empty handed and had to talk myself into buying something i wanted) on a doll but now i rarely spend money on anything BUT dolls. and i think they are totally worth it

its a little hard for people to believe i usually save my money and have a hard time spending more than $30 on myself after they find out i collect BJD's and they laugh when i find shoes or something i really like and look at the price tag and say something like "$300 for this? do i look crazy to you?!" and then i go off and daydream about buying dolls with an average price tag of $600

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
I kept seeing people carrying the dolls around at anime conventions... I thought, "Golly, those must be really heavy. I wonder why people carry them like that?" Then I found out how much they cost... That just gave me more questions as to why you would want to carry them.

As far as the dolls themselves, I thought they were pretty neat the moment I learned how articulated they were. It was like dolls and action figures had finally fused to figure out how to actually make the best person-shaped toy possible! That was exciting, but I still wasn't buying yet.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
One day, I was talking to a lady at a con. We just started chatting about BJD, and she said she owned some. But, she just posed them at home and did not lug them around at cons. That made me think, "maybe I could have one, but just play with it at home!" When I mentioned it to my housemate, he told me that they creep him out and the thing would be staring at him all the time. I was sold.

I found my doll at Anime Central. I had been looking at AOD for a while, and when I saw a Liu Yin in person, I had to have her. At first, I just messed with her every once in a while, just like I had planned, treating her as the coolest doll ever but not really getting into the hobby. One day, though, I realized how beautiful it would be if we matched for Halloween! What a perfect costume! Next thing I knew, we had matching outfits and she had a name.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
My view of the dolls has changed only a little bit. That's due to the fact that I found the many different art styles available, and now that I know I can get more realistic dolls, I want them even more. I still think of them as the neatest toy ever, and as super pretty things that are worth the money.

The hobby though... I originally thought it was silly, at least the part where you carry around your dolls and name them and whatnot. Now, though, you'll see me and Trista running around in our matching dresses at all the anime conventions we can afford in the St. Louis area. I've grown up!

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction? I was actually looking for elf figures on ebay to use as a character reference for D&D and spotted a modded NANURI 06 head and was in awe. After doing a little research and finding the Den, I ordered my fist doll a few months later.

What drew you to pick up the hobby? While I never liked dolls as a kid, I fell hard for BJDs do to their customizable nature. I figured it would be the perfect muse for me to use for my D&D characters.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then? Back then I figured I would just get one and swap out her eyes and wig and clothing to turn her into what ever character I happened to be playing at the time... that did not work out so well as I grew very attached to the first character I inresinated. And I have boy dolls now too!

 

I really don't remember when I first heard about them, but I first really got a whiff of them at an anime convention a few months ago.

Then I found an online comic about them and I thought it was cute. Then I met a friend who has 20...

If anything, I've become more wary of getting into this hobby. I don't know if I'll ever be as passionate about the dolls as other people I've met who have them. I dunno if I could do them justice. Don't want to mess them up. Don't want to pick the wrong one. It's more stress than I expected.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
I believe the first time I saw them was at an anime convention, in a group of girls' arms. I thought they were gorgeous, but their owners were pretty snobbish and I didn't get much information out of them. I figured dolls that elegant wouldn't really suit me anyway. It wasn't until I had a conversation with Emory from Junkyspot that I found out about how truly customizable they were, which really got me interested.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
Customization. My favorite thing to do with cookie-cutter Barbies as a kid was chop up their hair and modify their outfits. Ever since I started roleplaying I've wanted to find a way to make tangible forms of my characters.


How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
I learned that dolls come in ALL shapes and sizes, and that not all doll owners are obnoxious snobs! ^_^; It's a fun hobby that isn't just for elitists.

I also learned that you can't have just one... >.>

 

I remember something similar to this as you said, but this is a bit more thorough.

Okay so first:
How did you first learn about BJDs?
What was your initial reaction?
My older sister was the on who told me about them while we were in Target.
We are both heavily into Japanese Culture so we learned as much as we could
so that we were up to date with the country we'd hope to live in one day. I don't
know where she went but I know she was telling me about Volks inc. Though I ended
up seeing Dream of Dolls first.

They were gorgeous so my my initial reaction was
a long profound 'Wow'. Which then turned into a long drawn out pout. Which finally
ended with me fussing over how much I wanted one.
(I made myself sound so bratty. @@)

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
Being able to afford it. Simple.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
Well one thing about myself that changed was my level of naivety! Sheesh
I was under informed!
But I'm pretty sure that was because I lost hope that I'd be able to afford them anytime
soon. My first was a recent purchase and was such a surprise I would die laughing if
my future self told me I'd have one by March in 2009.

I went from dreaming about them, to feeling as though I've been in the hobby forever. I
pick up on info fast, so all of the knowledge I accumulated was over the course of a month and a half. I didn't do research until I was SURE I'd have one in my hand to avoid
disappointment. The little bit of time that I had him before I sent him for a face up
already seems so far.

Basically it is a hobby that seems to always have a million stories to tell and as many memories to make. I think we made a wise decision huh?

 

So here's a question a newby, that doesn't even own an ABJD yet, can actually answer.

How did you first learn about BJDs?

Delilah Noir introduced me! Well, in a round about way anyway. I was searching for clothing patterns for a vinyl ball jointed doll that I had recently purchased and I fell in love with the pictures Dollswest has of her MSD Narae girls posing in her patterns. What was your initial reaction? My first reaction was a bit of a freak out over the price. I'm usually very practical about spending our (my husband and I) money. I still am a bit freaked over the price actually, but saving what I can so that some day, hopefully not in the TOO distant future I can have a doll like the Narae I fell in love with.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?

The beauty of the Narae face sculpt and the amazing poseabilty of BJDs dolls drew me in, but it is the challenge of creating clothes for them that is the real interest for me. I don't think I'd collect just for the sake of owning the dolls. My creative side is drawing me into the hobby.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?

A little. I still think it's expensive, but I can see how a person can get a real attachment to the dolls.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
Deviantart was my first look into the world of ball jointed dolls. I have to say, I remember well that the first doll I ever saw on DA was Hiritai's Ryu Hayden probably about a year ago. At the time I was still in college and had no hope of ever affording these dolls. I just stared at the wonderful pictures and made a few wishlists of sculpts I loved.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
I just love the realistic nature of these dolls and thought it would be good for sketching and great for photographing.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
My view of the price of the dolls has significantly changed. also, at the beginning I was just looking specifically for the most realistic faces but now I think other factors are just as important as that now, such as the poseability of bodies and just whether the sculpt looks interesting to me.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
I came across some pictures of the dolls on yahoo while I was looking up japanese kimonos, which was years and years ago. I came across a doll that was wearing a kimono and there were a lot of pictures of her. I began to save pictures on the ball jointed dolls but I didn't know you could actually own them. I just thought they were for show or something or if they were for sale, they were extremely expensive. For my birthday, one of my old friends got me a magazine that had the BJDs in them (HauteDoll to be exact and I still have it too! XD). I really adored the dolls so much and was so fascinated at their faces and how more realistic looking they were compared to other dolls.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
But I didn't officially learn about them completely until the day my friends and I went to Walmart for fabric for our cosplays. A mother and her daughter had an SD boy and an MSD girl with them. INSTANT LOVE!!! And I was so fascinated and really excited! The price actually didn't surprise me too too much, but it did seem a bit high. But I did some more research the next day and the pricing turned out to be rather reasonable, especially for such a beautiful piece of art. x3 I was so uncertain in the beginning on whether I wanted one or not and decided to wait to look at one in person, which is why I'm so grateful to those two (who apparently my friend knows! SWEET!) for bringing their dolls that day. If it weren't for them, I would have never been able to purchase Tsuki.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
I believe it's changed quite a bit. Before, I admired them but only saw them as just dolls in pictures. It wasn't until I learned more about them, that I began to see them more then just dolls. ^^ So I think my view on them has changed greatly.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs? What was your initial reaction?
I first saw pictures of a Limhwa half elf that belonged to one of the members here (I actually found the person on the forum not too long ago and went "omg her doll was the first one I saw!" silly reaction but that's me xD) and thought she was a person at first, until I realized it was a doll. Now I didn't know what kind or anything so I just sort of liked it and didn't think much about it. Then not too long after I found another BJD on DA and that made me want to learn more about then.

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
I love to write, so the opportunity to actually "have" my characters was the main deciding point ^^ I also just loved the amount of creativity with the hobby and just thought that this was what I wanted to do. Even though I don't even own any yet, they've already solved a huge writers block for me.

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
I think I just generally appreciate dolls more as art now than I did before I knew just how detailed and wonderful they could be. When learning about the prices I was of course shocked - who wasn't - but nowadays I see a 500$ SD and think "ooo cheap"

 

I got into the hobby when I first met a doll at a Ren fair.He was handsome and I very much wanted my own but didn't know what they were called until my sister recently got in the hobby. I have a picture of him too and unfortunately don't know his sculpt and I'm really sad because I love it. I remember asking him how much he was and when she told me it honestly I said "it was worth it, he's so handsome" she was shocked by that. My second run in with them was at an anime convention and one of the ladies had hers out and dressed up to show off, she was a little beauty and I'll I could think about was "She's perfect for pictures" since I'm much better at taking pictures of stationary things when I want to be. Hehe. Now I'm on the hunt for my own doll

 

I saw Marina Bychkova's porcelain BJDS online. It was an article about a show of her dolls in a Gallery in Germany. I thought they were very unusual.

I'm coming to the Hobby through the back door. I have a background in Art, and I was curious about how BJDs were made. In my searches for tutorials about how to make a BJD, I had to join DoA in order to read the threads in the (now closed) Doll makers thread. There, I found out about The Joint. As a result, I'm currently making my first 60cm BJD in microcrystalline wax. DoA and The Joint are both awesome BJD forums, and I'm learning so much about The Hobby, and about everything that goes into designing and making a BJD.

I love dolls, and I've fallen in love with them all over again since discovering contemporary BJDs. The non-ball-jointed dolls don't seem quite as interesting to me anymore, although I can still get excited about an exceptional Art Doll. The posability of the BJDs makes them orders of magnitude more interesting to me than non-ball-jointed dolls.

 

How did you first learn about BJDs?
I was searching for figures of an Anime program I was really heavliy into at the time.

What was your initial reaction?
I thought they were the most amazing things I'd seen in my life! lol I'd never heard of them or seen them before. (Only in my dreams)

What drew you to pick up the hobby?
I was a doll collector (action man, such like) and figures collector (anime, video games) They were my ultimate doll fantasy!

How has your view of dolls and the hobby changed since then?
Not at all, I still love it as passionately as I did the day I discovered them.