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Overprotective of your dolls?

Aug 8, 2018

    1. My dolls need to be protected... from me. I can be very absent minded so when I play with them, it’s on the floor and away from distractions. :)

      If I do take a doll out somewhere, it’s not one that I can’t replace or fix. I have a few of those. I’m ok with leaving the others behind because I got them for myself really. I just don’t see the value in the risk. It doesn’t make me enjoy my dolls more to take them anywhere if I have to constantly worry about them.
       
    2. Overprotective? That's me!

      I've had my BJD for three years. She's never left the house. Sunbeams have touched her only two or three times. She lives in her box under my bed unless I'm actively playing with or sewing for her, which I usually do after sunset. I've made dark gothic clothes for her, but I'm too afraid of staining to display her in them. She gets to model them for a few hours in the evenings. Then back she goes into her box to sleep the day away. I call her my vampire roommate. :lol:
       
      #42 operadoll, Apr 16, 2019
      Last edited: Apr 16, 2019
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    3. I was the kind of overprotective doll owner you tend to hear about. The one who stores her dolls mint in box, handles them with gloves, shys away from displaying them and never lets them out to air once in a while.

      I do say 'was' because after a while in the hobby I had accumulated over 10 dolls (not that many to some, I know) but they were all stored in the dark depths of my closet in their original box. And although I loved every single one, in time I caught myself buying more just to have the fun of a box opening and handling a doll. Which was absolutely ridiculous because I could do box openings daily with all the beautiful resin that was stored upstairs in the closet, rotting away sort to speak.

      One day I had a carpe diem moment and took out my 'least favorite' doll and displayed her on a low cabinet. I was so excited and happy to see her in the living room every time I got home and played with her whenever I had the chance. After that I decided to be even bolder and took a second doll out. A doll of which I had another, they were twins. I was worried about one aging faster and that they wouldn't look like twins anymore but I figured if something happened I atleast had the twin to fall back on for spare hands or parts (Evil, I know :3). And I got even happier with two different dolls in my living space where I could admire them and fiddle with them once in a while. I just broadened my horizon from there on out: The gloves dissapeared, dives were taken, dolls got dirty and used, cleaning and maintenance was done, experience was earned, and most of all fun was had all around.

      To those who are still anxious and stressed about their dolls. I beg of you, please reconsider. The hobby was causing me stress and made me unhappy up until the point I considered quitting it altogether. Once I started to explore the limits of these dolls I felt much more at ease and so much happier. The stress is all but gone. You'll still feel protective and worried about them at times but atleast you won't be the overprotective paranoïd mother or father that smothers their resin child anymore. They'll thank you for it in the end.

      Tips to other owners who are willing to step out of their comfort zone. Perhaps start taking out your least favorite doll first? Or be a little silly like me and a buy a 'spare' doll? Perhaps buy a second-hand resin darling who had their fair share of experiences so you'll be less scared about ruining it? Or just wing it and start enjoying your resin now. I can tell you, they WILL age and they WILL yellow. It doesn't matter if you keep them sealed up in the dark or out in the open in the sun. The latter might have them age a little faster but I love the aging in the resin. In most of my dolls the color is richer and more beautiful now than it has ever been. And if they ever turn out too yellowed for your taste a good cleaning/maintenance and perhaps a dye serum can restore them to as good as new condition. I have had three children, a clumsy partner, a dog and two ferrets around dolls out in the open constantly and no permanent harm done yet. Most, if not all mishaps can be fixed in the end.

      I'm still careful when other people want to handle my dolls. I always tell them to be gentle with the joints when manipulating them, to not touch the face-up if possible, to not pull or remove their clothing, wig, hands, ears, tails, ... unless permitted and to treat them with respect. If I'm not too sure about someone holding one of my dolls I always tell them the cost of said 'one-of-a-kind collectors item' and ask to hold their wallet in return. (Even if it's my muckiest, oldest and least favorite doll.) It gets the message through in most cases and some have even offered to let me keep their wallet after having experienced a ball-jointed doll in return.

      You quickly learn which people are worth trusting with a doll. I've had two-year olds handle my dolls under my supervision while I wouldn't trust another adult with one. It's all about their character and the willingness to listen. My heart melted after a 5-year old boy offered to tie the shoelaces on one of my dolls after they came undone while he had enjoyed some quality time with them.

      As for handling other peoples dolls, I usually treat them like the most delicate and precious thing ever. I don't treat them like I would my own dolls at all. Which is kind of funny because usually I should know how their joints work and could manage manipulating them more smoothly without any stress to the doll. But still I like to show respect to other owners by being very gentle with them. I never touch their wig or face-up without consent because I know how much work can go into styling a wig. To be honest I'm still a little scared of handling other peoples dolls so I usually never ask. The ones I have handled were shoved into my lap rather roughly and made me less anxious about holding them to begin with. Some people are so nice. I've noticed other owners can sense whether you're worried or stressed and try to help you through the experience.

      I can't say thank you enough for the community for being so supportive in person. They've taught me so much about the not-so-fragile composition of resin. ♥
       
      • x 3
    4. I've never been that careful an owner, I'm afraid.

      I don't keep them in boxes. But I do try and keep them away from strong light.

      I do take the out into sunlight for photos and meetups.

      I will travel with my dolls--in carriers, in luggage, on planes...

      I do try and protect their faceups with a protector while moving them about, but otherwise will touch the faces and pull clothes over them, etc. I have to say that I have faceups that are 15 years old and still pretty undamaged.

      I have had dolls arrive with a broken finger but have never broken one myself.

      I don't mind handing off my dolls to others if I'm reasonably sure they know that BJDs aren't toys.

      I don't trust leaving my dolls standing without a stand... but will try posing them that way for brief periods for photos. I know they have a chance at face-planting, though, so I try not to do that often.

      I've been handling bjds for 15 years and all of mine are doing pretty OK, I think!

      So far, so good! :XD:
       
      • x 1
    5. Of course I do. I'm still afraid of small cracks, little urethane fragment, etc. I just want my doll to get along with me as long as possible.
       
    6. Yes, I am very protective. I only have one BJD. I keep her in the china closet. There is a window nearby over which I have a curtain to block the light.

      I generally keep her in a white body suit with white tights. I do put clothing over this as I have several cute outfits for her.

      I have taken her to our local doll club meetings. She stayed on her stand. I have also taken her to Afternoon Tea. Again, she stayed on her stand.

      She goes on play dates with me to a friend's house who has several BJDs. I completely trust this friend to handle my doll.

      I probably would not take my doll outside in the yard for a photo shoot. I have a few "backdrops" that I use when I want to take a picture of her outside.
       
    7. I try to be as careful as is reasonable, but I bought them to be enjoyed, and keeping them locked away seems counterintuitive. They never go high on a shelf, or sit in direct sunlight for too long; and when I take them out it's only one or two at a time. Never more than I can easily keep eyes on and carry easily. I will say I don't mind other BJD owners holding them since I'm confident they know what they're doing and want to trust them, but never out of my sight.
       
    8. I think this is something that diminishes with time. When I got my first BJD I was INSANELY protective of her! Washed my hands before I dared touch her, never touched her face, was super careful with how I picked her up, the whole nine yards.

      However, I did get over it significantly as I had the doll longer and realized they're not quite so fragile. I now have broken most "rules", especially with touching their faces. I've never had any issues with it personally. The only one I am careful of is to keep them away from windows/sunlight, as I really would rather not have a banana doll if it can be avoided.
       
    9. I'm cautious with them, but not to the point to where they're hidden away. They're perched around my room, which has blackout curtains and is essentially a cave without my desk lamp, so the sun isn't an issue there. I'm terrible about black clothing, though. I love the aesthetic and my hands are too fumbly to repeatedly dress and undress layers of clothing with little bitty buttons (most of my dolls are 1/4 size, I don't have any issues with my single 1/3 boy), so several of them stay in the same dark outfits for months at a time. I know at least one has some marks around the knee joints from a pair of jeans, but I figure I can probably clean that off and also... Well, no one's going to see it anyway so it doesn't really matter much.
       
      • x 1
    10. I'm not that careful of an owner, I think. Yes, I wash my hands before touching but I don't wear gloves and I try to leave them sitting on steady surfaces and away of the sun to avoid any risk of them falling down or getting yellow... but that's it for my care xD
      I'm not even that afraid of touching their face with my bare hands (I was terrified of that at first) and I have had them fall down a few times now (most I managed to catch them before they hit anything) and they survived so I think I have lost that fear within time.
       
    11. I'm somewhat protective of my 1/3 girls. I keep in mind long sun exposure can yellow and that I need to be careful around the face to keep the faceup nice. Other than that I keep them in a nice place to be displayed in my room and don't really worry about staining all that much. It hasn't really happened besides the backs of their legs, but I can fix that with a magic eraser.
      I am more protective of my minifee, though. I keep her away from the sun and handle her more gently. There's just this fragile feeling about her, or maybe it's because she's the baby of the family! Who knows, maybe some day she can go for outdoor shoots with Tomoko and Megumi.
       
    12. I use to be like this ! I totally understand how you feel . I’ve been in the BJD hobby for o lot 3 years but I’ve been collecting dolls for over 10. Over the last year i finally relaxed a bit. I stopped worrying about tiny scratches and stains and stuff like that. I have diagnosed OCD so that doesn’t help ! I just learned that accidents will happen and there’s nothing you can really do about it. Once you learn to relax and just enjoy your dolls it changes everything! You spend more time admiring them and enjoying the hobby rather than obsessing about what can go wrong . Be easy on yourself ! With time I hope you get there too. Enjoy! :celebrate
       
      • x 1
    13. I was super protective at the beginning of the hobby. But after time, you know your dolls and you will get better in handling them.
      My dolls are in a showcase with uv foil inside. So I can see them and they are protected. I take them often to doll meets with a bjd bag and head cap. When we are outside our dolls sit in the shadow.
      Have fun with my dolls is my highest ambition.
       
    14. I've always been careful around my dolls and take great precautions to make sure that they're never exposed to direct sunlight or that anything touches their face-ups. When handling them I tend to wear white cotton gloves, depending on how much handling is required for what I'm about to do.
      But I'd never keep one of my dolls just stored in a box all the time, this defeats the purpose of owning one and I love having my beautiful dolls on display all the time.
       
    15. I have the same problem... and don't really think this is a problem.
      In general, dolls are a little less fragile than they seem to be at first sight. But this does not negate the fact that they are still fragile. They are dear to me and they cost a lot.
      So I jealously protect them from light, dust and dirt and rarely give to other people.
       
    16. I think I am also a little overprotective of my dolls. I have taken them out to meetups but I never put them under sunlight. Even when I am playing with them at home I always make sure that the curtains are closed. Nevertheless, I might consider taking them out for photos one day because I have seen many gorgeous pictures taken by my friends and I would love to learn from them.
       
    17. I am careful with all my dolls, in the house they are displayed in one spot and I check them all the time. When I take them out I fuss over them and if anyone touches them my anxiety goes up a little, especially if they aren't familiar with how they move and are manipulating them. The people I have brought them around are doll people, but not necessarily bjd people. They are careful, but I have had one move the limbs in a way that could have been problematic so I do get overly cautious.
       
    18. My first doll needed a lot of TLC, which is part of why I got him. I knew I'd be overprotective, but knowing that he was pretty damaged in the first place (and I don't need to worry about resale value, since he has very little) has eased the anxiety for me.
       
    19. Meh, I think these dolls are more resilient than a lot of people give them credit for. Wash your hands thoroughly before playing, keep them out of direct sunlight for any extended period, don't leave them teetering on a hard surface alone and without support, and...well, yeah, that's pretty much it. My oldest dolls still look great after 12 years, so yep, doing okay in spite of not being obsessive. But if treating them with kid gloves is your thing, then that's what you should do; there are no set rules in this hobby, it's all about what makes you comfortable and happy. :thumbup
       
      • x 1
    20. I'm the opposite of overprotective, pretty much. About the only precautions I take are not leaving my dolls out on a sunny windowsill or standing them somewhere precarious and then walking away. I'm not at all afraid to do whatever I want with them-- I have very few dolls, if any, that I haven't modded in some way, and one of the first things I tend to do with a new doll when it arrives is take it apart and restring it. I put most of their boxes in the cardboard recycling--- I don't have room to keep a big pile of SD boxes! When I'm not doing something with them, the dolls all live in a display shelving unit in my art room that faces away from any direct sunlight, but there's no glass on it and I definitely don't wear gloves. I've had BJD for 7 years now. They're not that fragile-- have fun with them!