Pressure to Diversify your Collection?

I have a diverse doll collection (10 companies represented in 8 dolls), but it came about through buying dolls that I liked. I was actually wondering why my crew was so diverse -- turns out that I love variety, I already subconsciously curate diversity in my crew, and this curation is my way of enjoying the hobby. So diversity is something I inherently enjoy, not from external obligations.

I have felt the pressure you talk about, though: when I was a newbie, I felt the need to build a cool-looking or unique doll collection, although I probably couldn't define what "cool" and "unique" actually meant. Now looking back at my newbie self, I was definitely snared by the comparison trap and measuring my dolls against other people's dolls, and it negatively impacted my enjoyment of my dolls and the hobby at large. Thankfully I've grown up enough now, that I no longer compare myself/my dolls against other people/collections, and I'm enjoying my dolls a lot more vs my newbie days.

To me, the BJD hobby is about pleasure in the doll itself. If I'm enjoying the doll, I'm being fully myself as a BJD hobbyist. I've found that there's a difference between buying a doll because I enjoy them for what they inherently are, vs. buying a doll as a means to some other end -- community expectations, a need to present myself as a certain type of doll owner, one-upmanship/comparison, drive to be popular/an influencer.

I actually don't think there's anything wrong about buying a doll as a means to other ends. We all engage in the BJD hobby in different ways. But it's good to be clear-eyed about what your (general "you") actual ends are, and not kid yourself about your motives. On the other hand, this can be pretty hard to parse out. It took me going on a (very long) hiatus away from BJDs, to realize what unhealthy comparison patterns were driving me in this hobby, and then grow out of it.

To the OP - I think the "shoulds" are a good tell that, maybe, one isn't buying the doll for inherent pleasure. Sometimes they can give pause for reflection, which sounds like what you're doing! That's always a good thing and helps us to be mindful about how we engage with the hobby (and anything, really).

 

I get what you mean! But sometimes I also feel a tug in the opposite direction where the collection should "fit together more"... hence I guess you can never win, can you

I was a firm believer of 1 doll/part from different companies for a while but have since ended up with a double of the same body, a double of the same sculpt and 3 unexpected volks dolls somehow and while I did think that oh no, too samey! gotta sell something to make the scales even! for a while I've also learned that we will always have our own preferences that lead our choices and there's variety to be found within set parameters also. I think a lot of it is also from the plenthora of choice there is these days, it's really hard to try to grasp it all so maybe that's why doing the same thing twice feels like a "waste" in some cases.

It's a hobby we engage in for fun so I think it's always best to go for what your heart tugs for... but sometimes trying out a new thing brings some new ideas you would have missed otherwise. Maybe it's not the worst thing to lean into the trial and error? There is no perfection anyway.

 

I have felt exactly the same pressure you describe. However, the root behind my pressure is that I was starting to get bored of the kinds of dolls I was getting and was wanting to expand my horizons. As I have matured in the doll hobby I have realized things I like and things I don’t like. For example when I started the hobby the first doll I encountered was a dollfie dream ddp (still own her never will get rid of her). I chose her because I wanted an anime doll at the time and the custom head for her was totally my aesthetic. However, I realized her size was kind of big 1:4 scale (found this out going to an American girl store) but I still had a lingering curiosity for anime dolls so I ended up purchasing five smart dolls 1:3 scale to later figure out I wasn’t a fan of all my dolls looking the same or being too big (1:4 scale and higher) since I am small (4’8) and petite myself.

I ended up selling three of the Smart Dolls and kept my favorite to finally realize at least what my true size calling to be (1:6 scale) smaller dolls when I got myself a atelier momoni pitusa momonita. I later went on to buy three more pitusa sculpts before I felt bored again and wanted to explore a different artist so I discovered lillycat keeping my size preferences in mind. Don’t get me wrong my collection found a way to have a detour with me getting some (1:5 scale) slightly bigger dolls because I loved a sculpt but I keep finding myself coming back to the realization what’s my preference is.

I just sell off the dolls I am not vibing with. This part in my collecting life my soul is screaming fantasy colors. They are so pretty . As we speak I am wanting on 2 pink dolls, a green doll (brought one already), need a blue doll, and already own three (grey) dolls. I am just enjoying the ride and not taking anything too serious. If I don’t like it I will just sell it.

 

I've never had that issue, but I've always collected boring samey Barbies, and I still do. When I was younger, I had an extremely limited budget for toys (before discovering BJD, in the dark ages), so I limited my purchases to the ones I found cool looking, or truly loved.

When I discovered BJD there wasn't a huge variety either, but the cost was exorbitant in comparison, and I was still in college. So, I also stuck to only purchasing what I loved. I never tried to add variety, nor forced anything into my purchases just to have variety. I then stopped purchasing BJD, but I still only collect toys I love. I don't care how boring or similar they are. I also don't care if they seem diverse (they are toys to me, nothing more). In the end, I just pay for what I truly want to own.

I feel that keeps me from regretting my purchases and never selling anything (not because I am a hoarder, but a selective collector... right? Lol!). (;

 

Sometimes hidden inner pressure just gets terrible, I get you, it helps me sometimes to ask a question "I must do xyz for who or why?" This question sometimes clears the air a little, helps see what is my want and what is not. It's good to do great things for others, support people, but you need to support yourself first. If you wouldn't be there for youself, who non-existent-you will be able to support?

Hobby shouldn't be pressure-like thing I think. Most of my purchases are secondhand old dolls, maybe it doesn't support artist as much as a direct purchase, but I can't easily buy directly from many companies and authors due to situation in the world or just prefer older molds, and hope that secondhand buying at least helps the environment a little. I really enjoy supporting local artists, but it doesn't affect my choice in a way that... Well, I buy things I like and love and stuff, not because I need/must support someone. Support is not a "must", it's a sincere passion, right? It's good to support, but it shouldn't become a trap.

Your collection and your hobby is for you to enjoy it, not to be another limitation. Of course there some "you shouldn't support scammers etc.", but I feel like it's different topic. Still inner pressure is such an annoying thing! Sometimes I feel like I should do something with my collection, for example "buy the mold I don't enjoy because other players enjoy it" or "own only one doll like some cool people and put all effort into it" or "stick to one size dolls, make only SD or else collection, don't mix it" I love having different sized dolls, exploring different styles and want to try more, it's not bad at all. Everyone has their own style of playing/collecting. It's hard to be self-aware about some harmful "shoulds", but when you catch yourself on them - don't let them slip, find their roots and chop them up. Good luck and best wishes to you!!

 

Thank you for making this post! I'm brand new to the hobby, so my perspective is a little different, but I've felt a little pressure on this front if only because I see so many different dolls and so many people enjoying them. It's very easy to feel spoiled for choice and to get caught up in what others are enjoying as well.

I discovered very quickly that I definitely have a type (either realistic features/very character-detailed, or ethereally gorgeous). This is likely to be what I lean into for any future purchases. I think it's fine to want to diversify a little bit so that you feel you're making good investments as you expand your collection, but not at the expense of what you're enjoying. Do what makes you happy and suits you!

I also find that I end up making decisions based on the space, time and money that I have, not only precisely what I'd like in a doll, which can leave me a touch conflicted. I've seen 1/3 dolls done absolutely beautifully in person and I'd prefer to work with that size, but due to storage space constraints, I've purchased only 1/4 for all three of my current dolls.

 

I’ve been in this hobby for a long time, nearly two decades! I’ve built myself quite a treasured hoard of 61 dolls from 20 different companies. From the very beginning I built my collection around diversity, more from a character standpoint than a decisional desire. Mine is a fairytale world where diverse characters, forms, and resin colors make perfect sense. But I have a friend who built her entire collection from Luts dolls. I deeply admired the cohesion of her collection and how wonderful they look together.

There are so many ways to build the collection of your dreams…and each collection is unique to the individual. Trial and error is perhaps inevitable, so just enjoy the process. It’s a journey. If those outside influences instill a yearning for a bit of trial and error, so be it. You can always course-correct later. And you’ll learn to quiet the noise of influence and find your own heart’s desire along the way.

 

I definitely still feel this pressure. I gave up some of my dolls recently, so I currently only have 3, but plan on replacing the one's I gave away soon. They're all by the same company, and dress similarly. Every so often I'll see a doll I like by another company, with unique features and debate getting a more "cool" looking doll. I often feel badly for only owning Volks dolls, almost like I'm missing out on something. In practice, it makes sense though. I don't have a ton of space. If I got a doll of another company, they likely wouldn't be able to share parts, might be a different size etc and I could have to buy entirely new wardrobes. I also have dress forms sized to my SDgr and SDM which might not be accurate for another companies dolls. More than anything else though, I just really love their sculpts and the availability of products for Volks dolls. I've had especially unique off topic dolls before, and I always end up selling them. I love to create, and a one note appearance just doesn't fit my collecting needs. It took me a while to realize I just enjoy seeing the amazing photographs owner's of such dolls create, rather than owning them myself. Still, I feel guilty occasionally, especially since my dolls dress the same. Even my off topic dolls wear lolita fashion. I do try to diversify their sub-types, so I have a classic lolita, a gothic lolita etc, but sometimes it doesn't feel like enough. I'm hoping to curb this feeling by adding a few jirai-kei and otome pieces to the mix. I think it'll give me the look that I prefer while still adding a bit of diversity. I think with time I can get over the feeling of my dolls not being diverse enough, because I do truly enjoy the selective collection that I've built so far.

 

I sometimes feel pressure to make my characters more diverse, which in turn makes me buy the dolls they are shelled into more diverse. I really am starting to move away from having to have a story attached to characters, though, because it tends to make me buy dolls just to complete the set without stopping to look into what I actually want to do.

And what I'd like to do is focus my time, money, and effort on boy dolls. Sure, boys can be a bit constrictive because there's not always a lot of variety in how to style them, at least to my tastes, but I don't think it matters. I'm finding I want the exact same facial quirks and styling for a couple of 2D-style sculpts I'm interested in. These are sculpts I've had my eye on for YEARS that I know I'll be happy with, but I've felt like I can't justify the purchase if they're styled the same way as the one I already have. I should probably just go for it and see how I feel.

Honestly, I've thought of selling many sculpts I own because I feel like I'm forcing it for them at this point, but I feel silly buying a bunch of dolls only to sell them because I ultimately bought them impulsively. But I did. I'm not sitting down and looking at the sculpts I actually bond with, but I need to start doing that.

 

I totally feel something very similar! I wouldn't say it's a subconscious pressure, per se; I've never bought something that wasn't to my own tastes just to diversify the collection, but I've definitely acknowledged that I shouldn't simply grab EVERY release from my favorites that speaks to me, otherwise I will have an army of Very Handsome But Practically Identical Fellows in no time.

Because funds and space are limited, I always feel that if it comes down to two or more choices, I should pick the one that's the least like anything I already own. And then if it's between two things (from different companies) I like roughly equally, I should choose one from the company that I haven't already supported, or that I've supported less.

Thankfully I've pretty much felt that way from the start, so I don't have anything in my collection that feels too "samey" to me. I've been tempted on multiple occasions, but the price and wait times quash the usual impulse to grab something that hits all my aesthetic buttons. The uncertainty with the tariff situation all but put the final nail in the coffin, so now every choice I make is going to be even more calculated than before.

 

I've been feeling this a bit lately. My first doll from Dollstown is a Yujin on the 18 girl body, and I've got a twin Yujin coming on the same body. I really love that combination, the body is great, proportions are perfect.
Now, I have a couple other sculpts I want from DT, but I felt I had to get them on the 17 or 16. I'd have three or even four of the same body otherwise, except with different skin tones.
However I just had to consider that the two sculpts I want the most look objectively the best on the 18, so I think I'm going with that in the end.
I like variety, and I think my dolls so far are quite different from one another, but I want to approach new dolls individually rather than how they'd fit in the big picture. I think forcing myself to get something different instead of getting what I like the best would foster regrets. After all no two dolls are going to look the same because styling does a lot of leverage. There are several hobbyists who own multiple dolls from the same maker, sometimes on the same body, sometimes multiples of the exact same doll, and they all look completely different because of the styling. So I think this an unnecessary worry.

On the opposite side, I'm completely fine with oddity in scale or proportions between dolls. If you're someone who cares a lot about that, especially so if you shell characters who are meant to fit together as a whole, then it's sensible to pay attention to that when you buy new dolls so the crew as a whole will look cohesive. When you get wildly different dolls but you need them to look realistic next to each other, it's not just going to work out. 70cm next to SD makes the SD look very childlike. A 22-23cm head next to a 20cm head is going to be noticeable. A doll with 22mm eyes is going to look cartoonish next to a doll with 14mm eyes, and so on.

As for supporting artists, well, you do what you can do. There are many good people working on dolls, but supporting everyone who deserves it is beyond the means of the individual. You gotta accept that just like any other artisan craft this is a small and somewhat risky endeavor, and it's out of your hands to keep makers afloat. Buying legit dolls is the major step, and more than what a lot of other people do.

 

I don’t feel that pressure at all!! I have a lot of companies represented in my collection (45 different companies, if we include incoming dolls), and I have a lot of repeated parts (7 Twigling ingenue heads, 8 if we count SA ingenue as being the same!). I have 0 qualms having multiples of the same head—that does not bother me in the slightest, because faceups and different resin colours make them look fairly different, so as long as I can come up with a concept that is meaningfully different from the others of that head, I let myself do duplicates!

The gender ratio in my collection is also pretty stilted—there’s a whole lot of women and/or people who present femininely enough they would be read as women by people who don’t know the characters. I have “male” bodies that are, modded or unmodded, being used by women (2 un modded, 3 modded). Probably 80% of my dolls would be read as women by a person with no context on their characters. And a lot of those dolls’ characters are actually women, but I have a big bias towards femininity in general, because I’m very femme, and I like dressing dolls femme. I didn’t feel pressure to have the men/male dolls/dolls that present masc that I have though—they’re all there because I had a character, and I wanted to create them. Ironically, my favourite doll is a woman, on a female body, who presents masc, and not one of the eleventy quintillion girls I can dress up like me.

I do feel—not pressure, but a consideration when it comes to resin colours—it’s easier for me to talk myself into buying dolls with resin colours I don’t already have, or have very little of. At a certain point, when buying the eleventy-quintillionth White Skin Vampire Head, you have to ask yourself, is there a faceup I haven’t done for this resin colour? Is there something meaningfully different I can do with this doll, that I couldn’t do with an existing doll I already have? I don’t ask that about tan/dark tan/fantasy coloured dolls, because I don’t have as many of them as I do NS and WS dolls. I’ve never looked at my collection and gone “oh my god, there’s not enough tan” though, and I don’t buy dolls just for the sake of having colours I didn’t already have though, I’m just more easily persuaded into dolls whose resin colours would be unique in the Horde.

One diversity goal I had was to have one of each of Twigling’s heads, and I managed that with a lot of repeats. There’s one head I’d repeat more often if I had unlimited money. But there was no pressure on me to do that, I just thought it would be incredibly cool. It’s also diverse, in that it expands the sculpts, but not diverse, in that it doesn’t expand the number of artists represented. Twiglings heads, however, all have very distinctive features. You’d never mistake Nkiru for Kahlo, for Ingenue, for Oryx, for instance.

another goal I have is to make excuses to get as many different muscular girl bodies as I can. Sometimes I mod male bodies for that (resinsoul bigger boy, impl idol tgb, loongsoul 73cm, doll chateau a04) and sometimes I collect the few available muscle girl bodies (nobility doll, Miracledoll 68 and 76, iple HID, impl old muscle star girl, devotion doll, coral reef) but there’s plenty I’m missing (DF-H, impldoll new slim muscle body, bonelace miss orc, tatterpunk body, ios 65cm girl) and I feel no pressure to get them to round out the collection, even if I’d like to bring some of them home eventually!

Another diversity thing is body shapes. I didn’t feel pressure to get a plus sized doll, like I had to or anything, but I have 2 of them, because I like variety, and I think their bodies are beautiful and well-designed (argodoll plus body, OT 3d printed doll). I was genuinely excited by dolls with explicitly androgynous bodies (switch labyrinth, luts muse), and/or explicitly trans bodies (telesthesia tao Chen—which I don’t have but is wishlisted, and the Abidoll boy&girl body). There’s no pressure on me where I “should” want to represent bodies like them, but oh my god, do I direly want to, because those bodies are my dreams, and my friends, and my partner, and it’s beautiful that an artist came along that felt we were perfect enough to be represented in resin.

The one front where there’s absolutely no diversity is my scales. I’m 1/3 only, and I have been basically the whole time I’ve been in the hobby.

 

I don't want diversity. I know what I like and I'm going to buy what I like. A lot of my dolls look similar because of this, and that's perfect for me. I have 5 (five) dolls that are variations on the same facial expression. I love it! I can't get enough of it!

"Supporting the artists" is also something I hate hearing. Absolutely do not ever support the counterfeiters, but "Support the artists!" sounds like an excuse for excessive consumerism. Do you know how much money, space, and effort it takes to get a doll together? I have dolls I bought over 10 years ago who are not completed to my satisfaction! I do not have the means to order $100 minimum (extremely low minimum estimate) dolls constantly so someone in Asia can eat dinner. I don't even know what I would do with the dolls if I did!

Buy the dolls that you love the absolute most, not the dolls that will add purple to your collection.

 

The "weird pressure" you're experiencing might be a result of social media, or an online community you're part of that subtly flaunts how special they are for having a diverse collection. Or maybe you follow a bunch of dollmakers, keep up with their new releases, and look at the comments fawning over how cool they are, resulting in you feeling like you should fawn as well. None of us are immune to this kind of influencing, but it is a good reminder to not compare ourselves to others, and that the grass is always greener on the other side. There's nothing wrong with favouring some dolls over others, and there's no obligation to buy pink dolls with hooves from 10 different artists with different stylisations. You are not obliged to buy dolls for the sake of showing off, nor are you obliged to buy dolls to "support the artist". If this is the case, maybe tune out of doll-related news and activities online for a little while, and focus on the collection you already have. It sounds like you already have a lot of dolls that you love, and they would love it if you would give them some good old attention and affection!

 

I think each collector is different. For example, my one requirement for like 95% of my dolls is "elf ears." But they are different heights, different companies, different facial expressions, even different ear sculpts! I've only recently tried branching out into other skin tones beyond normal skin/white skin and I have been pleased with the results! But I agree with @Cap'n that getting to touch my friend's dolls or seeing dolls at meetups/conventions/owner's photos here helped me branch out. And I think it is also okay to not branch out. I branched way out in clothing and now I need to go through and try to re-sell clothes that I know my dolls won't wear - yeah it looked cute in one photo but they won't live in it so time to sell it. Your collection is for you so you should make it the way you want to enjoy it, not for any social media posts.

 

I don't feel any pressure to diversify the type of dolls that I like. When I first started collecting I wanted all human dolls, no fantasy dolls at all. Over time the vampire's, and dolls with fox ears on tops of their heads slipped into my collection. Eventually an elf might wander in as well, because I already broke my round eared human only rule. I am not into full on anthro dolls, dolls with extra limbs, mermaids, or other high fantasy stuff. I don't want my collection that variated, because it wouldn't fit into my stories, and the aesthetic does not appeal to me.

I have however pressured myself to stop buying from certain companies, at least for the time being. Some companies are big weaknesses for me. I love their dolls. However, I don't want all my dolls to just be from a few of my favourite companies. I've made myself look outside of those companies for my future dolls. I am glad that I did because I am discovering more doll companies that I like. I've made myself a new limitation, no more then two dolls per size (YOSD MSD SD SD+) from any company. I was collecting from only a few companies at first and noticed that I was getting too many from some companies and made that rule for myself to expand my collection.

I know some people are company loyalist, and that fine, great for them. I just really want more diversity in my collection when it comes to companies and dolls. If a certain look of a doll doesn't appeal to me no matter how trendy it may be, or how currently popular the artist is, I wouldn't buy a doll because of that. The doll has to be something I would enjoy and like, something that would fit with the dolls that I currently have. I have forced myself to expand in the companies of dolls that I buy from. A lot of my dolls do have a similar look, and lately I've been going for more expressive faces to break that up. I suppose I do force myself to diversify a bit, but not because of persuasion from others, but because of pressure from myself.

 

i don't feel pressure, bc in the end i do not care what anyone thinks about my doll collection. i don't really do social media about it other than here and occasionally posting my doll WIPs on a blog; i honestly don't stay current enough to even know what dolls or choices would gain Internet Hobby Clout at any given time anyway, nor do i even know who anybody is when i do randomly hear people or sculpts being namedropped.

i have had both an extremely consistent wishlist and a pretty small doll budget since i started the hobby, and i make my purchases slowly and mostly secondhand with an eye towards finishing off the list i have. my collecting end goal is to curate a very specific group of dolls for my own enjoyment.

i'm not wealthy or even well-off, so it would be big nonsense for me to feel a pressure or obligation to make expensive luxury purchases just to "support artists"-- i am not in the income bracket to be some Patron of the Arts. to me that kind of pressure feels a bit like treating buying dolls that cost hundreds to thousands of dollars like it's donating to the PBS telethons they used to have when i was a kid.

as to diversity-- not a collecting goal of mine in any direction. not only the aforementioned lack of money but also a lack of endless space and an inability to tolerate a lot of clutter means that i don't have the funds OR the room to use my (on the smaller side and already pretty close to capacity) doll collection as representation of endless varieties in sizes, colors, styles, or artists.

i buy what i want when i have the money to do so, and it will always be legit but it will also be infrequent, more often than not secondhand, and based solely on what i want to own, and i'm super good with that.

 

Because I wanted to give you my honest opinion, I haven't read what others have said, so if I repeat them, that's why.

When I first started, most of My Crew were from different Japanese series, so many of them reflect that fact. But as I continued expanding my collection, I ended up with dolls that "come from" all different backgrounds. German, British, American, Jedi, alternate Earths, and with Hatsune Miku, even a digital diva.

OP, if you mean diversity in skin color in your statement, My Crew still reflects different skin colors. For example, along with my normal skinned dolls, I have Beauty White (actually they're all Beauty Green, which is fine because they're not human,) white skin, a green, winged Padawan (Jedi-in-training,) a glow in the dark cat girl who looks white skinned during the day, a tanned genius member along with a grayskinned member of Torchwood, and an incoming Ariel who's tanned/brown, based on the live action version of The Little Mermaid, as well as a winged unicorn boy who will have tanned/brown human body to go along with his smoky body and white wings. As well as my many dolls based on anime series that have Japanese backgrounds. Most of them have yellowed to a nice skintone due to age, which makes them look more like what I need.

As a POC, I don't think that it is "necessary" to have a skintone-diverse collection. I just do because those are the dolls I have fallen in love with. I buy the dolls I "fall in love with," and what others think or collect has no effect on what I prefer.

But for those that feel they need to have a more diverse collection, or an all normal skin or white skinned collection for one reason or another, that's cool too.

Now I'm going to be nosy and go read what everyone else has said.

Edit: Now that I have read what others have said, I see where this thread is going.

I have mostly BJDs that have the anime aethetic, mostly because that is what makes me happy. I have a few more realistic dolls, but it was the more anime-looking faces that drew me into this hobby in the first place, so that is what I lean towards.

As for size, I have mostly SDs and larger. I do have a few MSDs and one YOSD, but unless I find the one particular (probably off topic) sculpt I want, my YOSD may end up being an only child.

Ryu