Treat dolls like children, friend, or simply just as an inanimate object?

They are my kids, but I wouldn't talk to my real children like I talk to them (if I had any). I don't mean only things like "please, don't throw away your hair again" or "let me fix your eyes with a make-up sponge in your brain" but things I wouldn't say to people who can tell it forward. But they're my children, definitely.

 

I know that my doll are inanimate objects, but I like talk to them and hang out with them like they are my friend. I mean, I buy my dolls for the artistic aspect of customizing and what not. But I just think it's fun to talk with them and play with them in my spare time. Like, I'll bring out my Avery and let her sit next to me while I play video games or paint something. She is just my little companion, really. :3 I mean, I put a lot of time, effort and money into them. And when you put a lot of effort into something, I would imagine that whatever it is would mean something to you and that you would like to interact with it in a way.
I don't consider them my children or anything, but there is nothing wrong with people who do either.

 

I treat my dolls as expensive inanimate objects to the point that people might say I treat them as real kids. I take good care of them and I'm cautious with them, I wouldn't do certain things to them. I also refer it as a he or she not it. But I don't think I could ever think of them as real living things, like a pet or friend no matter how realistic it is and I've had very realistic dolls before but I just can't bring myself to do it.

 

I treat all my important processions minus electronics for some reason (plushies, dolls, plants) as something more than inanimate. Not fully like a person but not fully as something lifeless, its an odd relationship I share with my doll. I take him almost everywhere I go minus to really crowded public places with crazy teenagers (which would be work and school). I even have a routine with him, such as putting him in PJs and then to bed, and then getting him out of bed and dressing him in clothes. I don't physically talk to him as often, I end up talking to myself a lot with or without an object to direct the conversation too anyways.

But I don't really mind how other people treat their objects, though I'd be concerned if they were willing to spend that amount of money and then just chuck the poor thing into the garbage...More concerned for the owner's well being and their understanding of money though.

 

I think of my dolls as perhaps... my brain children - physical manifestations of my imagination. I do have a certain attachment to them, I feel that I breathed life into them in a way, by choosing their face-up styles, wigs, eyes and making their clothes which gave them their individual personalities. It is a nice little fantasy world to play in! So I guess I probably treat them like children, in so much as I'll give them a pat on the head and some kind words if I 'hurt' them or give them a little cuddle if they look 'sad'. They are not replacements for real human interaction though and I'm aware that their 'feelings' are solely what I project on them.

 

i don't have a doll yet but i think i'm gonna treat him like my own child , even though i knew that he is inanimate objects

its fun to have a little fantasy in life like thinking that they are alive and talking back (in my brain)

 

I know they are just dolls but I treat them with love and care and not only for be expensive. I play role games and draw so my dolls represent my characters so somehow they are "my children" in an artistic way. I like to buy and make clothes for them and care about their look. They have their own personalities as characters. They are just an object but that doesn´t means to not be important for me.
About how others treat their dolls... each one do what they want with their properties. Sometimes is sad because you see something so expensive and beautiful treated without care, but is their doll, not mine if they don´t care about it is their problem.

 

I don't have a doll yet either but I think I might do the same thing with mines. The reason why I would do that is because, it would be fun to me. I like to write stories so to me, having a doll and treating it like a child might help with my creativity and my imagination. I already know it's a doll but it doesn't have to stay just a doll if I at least treat it that way. If that makes sense.

Also, I think it depends on the person's taste. Like what Alia said about giving them character since she role-plays, and what Nami13 said about having an imagination when you play with them. It really depends on the person.

 

Ok, so I will definetly fall into the "inanimate object" group. Heck, I have 11 dolls and gave up even trying to name them after the 3rd or 4th! I don't buy dolls based on characters or backstories (I am not that creative in that sense); I simply buy what strikes my fancy, though I will put a significant weight on the body of the doll. The ability of a doll to stand/pose/hold a pose can and has pushed me to buy one doll over another (hello Fairyland vs Bluefairy). My dolls and my wife's dolls mainly just sit on our shelves in the computer room and look pretty between doll meets (to be fair to her she at least names them... even if she has to look at her DOA profile to remember their names from time to time!)

However, after reading a fair number of posts, I do believe the "inanimate object" or "expensive inanimate object" classification is a bit misconstrued. I think that their proptional humanoid form alone should account for some closer attachment than to a different object, regardless of value. For example, our recently purchased Kholer jacuzzi tub classifies as an "expensive inanimate object" (it does put things in perspective when I realize I spent more on my DOD E-an than that tub cost -_- ) and I can freely say that I love it, but regardless of my lack of emotional ties to my dolls, they do mean more to me in some fundamental way than the tub does.

Anyway, enough rambling!

 

I'm going to go with option D! Not children, friend, or inanimate object, my dolls are inspiration! I'm a natural born story teller and reenacter. They give me all kinds of different ideas :3 plus I talking to them, just like I talk to my cat, knowing plan well that I'll never get a response but happy that the silence of crafting was broken ^_^ Hazah!

 

I treat them as inanimate objects, but there is a higher level of attachment because they are realistic and human-like, as Gravmatrix said. I do not consider them to be my children or my friends, but I think it's fun to think about what they would be like if they were real. I treat them gently because they are special to me, most of them are limited editions and it would be hard to replace them.

 

Hit the nail on the head. This is exactly how I feel towards my dolls as well.

 

I treat them like works of art, but I think it's ok for other people to treat them like children. Every once in awhile I see something in the store and say "Arlette would like that" ... meaning I would like to see it on my doll or see my doll with it. So I think the outside world could easily confuse me for someone who's gone off her rocker.

 

I realize my dolls are inanimate but they bring out my inner self and the child in me, they bring about joy, they are works of art and at the same time - toys. Yes I play with them - I take pleasure in having them look just right. I love them, I admire them, I enjoy them - I talk TO them (but note WITH them!). Yes I would miss them if I lost them but not in the same way as I would a family member or friend. Dolls are an important part of my life - but not my whole life. .... Glad to be here with other doll friends... Lucy

 

I treat my dolls like my little children lol. But I do tend to neglect them when I am busy. But it doesn't change how much I love them! I think it's fine how any other BJD owner treats their dolls, either as children, friends or just something they love to collect.

 

I treat my dolls like kids or friends in that I talk to them sometimes, make sure they get enough attention and see distinct personalities in them. I know rationally that they're objects - but personally I don't get enjoyment out of thinking of them as such.

 

All the talk of dolls representing characters is very interesting to me, especially when the character is an entity separate from the doll. I've never considered this before. I'll be thinking about that more in the near future. For me, the character has always been built from my interactions and imaginings that occur while playing with or photographing the doll.

In the doll community I'm used to, people just refer to doll's owners as their "moms" or "dads" but it's kind of vague as to what degree this is serious or playful. I guess it's more of a caretaker position, with the doll being a unique beautiful thing that should be taken care of.

I do tend to want to "rescue" dolls that need to be "fixed" or restored, and though I tend to want to fix things in general, I think this tendency is a bit closer and feels more tender to me because the dolls are made in the image of people or animals and tend to develop personalities in my mind through my interactions with them. I am a customizer, and a customizer is a kind of artist, and most artists must interact very closely with and even develop a relationship with their "'work" or "creations."

Of course, I have the disclaimer that I do know that my dolls are objects made of plastic or resin or wood or whatever substance they're made of. I leave them lying around undressed, in awkward positions, and so forth, if I'm called away or distracted and don't feel bad about it in the least. When I'm interacting with them, however, I do treat them with a great deal of love and care, and I can sometimes get quite attached to them (sometimes I don't).

 

My dolls are inanimate objects to me, but they're also representations of characters I create. I love writing, drawing, and creating stories, and BJDs are just another extension of that.

 

Don't know if any of you will find this interesting...

I first got into the hobby for the art. I did the plunge to get a doll when I felt I NEEDED to be in the presence of an inanimate object that resembles a human. Why? Things were really stressful at work. There was a weird twist in psychology where I just needed to get home, look/play with my doll, who wouldn't retort, give me attitude, or piss me off and then I'd proceed to enjoy my evening doing other stuff.

I also have a large figurine collection. It's really not the same as dolls. However I see them as 'representations of mini people, realistic or not, that give a certain illusion of 'presence''. I've always been a very solitary person, but I guess everyone needs some kind of presence.

Now I have plans to move somewhat far away: From East Coast Canada to West Coast USA (Seattle).
While I am reducing my collection, I consider it important for me to bring some of my 'inanimate' friends over to this new city, away from what I've known most of my life. Why? Because they'll help it feel at home. You know what they say "Home is where the heart is". I left a part of my heart in Seattle when I first visited, I will help bring part of 'Montreal' with me by bringing some of my 'friends' with me, because the animate one's can't follow me anyway! :P
I do love my dolls, but in the end they are inanimate objects and it's clear to me. Fantasy and art IMO is essential to maintain a good level of sanity.

 

I know from comments I recived on one of my videos on youtube and what one commenter mentioned, that some dolly owners consider a bad faceup as child abuse.

As for me, they sit in the bookcase/entertainment center as ornaments that I take out occassionally to change their hair,eyes, and clothes for photos. I have found myself talking to them like how i make small comments to my dog or when i yell at a video game or talk to the people in a movie for being stupid. example is when I am putting the doll back I say something like "I am going to have to get you a new wig/outfit" or if they slide down from their chairs i say sorry. I live in a building where theres a girl who talks to her Ozzy doll as a real person and jokes that its her boyfriend, because of her some of my neighbores think I might be like that.