Rare Doll Guilt

There's no need to feel guilty. You paid for her, and she's yours to do whatever you want with. She belongs to you fair and square, not the doll community at large.

I don't relate to each and every one of my dolls the same way. Some I'm more hands on with, others more or less just admire, some I did some work on myself, others I didn't. I don't know how rare or sought after my dolls are, to be honest. I haven't been watching the marketplace lately, and unless I'm planning to sell, I don't think about it much. I do have a couple LEs, a few custom manufactured heads, and some discontinued standard sculpts ... now you have me sort of curious.

 

One of the odd things about this hobby is the sense of the community having some sort of overarching ownership of every doll in existence. A while back there was a thread wondering if it was OK to customize limited edition dolls, along the same lines that they're rare and should be valued for their original image and how other people may value that more. But as Taco says, she's your doll and yours to do what you wish with. If you want to bury her at sea that's your prerogative After all, as you say, she's a beautiful sculpt and you love her, and for me that seems more than a good enough reason to keep a doll!

 

Why not see about commissioning a face up? Surely someone knows how to take the head off or maybe try working with the head still on the body?

 

I'm experiencing this to some degree now. I received a one of a kind head that arrived with a broken ear. I honestly don't care a lot because a wig covers it, but I feel like I should get it fixed just because it's so rare. On the other hand, I think there's a good chance it would just break again.

Also, I have a LE5 wearing pants that I can't get off him. I know how stupid this sounds, but I'm to scared to remove his feet because I worry that I'd accidentally unstring him in the process. Also, a friend got a smudge on his head near the eyebrow.

Honestly, though, I think there's no logical reason to feel guilty. It's not as if how I treat my dolls is going to have an effect on anyone else. I do feel like a bit of a failure sometimes and think that other people could probably do a better job with them. For instance, I rarely photograph mine, and I know there are plenty of people who'd take gorgeous photos of them.

 

Why would I feel guilty about how I own my dolls? Unless you're swinging them around and beating people over the head with them, it's up to you what you do with your expensive possessions. Rare also doesn't equal popular or sought after, so even if your sole reason for feeling guilty is "what if someone disapproves?" no one may care. I very rarely post pictures of my dolls,(I make like maybe one gallery thread every year) and when I post pictures of my rarest doll, no one except for other owners of the same doll look at or comment on his pictures lol.

But seriously as long as you're not being an ass and like rubbing it in someone's face intentionally ("What's that? Soom Heliot is your grail doll that you will never be able to get? I just broke mine with a sledgehammer because I was bored HA HA! >:P )I don't think anyone will care and if they do...well it's none of their business.

 

I think anyone who owns a LE/rare doll feels like that at some point. Out of the 16 dolls I own, 11 of them are either LE or rare. I also have 3 extra heads that haven't "become dolls yet", and all three of them are rare.

I feel bad sometimes, but can't give them ALL attention all the time. My cats would knock over the big ones and run away with the little ones. o__o But I do what I can to spend individual time with each doll, doing their face-up or making them clothes or something.

I think probably the only point I would feel okay selling a LE/rare doll for the topic reason is if I didn't even remember I had the doll. Then it would probably be time for it to move on.

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As for your girl's problem. It sounds odd, but have someone hold her torso, and you pull out one foot at a time, and cut the elastic. If it's so tight that you can't get her apart, just cut it and put some new, longer, string in.

I did that for a friend's doll. He had knots running all through his torso, and there was no way I was going to be getting him apart the normal way (I honestly couldn't even figure out how they got him together like that in the first place!), so I just cut the strings and put new string in. And then I use the segments of the old string to help me string other dolls, or sometimes help pull up a stubborn S-Hook.

 

Everyone has their own level of skill/customization, if we all had to worry about someone doing it "better," I'd have to donate all my dolls to SDink or something >.< If you want a faceup or to remove the doll's head however, you should see if there are any bjd owners in your area that can help you in that aspect. If nothing else, you can cut the elastic (it's easy to buy more doll elastic online) do the faceup, and then restring her with a rubber band going from the S-hook to the headcap (instead of the s-hook being directly attached where it's hard to pull it off) there are lots of tutorials online, and even videos on youtube

 

I am experiencing this currently. I have a Forest Story Demi, and I heard that only 300 of them were going to be made.

I'm surprised that I was able to get him in the first place. I ordered him on the very last day of a free shipping refund sale and really did not think I would get him or the discount. He isnt a very popular doll either. Whenever I show him off I get bad reactions to him and no one likes him but me. I don't regret buying him, I have his human body and his elephant body so I can switch when I want. I mostly feel bad that I bought a rare doll and he is very unappreciated!! I know he's weird at first, but I love his stumpy legs and floppy ears so much. I wish he was more popular, even if he was not a limited doll, so that more people would like him. I have three really common dolls and one really rare one, but no one likes him. ;~;
But I do! Thats all that really matters to me! He's beautiful.

 

I'm getting my first Soom soon, so who knows if I'll feel guilty?

But to fix your feeling guilty about your Soony problem...Send her to me!

 

Could you not send the entire doll off to a comissioner and get them to remove the head and/or do the faceup? Do you know anybody that *would* be able to get her head off?

 

I agree with having the doll given a face-up on commission, though I'm very scared of sending such an expensive doll of to someone else myself! I have some limited dolls that I was holding on to because "what if I regret it and cant buy them back again..." but I only live once and live now, so no regrets

 

Don't beat yourself up over this. You bought her with your own money and she is yours to do with as you like. Like the others have said see if someone can help you remove her head. If you go to meetups you could take her along and ask others there for help/advice too. If you get enjoyment from having her then keep her but if you are no longer interested in her you can always sell her and use the money for another doll you prefer. Most importantly do what feels right for you and enjoy

 

Wow no offense but that came off as very rude. Not exactly the nicest thing to say.



OP it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. I've even been criticized for never giving my first doll a face up but to me she looks more photogenic without a face up then she would with it.

 

I think it was meant in an amused sort of tone, truly.

I have more guilt about having a huge collection than I do about the status of the actual dolls. Some of 'em are super rare and some are hopelessly common, but I get them because they speak to me in some way. That's what counts. Do you like the doll? then you're fine.

 

Honestly, I think this happens to many people, especially if you've been in the hobby for awhile. Near all of my dolls are limited, or discontinued standard dolls. Only three are standards that are still available from the companies.

Some of them, I wouldn't dream of changing, and I'm very careful with because they have limited faceups and the like. On the other hand, I purchased a limited event Littlefee faceplate with the intention of modding it, because that is what is needed to suit the character.

It's hard to find the balance between doing what you like with your own dolls, and pleasing other people in the community. It needs to come down to what makes you happy, ultimately. After all, there's a reason you picked her and bought her; you still obviously care for her or you would have sold her.

 

Yeah, that Soony comment was meant as a joke. I don't actually expect anyone to send me her haha. It's quite a common joke on a Reptile Forum I'm on too, "My Chinese Water Dragon is glass dancing" "Send her to me?", it's usually meant as a "Your [doll/lizard] is pretty, even with the problems".

 

Wow what a jerk. Some people are just plain mean.


@Arlo ah...Sorry hard to tell jokes on the net y'know?