Is it boring to have only one brand of dolls?

I definitely wouldn't say it's boring (though I've never really owned more than two dolls from the same company at the same time). Sometimes if you want to stick to a certain aesthetic - for example, for realistic dolls you've only got a small handful of companies to turn to - which necessitates buying multiple dolls from the same company.

For me though there is one "weird" aspect about it - clone bodies. I don't know why but the thought bothers me so much. All of my dolls are meant to be characters and they're all different ages and with different life histories and and it's just SO WEIRD to think of them having the same exact body. I always want at least one degree of difference - even from the same company something like different bust sizes or leg lengths or arm musculature is kind of required otherwise it's modding or hybrid time. So that's about the only thing I'd say is really "boring".

Of course for other people it might not be a big deal.

 

I have volks, crobi, luts, migidoll and 5stardoll.. But half of it are volks.. I jist love the sculpt

 

I certainly don't think it's boring! If one company has an aesthetic you really like, then there's no reason to not buy another doll from that company.

For my own part, I do own dolls from several different companies. Of the 27 dolls I currently own, 12 are FairyLand/CP sculpts (with one as a hybrid). Of the rest, currently no other company represents more than 2 sculpts in my collection. And getting a little more specific, almost all of my YO-scale dolls are from FairyLand (as are all my SDs, while my Minis have the most range of companies). I don't find the parts of my collection that are CP-dominated (or exclusive) any more boring or less interesting than the other parts of my collection at all; I bought what I liked, and I wouldn't buy anything that would bore me.

 

Not boring. I love seeing collections from single company - they look so cohesive.

Although I like to collect dolls from different companies for no other reason than I like the aesthetic and it fits a certain "type" I'm looking for at the time.

 

I usually like to mix and match, but I think it is alright to have dolls from the same company. They all have different aesthetics depending on the designers.

 

I started with one... expanded to many then down sized... back down to four with one brand dominates .... I do not think it is boring

You can have just one doll and not be bored as well

 

I personally like a variety of companies, but I don't think it's boring to only have one company's dolls. Sculpts are often so different, even from the same company. Not to mention all the extra variety different aesthetic work can bring.

 

The clone bodies thing really bugs me too! It's a shame because there are several companies that I love different sculpts from but just changing the breast isn't really enough of a difference for me though it's better than nothing. I hope I get over this feeling one day though.

 

I don´t think it´s boring. For now I just have two doll from different companies and I want buy others dolls from different companies. But recently I´m fall in love with a Rosen Lied family I saw on flickr. These dolls looks so amazing together so I believe is great when somebody have a favorite brand. For now i´m just learning about this world and I want know about all kind of house. But I think is very probably in the future I´ll to fall in love with a brand.

 

To each their own, I say. I don't think it's boring to have one brand of dolls as the variety is in the different sculpts, however, I do think that it my be a little bit boring to have many dolls of the same mold. You have to be very creative in that case for each of them to stand out on their own.

 

I really like dolls from different companies, but I think I just find it hard to like a lot of sculpts from just one... I love DoD, they probably suit my aesthetics best, but there's only about 3 sculpts I would own personally XD And I only like a handful of Luts dolls for myself, whereas FL doesnt really do it for me, even though they are beautiful dolls!

 

Hmm...I don't think it's boring at all to just have dolls from solely one company. I like my dolls to look familiar and fix cohesively together. I've tried to mix other brands with my Volks, but they just didn't fit very well together, IMO. I really love Volks. At the moment I've got 24 wonderful girls from them. I do want animal familiars for my girls, though, and since Volks doesn't make any animals, I'll have to venture off and find some from other companies.

 

I don't think its boring. I just tend to find what I like in size, posing/joint systems, resin and sculpting quality, and face sculpts. Plus, its easier to shop for one type/size of doll.

 

Honestly, I would be bored if all my dolls were from one company. I got bored four-five years ago when they were all from 5 companies, sold a bunch off and started over with a dolls from companies I'd never owned dolls from. I'm not saying I don't repeat from my favorite companies (it's pretty easy to tell just from my profile which are my favorites), but if those were all the dolls I owned, I would want a variety.

Discovering what makes dolls look good next to one another might be something that is only found out through trial and error and time, but different companies dolls can compliment one another well, and a mixed collection can work.

 

My collection of CP/Delfs were once accused of being "Boring weeaboo brats who all look alike", so obviously some people do consider matching groups of dolls BadWrongFun...

Personally, though? I've never really thought of having multiple sculpts from the same company as boring. Even if the collection as a whole does end up with a very consistent over-all sculptural style, typically there's still going to be enough variation between individuals to keep it from looking like some kind of Clone Army. Heck, even having more than one of the VERY SAME SCULPT may not come to that. (No one has ever mistaken one of my Els for either of the others. Though I suppose there's some truth to that "weeaboo" business, since I do keep them all in essentially Asian outfits. )

 

I think that's boring for ones and for others is just great. In my case I look for the faces that makes me feel confortable so I don't buy just in one house.

 

I personally have a group of six dolls, with only three actual sculpt names between them, and two characters between them. (Admittedly, one pair's tinies, one's minis, and one's SDs--thanks for making my choices easy, FairyLand!) It might seem boring or ridiculous to some, but I love all of them and don't find having them boring at all, even though they're not only the same sculpt, but the same wig, eyes, and faceup style as well.

There's someone else around here, too, who has a large group of dolls with multiples representing the same character, and I love that collection too, though I'm fairly sure in that case it's multiple sculpts for the same character.

Regardless, what's important is whether it's fun or boring for the owner. Telling someone they're having "BadWrongFun" is never appropriate, since it's on us ourselves to enjoy our dolls.

 

I love LOVE FL but after 9 dolls and 2 on layaway, I decided to branch out and try other companies. I stuck with FL..dif sizes and sculpts...because I knew the quality and that I would like them. That is the issue for me...so much $$$ and no place to actually see the doll in person before committing. Now I have 1 Leeke mini and want an art body...I do want my bjd collection to show the different dolls out there...so I am becoming more adventurous after a year of collecting.

 

Hey there neighbor *waves to greeneyed-soul*

Agreed all the way - but. I'm 100% with the Ipleheads here, and with those dolls, some parts can be swapped out. I have two heads that share one SID body, and to show they're different I use nYID hands for one of them (small difference, I know). Then there's the equally small difference option of heel feet vs. flats - doesn't do much by itself either, but bust size + hands + heels/flats can add up. And I discovered a while ago that the nYID and SID girls' legs can be swapped out at the mobility joint, giving them a bit of a height difference. I'm still planning to factor in EID girls at some point - there should be something swappable with the other sizes, too. Ashbet also owns one hybrid consisting of at least SID and nYID parts where the arms have been swapped, too - if you're not afraid of kitbashing, you can do a fair bit to lessen the "clone body effect". Not sure about the guys, but some stuff should be possible there, too ... I don't own an nYID boy yet, but believe me, I'll try.


That being said, I'm in the same boat as greeneyed-soul. I've tried branching out from Iplehouse and I do own some sculpts from other companies (namely two Elfdoll heads, one Dollshe and one Fairyland which I refuse to buy bodies from unless they start offering bust size options for FPL 65! I can't stand those resin melons), but somehow for my main characters I keep going back to Iple, even if it means re-shelling.
I might further explore the hybridization possibilities, I know the older DiM bodies look fine with nYID girl heads if you're after a less mature body and so do the FPLs (someone has a Stella head on FPL 65 body and she's perfect, proportion-wise). It would require splitting, but with a company like Iple that likely won't be a problem, especially if you factor in Doll Choice: There's always someone who needs another Iple body, be it for a Fantasy head or something else.
I do wish they'd allow "kitbashing" in DC, but I realize that would mean an abnormal amount of work for them (communicating to the casting company which parts of which molds they need to make for one doll) so I totally get why they can't offer it. So I guess it's just up to us