Strangest place you've ever taken your doll and gotten noticed.

I don't usually take my doll anywhere, but I plan to do an outting in starbucks... and I may be taking my second doll (once I get her) to college

 

I'd /love/ to bring my doll around places except he has no face, minimal clothes, and he's like 3kg. @____@ EIDs are beautiful but very, very unwieldy haha. Once he's more set for photoshoots though, I plan on bringing him to places \o/

I'm getting a tiny soon {will order sometime this week! I'm so excited} and he'll probably accompany me to lots of places

 

The story I have to tell is strange only because of where it happened--the very last place on planet Earth I expected to be judged not only for having a doll out in public, but actually for my choice of interests.

I attended MobiCon this past weekend, and I had a blast for the most part. My most unpleasant experience took place on Friday morning, shortly after registering for the convention. I had just gotten my badge and was waiting (im)patiently for the merchant's room to open up so I could go find things to spend money on. A woman came up to me and, without any preamble whatsoever, said: "Is that one of them annie-may dolls?" (Imagine this said in the thickest Southern accent this side of Larry the Cable Guy. She pronounced "dolls" like it was spelled "daw-ulz". No lie.)

I hesitated, but answered as politely as I could. "Actually, ma'am, she's dressed in a style called "gothic lolita", but some people do dress their dolls up as anime characters."

She wrinkled her nose and stared at Chaeri, cradled in my arm, as though she were a pile of dog poop. "I don't get this whole annie-may thing. All you people do is sit around and watch annie-may. Do any of you work? Do YOU work?"

I blinked. "Excuse me?"

Her voice rose and she spoke like she thought I was deaf, retarded, or both. "Do. You. Have. A. Job???"

My internal temperature dropped about eight hundred degrees, but I still managed to answer her civilly. "Yes, ma'am, I'm a sales associate for Sears."

"I didn't think ANY of you people had jobs," she sniffed. "Who would hire people like you?"

My core temp hit absolute zero, and this time I couldn't keep the chill from my tone. "Some of the people attending this convention are doctors. Lawyers. College professors. At least one of them, a good friend of mine, is an FBI agent." (Totally true.)

She rolled her eyes. "I just cain't buh-LEEVE that."

"Believe what you want, madam. Now, if you'll excuse me." I turned on my heel and hurried off before I deprived some poor underage convention-goer of her maternal unit.

Thankfully, that was the only bad encounter I had, and Chaeri was the darling of the whole convention. I didn't even see anybody else with a BJD, although I looked.

 

Some places, I've heard, can put you on the list for layoffs because you use a certain amount of your allotted vacation days. It's pretty ridiculous on both counts.

 

Actually, I believe that. You have a probationary time of 3 months. Usually as little as two weeks will decide if you are fit for the job or not. Unfortunately, it is very much cut and dry, from my experience. I did not do anything like talking about my hobbies, or wear anything remotely hinting at hobbies/likes/etc, called in sick, asked for time off, or even bring my lunch in my favorite bag. IF I had a bag, it was see through. I also took out all my piercings and covered my tattoos. I even went as far as using my own money to buy the "uniform" colors at the place I worked at. (They gave me credit for two shirts and a pair of pants...but we all know that isn't enough.)

I kept it that way for 6 months, and then some. It's just not "safe" anymore for having a unique hobby or even having a facebook account. It's not "right", but that is how it is a lot of the time.

Seriously? I appluad you for keeping your [sub zero] cool. Part of me feels that I would have fired off, being that lately I have been real defensive lately (personal, non doll related things)...but I think I would have done the same thing if I were in your shoes.

Like I would have given her a nasty stink eye...and walked off. Before I made a nasty, long winded, double barreled, comment.... >_>

 

I brought one of my BJDs to my college once, I didn't plan too but I'd been visiting my friend (also a doll collector) to show her my newest doll (a 68cm RS Chun) and I had to stop at City college too, I got some very strange looks, one person thought it was an infant.

and just last week I stopped at a Del Taco, and brought my MNF Chloe (who was in her box at the time) inside with me since I didn't feel comparable leaving her alone in the car, and the employee that took my order kept staring at the box, I think she might have thought it was a very small coffin or something!

 

I've taken my girls to meets, the church behind my house (just outside to take pictures), and the school next to the church (the playground is great for pictures). I also took one down the library when my mum's coworker asked to see her, and after the local post office lady finally got curious and asked to see one I took one down to show her, she was really impressed
So far I've only had positive experiences. Even when someone does see me taking pictures of them, the most I've gotten is a raised eyebrow. I think one of the positives of living in a small town is that everyone already knows I'm artsy/weird so no one really gives me a hard time about stuff.

I don't usually carry them around anywhere else, it just seems like a lot of work and unnessesary stress to drag them around. I'm not saying I won't do it, one of my girls is coming on vacation with me, but for everyday I don't see the point.

 

The strangest place was the graveyard. I liked to go there because it's always calm and green ^^ a couple walked by and they stared at my doll but I didn't mind.

 

Lord mine have been to anime conventions, walmart, movies, the mall, the biotanical gardens,work, school, friends house, family houses, Fast food places, Hobby lobby ect. We tend to get the normal stare of oh how cute to OMG what is that.

 

Probably class...? I used to take my 12cm tiny with me to my huge lecture class to crochet things for her during lectures. It was kind of a jerkoff class, haha.

 

Let me see....

My dolls have mostly been to cons, since they cosplay along with me (eg Mei-rin and Mini Sebastian). Actually the whole Sebastian cosplay has been the most fun to date! I've been told he looks Awesome/Cool/Creepily Accurate when I was walking around with him at A-kon last year! I even had a couple of people tell me that they usually think BJDs are extremely creepy and evil, but after seeing my Sebby they could see the potential for creativity to make these dolls whatever you want; we connected on the artsy level!

I've been to the the Arboretum Dallas to take pictures of my first doll, and i got varied, yet mostly positive reactions from people there. One lady passing by complimented on how nice my big guy looked and even asked if I'd like to be in a picture with him since I was alone and didn't have my camera stand at the time (that was sweet of her!!). A guy and his daughter at the same place seemed to change directions when they saw me taking his picture near a little child size pumpkin house, but that actually made me laugh inside and was the only "negative" thing that happened that day.

Another time, I was hanging out with another doll friend at a mall (was the only place we could think of at the time to get away from her house). We both had a Dollzone Yuu's, just walking around, and this guy about our age walked up and said "are those BJDs?" I was pleasantly taken aback that he knew what they were!! He then explained that he had a little sister that had at least three, and he thought they were neat and was even considering getting one himself! We talked for a good 10 minutes about what companies were out there and how to get them, then went our separate ways. It was Awesome!

 

That person is bad and they should feel bad. That situation would be an absolute nightmare for me since I have really bad social anxiety. That situation is literally my worst fear!

 

Me and some friends love getting together in public places, or we've been known to, on the way to a doll meet or from seeing each other for doll-related reasons, stop off to go grocery shopping or just general shopping and tote the dolls along. They've been lots of places. ^_^ Malls, fast food, gardens, all sorts of stores including thrift, restaurants, cubicle work places...you get the most awesome reactions. I heard a horror story of a girl taking her BJD to a thrift store, but upon leaving the clerk thought she took the doll and nearly forced her to pay for it or leave it, so I told a clerk once at a thrift store the doll was mine when I entered, just to clear that up early. She was thrilled, wanted to see her, hold her, etc. Thought she was beautiful.

Grocery stores are kind of fun. Sometimes people don't even notice, depending on the size of the doll and how you carry it, but others are fascinated and stare as you go past, or pointedly go into another aisle from the "crazy doll people". Little kids are especially interested.

Once we had a doll meet in a restaurant, and nearly all of the employees came out one at a time to observe the 30+ dolls we had tucked away on some spare chairs they said we could set them on. xD They talked to us and wandered the table and complimented some dolls we were holding and went on with their business (with many passing glances tossed to them, of course). There's one restaurant we frequent where the same thing happens, it's a buffet and they have a party room that we reserve when we go. Whenever we do, everybody comes back at least once (the word is even passed down to the cooks and we see them pop in sometimes!) to take a look.

But there are the unfortunate reactions too, though. One time, I met with some friends and their dolls at the mall, and while walking, my friend heard a girl ask her mother, "Why are they carrying dolls?" Her mother responded, "Because they want attention." Everybody is guilty of judging others, human nature and all that, but that one felt utterly uncalled for.

Another few times, at a restaurant the server brought each of the dolls mints too, tourists took photos of our dolls at a public garden, and once I had a random gentleman joke to me and a friend about how we looked like we should be off to a tea party, with dolls like these, and then proceed to bid us farewell in a feigned British accent: "Well, good day to you then, misses! Do eat some crumpets, for me!"

I've had people recognize my dolls as BJDs before and be utterly fascinated, other times weirded out but still interested (while admitting "They're....weird! Kinda creepy..."), other times find them beautiful, other times, as seen above, just behave unnecessarily rudely. I think it's interesting how reactions vary so widely, and I certainly don't expect everyone (or anyone, for that matter) to like my doll or these dolls in general as much as us in the hobby do, but it's fun to take them out in public and see who is brave enough to ask, who stares like they want to ask, and who shies away like you're the spawn of evil. ^_^;

 

While I don't generally take my dolls with me for daily events, I do set them up in our booth at Renaissance Fairs. The only adverse reaction is when someone loudly proclaims "Don't go in there, they have DOLLS!"
This usually denotes a fear of dolls.
But, I do know of at least a couple of BJD converts resulting.

However, I did take them on vacation once, for pictures, and at Kileaua volcano, some charming Japanese ladies asked if I were performing a special ceremony.
At another Island site some of the other tourists there asked if they could also include my dolls in their pictures.
Reactions in general were positive.

 

A Tim Horton's in Jasper.

We recently moved across the country, actually driving the whole way in winter time. I decided to take my smallest doll, Cherise Celeste (a Littlefee Ante) with me, since, while fun, it was rather stressful. I took her nearly everywhere with me since I didn't exactly want to leave her anywhere she could possibly be stolen. Sometimes I had her out of the little padded bag she was in and just carried her around in the crook of my arm.
I even made her a little hooded winter coat for the journey.

We were at the counter ordering, and the guy working the cash/taking orders was rather taken with her. He asked what her name was, what sort of doll she was. Complimented on just how beautiful a doll she was. Then another woman became interested a little bit later while we were warming up with our coffee at a table. I'd been showing my mother just how impressive LTFs are in that I could stand her on one foot despite the fact that she was extremely loosely strung.

CC wouldn't do it for her. The brat. I think the fact that she's wearing Sky Blue Dollshe eyes helped her get noticed

All in all it was a rather nice experience.

 

I don't know if any of mine count as strange places - mine regularly come into work with me, and go alogn to visit friends and to parties (one of them was specifically invided to a non-doll friend's party last Saturday), The've been to SF and costume conventions with me, historical reenactments and living-history displays (they have to stay out of sight while the public are there, of course, as they aren't at all "period"). They've been to restaurants when I've been to meals with friends (both dolly friends with their dolls, and non-dolly ones too). There was a DoA meet at the London Acquarium a few years back (my first DoA meet, in fact) and we've met in several parks around central London too. They travel by train with me to meets in other areas of the country too.

But I don't consider any of those places "strange".

Teddy

 

Best. Story. Ever.

I laughed and laughed and laughed~
...mainly because that was most of the U.S. in the early 90's minus the dolls in particular. If you went to conventions you'd just get accused of watching 'that ran-ma show' a lot. *facepalm*

I don't really take my dolls out yet. I'm not sure why. I guess if I were going to a meet-up then that would be one thing but I don't generally bring them a long otherwise... I really love this thread though because it gives great idea for places to take dolls. I wish I had more friends who were into costuming and dolls!

 

My doll is usually just left at home unless I want to take pictures of him, and even then it's just to the park really close to my house. But even while walking to there, I've gotten some strange looks from passing people.

 

I take my dolls to conventions and doll meets, but other than that I've just done a couple of outdoor photoshoots outside my apartment with them. The last one I did was on Easter Sunday, and a teenage boy gave me the "WTF?" look while he rode by on a bike. I've been VERY hesitant to take them out ever since because I'm afraid of how destructive teenagers can be, and I'm a little afraid of a group of them coming up and taking one of my dolls before destroying it. I know it might sound paranoid, but I grew up being bullied a lot in school, so that's kind of where my mind goes in terms of suspecting people I don't know.

 

I haven't taken them outside yet, I think maybe I will when they get some decent clothes. but I think the BJD culture is not well accepted, not because of the doll, but because the ridiculous amount of money you spent on a toy. I want to get a tiny, so I an take her anywhere and she's easy to carry around.