Playing Vs. Collector Mentality

Everyone is free to do what they wish of course... but if I had a very limited and expensive doll I just wouldn't feel comfortable "playing" with it for fear or ruining it. I also wouldn't be capable of costumizing it.

I don't have the collector mentality, I don't want to have dolls just looking pretty in shelves, on the other hand, I couldn't change a limited or play with it... so I just plan to have very standart editions, fortunately I haven't fallen in love with anything limited, so it all works fine for me

 

When it comes to these dolls in particular I think "playing" has it's own meaning. Every day since I got my doll I've sat with her, changed her eyes, hair, clothes.. I've been sewing like mad to make her some better, more affordable clothing I'm 23 and "playing with dolls" isn't something I thought I'd be doing!

Also the photography aspect of the dolls is fantastic I love photography and I love my doll so mixing the two is perfect, and it brings out the doll's personality.

I think while a lot of dolls are *beautiful* creations and somewhat "art" I think it'd be a shame to buy a doll and put it in a glass case and leave it there What a poor life the doll will lead!

If you're worried about damaging a doll that's worth £300+, don't buy it!
Otherwise the doll just becomes an ornament rather than something you can connect with

 

I dont think I "Play" with my dolls, I get them an outfit, wig, eyes that I like have the accompany me by my computer and they stay there. (Not collecting dust mind you I keep good care of my boys and girls)

I buy it if I want it, though I am an avid collector, I DO go to meets, are meets considered playing? or is it more like showing off your resin?

My dolls arent lifeless either, I give them names, characters and stories. I dont much take pictures because I'm bad at it. I'd say my case is some where in between collector and "play"

 

It depends. There are dolls that I play with, i.e. play with their hair, pose them, carry them around, and there are dolls that I'd like that I know I'd never play with. It doesn't mean that I don't appreciate them any less than the ones I -do- play with, just in a different way. (But I suppose there's a reason why I haven't gotten the ones that I know I'd just like to stare at all day lol!)

 

I think I definitely have more of a "playing" mentality than collector one.

I'm careful with them of course-- I don't place them anywhere dangerous or toss them around, but I change eyes frequently and love to change outfits and pose them. I fiddle with them a lot. I like to hold them and take group shots.

So although none of them are damaged in any way, they have certainly seen wear.

 

I'm playing with my dolls all the time. Well, they are of an inexpensive kind. One of them is still more expensive than the other and at first I caught myself on 'sparing' him, being afraid to harm him in some way and not touching him too much because of it. But I really think dolls become more alive wheh you touch them, so now I play with both of them equally.

 

I'm definitely not one to stow my dolls in a cabinet and just look at them. They are usually out of their boxes and I love making stuff for them or carrying them around with me. They bring me the most joy if I can just play with them without worrying too much about damaging them. I noticed that super fancy one-off face-ups make me scared of playing with them, so I usually improvise my own face-ups that I can redo when they get damaged or occasionally order a company face-up. So, I suppose I fall into the play category ^^

 

I'm more of a collector mentality, as I don't actually play with my dolls, other than change their outfits now and then. I like to see them however, so I keep them on the shelf next to my desk or I will have one sitting on my desk while I work on other things. I guess sewing for them might be considered a form of playing with them. I love making new outfits and accessories for them, though they keep the same outfit on most of the time.

My friend is the opposite. She has one YOSD doll and she plays with him all the time. She made furniture for him and she changes his clothes several times a day (pajamas for sleeping, play clothes for playing, etc) and she poses him in different ways according to what she imagines he is doing, like playing with his toys or watching TV or reading. At night she puts him in his bed with his pajamas on, and when she gets up in the morning so does her doll. I think it's rally cute and funny, especially since she is the one who kept telling me adults shouldn't have dolls . . . that is until SHE got a doll. LOL

 

I guess I'm more the playing mentality. I do love to redress them and make photo-stories about them and the things they do. But the fact is that lately they spend most of the day in a glass cabinet because I do not have much time .to play with them.
I wouldn't buy a doll I'm afraid to touch or cuddle; for me it would be a waste money.

 

I'm in more of a collector mindset. I love collecting limited edition items (and with my BJDs it was no different), and I view my dolls as a collection. Once a doll has their "look", they tend to stay that way for a long time. I try to keep my dolls as pristine as possible because they are very special to me. I do take them out to do photoshoots, and also have a story and character for each doll so I do "play" with them in that sense.

 

I'm on the playful side. For me personally, there's almost no point in owning a doll that I haven't customized in some way. Of course, I treasure my dolls and take good care of them. But the creative aspects of this hobby are paramount.

 

None of my dolls are particularly rare. I own two LE heads and a few dolls that are now discontinued, but most are basic editions. They're all valuable to me because they are luxury items and cost quite a bit of money, not to mention that they're valuable for sentimental reasons, but none of them is so priceless that I feel compelled to put them in a glass case and just look at them.

I play with all my dolls. I would never be content just admiring them from afar. It's true that there are some I play with less than others, but there isn't a single one that hasn't been outside at least once and not a single one of them resides behind glass. I tend to carry them around, cuddle them, dress them up and fix their hair. Some people would probably call me a careless doll owner for some of the places I've taken my dolls, but part of the enjoyment of ownership, for me, is to have "adventures" with my resin folks.

 

I wouldn't buy a doll if I wouldn't play with it, and this mean redress, customize, pose around, take photos and carry them so I can see them while I work. Even if I have no time I like to change their pose and touch their hair. I wouldn't be happy just to look at them, and I'm like this with everything I collect. So I think I would be in the play category.

 

I'd say I "play" with mine. I handle them, customize them, change their clothes, take photos, take some of them on trips (there's too many for all of them to go!), take them outside, and so on. I'm comfortable messing around with and handling all my dolls, and while they do spend a lot of time on their shelf, it's an open shelf with no glass doors or anything, and they're readily available for me to pick up and handle at any time.

I did once have a doll that I feared to handle because of her price and perceived delicacy (I now know she wasn't quite as delicate as I thought at the time, and have some that are much more fragile than she). She sat on a shelf, and I almost never touched her because I was afraid to do so; that's why I say I "once" had her. I finally realized I couldn't enjoy a doll that way, and that she was worth more to me as her marketplace value than as a thing to look at, so I sold her on. I currently don't have any dolls I don't want to play around with, and I'm much happier with them that way.

And yes, that includes the limiteds, the rare/sought after event heads, the old discontinued ones, the new commonly available ones, the expensive ones, the inexpensive ones, and everything in between.

 

I don't view collecting as something that is all about value. I don't buy dolls with intent to resell them so while I do consider myself a collector I don't see selling off clothes or playing with my dolls as anything to be worried about. I've never been a leave the doll in the box person. They may also be collector's items but first and foremost they're dolls and I feel that unless a doll is very fragile and/or very old it should be played with or at least hugged sometimes. Even most fragile dolls, they get love. I may not redress them or photograph them but I do cuddle them sometimes. I'm definitely interactive when it comes to my dolls. I have a couple of very rare dolls that live in cases but even they get to come out sometimes even if it's only to get cleaned and sit with me at my desk for a while or something.

 

I collect things so I can play with them.
Owning them isn't just enough for me. If all I wanted was something to look at- I could've looked at the pictures online and saved myself the money. The only consideration I take for rare things is how much more careful I'll be with them, but otherwise they get used like everything else. I don't worry about value because I don't intend to part with them.

 

I actually don't PLAY w/my dolls - I mean not like I did with my Barbies when I was 8 LOL I bought these dolls because a) they are beautiful, b) I can sew costumes for them & c) I'm USING them - to shell characters that I photograph for doll stories. I mean, writing one of my stories on my computer doesn't actually count as playing w/my keyboard LOL
I certainly don't keep them as static displays - I change their clothes and their settings around to fit the seasons & my mood - as I do w/most of my decor. Now, I DO consider them more as 'personalities' than I do my vases - they ARE shelling characters of mine dear to my heart.
But really, I don't 'play' w/my dolls.
BTW, I DO take them outdoors for photoshoots & take them places to show them off - doll meets as well as other occasions. And I own some limited, one-off expensive resin LOL

 

I'm in the Play with the Dolls camp, when I have time. I don't own any one-off dolls and don't know if the dolls I own are particularly rare, but a number of the sculpts I own take some effort and patience to get your hands on. The cost of individual dolls doesn't matter, in terms of who gets played with - I love to take them out, dress them up, and take them on photography field trips. I've even packed one to work to show interested co-workers.

 

I bought my dolls because they were beautiful/cute and could be handled. I love beaming at them as much as making things for them and creating simple family stories in various settings and occasionally taking pictures of them. I am not an 'hands-off' person at all. Whether a doll is a limited or a one-off doesn't matter to me at all. Anything I buy is for me to handle and get use out of.

 

Depends on the definition of "play". For me, it's about the creative aspect. I love putting together outfits and the idea of making artistic make-up designs on the resin. I just bought a fancy new camera, so I can finally start taking the kind of pictures I've been wanting to of my dolls! It helps me process my artistic ideas, and provides an avatar of sorts for my character ideas for stories and art projects.