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Psychology related to dolls

Jan 4, 2007

    1. No, don't agree with your friend at all ... for me it was very much about reliving the GOOD parts of my childhood ... the Barbie & Sasha collecting that is ... which was a small part of play for me, was more into reading or playing outdoors with my dog than dolls as a child. Then when I collected all of those I wanted and doll friends coaxed my move on to other dolls it was about enjoying a hobby that had artistic quality to it ... which eventually brought me to BJDs.

      I am a mom, of small children and a teen even! and ya know what? between them & my pets I have my maternal instinct needs MORE than satisfied, LOL! In fact it wasn't until I found myself pregnant with my first child did I realize I had one of those maternal instinct things ... and it's for my own children, only. (Children on a whole are sacred and should be cherished, by I don't warm to other people's children, even when related to them.) The dolls are my toys - when I do have them "talk" (and their conversation shows that they are "aware" that they are dolls) I am refered to as "the human", not mom ;)

      I spend time with my children a lot, am the only human female in my house, and my home is well decorated so I don't feel the need to buy more art for it (not that I can enjoy it now anyway as I seem to live in a corner of the family room, LOL!) - so the BJDs are my art outlet and my "me" time.
       
    2. One reason I like BJD's so much is because they are young and and a bit edgy. They can wear things I cannot or would not in many different arty styles. In a way I feel that my MSD's are a surrogate self. Not sure about the tinies - I have always loved tiny dolls and I think I just love them as lovable dolls with a lot of character - sort of the way I love my cats.

      Carolyn
       
    3. It is an interesting theory, but I know a lot of people who are into BJD that want nothing to do with children, and in some cases hate children... I'm not planning or hoping for children myself, so perhaps I'm just using up any of my maternal urges on my dolls :lol: but I don't entirely think so. I tend to think that on some plane, the "control" aspect of the hobby really draws a lot of people in. You control their looks, movements, if they have a story, etc.
       
    4. I always thought of my BJDs as more of an alterego for me. They can wear clothes that I can't (or won't...) and do things that I can't (or won't for fear of legal reprecussions...). I've never really thought of them as my kids, but more as a group of "people" I choose to have hang around with me.
      Nancy
       
    5. Speaking for myself only ,I raised 3 kids.No ..No No more ..I love to sew,crochet, knit,bead work...But it lets the creative side of me come to life..
      Hugs Phyllis B
       
    6. I wouldn't want to be the mom if the boys were real! D: Hellkids for sure!
       
    7. I know that, for me, it's a control thing XD It's childish, but I really did want something that I would have almost complete control over. Rooster can't annoy me when I'm trying to do something else, demand my attention unreasonably, or argue with me (though when it comes to posing, he can be uncooperative).

      I wanted something to help my creativity too, of course, but power was a big factor in getting a BJD.
       
    8. I think it's overgeneralization to make a statement like that--especially because psychology is such a broad spectrum in and of itself, and varies so wildly from person to person because we're all unique individuals, and that would be like saying that the internet is used only by people who are socially inept and withdrawn.

      That being said, I think there's some truth to it for me, in my case, personally. Because all my life I've wanted nothing but a family of my own--I have never known what I want to be, but I've always known I want a family and children. But I also have always had a very overactive imagination and a creative, not to mention obsessive compulsive mind, and I've spun worlds around original characters my entire life. I love art, and I love collecting things. And when you factor all of this together, I believe that's the beginning of the psychology behind my own individual investment in BJDs.

      People don't all get the same toppings on their pizza, or watch all the same shows, or love all the same movies, or even for the same reasons, and BJDs are a hobby/love to each his or her own, which is why I think that statement should be ammended and attached in a very long list of somewhat but not necessarily possible reasons BJDs capture the hearts and minds of their owners, because it might be a part of the equation for me.

      ETA: I should also mention that I do enjoy that even though Lynx and Wren are my babies, I can put them away, and I have control over them in that way, where I would be lacking that kind of luxury if they were my kids and when/if I do have kids someday. So that's nice :)
       
    9. Ahaha! I wouldn't agree that it's because I want to be a mom... I really don't want to be a mom! >_< For me, the BJDs are so beautiful - doll-like beauty is generally used to describe a person who is flawless, sweet, child-like and innocent. I've probably got a peter pan complex... that's why I only buy minis! Cute girl minis, probably harkening back to my adolescent days of carefreeness, hahaha. Also, one of my dolls (my KD Nara) is really kind of...the ideal. Of how I wish I could (have) look(ed). She has the long, wavy, natural blonde hair, sweet face, cute style. Of course I'm never going to be twelve years old again or whatever, but my little Nara is...just right?
      Uh...rereading this, I think I should start seeing a therapist. =_= Yeah...none of what I've said is messed up at ALL.
       
    10. OOps! Sorry double post....
       
    11. While I actually have seen some fans treat their bjds like their young children, I for one don't have any maternal or much paternal instincts as such. I've often told my nieces and nephews to go play in traffic. I like bjds because:

      They are wonderful little works of plastic and resin art

      They are beautiful

      I was a bit of a clothes horse too, and this is kind of an extension of that

      I like miniatures done well

      I like the shoes....:lol:

      I like all of the variations, just like actual people on the planet

      Alex
       
    12. Perhaps your psychologist friend is projecting his own preconcieved ideas about dolls and doll collectors onto a large and diverse group of people... which in my experience, psychologists (and people in general) do very often. Dolls and miniatures have traditionally been seen as a way of training little girls for their eventual social roles as mothers and people who buy housewares, so there's a double stigma of being both "juvenile" and "effeminate."

      Personally, I look at dolls from the standpoint of a hobbyist, so they're similar to my model trains and figure kits in that they offer both a creative outlet and the occasional thrill of buying something new, shiny and cool. And I find the idea of having my own children to be disgusting, so I doubt I'm expressing any maternal urges...
       
    13. I consider them more aesthetic pieces of art. Yeah, I have emotional bonds with them but I don't feel like that person's psychoanalysis is fair or even close to being correct. Doll "training" for girls to become mothers later on in life is so antique and outdated. Hardly anyone does that anymore and I feel no maternity towards my dolls whatsoever. In fact, I'd like to think that they're very independant of my influence.
       
    14. I havent yet got my boy home, but I don't particularly understand why someone would think a gross overgeneralization would be applicable to one person, much less many many people. Personally I can see my self doting on my boy like a mother hen, but not as a child, more of a "stay safe, don't do anything stupid, wear a coat" but still keeping in mind that he's not a child, he's near my age.. so yeah.. as far as maternal instinct.. baby things are very cute, babies are not.
       
    15. :lol: that was great!! I totally second that though!!

      This thread is completly entertaining, I love all the stuff people keep saying!!
       
    16. I think it's a god complex for me, not a maternal thing. They're more like constant companions than children. My dolls are all characters around my own age and I've even given two of them boob jobs to make them more mature... I don't see anything "maternal" about that ;)
       
    17. Agreed completely.
       
    18. 1. creativity
      2. re-experience the long gone childhood (innocence)
      3. self expression
      4. indulgence in the idealistic world

      Potentially, a little god/maternal complex can be mixed in, yet there is a difference since we're not playing the sims here, nor we are feeding and changing their diapers daily.
       
    19. Maybe I just like hoarding? Because I never let people touch my stuff and keep things I'll never need. A little hoarding and pack rat complex maybe? The God thingy might have something to do with it too. Because I like being able to control my things and have it go *my* way.
       
    20. Personally, BJDs give me comfort. They make me feel wanted when I feel that I've screwed up again. They need someone to care for them and I actually feel that I am of use to them. They need the same love and friendship that we show to normal human beings. I,honestly, do now know if that is my maternal instinct talking but I just know that that is how I feel about BJDs.

      They're wonderful companions and will always be there for you. They'll never leave you and never criticize you for something stupid that you did. They'll never go away until you choose to put them away yourself. BJDs will never hurt you and sometimes I prefer them over people. I guess you could say that that is just my opinion.

      Through certain things in my past, I came to believe that life wasn't worth living but was forced to keep living for unknown reasons. I just felt like dead weight. A burden. A useless human being that can do nothing but cause other people pain. I thought that I'd never be of any use to anybody. Yet when I found out about BJDs through a friend, I thought that there might just be a reason left to stay here. I have a use in this world now to love and care for my dolls.

      ( :sweat Sorry about the somewhat depressing post. I got into the moment. )