If BJD's were to become the 'next big thing'...

Though admit it, could be kind of cute to have something similiar to Rei Tenshi coming out of those little eggs at the supermarket XD

I know, I'm a dork, but DOOD

 

to be honest it would lose its charm to me. ofcourse I would still love my dolls as much as I do now.. but one of the reasons why I love this hobby is because its something I can enjoy in my own solitude.

that and I always have a strange need to be "different" >_<

 

You're right, a better term than "cool" doesn't really exist to capture it, because it's GONE faster than you can finish writing about it! You can't keep up with it, which is why many people feel they have as much right as anybody else to dictate it. And as soon as somebody nails it down, & makes it into a formula-- which can then be easily understood & replicated by the masses-- boom, it's lost it. "Cool" turns into "caricature of itself" as soon as it's translated onto a large scale. This is why people on the 'edge' of anything automatically feel a little proprietary about it.

And sure, 'splintering' started happening a long time ago... I joined Controversialdoll before I ever joined DOA, because it was a much smaller niche, & I didn't have to curtail my swearing. There's plenty of splinters to go around, and new ones all the time. I happen to be one of those "burrowing" people who, when what they love gets co-opted, just seeks smaller & smaller niches to find a new comfort zone, where it's quiet again (instead of fleeing the whole scene). Paris Bloody Hilton getting a Minimee of herself might cause me to run away for a nice vomit... but it wouldn't be enough to chase ME out of my hobbies! :P

 

Well, I think then I would pride myself in the fact that "I loved these dolls even before they became the next best thing". (Speaking from experience: The Lord of the Rings was mostly unknown here before the movies came out - I've always been proud that I was a fan of the books years before they even thought about filming it.)

Of course if I found out about them after BJD became te epitome of 'cool' - than who knows. I like pretty things....but I have an uncanny ability to avoid anything that would make me cool (even though 'coolness' wouldn't be against my wishes....)

But what I'm pretty sure about now is that nothing could chase me out of this hobby until I get bored with it. And even after that I would have a certain fondness of things related to BJDs.(from experience with my very few previous hobbies)

 

Lets face it, as far as the doll collecting world is concerned, these are already the big deal. I'm quite happy about this, as it opens up accessibility. We have far more choices and they're easier to get a hold of.

But you also have to remember, doll collecting is not exactly what would be considered a mainstream hobby in the first place. I highly doubt it will become pop culture any time soon, if ever.

 

It would make me a bit sad, but I wouldn't NOT get more.
And I mean, hey, even if it does become popular, everyone into it now will get some sort of seniority, especially if you have a discontinued (or discontinued when it gets popular) mold or limited or whatnot from nowadays. Like on GaiaOnline, the people with 'Grunny' skins from a few years back get automatic awesome points for having it and being a member before it was popular.

 

Honestly, I think I would hate it. Of course, I love my dolls and I'm not sure that part would change but still...
I think more doll companies would pop up, different styles (aesthetics) would surface (thus making them less BJDish), crazy fans freaking out over a certain doll, even more competition to get that doll, and then seeing certain trends repeated over and over in the customization of dolls.
Bleh. It sounds boring and a little stressful.
But I'm all for just a wee bit more popularity for the sake of big doll meets.

 

Their popularity is growing in many, many parts of the world, but really it's nothing to be afraid of. Like what you like. Don't like what you don't. They're toys. Some companies may make a mold or molds trying to appeal to a broader audience. That's business. If you're not in the audience to whom a particular mold appeals, find a different one.

One can certainly sympathize with the notion that "excessive" popularity can bring more people who don't care about it as much more than a fad, but there are people like that now, in this hobby, and in hobbies that aren't nearly as popular. But it can still feel like a low blow to those who really, really care about their babies, because perhaps it can feel like someone else is cheapening it. But really, it shouldn't matter in the long run. There are benefits to increased popularity, too. It can be a blessing and a curse, but we can all just take the good for what it's worth, be happy with what we have, stop getting at each other's throats to point fingers: "Elitist!" "Trend monger!" "J'accuse!"

It's nobody's business but your own why you like what you like, so just have fun already. Popularity is nothing to be afraid of, and some level obscurity isn't necessarily to be feared either.
I kind of wish there could be more people in my area who knew of them or were into them, because it can get kind of lonely when there are no meets in your state that don't require at least a 9 hour round trip drive to attend! But even so, I have so much fun with them, and love for them, on my own. And I have a few friends who live in other states and we talk on the phone and share pictures and links online. It was friends who brought this to my attention, after all!
In the end, I think that can be a threatening aspect of "fad" status for some: many of us have our private joys with our little resin beloveds. And many of us revel in sharing with friends and close-knit local meetup groups, and hearing from people on forums who we may not know or talk to, but recognize. There is a strong sense of community that pops up here and there, and hoards of people can add a greater sense of ambiguity where there once was a more personal feeling.
But hoards can also bring opinions, workmanship, ideas, and insight that might otherwise stay out of view.
Take the good with the bad, hold your contemporaries with a level of respect and decency, and let's all play nice.

 

When I think about BJDs becoming a main stream thing it kind of hurts to think about it. I mean I would love for more people to know about it so you don't seem crazy to be talking about something so different. But still...Oh this is hard to explain.

So it's like me and my good friend likeing the jrock band The GazettE. We would like to bring our friends into it with us and maybe some other people, but we just don't want the wrong people getting to it and making it's something that everyone should know about. If that makes any sense...

I think i would just cry seeing a advertisment on the TV about BJDs. They are there own little thing. With there expensive prices, the patients to save up and then wait to get you first one, there original face-ups made by caring hands, there clothes, everything! I don't want to look down the street and see everyone with a BJD. I want to see one in one of the most random places and be able to not get my mind around it.And then go up to them and have a nice conversation.

 

I would love it if the hobby was larger :3 To me, the availability of services and goods would far outweigh the loss of the 'specialness' of the hobby.

Also, I'd be able to say I was in before the hobby got big :B

 

if I saw our dolls becoming mainstream and popular, i'd end my love for them, I wouldn't sell the ones I have, but I wouldn't buy anymore. There would be no point in it. I love my dolls because they are unique and I am the only one in this area that owns dolls like mine. I like the attention I get from having a strange doll. In a world where there is little beauty and mystery, I enjoy being the only person where I am with a little slice of magic. I mean, I have been to a doll meeting in the area, but in michigan there is only about 30 people that have these dolls.... I like being me and the strangeness of my doll makes me who i am.

yep, I hate things that are common or mainstream....I set myself apart from those things.

 

given that we already had Wishels in eggs, I think this is an idea whose time has come!

 

Sure, I think it would lose some of it's charm for most dedicated BJD collecters out there, including myself.
But, we have been here, and will stand through any sort of silly 'fad' phase that these dolls may go through with the rest of the world.
We'll still end up with the dolls that we love, with the other people who love them, and not their popularity.

Already, I'm seeing more and more doll photos on Deviantart in the 'Popular' and 'Prints' sections. It's a bit shocking, ahah!
I like that there's more available for the dolls, but I also like their uncommonness.

We'll just have to see. ;3

 

I think... the only thing I'm truly worried about would be the meetups.

Right now our meetups are small, close knit and we get to know everyone on a personal scale-- as well as their dolls.

But if more people join and more people come, we'd end up with something akin to a convention.
Don't get me wrong-- I love conventions and all, but it just doesn't have that same 'homely' feel? XD If I'm making sense anymore.

Yeah.. I'd definitely miss that. D:

 

I think I wouldn't mind too much.

Not that Holland is such a large country (We can basically travel from north to south in like... 4 hours? (With train) So the people who live at the other side of the country can be visited anytime without much trouble. But it remains to be a rare hobby in Holland. We have a select few groups luckily, and when you own or are interested in BJD you're pretty much on 'auto-join'.

I guess there's one downside to it going 'fad'. You wont get people in your college going: Oooooohhhh!! What's that pretty picture?!? "It's a doll" - Whaaaa? No way! Pretty!
Even better when it's your own doll ^^!

Upside: May lower the price. If the demand is bigger more companies may rise and competitive prices COULD erupt. It's unlikely but it's an interesting thought. Then again... if they'd go down in prices... that'd certainly throw off some charm... Hrmm...

Difficult choice, but I wouldn't stop liking BJD's if everyone suddenly started liking them, I'm not the "I don't like popular stuff"-kind of person.

 

Glad I'm not the only one.

 

I can see how the appeal would be ruined for some. I, however, am in this hobby purely because I love the dolls and the DIY aspect. Lots of people doing it would, in fact, enhance the experience for me, mostly because craft shops nearby would be more willing to ship in MSC...

 

please delete post

 

Actually, demand should cause a price rise in the short run. Companies wishing to meet the demand, whether new or old would almost have to cut corners to ge the product out the door in order to cash in on the hot market. The drop in prices would occur after the market was swamped with dolls.
This is all my opinion as I am not a learned student of economics.

 

Hm...i don't think I'd like it one bit if BJDs became the 'next big thing.'

People will come into the hobby, and ruin it for me and many others.

For example, I've read many manga, seen many movies, played many games... And I liked them. I loved them to bits. And then, suddenly, WHAM! Everyone suddenly knows about it, and loves it, many like it simply because it's 'popular.' And they ruin it. They take away all the 'specialness' of it, they start becoming obsessed with it, and never shut up about it...and then, as quickly as the fad danced in, I get sick of everyone suddenly trampling on it, and leave.

I get and understand exactly where spotted_mushroom is coming from, and I completely agree. I like having BJDs being a special thing, keeping it from screaming and raging fangirl-types that will absolutely turn me off from it.