Pediophobia

That's an interesting thought...

I've already had one person (an older lady who works at my favorite fabric store-) say something like that about my boy. She knows that BSR and I don't have children of our own... She's heard me call the cats "my furry kids" more than a few times. ... But she grinned when I was telling her about Harumatsu, and she warned me that he was going to end up being spoiled rotten "just like an only child"... and that since I didn't have any real children to spoil, that was only natural.

I thought it was amusing. I don't think that I *need* children to take care of to be happy, and Harumatsu wasn't picked to be a proxy for some biological instinct that I felt like I was missing. I didn't choose him to be a substitute for a son. I don't think of him in child-like terms.

But... at the same time... I *did* pick him, at least partially, to be something of a silent companion. An illusion of company to make me feel like I'm not alone so much of the time. That's also one of the functions of having a family... To have someone to relate to.

So... Maybe there's some point to it.
I don't know...

But if people believe they're supposed to be some sort of compensation for childlessness, I can see why they'd find them creepy. And their owners a little pathetic, probably... After all, in their eyes, we're trying to make up for some sort of sad situation by giving our affection to an inanimate object.

 

No... You're not the only one.

I went to the site to look at the mummies and found myself really wanting to get a closer look at them. Some of their poses are even charming...

For some reason, I wanted to touch some of their hands.

Strange.

 

This is such a strange and interesting topic. o.o I find some dolls creepy. But I like creepy things, so it's all good. ^^

As for bjds, I saw them first through anime fandom, and I still think of them as anime-ish 'characters' rather than people. I don't, with the exception of a few sculpts like Narin or Soah, see bjds as 'realistic' at all.

I think it's interesting how for some people the realism of a doll is disturbing while for others the big eyes/stylisation of a doll is disturbing. Heh.

To me...honestly, I thought bjds were sort of repugnant at first. Not ugly, or scary. But something about them bugged me. And now I don't feel it any more - why? I have no idea why. ^^; Until I was around 15 I didn't like anime style either, but now I'm immersed in it and reject a lot of American/Western cute/cartoon styles (I hatehatehatehate Care Bears, for example; those fuzzy fat bears are soooo fugly to me). So I guess the tables have turned...

I agree with the 'dead children/people' theory. Some super-realistic artist dolls or the mannequins in wax museums are freakish and disturbing to me.

 

I dislike dolls intensely... although I'm not entirely sure why. I think it's something to do with the lack of personality. I'm also afraid of small children but that's mainly because... they're just sitting there, looking at me, what the hell do I do? What if they fall over or get sick or something? Should I say something? Can they understand me? And so on... It's not that I'll run away screaming, just that I have absolutely no desire to touch or get any closer to them than I have to.

It's a general lack of personality in general, I think - I just can't see that there's something alive and thinking there, although I know with the small children there SHOULD be... on the other hand, post mortem photographs, mummies, bones, anything to do with the dead... I find they have the same kind of presence as BJDs - there's something there, even if they can't move or speak. Rosalia Lombardo is, in my opinion, absolutely precious... this probably sounds really creepy but I want so badly to hold her, when I wouldn't ever THINK of touching a living child of that age.

But I don't mind BJDs at all. In fact, I've really fallen in love with a great number of them, even some of the little cute ones that almost look like china dolls... because I can see their personality. There's something, or more importantly, someone in there.

Edit: Actually, I've just remembered something... when I was in hospital once, my aunt bought me a small sleeping doll dressed like a ladybird, but with resin hands and a painted resin face. Because it's eyes were closed, it didn't creep me out (There was a very similar doll only dressed like a bee, with it's eyes open, and I HATED that one) but I was just like... well... what the hell do I do with this?

 

I think in Asia people think human-like objects esp. Dolls would attract spirits to live in them, plus the effect of ghost stories people would feel creepy even just looking at dolls...and old people would usually forbidden children to put doll figures need the bedside...They afraid dolls would attract bad spirits to the house and harm the family blablabla...and some legend metioned that children spirits would stay in their favourite doll after death. There is a legend of a hair-growing Japanese tradition doll said to be possessed by the spirit of the girl who died young and loved the doll very much... ><;

Many of my friends' first reaction to my dolls is they look far too real. They look so alive that make my friends feel scared. They always ask "Have you ever seen your dolls blink or move at night?" ...|||...

To me BJD cannot scare me at all... but ancient dolls such as porcelain dolls and Japanese wooden dolls ...or even plastic baby toy dolls (those silly ones looking funny and can blink their eyes...|||) still creep me out sometimes...kind of weird ha...

 

Yes, you'd be a pedIOphile. If you like dolls.

Before I was mistaken and thought "pedIOphobia" was the fear of children and child-like things. But that is "pedOphobic" or "pedIphobic", without the "i" or without the "o". And thats what I am. A fear of children.

So realistic, adult dolls don't scare me. Baby-like or child-like dolls, do. Except Sen. o_o something is just different about him and I can't quite place it.

 

im afraid of dolls. terrified,horrified ... (not bjd tho)
years ago, my brother thought it would be funny to pull a prank on me.
he put one of those blinking realistic soft baby dolls next to me when i was sleeping, so when i woke up, it stared right into my eyes. i screamed -im not even the screaming type- and passed out ><

untill this day i cant sleep on my own. at home i sleep in my moms room and during the week when im away on college, i sleep together with my bf -we rent a studio together just because i cant sleep alone- im such a loser i know ^^;;

im also very much afraid of death. i dont know why, but everytime i see somebody sleep or take a nap, i must see if they are still breathing x_x

the thing is, i dont know why im afraid, and ive tried not to be but >_>

 

Honestly, there is a HUGE difference between being scared of dolls and having pediophobia. A phobia is usually something uncontrollable or being paralized by fear, to the point where you don't do normal things (for example you can't go to the store in fear you will see a child with a doll) Sometimes there is a cause behind it, other times its just the wireing of your brain.

I don't want to be rude but having a mental disorder such as pediophobia shouldnt be linked with someone who is just creeped out or doesn't like dolls. It might sound odd to us but to the person the fear is very real and frightening. So to answer your question I have no idea about it, every person is different, with different fears and different reasons for those fears....

But! I do think some people get wierded out because they are so lifelike, or because an adult is carrying around a doll. Its not socially acceptable, therefore some people might see it as some kind of weird making up for lost childhood thing.

 

My grandma thinks my Living Dead Dolls (and, lately the DOC twins Im planning to adopt) are creepy, like 'dead children'. THis despite the fact they are tiny, oddly-coloured, comically featured...yet she collects lots of those baby figurines you see in TV guide advertisements, like 'awwww! its asleep!' at this picture of a frankly hideous wrinkly, grey-coloured baby with its mouth half-open and its eyes closed. Yeesh! *shudders*
And, strangely, she also used to buy me porcelain dolls when I was little. Now THOSE things are creepy.

 

I suppose it is partly lost childhood....you see old women with their hundreds of dolls and then are totally unsurprised when you find they have no grand-daughters. Thats partly mothering instinct, I suppose. That little tug when you leave a toy or objects on the shelf in a store because you can;t buy it, and think 'I hope the next person is OK to it, doesnt rip it or break it....'

I had a Barbie as a kid, but never really bonded with her-compared to my short, stubby little six-year-old self, she was an alien creature. She didnt look like my mom, my sister, any of my friends, any huyman being I knew so I wasnt sure what to make of her. I couldnt make her clothes, couldnt dye her hair. My mother was creeped out by china dolls too, so I think she kind of put off buying me any. Plus, a new screaming baby sister at that age kind of puts you off playing 'mummy' for a bit, lol.

I think everyone's entitled to their own opinion. Some people get different reactions from different dolls-I love the BJD's, but I dont like Barbie, and little sculptures of babies and china dolls give me the creeps. But thats just me. Someone somewhere might think BJD's are cartoonish, pointless, and love the still serenity of a porcelain doll with lacy gubbins and a cute dress.

each to their own.

 

I have a serious phobia of being in the same room with a doll late at night, like after midnight. I get really scaired and can't look at the doll's eyes or anything. Usually I move Kumiko-chan to another room. Still, it is rather weird to be afraid of what I collect, isn't it?

 

I’ve read through this thread, completely fascinated with the topic chosen. The more I read, the more I wanted to respond – so much, in fact, that I often got antsy. So, here I go. If it’s too long, just skim it for any relevant parts.

I haven’t really been afraid of dolls, but since I outgrew babydolls and graduated to playing with Baries more, I don’t really like dolls that resemble babies. I know there are still some out there (evidence with those Reborn dolls) who still collect or appreciate dolls that look very much like human infants, but I am not one of them. I suppose if I wanted something that looked that much like a real baby, I’d just wait to HAVE a real baby of my own. Believe me, it’ll be quite some time before that happens.

While I’m not afraid of dolls – unless they surround me in huge numbers and it’s dark – I’m also not afraid of children. When I was younger, I used to be uncomfortable around children because I didn’t know how to handle them. I was afraid I might hurt them or we wouldn’t understand each other. So, now I feel a little irritated when I read responses in this thread where others say how much they dislike children on the grounds that they’re messy or loud or that they’re illogical. I understand where lilykoi is coming from, even if I don’t have any children of my own.

I believe working at a daycare has enlightened me to the world of children and since I’ve been working there for two years or so now and managed to win the hearts of the twelve children we care for, I’ve become far less intimidated and uncomfortable around children. They are, as unique as the dolls that people collect, though I wouldn’t dream of offending anyone when I compare children to dolls.

Children’s minds are not like adult minds, but are more basic and not matured. As such, it’s not possible to reason with a child the same way that you can reason with an adult. However, yes, they are little people in training as one poster said (by now after eleven pages, I forget who). So, it’s just not possible to judge the entire bunch of them based on what one of them does or how deficient in communication one of them is. They're all very different from each other and each age brings with it new developments.

Anyway, back on topic. When I was five, I had a glow-worm which was my favorite toy in the world. I gave him a personality and his gentle sleepy smile was always a source of comfort to me. I did have a childlike suspicion that he came alive when I was out of the room or sleeping, but that never frightened me because he couldn’t seem malicious to me or harmful.

I suppose that people’s fear of dolls or toys must have something to do with their personal beliefs and experiences. Culture plays a large part in it, also. I won’t post all my opinions on those fears in this post now, though, since it’s already becoming terribly long.

From personal experience, though, I don’t understand the fear of BJD’s because they seem unlike the empty-headed, staring, fat baby-like dolls I’ve heard more people being afraid of and which are more often seen in movies going after people. Perhaps they’re more like marionettes, but I’ve always found those fascinating.

I even saw the older movie Puppet Master and since then wanted very much a hook-handed marionette with a white face and black raincoat. The reason for this was that, in that movie I got to see the love the creator of these ‘killer marionettes’ instilled into his creations when he carved them by hand. He also took such loving care of them that they felt the same deep devotion and loyalty to him and so would do anything to protect him – even kill if that’s what he wished. However, their creator was a kind old man who wouldn’t wish harm on anyone. They only began killing when the villain of the story discovered where he’d hidden them after their creator died and took them. So, instead of seeing the dolls themselves as scary, I saw them as, well, puppets that reflected the soul of their owner.

So, even with children, when I see a ‘bad’ child, I first wonder what the child has gone through in his life to become like that and what his parents must have done to cause him to act so horrible.

Back to the topic of BJDs. *cough* For a year or more now, I’ve glanced over sites – first Volks and then Luts, Souldoll and such and I’ve just fallen harder for them. Then, when glancing over the Luts site, I saw El and that put the last nail in the coffin, so to speak. He was beautiful and idealistic and reminded me more of an anime character in 3-D than a ‘creepy doll’. So, it baffled me a little when I told my best friend about my interest in these dolls, showed her a picture of El, and then had her tell me he scared her!

She was probably joking, but said I was disturbed and thought it funny that I was showing her pictures of these anatomically correct dolls that were so anime-styled. *sighs* It still does hurt a little that she’d think that way, when she’s been my good friend since our sophomore year of college.

My family also doesn’t understand my interest in these dolls. My sister has said that El is too ‘girly’ and my mother thinks they’re just too expensive. Another friend of mine echoes the same thing and claims that it’s ridiculous to “spend so much for something so stupid”. I have a feeling her problem is she’s jealous since another of her friends is getting a BJD and she feels she’s going to be neglected. So, I was very glad to find this forum and others who share interest in these dolls.

As far as fearing what you collect, I find that I’m attracted to things that scare me – such as the ocean when I continuously have dreams of drowning in it. I just have a really definite interest in what makes people fear things, the psychology of it.

*takes breath* Okay, now that I’ve probably rambled on so far that everyone’s sick of me, I’ll stop for now.

 

What an interesting topic! My comments are from personal observation - I kind of 'collect' other people's stories as a side-hobby.
From a co-worker - yes, some people REALLY are afraid of clowns - she remembers hiding under the bench at the circus when the clowns came around and still gets shivers when they're are around - I don't know if its an outright phobia where it is uncontrollable, but the avoidance is there. As for dolls, this same person hid her chatty and talking bugs in her toy chest for fear that they would 'get' her in her sleep - this after listening to, but not actually seeing, the famous Twilight Zone chatty cathy episode as a kid. As an adult, she loves goth and dark items, but bring a clown around...
I babysat girl cousins growing up, and one always loved her Hair Styling Head Barbie during the day, but put it in a drawer at night because it was staring at her(I gave it to her as a gift), but generally loved dolls until the age of 12. OT, another cousin had a fear of halloween masks, and even refused to wear her tinkerbelle mask - I'm pretty sure it was the eyeholes that spooked her and it was pretty easy to get her in line when she was misbehaving! A collector friend of mine has said that in her culture, dolls were always used in voodoo like ceremonies, so many of her friends are uncomfortable with her doll collecting in general.
As for myself, the old porcelain dolls used to creep me out. They were always used on the cover of horror novels, and they always found the ones with the most crazing and cracks in their faces and the most life-like eyes and eerily open mouths. Even their clothing seemed scary. Fear of the old and decrepit? Old winky eyed dolls with one eye stuck open and one eye closed threw me off too. Clowns didn't rattle me much, but women with too much makeup and color did! Especially redheads with bright red lips and blue/green eyes - too much color for my asian eyes, it looked garish and too unusual.
When I finally saw the antique dolls as an adult in person, I marvelled at how small they actually were - nothing scary about them no matter how much crazing, even if their eyes were clouded and crazed too. No doll or doll-like figure is frightening to me as an adult, and even the bjds and dolls meant to look evil and menacing many times just look ugly(forgive me, no offense intended, I'm not talking about YOUR bjd!) to me as much as many are fascinating and beautifully done.
Other people's reactions to bjds? The family drama whore HATES my bjds and doesn't get the goth thing at all, even though most of my collection contains normal kid-like bjds. Collectors of regular 12-16" fashion dolls marvel at the size of the bjds, but more than one male collector has commented that 13 is too young even for them, whatever that is supposed to imply about my collecting tastes. Most of those collectors want to see a high fashion bjd wearing high heels, i.e., a 24" Barbie. And yes, many of them dislike and are thrown off by the anatomically correct girls and boys. And almost all the non-bjd doll collectors have been unnerved by my sleeping Lucas - comments like 'hes beautiful, but he looks dead' and 'why do you have a dead boy doll?' are pretty common, even when I prop him up to obviously look like hes taking a nap. The most surprising reaction was from my 2 young nephews, 3and 5 - I thought they would be spooked, but they took a liking to my Volks and Hound boys (probably it was as much to the steiff animals that I told belonged to them) and actually waved goodbye to them as they left my house. One was scared only of a msd that had a black hairnet over his face to protect his wig.
I haven't yet brought a bjd to work, but I'm sorely tempted to - I usually don't like showing them off to a potentially non-appreciative audience, esp one that doesnt collect. Just trying to pick one that would either rattle everyones cage and bring alot of people into my office, or one that is mild and merely decorative. Alex

 

BTW, speaking of pediophobia, has anyone seen the movie trailer to the Steven Soderbergh(sp) movie Bubble??? If you don't like dollies, you'll HATE this trailer! It even spooked me alittle bit until I realized what was going on - it seemed like someone was making diseased looking toys until the last frame....!!!! Good ol Soderbergh....Alex

 

My sister and her friends are totally afraid of Maeve... maybe because when she takes out her hair, she looks like an alien! XD But still, I don't like it when they say they're afraid of dolls... I mean... they're dolls! And they couldn't be sweeter!

 

i was working with a fashion model once, this girl was 15 her mom came for the shoot which was set up threw a very respectable agency in ny.
well i showed the model my dolls after awhile between changes while her mom was getting a coffee or something.
well next day i got a call the mom, asking me what that was all about and the girl was feeling too good after the shoot something must be wrong( ok, yeah right,, so thats weird she would be ever so concerned that the kid was really in a good mood) ok what ever.and she was drilling me about my dolls and why i took the time to show them off to her daughter.
seemed that the mother had something happen to her with some dolls when her daughter was small. they moved once in a bathroom while she was bathing her child that really was weird and occult or something ( at least in her mind) so the child had some trama from the experience of the dolls moving.hey i don't know,,, weird.
but the girl seemed to love my dolls and i think the problem was more the mom,, and a fear of creativity.
i am yet to figure that whole experience out. but she sort of put it off on me for a time like i was into voodoo dolls or something which i totally resented and thought was creepy.it got me really upset that someone would come at me like that over something i think is so cool and cute and harmless.
hey i am yet to figure out where that mom was coming from.

 

I guess that's true, that some people have had former bad experiences with dolls and so they continue to reinforce the fear in their own children. Personally, I'd say the mom should get past her own feelings and concentrate on her daughter's, but maybe that kind of mom never would. She should see if her daughter is still bothered by dolls (which it doesn't sound like she is) and know the right time to expose her to them. She must not be in touch with her daughter's feelings if she doesn't even notice that her daughter has no problem with your dolls. She also shouldn't be all over your case for it since you were unaware of her weird doll experience and didn't seem to see any bad reaction in her daughter to those dolls. - Boy, some people baffle me.

A bit off topic here, but I was reminded by your recounting of that experience. I haven't had as much trouble with people fearing BJDs in my family as I have had a little trouble with them just not liking that I'm interested in them. My brother has only seen me glancing at doll sites (and this forum) twice and both times he's given me this disapproving look and said in a judgemental tone "Are you looking at dolls AGAIN??"

It's gotten to the point that I feel like I have to hide the sites I peruse looking for doll stuff whenever he's around. I wish I knew what his problem was with them. Has anyone else had a similar experience with doll dislike around them? - like people saying "why are you wasting money on something so stupid?" or "Geez, not again!"

 

For my past i do fear of dolls...especially those porcelyn dolls...I was frighthen by the movie long time ago called Chunky..but than now..muahaha... I ain't gonna afraid them,,.,and now I own my doll..coming home soon...hahaha... so no scare of dolls...I can say i over come my fear...but i still afraid of puppets...and mascot...T^T what to do?

 

Now this is based on Japanese case studies but it can apply across the board

Dolls and puppets, have long been thought of as a powerful expression of both the divine and the mundane, possessing a dual existence as both animate and inanimate objects which can move easily from one state to the other at will . In a ritual context, this allows the doll to be both physical and spiritual in the same instant, creating a tangible vessel through which mundane significations of the spiritual might be expressed and from which an agent might receive the favour of the spirits in return. Thus, because of the way in which many early faiths were based around possession rituals, dolls have likewise been thought to have the ability to house, or express, all the physical, emotional and intellectual characteristics of the spirits which are associated with them.

Probably resulting from a mixture of shamanistic influence and respect for the human form, the best example of this innate spirituality in the doll/puppet can be seen at the Awashima Shrine in Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. Built in the Edo period, as a centre for the worship of the bodhisattva [Buddhist Saint] Kannon, the current temple has become home to thousands of dolls, puppets and other figurines which have been deposited by owners who have become fearful of the spirits which they sense within the effigies. In 2001 alone the temple, according to Kawanishi Hiroko, gathered about one thousand dolls into the shrine, raising the total possessed by the centre to over ten thousand. This is in addition to the hundreds, which were ceremoniously destroyed on the third day of March: either by being floated out to sea each year or burned to release the spirits within them.
In this sense the puppet becomes a direct interface not only for humanity to negotiate access to the realm of the spirits, but also a way for that realm to access the mundane world and, through that, the already complex significations of man and spirit are given an intriguing alternate frame, in which the relationship between puppet and manipulator becomes representative of the relationship between mankind and the gods.

Darren.

 

Everyone in my school is creeped out by Kumiko-chan, especially when I change her hair or eyes. Still, one guy is seriously afraid of her it seems. He high-tails it out of wherever she is, practically sprinting away at lunch. Later I asked him why and he replyed,"I don't know.... She stares at me and it's creepy." I'm gonna look up some studys on dolls later, might as well start studying psychology now