Is BJD really just for adults? And adults, what do you think of kids who like them?

Woot. I'm 14, and I got my first doll when I was 13 (MNF Shiwoo). (as a Christmas present. Whee. xD)

My dad didn't just go, "OKAY!" It took a LOOOOT of begging and convincing.

I bought my second and third dolls myself (MNF Ruth and OD So ye) myself. Loooot's of saving and chores and stuff.

I've currently sold all three, because I discovered I really wanted SD sized. they're still gonna be the same characters, just bigger. xD I now have a Model doll ipsae (whom I payed for myself, all of her.) and a Dreaming shiwoo head who's body is coming for Christmas. I bought my Shiwoo's head and $100 of his body. My parents split the rest.

I think that as long as you're mature about it, you can get a doll at any age. I've met a couple of 9 and 10 year olds at meet who have their own dolls, and they're in amazing shape. (I met a like...10 year old who said he's had his Kiddelf Ani for 4 years. I was like, "Jeebus...." Besides being a bit yellow, he was in perfect shape too.)

I feel kinda sad when I see adults who just buy every doll they want on a whim. I think that BJDs are something special, to be treasured. As long as you're old enough to understand that for yourself, then you should buy one if you so desire.

 

I'm 13, and just started saving for a doll. I know people older than me that act a lot younger than they are and people the same age or younger than me that act older than their age. Many of them couldn't handle a doll, and a large amount could. My parents know I can handle it, but some of the people I've spoken to online seem to think if your under 12 that your to immature to handle anything. It depends on the person and how much they want something and when your a kid, how much you'll give up to get something.

 

Well, I just scanned this thread (14 pages, and I'm lazy), but it looks like my sister will be among the very youngest children to get a bjd; she just turned 10 last month, and is getting a tiny for Christmas.

Of course, I'll be making sure she takes proper care of it, keeping it clean, clothed, and out of the floor. I shudder to think of all her naked barbies, but the bratz dolls are kept in decent condition (aside from occaisional footlessness and bad haircuts).

 

At least with these dolls, if she decides to play hair dresser....its just a replacement of the wig.

I'd like to get my 4 yr old a fantasy doll tiny for Christmas next year....She keeps asking for a doll like Mommy's. I have no problem getting her either that or the Bobobie Sprite since they're still in the same price range of the American Girls. (however I would never buy her a doll that was in the 150+ range)

 

Absolutely NOTHING strange about it!

I am 21 years old and I LOVE dolls... sometimes I carry them around and talk to them in public. After all, why am I here? ... right. LOVE OF DOLLS! ^_^=m mew! I love this online community!

I think most people find it strange to see an adult carrying around dolls. O_o Well, as far as face-ups and sewing clothing for them go: NOTHING strange about it. If there were a child to get into this, by the time they are 21, they will probably be a doll artist having years of practice with face-ups and clothing! ^_^ If thats what they like. They could also get a guitar at a young age and want to become a rock star. I don't think this is for adults or just for kids. It is for DOLL PEOPLE! ^_^ (specifically BJD PEOPLE). A very particular breed of human if you ask me.

 

I started collecting expenisve porcelain dolls when I was 8. I discovered BJD's at fifteen, but couldn't afford one so I waited to get into the community 'til now. I know, I know, porcelain dolls aren't even close to BJD's. But, it goes to show that not all kids would ruin an expensive doll. I am the clumsiest person alive, yet I have never dropped one of my precious dolls.

 

Well it depends on what you consider a child.
Compaired to some BJD owners, I'm pretty young, 17.
I've also been into BJDs for a long time before I finally got my first one this year. I'm in grade 12 now, I wanted my first when I was in grade 7... so I was 12.
I think that at that age, I was ready for a doll (If I could have afforded it). I had the understanding that they were delecate, and not to be thrown around or played with like I did with my other toys. I used to have many porceline dolls back then, so I understood that concept.
Maybe I wasn't ready to take up BJDs as a customising hobby, but many older people still don't. I wasn't very artistic then, and wouldn't be able to do faceups, or make very good clothes, but you can get by with default faceups, and bought clothing.

I think that it depends on the person, and their understanding about what a bjd really is. Personally, I think that as long as they don't break the doll, and understand that they are delecate, they can have bjds.
Think, there are many people much past childhood who have bjds but threat them irrisponsibly

 

I recently turned seventeen (and, coincidentally, my baby Eli came on my birthday!), but I've been obsessed with BJDs for a good three or four years now.

I still consider myself a kid, and its not that I wouldn't trust younger children with a doll that they truly want and would take care of... I just think its... weird. I don't know. When I started liking dolls, I felt like a total outcast. I had a couple pictures of ones I like pasted to the front of my school notebooks, and people were like "What the hell is that? Why do you like DOLLS? You're a freshman in highschool, not three years old!"

Well... they didn't know much about anything, so... haha.

 

I'm only fourteen, so don't feel too bad. [We're practically the same age anyway.] I think that BJD collecting is for everyone that is 13 or older. I mean, kids younger than that would probably mistreat a BJD. [Unless they are a very sensible child.]

BTW: I got my first doll when I was 13. :3


UPDATE:
I am now sixteen and honestly, I probably wasn't ready for a BJD when I was 13. I mean, I am (and have been for some time) both an artist and an art student, and have a very wide view of "beauty" and what I find to be artistically and emotionally important. BJDs, to me, are more than just a financial investment, but an emotional one as well. I have found that I attach many memories and personal experiences to my doll, Rel. However I didn't actually bond with her until recently because, like I said, I don't think I was ready for that emotional commitment to this hobby at age 13/14. I mean, I knew that I valued BJDs as an art form and did not think of them as accessories or toys (I was a very mature kid) but I still didn't credit them with the importance they truly have in my life. I do not regret purchasing Relia; not at all. But I am glad that I have matured since then and now see more in her than just a beautiful piece of artwork.

 

I think that some kids can enjoy them just as much as any adult... BUT:

1: They are expensive... I find it hard to believe that most kids can afford them on their own, and find it even harder to believe that they can truly appreciate them if mummy and daddy swoop in. Obviously everyone is different, and kids aren't the only ones who recieve dolls they haven't paid for themselves. This is just a generalized statement, so please don't assume I mean YOU. This just leads to my second argument:

2: Kids are in a much faster time-frame than most adults. Kids, having not lived the many hard years that us "adults" have (insert eye-roll, but I hope you know what I mean here), tend to think in terms more like a year being a long time. DOD used to have 3 month waits for their dolls, and Unoas often take 6 months after pre-order to recieve them. Americans are already having issues with waiting for anything, we've gotten very used to a now now now environment. I think a lot of the value in these dolls is that they are made by hand, and although its very nice to hit order and get your doll in a few weeks, it tends to devalue or at least distort the perception of just how long and how much work is put into making and producing these dolls. As hard as waiting for one to be produced is, waiting to save up your money for one is even harder. Many people go through this, and I applaud you... even a lot of the "kids" on here have gone through this saving up process and I think that's wonderful. Its a very good lesson to learn!

3: The kids can't always relate to the older hobbyists. Sometimes, no matter how young of heart the older hobbyist is and no matter how mature the younger one is... there still seems to be a bit of communication failure. I know most of the adults on this forum try to be very encouraging to younger members entering the hobby... and that those younger members in turn try to be supportive and respectful to those older members... That's one of the wonderful things about this hobby... But I do still see a lot of somewhat stilted communication. Its difficult to really explain it or even give examples, but its one reason that I've become increasingly more and more of a lurker. Even though I'm not really old (OMG 23! I'm falling apart!) I still find that oftentimes I'm unable to really communicate with younger members of the forum... and being somewhat in the middle I sometimes can't really communicate with some of the older members either. Its not to say that we should separate the forum by age group or anything... its just a frustration of mine I thought I would mention for discussion, because it does seem to have become increasingly more problematic lately. (To me, anyways)

So, really... it all depends on the kid in question! We've had a lot of kids on here that I felt didn't or couldn't really appreciate the dolls, and kind of saw them as just some cool thing, like an ipod video or something... and we've had a lot of kids that I've felt were more mature than plenty of adults! In general, I have no problem with kids being in the hobby, though I will admit that the enormous influx of younger and younger hobbyists over the last 2 years has made me a bit nervous. I really don't want this hobby to turn into a 3-ring circus or a fad, and it seems sometimes like its well on its way to both... but that's me and those are my fears. I really hope that none of this offended anyone! Its just some general thoughts I've faced lately and I'm not pointing fingers at anyone in particular! I don't think I could even if I tried. O,o And I know that there are exceptions to every generality as well, so please, please don't think I'm saying all young people are trouble or anything. I really do think they can enjoy this hobby just as much as anyone else, I just think that sometimes they enjoy it differently and that that more than anything has made it hard for some/a lot of older members to deal with it. Especially as more and more people join this hobby, from very different ages and previous hobbies... there seems to be more for everyone to choose from, but at the same time its gotten much less personal for the individual.

Sorry if I was kind of all over the place with that... @,@

 

i think its kinda a personal maturity thing. i dont think a BJD made of resin would be appropriate for my 2 year old or really a child under 12 or 13 (but like i said to me it depends on how the child acts)
But my youngest sister (who turns 13 next month) i believe is mature enough to take care of a BJD, and that is why she is getting one for Christmas (from me, my husband, and our children)

 

I'm around the same age (20), and haven't personally experienced any communication issues related to age. But maybe it's easier for me to relate because I live with younger kids and associate with older (than me) people off-line.

 

I'm 14 and have a CP/Luts Dreaming Shiwoo Vampire Elf sitting propped up by the side of the monitor..

I was 13 when I first found out about Dollfies and I loved them,untill my boyfriend at the time said they were stupid.... Ah well,he's been ditched since
around May of 2007. I got back into dollfies in October of 2007,got a Excellent Base Model C Boy in December,and my first resin boy in January..

^.^

 

I think it will be great if my kids will like my collection then I can pass it on to them.

 

Wow, Well I would have been into BJDs a LONG time ago if I knew about them. I'm 16 (almost 17) and I was shocked to see people 13 and 14 on here. But the younger people do have the greater advantage when it comes to getting their dolls. Some of us have jobs and only have to spend our money on things that are required (gas, whatever your parents ask you to pay) and then we get the rest of the money to ourselves. We don't really have to spend it on living expenses quite yet. So, I don't think that collecting these dolls are just for Adults if the kids can get money, and take care of their dolls. I think it started out as an adult hobby because more adults were into china dolls and younger teens weren't into the porcelain dolls since they couldn't be posed and they broke. So I think it's really awesome that these dolls have spread and are now connecting younger people with adults.

 

jeje i am 15 an dont really feel like u cause there several people the same age as me but the whole photography seweing things i love to do them and some other things are relaxing(and the i get flustered cause i cant do it) but maybe we are trying to get to an old age sooner (jeje) XD or we are just wierd that way!(cool!)

 

I'm 13 and my girls coming here soon..tho payppal screwed up and i have to resend. i saved for her myself. I think, that if ur not an imature idiot its good to be exposed to fun things that require maturity

 

C'est la vie!

If you're fortunate enough to have one, and responsible enough to care for one, it doesn't matter how old you are!

 

I think, like everything else in life, it depends on the child. My younger sister (we are 13 years apart) is turning 10 this year and the only thing that has stopped me from giving her an MSD isn't her maturity but my finances. Seeing how well she has cared for "cheap" toys like Build-A-Bear and Pullips, I know she will take care of and, more importantly, LOVE an MSD kit. ~I~, however, wasn't ready for my sd13 the day I got her. Within an hour of ownership I tripped on a curb and nearly dropped my one-off face-first on the asphalt. XD XD XD

 

I guess that thing I would really think about is, if I had a daughter or son or young relative who wanted one of these dolls, what would I think? hm... If it was a question of "Buy me one!" the answer would probably just be "No" unless they were at least 10 and it were a Christmas or birthday present and they seemed like they were very interested over a long span of time. Even so they would have to get one of the less expensive ones. No $600 doll for you, sweetie.