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

I have 50+ dolls. I bought them because I fell in love, or wanted to support the dollmakers. Or they looked really good in multiples. Definitely didn't plan to have so many. I have only enough attention, clothing and faceup funds to give to one at a time, so I think of myself as being a temporary custodian of the others rather than owner.

What do you do with all of them?
I just admire them. I love poring over beautiful, detailed faceups, clothing and accessories. Sometimes I go through their items and just feel happy to be able to have lovely things near to me.

What is maintenance like?
Maintenance is opening up their boxes a few times a year to air them and make sure everything is in good condition other than expected yellowing from some companies.

Are you happy with a lot of dolls or do you plan to down-size?
I enjoy having dolls and figures around. I don't have display space for SDs, so I'm literally downsizing to smaller dolls with groups of similar sizes. Then I can build some shelf-rooms for housing them safely. I have more dolls on my wishlist, so I think the number will only grow.

 

Well, I do not think I am quite at 20... but 10+ (if we take out the pets and the little girl). But I am already starting to panic. My dolls do not even all have their main outfits nor are they all finished in any other way. So some of them are in their boxes, some are shoved onto a doll sofa, and some lie in pieces on my table. So, so sad.

Problem is, as soon as I consider a character as "cool", I want to have him in doll form. Not the small kind, no. It has to be a 70 cm, big doll. So they take up really a lot of space. And are expensive (even if the majority of my guys are "affordable" Impldoll Idol men).

A way to cope with this might to let each idea "rest" a certaint time (just like it is recommended with the sale of dolls). If I cannot get the idea out of my head, I may have to put it into reality. I loose interest, it is not that important.

As it stands now, I do not want to sell any of my dolls. I really like them a lot. They are just big actionfigures to me, and I find them absolutely cool. But I will really try to limit myself in the future.

 

I currently own 23 dolls of various sizes. Some were gifts, but most I paid for out of pocket either pif or on layaway. I've purged my collection already a few years ago, sold the ones I had no attachment to and were impulse purchases. So everyone that I have now is more than likely to stay.

I keep them all in a display set up, on a large dresser. Often I will take a doll down to play with and photograph, but once satisfied, they go back into the set up alongside my wife's dolls.

Maintenance is a hassle, I put it off as long as I can since I have so many dolls at this point. I admit, several could use a cleaning and restringing, though all in due time.

I'm actually happy with my current collection, but I can see myself adding to it. I'm just out of room in the set up at this point... I'll soon have to buy another shelf! I already downsized a few years ago, but, as mentioned before, the ones I have now are more than likely to stay!

Bonus:

Here's the current set up of everyone.

 

Reviving a dead thread!

I'm at 19 full dolls, most of them SD or larger sized, with another on layaway and one I'm waiting to ship. And seven floating heads in The Headbasket that I plan on getting bodies for someday. So I think that I pretty much qualify as "having 20+ dolls."

How do you manage to give all of them love?
I take them to meetups, change their clothes, have photoshoots and work on outfits for many of them. About half of them I don't consider "finished," so sewing, finding or buying things for them is also a huge part of what I do to show them love. Not to mention taking them to the craft store with me. I used to carry one with me everywhere I went, but I no longer feel the need to do so.

What do you do with all of them?
Photoshoots, sew things for them, change their clothes, sit and watch a movie or TV show with them, talk to them, pat them on the head sometimes, things like that. They make me smile, so the least I can do is smile back at them.

What is maintenance like?
I was out of the hobby for a bit due to health issues, but now that I'm back, I've dusted them off, move some of them around the house to different places to show them off, and now, I'm in the process of changing their outfits. Since I have mostly SDs, its a bit of a chore to change more than one or two dolls' outfits at a time. For me, its fun going through their clothes and shoes and deciding what they're going to wear. Restringing usually doesn't need to be done but every few years, so that's less to worry about.

Did you ever plan to get that many?
Not at all! I was going to originally get three, the members of Nittle Grasper, a band from the series 'Gravitation.' Welp, that idea fell by the wayside! I now not only have character dolls from a few more anime, but I also have quite a few OCs from stories I plan on writing someday. Its kind of cool to have the OC members of my original stories around to inspire me.

Where do you put them all?
Some are in my bedroom on top of the wardrobe, some in my partner's bedroom on a bench and long table, and currently, two are sitting on a kitchen chair against a wall. I should change who's sitting there, these two have been there for a long time. I usually change who sits on the kitchen chair every few months, so they all get time in the spotlight. I plan on getting a IKEA glass-front display case for my bedroom, and stands for them all, since SDs take up so much room. Those that have their own chairs are going to continue sitting on top of my wardrobe, they seem comfy there. My seven floating heads are going to continue sitting in The Headbasket on top of my bookcase. They will all eventually have their own bodies, so that brings me up to 26 currently. And that's not including the two I'm waiting for, and any others I see that I want. The only thing limiting me is the size of our small house.

Are you happy with a lot of dolls or do you plan to down-size?
I have no plans to downsize. As a matter of fact, I'm waiting for my first LittleFee to ship, and I have a DC Nicola on long layaway. I have a few older grail dolls that I'm keeping my eyes open for. My partner also has two dolls, one floating head and one doll on layaway, so we have quite the Crew!

I fell into this hobby headfirst, and am still falling down the rabbit hole!

Ryu

 

If I include the floating heads, I have 32 (I think...I hope I'm not forgetting anyone!), though one is more of a decorative piece (a Ghost in the Shell Gynoid doll). I only have one room to display them in, which is also my bedroom, and it can be challenging. The upkeep isn't too bad, but it's frustrating to be running out of room and still have characters I want to do and bodies to get for the floating heads. But the most frustrating thing about it is since I have such limited space, I have had to tape my windows up with black trash bags to keep as much light away from them as possible. My room has a LOT of windows, and there just isn't enough shadows otherwise. So I don't get to enjoy the scenery outside my window, or have any natural light in my room. I can go outside, of course, but it would be nice to be able to enjoy my windows. Someday, I'll have more space...(imagine to the tune of "someday my prince will come")

 

I have 28 dolls, of which 11 are BJDs. Like others have said years ago, its fun but can be a lot of work. I normally am out of energy to do a photo shoot after I've dressed/styled everyone so it requires a lot of planning ahead. I usually use one week just to dress everyone, enjoy their company, and jam to some good music. No rush or pressure. But that way, the next weekend, everyone is ready to go for pictures with a few minor fixes as necessary. It's a pretty reliable process unless I'm doing a promo shoot or something.

One thing that is apparent, however, is some dolls just seem to require more attention than others. Not physically but mentally. I'm... I'm not sure exactly why that is.

 

I have ... 35 at last count. There was a point I had over 40 but I sold a few. They mostly sit in a few cabinets with doors to keep the dust off. My biggest girls (Dollmore Lusions and Trinities) stand in my closet. I have amassed a huge collection of clothes, wigs, and eyes over the years (which I should probably sort through and sell some of it, TBH), but nobody is ever in need of anything to wear, that’s for sure.

 

Lol, I am shocked every time I am asked to count!
Counting off topic dolls (one ABS, one pet doll), I currently I have 28 full dolls (29 if you count my husband's one he got to partner with one of mine) and three floating heads.

I got my first doll in December of 2006. I thought she would be my one and only... then by the end of 2007, I had three. The inflow has been pretty steady since, though there have been two years where no new dolls have come in.

How do you manage to give all of them love?
I am not really concerned about "giving them love" since I personally do not view dolls that way, but I do feel guilty if someone has a blank face for too long. Right now three of mine full dolls still need face ups.

What do you do with all of them?
Mostly I just display and admire them. Occasionally I will change up an outfit here and there, but they all have set eyes and wigs. I'd like to do more like take photos and craft for them, but I never seem to have the time.

What is maintenance like?
I keep them covered with a large piece of blackout liner so that helps keep the dust off them and protects them from what little light gets in through the blackout curtains in my hobby room. I will suede and resting them as needed, though with them not getting much "action" that is a rare event.

Did you ever plan to get that many?
Heck no! I still wonder how this happened. When did I become one of those "crazy people with all the bjds"?

Where do you put them all?
After getting our house and my own "hobby room", I was gifted a large buffet. The dolls all sit on top of it and overtaking it. I need to invest in stands to make more room for them as they are starting to get a bit crowded.

Are you happy with a lot of dolls or do you plan to down-size?
Part of me would love to downsize, but the other part of me just screams NO and kicks the first part of me in the tender bits. All of my dolls save two are limited or discontinued sculpts (and my pet doll is a memorial to one of my kitties, so he is NOT going anywhere), so replacing them should I regret selling them would be problematic.


I love having so many dolls, but at the same time, I feel like I should have been a bit more restrained. From the start, I had a bad habit of going "Oh this is nice, but LIMITED!! If I do not get it now I never will be able to!". Thankfully very few new dolls are catching my eye, but I am still tracking down the ones that "got away", so now the secondary market is my friend. ​

 

<—— The reason Tonboko’s doll habit escalated so quickly.

I currently have 27 full dolls, with one more on the way and another on layaway. I also have nine heads, not all of which will get bodies. My first doll came in early 2009, and the stream of dolls started slow, but hastened with better income and the power of long layaways.

I don’t give all mine “love”, sadly. It does make me sad, but there’s no where right now to display everyone. Most of them are in boxes in a closet in the basement. I’ll pick out some of them to display for a bit and dress up, but those are mostly the dolls that are near the top of the pile and easier to get. Most of my doll heads need faceups still, but all my new doll money goes towards new dolls because I’m a hoarder. I’m hoping to get my ADHD treated soon, and maybe I’ll be able to calm down and focus on not buying dolls for a bit. I did recently buy a number of outfits I had always wanted for my dolls, and it makes me really happy to have nicer things for my dolls. I have a few very nice things, but I want to shift my attention from dolls to doll clothes for a while.

I didn’t want my collection this large, and I still don’t, but I don’t want to downsize. I do, however, want to not have as many full dolls from now on, so I want to convert any future dolls into just heads on head stands. I feel these would be easier to display and be cheaper, since they don’t need clothes, just wigs and eyes.

 

Truthfully, I've given up on maintenance. I've only ever had two dolls restrung ever because the idea of hunkering down and taking them all from their boxes for a spa day is completely daunting. There is no earthly way to give equal attention to them all so I settle for whoever is within my mood to play with. I'm pressed for space and have sworn off getting any more (tinies don't count...maybe) but this works for me! Everyone is meticulously cared for, even if I'm a bad dolly dad about cleaning and restringing (I'm so sorry to my doll family).

When I got into the hobby I always figured 20 would be the goal, but being here I'm getting the itch to cull..

 

I have no idea how I got here. I might blame pandemic shopping, but it's also coupled with a lot of personal financial irresponsibility I started collecting in 2009, but I have done the bulk of my buying this year after an on and off hiatus.

How do you manage to give all of them love?

What do you do with all of them?
I don't really "play" with my dolls or take many photos of them. I sew for them, practice faceups, and primarily just go in my doll room and stare at them creepily until I've had my fill for the day.

What is maintenance like?
Considering I've acquired the majority of them this year, there hasn't been much maintenance needed. I have done some faceups, restringing, and modification on some TLC dolls I have gotten, which has been really fun. I am sure as the years go on this may cause me to downsize!

Did you ever plan to get that many?
Absolutely not. When I started collecting, never in my wildest dreams did I think I would have more than 5, tops. When I was a teenager, I never saw myself as being a successful adult, or someone who so frivolously spent money (not sure if that, in turn, makes me successful).

Where do you put them all?
I have my own doll room in the house my husband and I own. We both have our own collectible room. I don't think I have much more space though, to be honest!

Are you happy with a lot of dolls or do you plan to down-size?
I WANT to downsize, but I cannot seem to get myself to let any go. I'm sure that over time, like I do with all my collectibles, there will be a few that I am willing to release. I tend to go through collecting cycles, where something really piques my interest for a while and then I fall out of it and into something else, only to return to it a few years later. I never want to regret selling a doll I really connected with or really wanted, so I don't like selling unless I am confident it is forever.

 

I no longer own a lot of dolls, but when I did I felt very overwhelmed every time I looked at them I loved each one individually, but as a whole it stressed me out. Now I keep to a certain number, and if I want more it has to be one in one out. I like having a variety, and that is hard when you want to keep your numbers down. I have rebought a few dolls because after selling I have realized that I preferred one over another, so I have to think really hard about replacing one with another, especially because sometimes once you get it in person you don't feel the same as you did looking at the photos.

 

Amen to this. It’s not talked about so much but it’s definitely a thing! I’m struggling with it right now with one girl, she is fabulous and I’m going to give her my all This year but I’m also going to allow myself to let something go if it just doesn’t work for me. It’s been difficult for me to think about letting anyone go. I chose them, and yes, that’s dramatic, but it’s a feeling.

 

I wish there was a way to see them in person before buying, I would have saved so much money over the years! It is very difficult to let things go sometimes, but once I know no amount of wig/eye/clothing changes is going to make me feel like I did looking at pics I just cut them loose. It just stinks that usually it is at a loss though I wish there was a better way.

 

I do have 20+ dolls. It’s hard because I live in an appartement and we don’t have a lot of space. But I love them all and they really help me psychologically.

 

God, thats so many dolls...

I can't see myself having any more than 5... well, any more than 10. Who knows if i'll become a doll junkie in the future! But i also have a lot of other hobbies aside from dolls, and I'd want to spend time and money on them too, instead of blowing most/all of my hobby money on dolls (as tempting as that is sometimes)

My biggest concern would be where to display all of them- a lot of the 20+ doll shoots i've seen seem really crowded, and like you wouldn't be able to appreciate all of them if theyre in each others space! How do major doll collectors keep everyone looking pretty?!

 

I often have the same question too lol How do you manage so many dolls?
Right now I have 8, my plan was having 9 and that's it, but Dream Valley's Autumn event doll just threw my plan out of the window, so it looks like I'm going to have 11 doll (maybe planning on getting a 1/2 size one from Spirited Doll, haven't decide yet.)
Well if I cound the one Dream Valley's giving away (the little pet rabbit) guess I'll have 12...
But even 8 is getting difficult to manage, so I for sure can't imagine myself with 20 dolls lol

 

I never got to 20, but I was over halfway there at 12 dolls. It was causing me anxiety already. Also, I once saw someone else's 20+ collection. Their dolls were all well taken care of and really beautiful, but the first thought I had was "Wow, if I ever inherited that (a girl can dream, right), the first thing I'd do is selling at least a half of them".

I now have decided to keep a third of my collection (4 full dolls and one head - I seriously don't know yet if I'll buy a body or sell this head) and I am still sometimes wondering if I shouldn't downsize even more. But they make me happy for the time being, so I make no further downsizing

Still, I have this thing where I like a doll to have things for herself and plenty of them. It may have something to do with my childhood, where I didn't have a lot of clothes and dressed poorly (I generally don't come from a v rich family), so I always dreamt of having a dressing room of my own, filled with tons of fancy clothes and things. Now I have pretty clothes I love, but I'm keeping a capsule wardrobe for myself, but I love it when each of my dolls has a small portion of the wardrobe to herself I love digging through their clothes, shoes, wigs and just holding them, reorganizing, etc. It's sooo much fun I just like plenty of clothes per doll, not the other way round. And I know that if I had more dolls, that would be the case.

I still remember when I once took a group photo and I had a trouble finding wigs and clothes for all of them at once... Then I couldn't put the best/most suitable wig on, but just any that was still left... And that just didn't feel okay :3

But, I love seeing other people's huge collections, that's just not an option for me xD

 

@CutieKitty
Haha Yeah if I ever inherited a large crowd of doll I would probably open my own BJD doll house museum LOL For some reason for me it just doesn't feel right to sell the dolls (especially if they come as a full doll that I feel like there's a character there,) so imagine if I get them all I'd be like "WELL THAT'S NO GOOD"
Taking a group photo's always a hassle when you want to have a "theme" for them, every time I took a group photo I'm always like NEVER AGAIN, and yet I did it again and again lol

 

@Livazy Actually I do know someone who inherited several awesome bjds xD. They didn't establish a museum, but they couldn't sell the dolls away either xD