I mainly popped in and out over the years, but this was such a nice forum to have for discussions. I really don't want to wade into Reddit or Facebook for doll stuff now... It feels like a loss. Thank you so much to the staff for keeping an old-school forum format going for so long.
oh no ...so much information and hobby photos on here, and also ,our creative artists ...praying something can be done in time ...some people have alot of need for this community and our wonderful vendors....thank you mods for ALL your work and devotion, my collection can be found on Instagram in the mean time {{{cry}}} Instagram H E L P
This forum has been so much fun to join. Reading through all the different threads, talking to people in the hobbies and finally finding others to connect in this niche hobby, the huge amount of crafting ressources, the shared photos and thoughts and just the general beauty of it... Thank you for your continued effort in making this a safe and accessible space for BJD hobbyists all over the world! It's beyond saddening to know that this place will no longer exist in the future. I will miss it very much
This is so sad I really enjoy this place and it’s a massive pillar of the community. I do hope it can be saved!
This is absolutly terrible. DOA is not just a forum, it is history. I never thought I would have to read something like this so soon after my comeback. I hope a solution will be found... Would a 'clone' perhaps be a possibility?
You expressed my thoughts and feelings better than I could. I feel in shock. My first thought was...losing DOA will obliterate the hobby...as there is no one place to see, learn, and converse about all the different resin bjds and issues concerning them...out there...anywhere. Certainty no trustworthy place. I am gutted.
Sadness… I have been on here so long… that it’s hard to say goodbye… My favorite memory is still the Con that happened many years ago.
Like im waiting for the mods to be like "jk, sike, April fools! But like its April 3rd...its like a punch to the gut, 2026 already sucks lets be real...and now this? Ive met so many hobbiests through the bjd community, made friends along the way, lost or cut ties and all off it was character development, necessary for the journey. I remember I was 9yrs old when I saw my first bjd->> luts and volks go figure! I remember being so star struck it was a internal feeling I had to be apart of the community and immerse myself because the way I was passionate about my OCs was unmatched when I was able to save up enough money I remember the joy I felt when I hit the add to cart button...my life was changed and has been since. Its crazy how rapid the hobby has changed and how we fade out of each other's lives when dolls are not the focus point...I hope to stay in touch with some as long as possible. DOA has helped me shape my crew, helped me reach others in the hobby I wouldn't in any other way and now I have to say goodbye. Some people who use DoA refuse to use any other platform to do doll related things, so I hope they are able to adapt or that another forum is created. So many good memories with DOA its genuinely heartbreaking, I do hope everyone is able to find their happiness still within the hobby.
This is such horrible and sad news. I don't know how I'll get doll information now! I hate waking up to this. I'm at least thankful that we'll still be able to have the site in a frozen state, but this is truly something to mourn. Thank you for your time, service, and for a good community.
This is really sad news. I was never very active on this forum, but this was such a safe place and a gem to find any inspirations, ideas or advice about BJDs, I never imagined it would shut down one day ...
This is an end of an era. And I am so so sorry this is happening. I havent been as active the last year or so due to in life major things happening and regret that now. I prefer forums over an algorithm mess any day. RIP DOA
This is so sad. I have been on here since 2011 and even though I don't post anywhere near as much as I used to I still love reading, looking at photos and catching up on what everyone is up to. DoA has been a huge part of my life and I am going to miss it terribly.
I'm heartbroken as much as any member is, but more than that, I feel moorless. DoA has been the cornerstone of the community for so many years, and as many spaces that might have popped up over time... they're just decentralised too much. I love browsing through individual portfolios of photos, don't get me wrong, but... community-wise? Instagram is lifeless, reddit, discord, facebook, twitter, bluesky... never felt the same way this place did. Individual accounts are, of course, more about the individual. DoA felt like it was for everyone. We're standing to lose so much if this space is gone, and I fear it will fracture the core of our hobby community even more than it has been the last five+ years. Because let us be honest. No other community will ever be like this one. There can never be a replacement for what this forum is. It was my home on the internet for too long, it's how I brought my local community together when I lived in Greece. Where I got the best tips for customising my dolls, sewing, wig making when I was first starting out. The marketplace is where I found most of my most special dolls. Galleries brought me endless joy. To this day, it's the place I come to in order to reread old threads and hold on to this time when the internet felt real and the future still seemed bright. While I understand this is beyond any single person's power to fix, I will mourn the loss of this space if it comes to pass. Surely, surely there has to be another way.
This is so so sad - DoA is the only BJD-related place I go to, and I feel like I would not be in the hobby without this forum at all (at least not very actively... maybe I would have spent less money though hahaha). It feels very safe here, and everyone is so nice, it's been such a joy to be here and play dolls the past couple of years. With the general impermanence of the internet, DoA seemed to be a last fort standing kind of... I really hope this can be turned around. I know there are Discords and other platforms, but this kind of mixing of hobbyists of so many different ages and hobby histories is rare and very precious. I think I'll be setting up a personal website or blog just in case, and making sure to share contacts and links with whom I want to stay in touch with... it's incredibly hard to lose a community like this! I've checked the calendar like 5 times while writing this, still not 1st of April, ugh! Even if it is the end now, I hope we all have a nice time for the last few months!
Noticed Dezarii has a very old account on Flickr, wonder if this account is linked with an active email account?
I'm extremely sad and devastated by this news. I've been a member of DoA for ten years, and I’m really hoping for a miracle! This community has always felt like a safe place for me. While I haven't personally experienced any issues, between 2016 and 2018, I've often heard stories about the BJD hobby being filled with drama and bullying outside of DoA, especially on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which were said to be the worst for bullying. I’ve been active on Instagram for years, and I haven't experienced or witnessed anything. I don't know if I'm just lucky, having a small Instagram, or if it’s not as bad as I’ve heard. I'm sorry if this isn’t the right place to ask, but if DoA does officially close, are there any other safe communities out there? I know nothing will ever compare to DoA, but I’d love to know my options.
As an old-timer in both life and on this forum (twenty-one years this August!). This news feels like a bucket of ice-cold water right to the face. I never thought I would live long enough to see the end of DoA. I learned and experienced so much about creative doll customization, thanks to all that ever posted on here. People who are no longer around, for one reason or another, people like me who have been on (and off) coming back to check what's new, who's retiring (doll-makers, doll-sculpts, etc.). Read people's inquires, answer a few, leave a few. I always thought of this place as a living encyclopedia, and now it might just become just the latter part. It is incredibly sad. I hope we still get to see it be alive for many years to come. Inevitably, everything comes to an end eventually, and I just as much as everyone else hope this is not the end for DoA as we know it. I hope there is something that can be done, before it is a sure closing of DoA as a forum.
This is really sad news. I haven't been here for very long but I loved this forum. I really wish this conclusion will be averted.
