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

I see and treat my dolls like the expensive art pieces that I spent $$$$ money on.

 

I'd say kind of a mix of all of those, or whatever I want at the time! Probably the closest thing I can compare it to are fictional characters that I really love. I call them my babies, think of them as a friend, may find them attractive, and know they're not real all at the same time. So if I'm really into it at the time I'll baby them or talk to them. But at the end of the day they are inanimate objects who don't really need that. They're just really precious ones

 

Inanimate objects. They are inanimate objects I like very much and I don't intend to let go of them any time soon but they are still inanimate objects. They are nothing whatsoever like children; I've got one of those already, I don't need more.

 

Hm, I guess you could say that I view them as my wards and I'm their housemother? :/ Like, they have a certain degree of "independence" from me--since it's not like they need me to make sure they're fed on a daily basis like a kid or a pet--but I'm there when they need me for maintenance, clothes changes, etc. This also fits better with their personalities for the most part, since save for Abby they're all headstrong but dysfunctional individuals. XD

 

To me they are inanimate objects that can pique your imagination and works of art fantasy and beauty. I have animals and enough other people to where they are my outlet to relax and get away from the norm of the world

 

Let's see here, I know my dolls are just dolls, and for the most part I treat them as such. But I do enjoy spoiling them with new clothes and things, and I typically refer to them when talking as one might refer to their friend (in an endearing manner, if that makes sense). So I guess it's a little bit of both!

 

Even I "play" with them changing clothes, taking pictures, creating stories and other things, dolls are it's just an inanimate objects for me.

 

not sure, i will talk to them sometimes, but it is just like little girl playing toys? i will call them son but i know deep inside they arent real( thats mean i wont have fantasy that they will move theirselves or have feelings

 

I treat my dolls as dolls. I like them a lot, even love them, but I know they are not living creatures. As a mother I can say that the way i treat my kid and the way I treat my dolls are completely different. Nothing like each other at all. Still I like to buy things for this doll hobby and I like to spend a lot of time on it, but that is not because I consider them to be anything else than objects, that's just because I actually enjoy spending time on them.

 

Expensive inanimate objects, that's I care about alot because of their value.
I will sometimes 'play' with them and make up stories for them. Pretend I'm their landlady as a joke with my friend but I dont act anything out with them, talk to them (unless they dont want to 'cooperate' when dressing lol) or treat them as if they are alive.

 

On one hand I give them names and basic personalities to go along with their appearances, and I do enjoy their presence and the positive impact they've had on my life. But on the other hand I don't play with them the way I would have played with my toys during my childhood. I like doing faceups and changing their eyes/wigs/clothes and posing them for photo shoots. It's kind of a more low-key artistic thing than a full-on imagination-fest.

Also, I like to call myself a "doll mom" as a joke because I never want to get married or have real children, so I exaggerate a sort of "eccentric spinster" persona because that's the way I perceive myself.

 

I suppose I regard mine as a small companion who sits around with me watching TV or listening to music. She's a doll as opposed to a child but she has a presence and I'm aware of her being there. I do speak to her but it's only mutterings if she won't comply with posing or if I accidentaly knock her. I wouldn't talk to my teapot at all if I knocked it so to me she is slightly more than just an inanimate object but nothing like a child or friend

 

I like to think of the dolls as creatures who live in a single fantasy world, and I put myself in that world sometimes, and other times I just kind of treat myself like god, watching over them lol. In other words, I think of them as people with minds and personalities, but I kind of like to think that they don't even know I'm there. Like they only interact with each other. But they are definitely more than inanimate objects to me.

 

Honestly whenever I talk about my dolls as a whole, I tend to refer to them as my/the kids/children. Which is probably because I've put so much heart into them and their stories and I care for them like a mother? Ish? I don't like calling them 'dolls' or anything similar because it takes away from how real they are to me.

 

For me, it is like a familiar. An inanimate vessel that takes on aspects of my own personality to make sorceries easier. I have a really difficult time conceiving of them as "characters" in their own right.

When I'm thinking about things with my doll, I use the same thought patterns I normally reserve for myself. Certainly not those I use for children or lovers/peers. As a consequence, sometimes I've noticed I get mixed up and start using the pronoun "we" when I'm talking about the dolls, like we are a little collective with myself as the primary reservoir of humanity which is doled out in varying degrees to each of them.

 

I treat em as children... haha i always buy something for em... everytime i go out . and saw small things im like "doll size spoon,pork,table, chair erc. etc" haha

 

They will be special to me, but I'm more attached to te characters they allow me to form in my head then I am the doll. That being said, they are likely the first "luxury" object I would take with me if I had to get out and had time to pack a few things, but they come after the things that keep my self and family safe and comfertable.

I do tend to treat them like little friends on a normal day though, I let them take up space I might otherwise want to use, I talk to them while I work, and they make me smile. ....I will also be spending more on them then I spend on anything for myself... but I guess that's still me spending money for myself. xD

 

Well! I find all these different perspectives most intriguing!

Personally, I don't have any dolls yet, but I have never been the kind of person to get too attached to things, even to toys. Sometimes I wish I was more emotional in that sense! When I was a child my siblings would have special toys that they had a real emotional connection to and saved and cherished over the years, but not me.

To me, it was always about story and artistic expression. My favorite doll as as child was a Mulan Barbie with elbows and knees that would bend. I basically shaved her head and then made her various yarn wigs and different clothes to represent whatever character I was interested in at the time. SHE wasn't as special to me as the characters she represented (from books and my imagination) were. And I obviously didn't preserve her as a specific doll, since I have to idea what happened to her!

Consequently, my interest in ball-jointed dolls isn't related to play as much as to art. I don't want them to just sit on the shelf doing nothing, but what I really want is to make them beautiful. I don't feel particularly beautiful myself (from an aesthetic point of view) and so it has always made me happy to draw / sew / otherwise create beauty to share with other people.

When I do own a doll or dolls, she'll be a character in her own world, not a child or a friend. If I can associate her with stories (and find motivation for my writing) hooray! If not, she'll be her own character, and I'll be able to reproduce that character in other mediums (for example, drawings) if I wish.

Most of the art I create is made to be sold. I sell my paper dolls, embroidery, etc. I love to make gifts for my family and friends. With my doll/dolls, I think it would be nice to create some art to keep. I kind of have to give myself "permission" to do that, so it's a bit scary and strange, but fun at the same time!

Side note: I think cats and dogs deserve to be talked to - they can sense a lot of affection from your tone of voice! And they definitely have personalities. I know some cats that are very sweet, gentle, and peaceful, and then, on the other hand, my family has this little tyrant queen who insists on ALL the attention.

[sorry for the looong post]

 

I don't have a doll yet but I could see myself both talking to them but also treating them like inanimate objects. I tend to talk to my laptop like it's real but I don't treat it like a child.

 

Because of the care involved in dolls, I physically handle them like children (ie. brushing hair, putting clothes on, hugging, etc.), but for the most part I see them as inanimate objects. I do talk to them directly, like when I see someone else's doll and say, "Holy crap, you're so adorable!" However, if I drop my own doll, I react the same way as I do when I drop my phone- panic for one second, then check for scratches/dirt, clean it up, and it's back to normal. I don't own any limited dolls or fullsets so I'm not particular worried