Is it wrong to keep a doll you don't even play with?

Everyone enjoys the hobby differently and no way is wrong. We are such a diverse group and we all interact with our dolls in different ways. I think everyone above made really good points. If you still 'love' the doll and enjoy knowing you have it that's just the way you're going to enjoy that doll. It's not wrong at all. I keep everyone I have out on high shelves, but I love being able to just look over and see them. Some would think it's 'wrong' for keeping limited so exposed. But neither way is wrong at all its all about enjoying them as you feel is best. I have had a doll unassembled for well over a year now, because I need to mod it. I still love my Cogs, even though she hasn't been assembled in forever.

My only caution- and not to the head posters specific circumstances but as a general statement- is you have just be sure that the doll isn't still around just because you are unbounded but feel a guilt for selling them. I have seen many times dolls that stop being enjoyed by a person (and in there own specific way of enjoyment) but they feel they can't sell it because they should love it more or because they used to love it. It's all about a strength of character and level of maturity to be able to see the difference x doll is away in a box because I love her/him too much to play with them verses y doll is away in a box because I don't enjoy them anymore. Again- not about the poster (or following posters) as she obviously sees this difference. It's just a caution because we each are so different and so are the way we treat each doll.

 

Is it wrong to keep a doll you don't even play with?

No. It's your doll. You can do whatever you wish with it.

Do you have certain dolls that you just keep in their boxes in a closet?

Not my BJDs. I do have some porcelains and some Barbies in boxes... They aren't dolls I can play with--and I might end up selling them--so I keep them in new condition.

Do you ever take them out for anything?

I take all my bjds out for things... meetups or photos.

Do you treat your more expensive, hard to get dolls the same way you treat your standard dolls?

I mostly have limiteds and a Volks One-Off. I treat all my dolls the same. As I said, I believe that they are my dolls and mine to treat as I wish. I am a bit hard on my dolls--but I try not to mistreat them. I love and care for them all, after all.

But if someone wishes to keep dolls safe and in boxes--that's also up to them.

No need to feel "wrong" or guilty about anything. But if you DO... then maybe you should try doing something different!

 

What an owner does or doesn't do with their dolls is entirely up to them. I play with all my dolls but that's just me. I enjoy them much more that way. My question for you is whether or not you are enjoying your doll. If you are more comfortable not interacting with her, then I think that is perfectly fine.

 

In no way is it wrong. Enjoyment of this hobby doesn't necessitate playtime. I often enjoy the fact that I simply own certain dolls and can admire them whenever I wish.

 

There is no wrong or right way to fully enjoy this hobby, I believe. My only belief on doll ownership in general is that, as long as the doll is loved (in which ever way you believe "loving" a doll is), you're doing right by it. It sounds like she's loved and you'll cherish having her so I see nothing bad about that. You don't have to have her out and about or even in a glass case for that.

 

Do you have certain dolls that you just keep in their boxes in a closet? Do you ever take them out for anything?
Do you treat your more expensive, hard to get dolls the same way you treat your standard dolls?

In the past two-years (maybe) I've only photographed/played with one of my dolls (out of six full-dolls I own so far).
However, I do tend to "abuse" the one doll I play with the most (which also happens to be the most expensive one I own),
since he has the tallest most mature body I have, he has to share it with all my floating heads. So, I abuse my most expensive doll,
but I don't think of their monetary value when I play with my dolls, I think of how motivating they are for me to photograph.
I just don't feel the motivation to play with my other dolls right now (perhaps because of the huge difference in aesthetics/stylization),
but I do enjoy knowing that they are there in my closet if I ever get the urge to photograph them. I could never sell them,
but I do feel bad for not playing with them at all in the past few years (I hope that changes this year). ^ ^;;


- Enzyme

 

There is nothing wrong with that at all. You want to preserve the beauty of your precious dolls for as long as you can. You're a collector and like any other collector you are protecting your most valued doll. I'm sure you'll still take your doll down every now and then to admire the beauty and play with him/her a bit.

My first two dolls were in their boxes in my closet for 4 years and I only peeked at them once in a while. Right now all my dolls are out but I'm starting to feel the need to put them away again for a while.

Its normal to keep them put away. Don't feel weird about it, its yours and you can do with it whatever you want. Enjoy it however you feel best doing so!

 

I'm not afraid to handle any of my dolls, and I treat them the same regardless of price. However, when I got my first doll it took me a little while to become fully comfortable with him, and the first time I had to unstring him really freaked me out. Needless to say I got over it.

Anyway, don't feel bad! You aren't doing anything wrong -- people play with their dolls in different ways. If you prefer just having her sit and look pretty, that's ok. If you change your mind and start to become more comfortable handling her, that's ok too. You only need to do what you feel is best. She's your doll after all.

 

Ehhh I have some expensive limited editions, I usually don't touch any dolls I have with a wig that can get ruined easily (Huge ringlets) because really, I bought them for that look and if I played around with them too much, it'd get destroyed. I do have a few dolls of mine I play around with regularly, but I admit a lot of mine are 'display' dolls with outfits that could get ruined so I don't play with them, but I look at them and feel happy and isnt that what owning a doll is about? Having something that makes you happy

 

Agreed. Especially the red bit, though I don't think it matters where you keep your dolls. All of my dolls are prominently displayed on a shelf in my room, even my limiteds. But, I noticed that there were some dolls I tended to gravitate to more readily than others. It saddened me that I didn't feel the same interest in the dolls I don't play with. What I'm going to do about it... I'm still not sure.

 

I don't think there something wrong is. Two of my dols have been sitting on shelf for some month, I only look them, but not play. Now I am interested in other dolls, but I'm going to return to this MSDs and then other dolls will be sitting on shelf

I can pay attention all of them simulateneously, I choose one or two dolls and concentrate my attention on them: make clothes, create new images, take photos and so on. After some time I switch to another doll. In my opinion, when you have many dolls it is optimal way for dealing with them.

 

Sometimes I love them and I just keep them in my room.
It's not about right or wrong, I think it about how much u love this doll ^^

 

-cough- I'm going to be a little harsh here, but yes I think it's a little unfair to the doll. If ALL it does is stay in the closet and does absolutely nothing else. But then again when I was 5 my cousin and Toy Soldiers scared the nuggets out of me. You know the scene with the Barbies taking out their revenge because all she ever did with them was keep them up on a shelf in their boxes. So my Makrua goes pretty much everywhere with me. He's even gone out hiking in the woods with me.
I think if you're careful there shouldn't be a problem with at least letting her sit on a shelf. Think about how boring the box and the closet must me. ...>w> Leave some books in there with her too.

 

Personally, I don't think it is wrong to keep a doll even if you don't play with it. Some people buy art works and are enthusiastic in putting them up on display and sharing them with others. Some people simply purchase the art works they like and lock them up in the safe; simply enjoying the fact that they have obtained something valuable to them. Well, different collectors have different styles in they way they "treat" their items.

 

It really is up to you, as everyone else said. I will add that I get the impression from your post that you haven't had her very long at all. When I first got my LE Elfdolls, I didn't take them out of their boxes for a full week-I was scared to. And even after I did, I was very ginger with them for quite a while. Now I'm very comfortable. While not saying you have to do anything with Charlotte, I will say that (since it seems to be bothering you) you might very well feel more comfortable down the road with interacting with her more. Give it time.

 

Why should it be wrong to keep a doll that you don't play with? There's probably more doll-collectors (counting all doll-collectors here, not just BJD-collectors) out there who DON'T play with their dolls than there are who DO play with them. I don't exactly play with my dolls. I got them sitting around, change their clothes now and then, sometimes take them to a doll-meet or a meeting of my writing group - and that's about it. Sometimes, one of them gets to be cuddled when I watch a horror movie and feel like company. That's about it.

I don't do photostories. I don't LIKE doing photostories. I don't draw my dolls. I don't sew for them (well, I will but once I got all the clothes I want for them, that's probably it). Sometimes I knit something for them (mostly scarves). I don't write stories for them or elaborate backgrounds (I got them because I wanted to better be able to imagine what some already existing characters in my stories look like). In short: Most of the things most BJD-owners seem to be doing with their dolls, I DON'T do.

OK, I don't put them in their boxes, either, but that's just out of a sense of "what's the use of getting a pretty-looking doll when I can't look at it cos it's in a box?" Also, I lack the space for the boxes ... (And I do know that my Akando has yellowed something terrible since I got him and that kinda sucks but on the other hand, I couldn't care less. If it's yellowing vs. store him in a box, I'll decide on going along with the yellowing cos, well, see above.)

What I wanna say is: Why should it be wrong NOT to play with your doll and just have it cos you like its looks and you simply wanted it to look at it? It's your doll. If all you ever want to do with it is look at it - well, it's your money you spent on it, so it's OK and no one can tell you to treat it differently, because, you know, it's YOURS, not theirs.

 

Why would it be wrong? People enjoy their dolls in different ways. If you're happier keeping your grail doll in her box in a closet to limit any possible damage to her, then it's not wrong for you to do it.

 

I think it all depends the person and what you think in general about it. I mean everyone is free to enjoy their dolls the way they please. =3

I do play with my dolls. I take them out of their room and cuddle them and pack them around and do photoshoots with them. But it's just the way I prefer to enjoy my dolls. Being around them to me is fun and I absolutely love taking photos of them all and showing them off. I'm like a proud mama showing off her babies. But that's just how I am with mine. If I ever got any of my grail dolls, I'd be the exact same way with them as I am my other dolls just because it's how I like to enjoy them. I think that if it took so long to get them and so much of my money I would actually want to make sure I enjoyed them to their full extents.

But I can completely understand as well, someone who wants to keep them tucked away in fear of hurting the doll or something. Especially because of the price and such. Grails are pretty irreplaceable if something happens to them so I do understand both sides. There are many people though who simply collect and do not play with any of their dolls. It just depends the person in question but I think anyone is free to play (or not play) as they please. =3

 

i totally agree with you lucidrequiem, i personally would love to dress up my dolls and bring them for photohoots/doll meets,
there is nothing wrong keep doll in their boxes too ;D i mean my dolls have their so call "room" under my TV XD my dolls are more like my resin kids :l