Owning 20+ dolls...what is it like?

Well. I'm one of those people who thought they'd stop at 3. I currently have 26, with a 27th on the way :p.

None of my dolls stay in their boxes. All of them are on display. I bought a cupboard especially for them - yay Ikea! Mind you, you can't really put an awful lot of tall SDs in there, so some of my large dolls have, um, spilled over to a side table.

Of the 26, 9 are tall SDs (62-70 cm), 2 are small SDs (50 cm), 7 are MSDs (the one on the way is an MSD too), and the others are tinies. The smaller ones are never overwhelming - I worry a bit that I may be capable of getting a sheer unlimited number of them O_o - but I'm definitely calling a hold to the larger ones, mostly for reasons of space and the fact that they are, quite literally, rather a handful. (I couldn't part with any, though.)

There's not a lot of them that I've actually finished. Most of them are medieval characters and I do their face-ups, blush their hands and make their clothes, shoes and accessories. That means that one doll takes quite a bit of time to finish; also, as they have rather unusual sizes, there is some trial-and-error involved in my pattern drafting. Sometimes I feel bad about the number of unfinished dolls. I mean, I used to buy new dolls only as the ones I already had were finished, but then I abandoned that principle, and I do feel a bit annoyed with myself about that. On the other hand, well, I pick up the doll for whom I have a concrete idea and then start working on it until it's all done, at my own pace. Which is great. I'm in no hurry. 'Endless work in progress' actually sound just fine to me. Sometimes I do have an itch and think, 'OMG here are two dolls who should really get new outfits because I have got so much better at making clothes than I was when I made these outfits, and there are five on whom I haven't even got started!', and that's a bit 'so many dolls, so little time', but - well, I do one at a time, and with each one I finish, I feel very pleased.

In a way, I do feel that at one point the size of my crew got a little out of hand :P. But at the same time, I like having all of them around, and I would be hard-pressed to sell one or more off. I am fond of each and every one.

 

I had 13 at one point... never again. O.o I liked them, but I never had time for them and never had the money to dress them well with clothing and shoes and wigs... It just ended up making me sad. I actually started to ignore them because I felt bad paying attention to only some of them. I have 1 now with one more off for a face up and another I'mm still waiting for. I do still want more again, but 5-8 is my max.

 

I don't have 20 yet...but I have quite a few on order, they should all be home by mid year. And then there will be 12 of them...looks like I won't stop adding soon as I still have a few on my wishlist that I intend to buy as soon as current layaways clear up. That is still a few months away. But I can easily see I will end up with 20 by the end of this year....The more the merrier I guess? LOL *hopeless*

 

Sometimes overwhelming and sometimes I feel guilty at the cost.

 

I don't even know how many I have (depends on what you're counting)... but I may have over 70 by now!!!

Aside from being a doll-hoarder, I do have some excuses for having that many dolls. I've been buying bjds since 2004. AND, I've never sold a doll! I kept the numbers as low as I could... It took me several years to get to 5 dolls. Got to 10 in 3 years...

How do you manage to give all of them love?
It's not easy. I do like to take care of my dolls and play with them... but the more there are, the less attention they get individually.

What do you do with all of them?
I do the same things I do with fewer dolls. They get complete outfits, they get props, they get photoshoots, they get dressed and taken to meetups and cons, they get entered into costume and photo contests...

What is maintenance like?
I've never been fussy about maintenance, whether I had a few dolls or many. I'll dust them off when playing with them. I have NEVER restrung a doll myself in all my 12 years. I tried bringing a 2006 doll to the Volks Dolly Doctor to see if he needed restringing, but the Dr. just tightened the strings! So I figure I'm not that bad. But some will need restringing soon.

Did you ever plan to get that many?
NO!!!! There was no plan behind this. I really hoped to only have ONE... or maybe less than 5. But that obviously didn't last...

Where do you put them all?
(My own question!) -- I have them currently all over the place... mostly in a room upstairs... but I hope to install some bookshelves with doors to display and keep them in... someday...! I have clothes in baggies and plastic storage bins.

Are you happy with a lot of dolls or do you plan to down-size?
(My own question!) --I love all my dolls... but I'm thinking I will need to downsize some day... So far, I'm happy having that many dolls. I really will need to stop buying more though...!

-------------- Edited to add-------------

Pros: Large choice of dolls for bringing to meets or for certain kinds of photoshoots. Can do group shots. If I don't feel like carrying around a big doll or doll with delicate pieces, I can choose a different doll. Can share some clothes and wigs. Can have lots of different pairings and family relationships. Lots of choice to set up around the house to look at... Just cool having so many great dolls!!!

Cons: Take up lots of space, take lots of money, not easy to haul around (I used to answer those kinds of questions about if you have to run out of your house quickly for an emergency, would you take your dolls... well, I still would TRY, but it would be nearly impossible now).

 

I've got 30ish whole right now and a bunch of heads, and except for needing some more display space and bodies for the heads, I'm really content! ^-^ I'm the type who wants one particular set of eyes, one wig, and one set look for my dolls, and I'm willing to wait until I find the right eyes or wigs. I do my own face-ups, I'll make wigs if I can't find the right one, and I make a lot of my own clothes. (That's where having such a wide variety is great! If something ends up not fitting one doll, it will probably fit someone else!!) I don't feel the need to pet and hold and physically love on them all each and every day, but I do say good morning and good night to them, and someone is getting played with every day, even if it is just because I am making a thing for them and need to try it on. "Love" is a strange sort of concept for me, but I show them love the same way I show it to my family--I make things for them, I do things for them (like maintenance stuff), and they make me smile.

Now, moving with them, that was AWFUL. I'd kept all their boxes, but some came in kit or unstrung form and had to ride in carriers with all the padding ever, some were doubled in boxes, and I still ended up carrying one on my lap the whole time! Any bump in the road or hard sort of stop, we all were in a panic! It was weeks before I actually had gotten my space ready enough for them to get them out of their boxes!! Thankfully, everyone came through it perfectly safe, but I hope to never, ever, ever have to do that again. o_o;

 

I can never imagine that for me LOL. Even 10 is too much for me. I rent an apartment now and it will be horrible when I move. I think 5 to 6 of large and mini dolls works for me. If there are more, tiny sizes may be good because they are easily kept.

 

Pulling this topic from the mothballs...because I’ve topped 20 and I’m divided in my opinion about it, honestly.
1. It’s great to have so many sculpts, none are duplicates even in the faceplates, a wide range in sizes and shapes mean nearly endless variety, it’s a nice big collection and when I’m bored of one or waiting on something, I have plenty of others at many other stages to work on, pose or play with otherwise.

2. They take up space, LOTS of it and I still don’t have them displayed how I want them yet which will require even more space. I have been seriously thinking about reducing the number by about 5 dolls but none wish to leave. Their eyes, wigs and shoes (things I probably will never make many of...) are adding up in cost, even if some have budget eyes or a not-expensive wig here and there. Multiply everything needed BY 20. And then storage for things they are not wearing...

 

I have 33 dolls, and I find it tremendous fun! Of course, it did take me 12 years in the hobby to get this far but it's been a truly wonderful journey. They are my muses, and while I'm certainly surprised to have wound up with so many, it's positively enchanting to be so inspired by their sheer variety. They are all out on display in small groupings throughout my small home...in my storyline, they all inhabit the same fanciful neighborhood. I enjoy having them like this because it seems like they're having real lives without me, and I'm just stopping by to visit them on occasion. They constantly make me smile and keep me creative because they're out where I can see them all the time...like they're part of the family.

Fortunately I can do my own face-ups and make their clothing (I do have some with company face-ups too because I enjoy the variety, and I have purchased special outfits on occasion)...but it's the creativity and beauty of this hobby that has kept me loving it for all these years. Storage and display space is handled by purchasing used furniture pieces at a Goodwill outlet and refinishing them myself. Certainly, curating my collection takes a great deal of time but it's time well spent doing what I love. It's why I'm in this hobby in the first place.

 

I have 31 full dolls.

How do you manage to give all of them love?
Well, for me my dolls are like any other collectible. They don't need any special attention.

What do you do with all of them?
I admire them, plan clothes for them. Write stories. Take photographs.

What is maintenance like?
Nothing special. I have restrung few of them but thats it.

Did you ever plan to get that many?
No. Somehow I just ended up with all of them

Where do you put them all?
Some are sitting on shelves, others in glass cabinet and rest are sitting on an old dolls bed.

Are you happy with a lot of dolls or do you plan to down-size?
I'm happy. Because I also have horses dolls are perfect "side hobby". They can wait forever. I can play with them whein I have time but if I don't have time they can wait.

 

I have about 30. And there are still more I want. lol! But at the same time I'm like, "Eh, this one's okay, but I don't know why I bought it." I think I let my excitement over a new hobby get a bit out of control! I haven't bought one in many years, though, since most of them aren't even fully dressed. I would honestly rather have just a handful, and have them well-clothed. Instead I have a whole bunch of naked dolls that I can't afford to dress. lol!

 

Wow, I can't believe how happy 20 dolls are. I will feel very happy every day when I see them. This may be my dream in the future.

 

I am close to 20 soon, so far all of mine get proper clothes and wigs but i do have favorite tho! My aim is to have max of 20 dolls and start working on my kindergarten theme. Since mine are mainly 1/6, its ez to bring around and stored. Edit Number 20 arriving early december.

 

I have more than 100 dolls

How do you manage to give all of them love?
I love them all and every single doll is styled and well dressed. I don't have unfinished dolls or dolls stored in boxes (just some of my floating heads and event pets are still blank until I have time for them)

What do you do with all of them?
I love to look at them all the time, take pictures, take them to doll meets

What is maintenance like?
My dolls are mostly displayed in all rooms, I only have one glass showcase, so they catch dust. But every time I take pictures with them or change their outfits I clean them. From time to time I check the outfits (if they stain the resin or vinyl) and often dust off their wigs. I don't really restring them often. There are only about 3 dolls I had to restring yet (I collect since 2008, some of the very old ones got loose during this time)

Did you ever plan to get that many?
Never!! When I started I hoped I could get at least 2.

Where do you put them all?
They are standing on my computer/work desk, shelves in workroom and anteroom, sitting in my bedroom on some of the doll-boxes (in those I store outfits), one showcase in the livingroom, hanging on the wall (my DZ mermaid is displayed on a wooden board like a fish trophy and my puppet girl is hanging from her strings in the bedroom). There is also one (sadly closed) closet in my workroom with a few dolls and floating heads. My Dollmore Trinity and Lusion is standing next to my computer desk, one Trinity sitting on a child's chair there.

Are you happy with a lot of dolls or do you plan to down-size?
I'm really happy to be surrounded by such a horde. But there are also times I think of downsizing due the lack of free space. And when I try to figure out which dolls I would sell, I just cannot since I really love them all.

 

I remember a time when I though having 10 dolls was a lot, remember getting there and thinking I'd stop at that. I didn't. I used to keep them siting in my bed when they were a small handful, then they moved to a shelf when they came to be more than that.
When I moved I only had one shelf and they were 15 at the time. Having made furniture some had to sit on the floor and lounge on a couch or sofa chair. I propped up boxes for them to sit on as the family grew until I did the only reasonable thing and got home more shelves. Don't know why I didn't sooner, but I guess I just really liked having them sit on the floor in the furniture I had made, looking like little people busy with their own lives?
Today they are over 80, still don't see myself stopping any time soon, and have all been moved to sit on shelves in what I call their room where I also keep sewing/faceup/crafting supplies.
I've never seen any challenge in the upkeep, I dust their wigs from time to time, change up their clothing, check if they need to be restrung. It's never overwhelming, even though they are a lot, but it just doesn't feel like it for some reason. I love being able to sit in that room and just look around the room at all the little smiling faces, it brings me an indescribable amount joy!

 

I recently hit 20 BJDs. But I realized that two of them I don't really love, that I have since listed on the Marketplace. I have two floating heads, at least one of which will be getting a body, and there are still ten on my wish list. My dolls are all tinies, mostly mature tinies around 28cm tall, which means they don't need a ton of space. Some of them came in cloth bags and bubble wrap not boxes, which means fewer boxes to store. I have most of them sitting in "rooms" in an IKEA glass and metal shelving unit. I don't do things with them every day, but I like being able to see them..

I'm the sort of collector that wants each doll to have the right wig and eyes, but lots of clothes. I consider a doll "finished" when they have a wig, eyes, and a face-up. I have a shrinking number of those that need different eyes or a wig, but still have a considerable number that are blank. I'm learning to do my own face-ups, but haven't done many yet. I make most of their clothes and furniture and some of them can share clothes. I think I could have more than 20 without getting overwhelmed but more that 30 would probably be too many.

 

You must be rich. I only have 3.

 

You don’t have to be rich to have 20 dolls.
You just need time, patience, and good saving skills . And a little luck.

Don’t make assumptions

 

Some people would say that about people who have 3...

 

Far from rich, just been in the hobby forever and been lucky enough to have had the money to spend and not felt the need to sell just about any of the dolls I bought home. No one here is rich, so very few are.