Too young for the hobby?

Yeah some kids are more mature than we give them credit for, so it's all down to the individual case whether someone is old enough to be given such an expensive item. My family was not so well enough, so even barbies and disney dolls were considered expensive. I remember getting the Disney Aladdin dolls for my birthday (after assuming I wouldn't get them cause my mum had said she couldn't afford them) I was very aware of how precious they were and that I had to look after them. And saving up for something so expensive is very rewarding. I remember my first PC, I spent my entire summer holidays when I finished school saving for my own PC, and I think it was a really good lesson that if you want something badly enough, save up for it. When you've put that time in you appreciate the value so much more and will take good care of it!

 

I got my first BJD with 15 and I must say, I was too young.
I really like this doll! But I must say, that my taste has changed a lot in the last 6 Years. I have no special bond to him. He has just a name but I haven`t found a character Design, that would fit him.
Now Im selling him and think, that I should have saved the money to buy now a doll, that fits more for my taste.

 

I am 14. I dont really think that age should measure maturity.
if the child is mature enough and can save up for it, I would say yeah let them have it.

But if there parents are buying it, I'm not sure. They could be rough and tough with it. Or play with it like a barbie T_T
They would have to know the responsibility it takes to take care of a BJD. They're like a pet, just with out the needs and such e_e

 

If she is carefull with it she can I think, but my doughter have to pay it herself if she want that expencive dolls.

 

It really depends on the girl. When I was twelve I took very good care of my American Girl dolls. I ordered them new and kept them in new condition. I even moved their limbs slowly so I wouldn't loosen them. I dusted them. I kept them pristine.
I'm seventeen now and I don't keep my BJD pristine, although I should. I love my doll but I don't take the time to wipe it or anything. I'm careful with handling her, she just gets so dirty so quickly.

 

My opinion is that age doesn't always tell you about how mature someone is. I've seen 13-year-olds who look after their
younger siblings and do groceries and stuff, so I guess they would be able to have a hobby which requires responsibility, such
as having BJD dolls. On the other hand, there's also people of my own age (I'm 17) who act like little kids and have no sense of
responsibility or whatsoever at all. I wouldn't think the hobby is fit to them.

So I guess it really just depends on someone's personality, how mature someone is and their sense of responsibility.
I think having dolls fits to mature 13-year-olds and up. But especially the kids who are still really kids shouldn't get in to the
hobby. I mean, if you don't take good care of a BJD, the resin will yellow, his face-up could get ugly and he could get dirty or
even damaged because the person has no idea about how to take care of it. That would be a total waste of money.
With a doll like a BJD, you should be able to set goals for yourself. So if I was in the mother's place, I'd tell my daughter to
save up money for it by herself. I don't say I wouldn't support her by maybe paying part of the price, or buying a set of clotes
for it or something, but my daughter would really have to show me she's able to take care of it and she should be willing to
save up money for it. Maybe find a parttime job aswell, as that's what I did when I wanted more money.
(My sister simply asks for more pocket money. I decided to take on a second parttime job and I enjoy buying things with money
I earned myself far more!)

I also think someone who's like the girl in the first post might think of it as just another toy and loose interest in it quickly. And
she does sound kind of spoiled as well...A BJD for her birthday!

 

I'm 18 (almost 19), student, and I have one doll. She's been here a couple of months and I still can't buy her things. My parents won't pay me anything and I don't have time for a job.
So, I was thinking that I may be young for the hobbie. Then I realized it's not about age, but money. If you can afford it with savings (even if you're 12~15), awesome; or if your parents pay for it, cool.
My biggest problem is the payment method, because I have some savings for clothes and accesories, but I can't pay for them (I want paypal T_T). Someday I'll buy her things, but it's not about age.

 

I've been looking at BJDs since I was twelve and always wanted one.
I had the money at the time to buy one, but decided I should probably wait until I've done some research.
I'm fourteen now and I'm ready to order one. I'm selling GameCube games on e-bay and some other stuff I don't touch.
If that, my birthday, and Christmas don't pull in enough money than I can always get a summer job and do texture packs.

I say that only people who are mature enough to handle, save up for, and take care of BJDs should get them. But I don't really think anyone under ten should get one...
And I'm drawing the line at ten just because I know some ten-year-olds who have it together and are just amazing at keeping things in good condition. But there's always the exceptions, even for older people interested in BJDs.

 

When I was a kid I knew quite a few people that owned porcelain dolls. I didn't like them, but I understood that they were fragile and that touching them was not a good idea. Even though the daughters that were younger and older than me would handle them sometimes (occasionally roughly) I still wouldn't go near them. I was between nine and eleven when I used to stay at one of their homes after school while my mum was at college. If I had a BJD at that age I'dve been too scared to do anything with it in case I damaged it beyond repair. But I didn't have to worry about that. Volks was only just making BJDs when I was 9. Had no idea they even existed.

But it doesn't seem logical to worry about all children being irrisponsible with BJDs, anyway. They can look after small animals, kittens and puppies and be okay. BJDs are a lot tougher than most small living things commonly kept as pets. Tell a child they have to be careful, explain why and if they can't make the connection between damaging the doll, the amount of money it's worth, why that is a big deal and the high risk of not getting another one if they don't look after it then they clearly can't have one. If they do understand, it should be obvious. Praise that kid and help them pick one out. They deserve it. Lol.

 

Okay, different kind of doll, but same kind of story.
I started off this hobby with Jun Planning dolls. That's also how I made my first friends in the doll-world, even though we've pretty
much all gone to BJD's now. And one of the friends I know from there told me this:
She had a few Pullips, which she'd given new eyechips and wigs and gave them really nice, cute clothes. Her family knows about
her hobby, and so her aunt does too. So my friend showed one of her dolls to her aunt and her aunt's daughter, who's 8 years old
and an only child. My friend says the girl always gets whatever she wants. So the girl was like 'OOOOH, mommy I want one!"
even though she had no idea what kind of doll a Pullip was and how to take care of them or whatsoever. But my friend's aunt
got her one anyway. And I believe the doll the girl wanted ended up in a corner after a few weeks.

 

hehe... I have a 4 yr old daughter, and she absolutely /adores/ my dolls. To the point I'm actually thinking of buying her one of the cheaper ones for christmas. Of course it'd be joint care, and she'd not be able to bring the doll into her room (which.. as she puts it 'she loves her messy room' ) But to have tea parties, and to play together where I can make sure she's not being harsh. She's already understanding not to touch their faces, and that they can break to don't be rough. So I'm okay with joint play.. as we already play for hours of the day with my MSD and one of her plushies.

 

Being grown up isn't the same as being an adult...

Age isn't really so much the issue (one we get the past the whole "motor skills developement" business, of course). It depends more on a person's maturity and personality. For example, my summer job is at a "wild west" theme park. A lot of the older employees and guests make me cringe on a daily basis. However, just last week I got into a conversation with a ten-year-old boy about - ready for it? - the ethical issues with capital punishment. He was the most mature and intelligent person I'd seen at that park in four years!

Story time aside, I'm not sure there is a "too young." If a child has been raised and taught to be responsible and careful (and doesn't expose the doll to other people who are not so responsible and careful; I hated you, middle school, and high school too, really) then there is no reason why that child shouldn't have a BJD.

 

I've always been mature for my age, so I can agree on that age is definitely not a measurement of maturity (I argue about this a lot with people, actually), but.

When I first heard about these dolls, I was... 10? 12? Anyway, pretty young. Not that I'm very old now, but I can say that then I was too young. I didn't fully understand these dolls, I just saw how pretty they were, and couldn't even properly comprehend the price. Or should I say, especially the price was something I couldn't fully understand. Also there's this little detail as being able to handle this kind of business, money-wise. I don't think an underaged person has so-called "full access" to their money, at least I don't. It's probably not the same for everyone, but I have limitations, and for a young person it's harder to make money, especially when you're a teenager and other fees start surfacing (for example many seem to move away from home and school becomes more expensive and stuff.)

But yeah, I agree that it depends on the person. Personally, I'm not sure if I would trust a, say 10 year old with BJDs, but I know there are some 11~12 year old people who handle this business with great responsibility and care.

 

Age and maturity are certainly not directly linked. I know that there are some full grown adults who are not mature enough to treat other's property with care and respect.

That said, I'd probably not allow any very young child (7 or youger) handle my breakables. If they were a little older, and showed respect for things and had the ability to handle them with care, I would, but only with supervision. I'm touchy about my things and I don't like them being handled carelessly. I also have unfortunately encountered many more careless (dare I say wreckless) children who have no respect for people's property. So, my general opinion on children is that they are not to be trusted. I *know* that there are some very well behaved kids out there, thanks to the few good parents who are also out there. But, they seem to be all too few and far between for me to trust a child with anything remotely breakable.

 

I would just like to say, that the choice in doll can play a big big part in the success of giving one to a very young person. My daughter has several BJDs and she is only 2! But these dolls were especially chosen for their durability and their simplicity of their joints. Orientdoll Tae, who she calls Jake, has been wired, and I glue in the eyes and seal the headcaps on with tape. He has been toted all around the house, and his solid torso makes sure that he's never 'bitten' her. The other one is a DZ 60cm girl. She plays with 'Naomi' in a different way, and doesn't carry her around as much because of the heft, but likes to put shoes on and off her feet, and serve tea to her, things like that. Naomi has fallen off tables, been dropped, been dragged, and has never broken, and even her face-up is fine, and she touches it plenty. Naomi's chest joint bit her once, but beyond that, she's been an incredibly durable and suitable doll for a young person. She has a minifee girl that she likes to play with, too, but the feet have come off /several/ times, so I wouldn't recommend that one. The mini size dollmore I had for a while was also incredibly durable. Teenie gems from SOOM, once wired, are also very good! If you are thinking of the cost, then consider some of the anthros by DollFactory. You need to tape on the headcap, but beyond that, they are fully strung and solid torso, so very very good, and only run like $100.

 

I started saving when I was 14, almost 15, and when I turned 15 I bought my DD Yukino. I'm 16 now, and I think at an elementary school age, even if they saved on their own..it would be a rediculous idea because of the hefty price..but in middle school or higher and willing to save instead of try and force their parents to buy it would probably do fine with a BJD. 12 and up seems like an adequate age in general. At least the kid won't try and eat the parts..like the hands.

 

oh thanks! wonderful suggestions ^.^ me and her go dolly hunting from time to time and I must say, she's incredibly picky ^^. I'm going to see how she handles the MNF and pukipuki I'm getting to see on sizes for her. She wont pick up my SD because hes 'to big' but loves having him at the table for tea ^.^ And loves totting about my MSD.

We'll definitely check out dollfactory!

 

Most kids stop trying to eat small objects by 2-4 years old. Really BJD's are not much more expensive (if at all) than many of the electronics commonly purchased for kids in elementary grades and even younger. They make special hand held game systems for toddlers now. It is not at all uncommon for kids as young as 5 to have Nintendo DS, not a cheap toy and easily broken if improperly handled. The games alone quickly add up to more than the cost of a doll. My 9 year old has as much invested in his DS and games as I do in many of my dolls. The DS alone runs more than what I paid for the doll I purchased for him for his birthday (it was a hand me down from his older cousin so was actually free to us but I am considering the price if we had purchased it at the store). I can understand why parents would not want to spend this sort of money on a child's toy, but by comparison the price of a doll is not so extreme.

 

I agree with what you mean about the price comparison. But I think that because of the social environment that kids are brought up in, electronics are seen as 'necessity' within society. (I am not saying that everyone thinks that they have to have the latest electronics etc, just that it is a part of the current social climate that electronics are seen as an everyday, needed thing). I think that we don't see dolls as such a big cost because we have become acclimatized to the fact that things are expensive. I know that my parents can't fathom spending as much as I do (or my partner does) on dolls, because they don't see them as necessary. Next to a doll, a DS or similar console can often seem educational. Nintendo makes a lot of money of the games that they market as educational games. Even 'non-educational' games can be educational - my partner plays things like WoW and SoulStorm (at least that is what the icons say on the desktop!) and he is incredibly good at maths in his head, because mid-game he can't stop to work out how many resources he needs next turn, and he also has an eye for detail from staring at the tiny little maps. For me, I personally see dolls as equally educational, especially BJDs, because they can teach about mechanics, and tension, and other things to do with physics (I actually failed physics, I didn't get a doll till afterwards!)
I also think about the 'mess' aspect of the dolls. I mean, when I was little my dad didn't want us to have a cat or dog until my sister was older (I was 5, and dad wouldn't get one til my sister was 3, she is 3 years younger) because he wanted to wait until she knew how to behave with animals properly, and my mum agreed. So I was allowed goldfish. And the thing with goldfish is the mess is very contained. They stay in the tank, and all the accessories can fit easily into a box or drawer, and are unlikely to end up strewn across the house. Where as a cat or dog will have toys everywhere. A DS or console game is a little like the goldfish - all the pieces generally stay around the console, or in a bag or case with the DS. With dolls, especially if you are like me, there are heaps of clothes, and no matter how well you try you can't always keep track of all of them! So that can also be a real issue with parents, because no one likes standing on a dollie shoe in the middle of the night!

 

Well, 12 isn't that young. And it really depends on the kid and their maturity. Age really shouldn't matter as long as they can take care of the doll.