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

I don't keep my dolls in their boxes due to lack of space, but I do have a cupboard for them to sit in. It's easy to just open it and take out whoever I fancy that day. And most of the time they actually sit in the cupboard for months because I don't feel like playing with them, or I'm just too busy. (I always get hit in the face with a strong resin smell for that reason - I really should air the cupboard. )

 

busy wheesy cheese didn't know you was on DOA too ;l

 

I'm not sure there is much difference if 'played with' means that the doll is sitting 'out' rather than in a box or cabinet.

Personally, my dolls are in a display cabinet in the living room (although two that are being worked on, and too big for the cabinet are in our bedroom). I don't really 'play' with them in the sense that I make them talk to eachother or the sort of thing I did with my Sindy or Barbie dolls as a little girl; any playtime I get is either dressing them, making clothes so needing their measurements and things like that. I used to be more interactive with them by taking them to doll meets or doing photography, but time just escapes me now.

On another note, I wouldn't worry to much about the doll, at the end of the day the doll is an inanimate object, devoid or any emotions or thoughts; she cannot get upset, bored, lonely...it's a doll! The best way to deal with the situation is, as someone else said, think about how you yourself feel. If you're happy with the situation then that is all okay. It probably is a problem if you start having guilt feelings over a dolls' perceived emotions towards you...

 

I think you should take her out of the box and play with her. Personally I put my doll in the take out bag more often then I take her out. The reason why I keep her in the bag is because I Do not have a case that can keep her clean. The place I lived is really dusty. It is not that I do not clean up my room. It is just that it is really dusty in the city. there can be a thick layer of dust in my room everyday. That is why I do not take her out that often. Howvere, I think you like your doll so much that you really should spend more time with her. Even if you do not take her out I think you still deserve it. After all you had fight for getting it, and you like it so much. Therefore, no worries about the things you worried about. At least I think you took really good care of it. Keep her in the dark to avoid the sun.

 

As long as you still love your doll and owning her is still one thing you like then there's no wrong about it. I feel guilty at times for buying my boy, but not really doing anything with him. But in the end I still love just having him there and I can pull him out when I go back home. It's just nice to know that you have something you finally want. I'm just lucky I have a box for him.

 

My dolls spend almost all of their time in their boxes. I am much happier with them there. I used to leave them out but worries over damage and a lack of space for them had me start keeping them boxed. I find they actually take up less room when stacked neatly in boxes. I would love a UV protected display case but I have no room for one where I live, so they fit quite handily on top of my dresser, safe and out of the way.

I actually love opening the box and seeing them for the first time in however long. It's like finding my hidden dolly treasure all over again. I have a huge model horse collection in storage I have not seen in over 5 years. I could never sell them, the thought of selling them hurts me, and all I need to know is that I own them to be happy with them.

 

As everyone has been saying, everyone cares for their dolls differently. My roommate takes very good care of her dolls, and plays with them frequently. As for me, I am a little more paranoid. Alexander sits high up on a shelf and I treat him more carefully than I do fragile glass statues. (I try to at least.) People assure me that they aren't that fragile, but I fear for his safety. Keeping them safe is not wrong and I figure so long as they get fresh air every once in a while than all is well.

 

To be honest, sometimes I wish I could be content keeping my dolls in their boxes.
But I love being able to look over and see them anytime I want if I'm too busy to go play with them.
I'd like a cabinet with doors for them one day (especially if I ever got a cat) but for now, they like my bookshelf just fine

 

I agree with the "belongs to you" category. I don't like to see anyone damage especially a doll, but I have heard of some taking their dolls everywhere, in bike baskets and such, loving them roughly. It is imagination world-wise to think of a doll being damaged because of having no or little value to their owner.

But setting them aside for awhile...life has seasons. It is OK to save them for another time when things may change and your love or interest will revive, or be discovered for the first time.

 

I don't see it as wrong, I just knew she deserved better. They are both in a good home with people who care about them.

 

I don't think anything done with a doll is ever "wrong" (unless it's an extreme case like grinding it up and then feeding it to someone). I rarely play with mine, but I have them sitting out all the time in a sunproof room so I can admire them. I wouldn't get dolls if I left them in the box all the time, because there wouldn't be any point in me having them.

I treat my more expensive dolls the same as the defaults. My most valuable is a LE5 Crobidoll, and he's sitting with my other dolls. However, if something happened to him, I'd be more upset than I would if any of the others were damaged even though he's not my favorite. (He's one of my favorites, but I have at least one other doll I like more than him.)

 

She's your doll. You can do whatever you want with her. Play with her, leave her in the box, use her as a hood ornament ... it's silly to feel guilty about an object you bought and paid for with your own money. If you're worried about leaving her in the box, just put her on a stand and display her in one of those glass cases to keep the dust off her. That way you can look at and admire her, and you won't have to worry about damaging her in some way.

 

I don't believe that you have to "play" with them per-say, but I do believe that it's a waste to buy a doll and then NEVER let it see the light of day. I mean, what's the point? I understand wanting to keep them clean and undamaged, but can't you do that with them in a display case perhaps? A weekly airing?

 

my dolls spend most of their time on display doing nothing. My MSD I'll sometimes take down and keep on my lap while I'm browsing the internet or something, but other than that, they're more eye-candy than anything.

Doesn't matter how much you spend on a doll, or how you treat it, as everyone has different ways of enjoying their dolls.

 

Definition of "play" varies from person to person as others have said. And while I'm sure there's someone who thinks it's a shame not to have the doll at least on display to look at, they aren't you and your version of play could be different.

My girls aren't in a special display cabinet. They sit all over my bedroom in the basement of our household, on a shelf, desk and side table. They sometimes sit there for months without me touching them, only providing eye candy. I don't feel guilty because I'm still enjoying them, even if I'm not interacting directly with them.

However, if you feel guilty about keeping them in a box all the time, I would definitely suggest the idea of perhaps investing into a display cabinet of sorts so that you can see them and enjoy them without having to interact with them and they will still be safe.

 

I don't think it's wrong at all! I have lots of (non) BJD dolls that I don't play with and aren't on display. One day (in the distant future), when I have a sizable resin army built up, there'll be dolls that I just won't play with as much. I think as long as you are still able to enjoy your doll in some way--not necessarily by interacting with said doll--then go right ahead and keep it!

I don't think I could ever bring myself to part from a BJD at all, whether I played with it a lot or not. I'd probably cry or have seller's remorse (does this exist?!) if I did.

 

If it bothers you that you keep your doll unplayed with, then it's a problem. However, the general desire to keep a doll in a box, or on a shelf, unplayed with isn't "wrong".

Other people might have their dolls go wherever they do, and they might not see the benefit or merit of someone keeping their doll in a box. It can easily go the other way, too; you could have a collector who keeps their dolls locked up, in a box, on a shelf (or all three) and not understand why you'd constantly handle a doll that costs so much money.

But when it comes down to it, it's only wrong if you find something wrong with how you keep your dolls. Don't let other people dictate how you should keep them. You should ask yourself if you are really worried about your doll's resale value at all. I can understand taking special precautions because they might be an LE or generally more expensive, and you don't want to have to go through the trouble of finding and saving for another one, but if you didn't buy this doll to sell because it was an expensive doll, just enjoy the doll.

Neither of my dolls are played with too much at this time, but I keep them sitting out where I can see them. Why not try keeping them perched on a high, safe place, like a shelf or bookcase? That way, you can always see the doll so that you won't feel so unhappy. Sometimes it's enough to be able to just see the doll.

 

Im a Horder, so even if it had been in the Cupboard for a year, when someone told me to get trid of it, I would outright refuse!

 

I have to say, after a few months on this forum it's still not clear to me what people mean when they say they 'play' with their dolls. I certainly don't play with my bjd the way I used to play with my Barbies as a child. I pose him and make clothes for him, or sit him on my desk while I work. But I don't handle him every day. What is important to me, though, is that he is visible. I didn't buy him to keep him in a box; I want to enjoy the sight of him. I haven't got a doll cupboard or something, so he's just sitting in my room.

I don't see why it would be wrong in any way to buy a beautiful doll and 'only' keep it on display. Okay, these dolls are customisable and in that way different from most other collectibles/dolls, and I think that for many people, working on the doll is a great pleasure and one of the main reasons why they chose a bjd. But once the doll looks the way you want it to look, why would you not treat it as a work of art to look at and enjoy? And maybe one day when you feel like giving the doll another look, you'll pick it up again and change it. Or maybe not.

I guess all I want to say is: if you think of your doll as a beautiful object to be put on display and not touched, that seems to me as valid and valuable approach as any other.

 

Is it wrong to keep a doll you don't even play with?
Why does it matter? If I paid for my doll and I own it/them, it is my choice to have it at the dinner table every night if I wanted to or to have it in its' box in the closet for years. How does one proport to tell someone else what to do with their personal items? Yes I said 'item' because to me, that is what a doll is, an item that you buy, sell, display, not display, care for, invest in, and much much more.

As far as 'loving' and 'deserving' dolls, come on people, it is not like the thing is a child or alive in any way. It is an inanimate object like a cup, a plate, or a jacket of some kind. If I worked hard to be able to afford my dolls, then that alone means I 'desrve' them. I do not have to earn or deserve something that is not alive. I struggle with understanding statements like that.

now don't get me wrong, I get much enjoyment from my dolls by playing with and customizing them, but no, I don't handle all of them and 'LOVE' them everyday. That would be impractical. I have to go out into the real world to work and earn the money which allows me to have them in the first place. Maybe doll love should be measured by that rather than how many times a day you pick up a doll.

That beng said, I realize that we are all different and everyone will have their own opinion on this topic. However, one's perception constitutes one's reality and this was a glimps into my reality with how I view my dolls and doll collecting as a whole. It is a hobby people, not by any means, my life!