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

That's the problem though - I for one feel there's some dodgy moral, if not legal ground there if a teen gets carried away in RP chat with an adult - particularly if neither is aware of the other's age.

As a mother of a teen and a preteen, if I found chatlogs where one of my daughters appeared to be engaging in very explicit sexual RP with someone else who I then discovered was a much older adult, I would be very disturbed that some form of paedophilic grooming was going on - possibly to the point of contacting the police (and I'd certainly drastically curtail that child's access to the internet from then on). The other person may well be completely ignorant of the fact they were actually RPing with a child and not another adult, but that wouldn't override my mother's instincts to protect her child.

In that situation, the responsibility is on the adult to confirm that the other person really is as old as they appear to be - but at the end of the day, we only have each other's word for it that we really are the age we say we are. Which is why I am very paranoid now about anyone who IMs me with the intention of RP. I don't want to find myself up on charges of cyber-grooming children. Raising the minimum age required for boards such as DoA would go some way towards reducing this risk, I feel.

 

yay ive found someone around my own age im 14 i dont think its an adult hobby but i dont think i would give a bjd to someone under 6 years old,i think more teenages would have one but theres a money issue and not everyone would want to spend that much on a doll.

 

I know a six year old who has one. He loves it. Each member of that family has their own BJD. Very cute.

 

and I considered MYself young.. well, Im turning 16 soon.I dont have a doll -yet- but it's hard for me to save money and.. I really needed a new iPod when my other one broke down. It keeps me sane.. But anyway my parents think its a childish hobby and wont help me save up.. as in.. when I ask for money for my birthday and for christmas they dont want to give it to me 'to buy some doll' egh. BUT I dont care what they say, I'm going to work my way till I get there.. somehow.wow offtopic.. okay yeah, but I thought I was one of the youngest on here.. I guess I was wrong.

 

I agree that this hobby is for mature and financially responsible individuals. While these two things normally come with age, there are mature kids out there who are willing to consider finding part-time jobs / selling personal items / saving up money to reach this goal. And if they're really creative, they can also make money from doing face-up / body blushing commissions, selling clothes/accessories, etc. (provided that they are responsible enough to carry through the transactions). There's no question of whether or not they'll take excellent care of the doll b/c of the painstaking effort needed to finance it. Overall, I think this hobby can foster some positive habits if he/she is mature enough, so I really don't see why kids can't join in. ^_^

Congrats on the young ppl who went through this!

 

To me, it is more of an "adult" hobby just because of the price, but I do know that there are younger people and even small children that are able to take care of their stuff. And there are adults that destroy their expensive ABJD all the time by attempting things like mods and sanding without researching first.

I met a couple little girls at a meetup that had immaculate Blythe dolls.
I would trust a child or young adult like that with an expensive doll, but no others.

 

Phew! When I first saw this thread I was afraid it would be full of anti-youngster sentiments. I'm glad I was proven wrong! I find myself agreeing with so many of you on this topic. ^^ I suppose I'm pretty lucky as far as being a minor goes... my family is somewhat supportive, at least not condescending. I've been saving for my first BJD for only about seven months, which seems to be about in the middle of the time spectrum. Although thinking back I scare even myself. Spare change... a beautiful thing, but I was obsessed. Eep, now I'm off on a tangent. XD To get back on topic, I think that most people's opinions of the "right age" for doll ownership is heavily influenced by their own experiences. If I were an adult and a child or teenager mistreated my dolls I would be horrified and would probably never be able to look at kids the same way. Now if I were to bring my doll to school and have my teachers or some other mature adult scoff and be derisive about it, that might make me think that dolls are more suitable for younger people. I think the most defining quality for doll-ownership is the ability to be patient while saving and waiting for the doll to arrive but at the same time being really excited about it!

 

That's what my parents have done for me a few times X3 I got my first doll when I was 14. I paid them back with babysitting money. XD My parents pretty much feel the same way you do. The dolls themselves make me very happy, and they've been a good tool in helping me develop artistic skills in photography and faceups. My parents are supportive

I was 13 when I got into BJD. I was afraid of getting the "You're HOW OLD omgwtfbbq!!!!1111one" response so I only told a couple of people how old I really was. Now there are more people my age in the hobby so I'm not as shy about it. Plus, I'm older XD (Going on 17)

 

As one of the 'older' adults on the board the only time I get the "OMG You're HOW old??" is when people see me in person. I'm 29 (soon to be 30) and I look like I'm still in high school. ^^

I don't think the BJD hobby has that much of an age issue as some of the other hobby forums I've run across. I've always been of the belief that if the person is a responsible enough person to take care of themself and the things they care about, then what does it matter what their age is? I've seen both kids and adults alike ruin toys so something like that doesn't go away as we get older.

I think it's very nice to see young people getting in to a hobby such as this. Having something positive to focus your energy on is much preferable to some of the other alternatives.

 

lol!...ive gotten the "how old are you again" treatment A LOT...most people are SUPRISED when they hear about my age and see my work. Graduated from Art and Design June 2006 and will be going to School of Visual Arts this spring....You know...when i was younger I HATED dolls but LOVED stuffed animals...barbies i couldnt stand....but BJD's arent your average doll...its the way i feel ALL dolls should look and be like. No offense to those who do like barbies and other kinds of dolls. My mom looked at me like I was crazy when i orderd my Ducan..especially since she had to pay for it..XD which i dont blame her....thats a lot of money to spend on a doll but hey...i thought it worth it. I HOPE he'll be here before christmas.... x x...hes going to be my first..im hoping not my last either. I orderd him November 8th and payment was confirmed that very same day.

 

Responsible is the word.
I think BJD are ok for a ten year old and older to have. But when childeren are still of the age (it's different for everyone) of cutting in their dolls hair when they don't really know how to do it (like I when I was young =_= I regretted it very much), paint the hair with paint that is meant for your nails, not careful and are in fases when they like something else.
Growing up is to find out who you really are and what you like. If you like every month a different thing or have a different hobby, then you must think about a BDJ a very long time before you get one. It's to expensive.

Im still chancing (I'm 20).
Like in style of clothes, but I stay in the same genre (how do you explain that?). Like alternative; alto > gothic > gothic lolita. I get only more taste (more expensive taste =_=). My whole live I liked toys. But in high school I didn't come out for it, I would be bullied. I shamed myself for the things I liked. What a uphappy kid I was.
Now I still like toys and tell people about my doll and they don't think it's strange.
For me barbies where to practice for 'better' dolls. I didn't like barbies very much, I liked Shelly's. Other dolls I think are still creepy. like baby dolls. I only like ABJD, but not al of them.

 

I think that many kids are excluded from the hobby because it is much harder for children to save up that amount of money.
I'm 13.. ish(maybe a little older, maybe younger.. THE WORLD WILL NEVER KNOW), and don't worry *pats on pack* I've been getting crazy looks from people for wanting one, even though I'm still saving, feh. Oh well.

 

Dear lil LexehAnn-pie
I don't think 13 is too young or BJDs are only for adults.

Technically and only in that manner we say BJDs are for adults because it's more natural to see an adult pay for one since we make our money and we decide how to spend it. And I guess some body sculpts are more appealing to older owners but in general - I wouldn't mind my niece having one (in fact as soon as she's 13, she'll have one or two). But in fact, a BJD girl or boy can much more entertaining and educative to a child than a barbie (body details - formats - and possibilities of creating the character which is not limited but even the opposite ; originality is encouraged and copying the other is forbidden - as a BJD is unique and a reflection of each person's own desires and views.

I wouldn't see a smaller kid with a bjd - perhaps in the 5-10 age range ; at that age we are still developing our skills and a bjd being fragile - not the brightest idea in town.

 

My daughter is nine,and is in love with all of my resin. Particularly my tiny Elf Doll Adel (Tonks). She is very gental with them, and knows how fragile they are. When Tonks was eaten by our dog, my daughter was vert upset, and held her in her hands as she cried.
For Christmas this year, Santa is bringing her a Wishel egg. It will be her first BJD that belongs soley to her. I think it really depends on the person, more than the age. My daughter is very much like a 6 year old in many ways. But she does, like a lot of children, understand certain things more than we give them credit for.
This may end up being a big mistake, by giving her one of her very own. But the only way to learn, is to try.

 

Awwww - Yeah of course each child is a different case and congrats on her first bjd wow I guess this will be a fine pathway to teach and learn responsabilities -e h ?

 

Well, I'm around 13 (Give or take a few years) and saving for a doll, so I guess that expresses my opinion on this topic pretty well

On a more serious note, the only real age limitation in this hobby is the price-I can barely afford a faceup with my savings at the moment, I'm too young for a job, and my mother is a year or so behind with my allowance, so I'm not expecting to be able to get December until I'm well into my thirties I handle my mother's vase collection all the time, though, and I've never broken a piece, so I think I can be trusted with a BJD. And I'm not about to wreck one. Mom and Dad don't have anything against my hobby, as long as I can afford one without bankrupting my college fund

Not only that, but my seven-year-old sister is interested (The price is still dissuading her from deciding to get one, though), and I'm pretty sure we could give her a doll and she'd treat it like gold. So, yeah, BJDs are kind of an all-ages thing IMHO.

 

I've seen other people on forums say that someone younger wouldn't take care of the doll because they've not learnt the value of something like that but I've got to disagree.
I think that if they've been brought up to look after their things even a child knows that something like a BJD is to be looked after and not dragged about. I've experienced it myself when taking my boys out for a meet and little girls come up to see them. They can tell its not a toy and don't try to grab it or touch it without asking.

 

oh my gawsh :3 I have gotten the "YOUR HOW OLD?!" mainly after when people ask: how much do they cost and then ask for my age xD I think its more along the lines of: "she can afford these things o-o" But when I first fell for bjd's I was 11! I absolutely loved them(Volks was my first love) and I had 50$ to spend and on the spot was all "I'll look them up and buy one" but upon seeing the price my dreams were shattered but then when I got into highschool I met ZOMBIE :3 and she told me she was getting a doll for christmas and after much thought got one! (Vince ) and Now I'm hooked ! I just turned 15 sept 7, and now am the proud owner of an EL and a YDER . Now me and Zombie are planning mnf shiwoo twins :3

So I think it really doesn't matter the age as much as the desire and responsibilty of it all

 

I know that I would have sold blood if I could have gotten one of these BJDs as a girl. Even when I saw one as a grownup I had to buy the little girl in me one of them!
Of course, at the time $500 would have been impossible for me, much less the larger amounts. But I would have found some way. And while I might roll my eyes at parents who give their kids everything they ask for, well, it's just jealousy. How could I have a problem with a young person wanting one, when I *know* I would have?! When I was 11 years old I fell in love with a photo of a Japanese doll I saw in a book I read. I would have given anything for it but there was no way I could have gotten one anyway. There was no internet, I'd never met anyone who'd been to Japan (the closest I got I suppose was having relatives at Pearl Harbor but that's beside the point).

Although being grownup means I have the money for dolls, I am sorry that I will never really play with them the way I would have done had I owned one as a girl. I still enjoy dressing them up and brushing their hair and gazing softly at them. However, I would no longer bundle her up and take her out on a walk with me, standing in a field surrounded by spring flowers and telling stories to myself.

H

 

What a lovely picture you paint there Ryochan! I so wish these dolls existed when I was a little girl, although I probably couldn't have afforded one back then even if I saved all my earnings.

I think, after reading through this whole thread that the dolls we covet so much makes the oldest of us like children and the youngest of us like grownups. We learn frugality and patience saving up for our darlings, we allow ourself to keep and nurture the child in us and we get to be creative by making stuff for our dolls, customizing them and spinning stories about them.

So all in all, no matter what age you are, your bjds will lit a spark for the good stuff in you.