Too young for the hobby?

I really don't think there's a 'too young' age, it depends on the maturity of the child

 

As a general rule, I don't give advice unless people seek for advice. One could be well-intentioned, but the advice would be unwelcomed, nevertheless. To be honest, I don't really care if the mother decides to buy her 10 year-old kid a $800 doll. I mean, some people who are brought up in middle-class families (the majority of the population anyway) wouldn't feel it's right to squander money that way. But there are heaps of people who live extravagantly, and it is never too young for their kids to be wearing brands like Chanel or Gucci. They have children ranges! So whatever they do with a $800 doll is really none of my business. I would feel differently, however, if the doll is a living thing. Say, a pet or something.

 

as stated over and over before: it depends on the child.
I'm not going to give an age, I have two kids, one is almost three years old and the other 1,5 years who both repeat the word 'doll' to me when they see my doll, my eldest knows very well not to touch my dolls, but when she's older I may help her get her own doll, once she stops tattooing the barbies and all XD my son is just waaaaay to young to understand, but I smile at his enthusiasm when he sees my kiddelf 8)

Arienh said it really well

 

Everyone talks about this constantly and there is many opinions on it, I however dont care what people do but no one under 13 is going near my dolls ;p

 

Like so many others, I have to agree that it really depends on the person. For instance, my 18-year old niece is about to go away to college, but she defaces everything she has--from her cellphone to her ipod & stereo. She offered to give my dolls tattoos, but no way is she going near them.

If parents don't mind spending hundreds of dollars for an expensive BJD for their kid, then that's their business.

 

I think if the kids are mature enough to handle having a ball jointed doll and care for it properly, I'm for it if you want to take on the responsibility.
These dolls do take a level of maturity to own since they aren't barbie dolls. I think if a child - or more often then none their parent - is able to put out such a large chunk of change for a bjd then they probably think their kids will be able to handle it.

I think kids and teenagers are looked at a bit differently in a hobby like this. Because these dolls are worth so much and have so much customization to them I think people lean the hobby past the younger generation. If you're willing to buy your kid an expensive doll then you're willing to take whatever risk comes of it. :P
I personally wouldn't buy a bjd for a child, but that's just preference. I'm a teenager and am really leery of kids going near my resin lovlies. :P Call it paranoia but if I were going to buy a doll for a child I don't think it would be a ball jointed one.

 

My daughter has been asking for her own Minifee doll and she's five (almost six). She has her own little collection of Ellowyne Wilde dolls and a few hand painted nesting and kokeshi dolls. She's very careful when she handles my dolls, but I think she should be older to have her own. She plays with my pukipuki's all the time and I like that we have dolls as a common interest.

 

You know its not also ALL about personality it can also come down to a matter of interest.
I was ROUGH with most of my toys as a kid and I mean I took those barbies out in the mud and used to have them pretend they were sinking in a bog (oh god those poor barbies) and my room was always a mess, things were on the floor, often I stepped on small cheap plastic pieces (I actually developed a high tolerance for pain because of this) and I'm still a messy person and very rough with some things, it's just who I am.

However I also remember from a very young age when my mother introduced me to books and since I keep my books in perfect condition. Every manga Ive bought (and Ive been buying since I was 10) is in really good shape so far because I keep them neat, on a good shelf, making sure they dont fray, I dont lend them out to often, when friends come over to read them I yell if they leave the book out open (you know face down and what not) and likewise my prized possession at the young age of 8? A copy of Swiss Family Robinson with an inscription to another child dating back to August 26'th 1882. I took such great care of that book, I made sure I never lost a page and I read it over and over again, taking extreme care each time. I still have that book and its in as good (and a little bit better actually since I was able to flatten some of the pages back out) as the day I bought it 8 years ago. (and if your going to ask, traveling Christmas show, it was about 20 bucks ish and not in great shape when we got it. My mom bought it for me since its all in words of 1 syllable with a few exceptions and she knew I wanted something to read besides something like "The cat sat on the mat." )

If you explain to the kid that this doll isnt to be used like some of her cheaper barbies or stuffed toys like my mother did to me with some of her old dolls and the treasured book of mine, and the kids shows interest in the doll and more than just a passing by of "Oh thats pretty I want it." then I think the kid can handle it. Younger ages suer I would give them some help but really it depends on the kid. Some kids may just want a doll they can "play" with so to speak so if you tell them that they could not go romp around with this doll and treat her roughly they will probably grow less interested in it. But this is all just from my experience and when I showed my nephew some of my new toys (50 bucks a piece Buzz and Woody dolls and my 50 dollar gundam model that I built.) I let him play with the buzz and woody even and he loved them and was able to take good care of them like I told him he had to. They came back to me with out a scratch.

 

I too think age and maturity don't always go hand in hand. And some people are just plain clumsy and uncaring of other peoples property. So, I don't think it's my business what people do with their own dolls, but I don't like people of any age touching mine without over my own protective supervision - and sometimes even not then.

 

I think it all depends what you define as a 'the hobby', does that only mean the actual dolls or the social and buying/selling aspects too?
I'm sure there are plenty of younger kids who can take care of a doll fine and appreciate it for what it's worth, though I'm sure there are just as many who can't and frankly the same can be said for adults. I know I wouldn't have trusted myself as a child to look after a $600+ doll, because it was only really after I started earning my own money that I started to really appreciate it's value.
But then when it comes to other aspects of the hobby such as the community and market place I think there's definitely what I'd consider a 'minimum' age. I would never feel comfortable buying from someone under say 15 or 16 regardless of how mature they claim to be because they can't really be held legally responsible should they skip off with my money nor would I feel comfortable going to a meet with younger kids unless they had their parents with them because I don't go to meets to babysit or have my dolls ragged around and put into orgy piles without asking, which has happened in the past and I was far from happy about, I go to meets to hang out with my locals, talk dolls and generally chill out.

 

as so many have said, age and maturity don't go together. also, the relative amount a doll cost varies from person to person depending on the person's ...background and wealth, so to some, maybe the cost of a bjd isn't really that significant.

the thing is though, after reading what River has wrote, if you define the hobby to include the community and marketplace interactions, mentally, all of us probably have a minimum age limit for doll owners. it isn't really just that younger people isn't reliable or that they aren't mature, but that to some extent or another, they are limited by their young age, and maybe there really is a "too young" limit for this hobby.

 

This is how I feel. If someone wants to throw $400+ at a doll for a kid and the kid destroys it thats their choice. I'm not bothered what happens to the doll but I do think it's a waste of money when the kid is too young to really appreciate/fully enjoy the doll. Or worse, their just going to be told they're not allowed to play with it because it's too precious and expensive.
Personally, I think it's waaay too much to spend on a gift for a child, anyway. If in the future I have children and they show an interest in my dolls rather than just buy them one I'd encourage them to save up and offer to help them with money for their their birthday etc. It's not whether they can look after the doll or not, it's just that I feel it's unreasonable to spend that much on a gift for a child.

And aside from the money, like others have said there's a lot to the hobby that younger children wouldnt be able to enjoy - the more tricky customisation, the ordering accessories and clothes off the internet, going to meets. Of course these aren't essential parts of the hobby but they do make it a lot more fun.

 

Too young would be someone who isn't mature enough. What is mature enough ? I do not really know xD
I've seen some people get into the hobby and were really not made for it and most of the time they just end up leaving after some time.
Another thing would be finances. If you cannot buy your own doll, having a parent buy it for you, then I think you should get a job or wait for until you can get your own money.
Age for me as nothing to do with it, its how the person is and having someone wanting a doll because she saw one and thought it was a pretty barbie, should not come into the hobby except if they get seriously in the hobby and research information and not just get it and then forget about it when you dont like it anymore....
I think this hobby should be categorized as a serious hobby.. and not just an "adult" one. When you spend 500~$ on a doll, its not just because you think its a pretty doll.à

But really... they can do what they want, its their problem in the end, but I hope they do not end up come in the community because that is something that would ruin it for me...

 

I am almost 16 and I'm about to order myself 2 (a set) well I'm random and i think I'll be able to handle it ^^ (i did a lot of research) i dont think the age matters too much I'd rather say its the personality as all my friends (random 15-16 year old girls/boys) wouldn't cherish a do like i do and would probably even brake it ppls personalities just vary much .

 

I think that it's up to the little girls mom to decide whether or not her daughter can handle it. I mean if she is willing to fork out the money for the doll I'm sure she understands what her daughter intends to do with it, or might do with it. I know a lot of girls around my area have porceilin dolls that their moms bought for them and those dolls were uber expensive! some of them were allowed to take the dolls down every once in a while with supervision and brush her hair etc. so it could be the mom would treat it like that. At any rate it is ultimately up to the owner of their bjds to do with what they want so if the girl wrecks it she wrecks it.

 

I just think it really comes down to the fact of "Is the child mature enough" and knowing that they will take full responsibility of their actions and knowing what they do to it will be on their hands. I myself have had mothers who asked me about my little dollies and i ALWAYS get asked "do you think my child can handle one" and again i state "is she mature enough?" I really dont have any problem with any child wanting a bjd but if they can handle it then by all means go for it

Edit: but then again I have seen people a little younger than I (I am nearing 25) who mishandle their own dolls so I guess que sera sera lol

 

I don't really know what age is too young but you probably wouldn't want to give a $300 BJD to a toddler. I think that if the kid saves up for it they're mature enough to have a BJD. I'm 14 and I'm saving up for a BJD of my own.

 

I'm fifteen and have been a happy, proud BJD owner for six months. I saved up a bit over half the money myself, but my stepmother and my dad offered to pay the rest one day, so I let them, of course. I first got into the hobby at thirteen, and I'd say that at that age I and many people I knew were mature enough to handle such a doll (or any other such expensive, care-requiring item as a BJD) without any question. So naturally, I'm not terribly keen on the question of "is he/she really old enough to take care of something so expensive, and to appreciate it?" Because as has already been stated, it really depends on the child's maturity, not on their age. I would trust my almost-four-year-old niece with my girl in a heartbeat; she's the most trustworthy, caring, careful kid I know, despite her age, and I really feel that if she ever took an interest in BJDs, the hobby would be great for her.
Alternately, I wouldn't trust my not-quite-thirty year-old aunt with my camera, (Which is a surprisingly-sturdy Rebel) let alone my doll. She's family and I love her to death, but really, she doesn't take good enough care of her own things, (Exempting clothing. /: ) for me to trust her with mine.

 

Well, I'm 14 and I take care of my bjd just fine. I don't think you can judge maturity by age. For example, I resaerch and save my own money for my dolls. My friend however --she has some japanese fashion dolls like mine-- is the opposite. She has two dolls, and her mom paid for both of them. She never researched them and she doesn't bother to learn anything about them, she just got them because they're "cute" and because I have them. Since they didn't cost her money, she doesn't mind mistreating them. She even mistreats MY dolls because she doesn't know their worth. It bothers me to no end.

And this may be off topic, but when I see parents of my online doll friends drop $400 on a bjd for them, it annoys me so much. Firstly because I'm just plain jealous, but secondly because it's unlikely they'll realize the worth of the doll and treat it right.

 

Well, in my opinion this hobby is pretty self-containing for that. Because these dolls are so expensive, the types of kids that play with a doll for 2 weeks and throw it aside would never be able to get one, as they couldn't afford it themselves and usually the parents aren't willing to drop that much for a precious doll. The few young'uns that manage to surpass that are usually pretty mature, allowing them the dedication and patience to save for a doll and get one or smooth-talk their parents into getting one. I'm only 13, but I used old birthday money combined with painful saving...