What do you love about the hobby?

My photos as well as my dear friends who I met through the hobby. I was pretty much in love with dolls, but all the last dolls weren't sparking my imagination. Then in late 2006 a girl on another doll forum posted stories with these ball jointed dolls of hers. I asked via private messages on the site a bunch of questions and by Jan of 2007 I had my first bjd thanks to Denver Doll. Now over 13 years later, and buying and selling over 600 dolls I am forever hooked. I used to think about how much money I spent and fact is I don't have any other hobbies, I don't wear makeup, buy fancy expensive clothes for me or spend money on anything else for myself and these dolls give me joy. If you don't love the dolls then not for you, but if you're careful with what you buy and feel good playing with them then the money shouldn't matter.
If you ever want to just chat, I am always checking in here. Hugs, Marie

 

A big part is that i have dolls who i love to have around, whether they are chillin on their sofa or stands or beside me. it could be awhile before i do anything with them, but they are like Art to me. A lot of money, dedication and skill went into them whether its molding them from the company, painting, and even dressing them can be entertaining.

besides hanging out with them, i do find new pictures kinda spark an interest whether they are inside or out and i also love that i have friends from this hobby as well. its harder to do things now with the virus and all, but theres still places to go that you can be away and be safe.

it can be expensive, definitely, but maybe cut down or back, and if theres some you dont find your loving, put them away for a bit and sell them if you need to. I spent a lot on my boys and girls, but in the end, if im not happy about something, i will change one thing each time to get to where my hobby needs to be.

Sometimes the biggest thing you can do for your hobby is take a break, and when you come back, your dolls will be waiting for you too. ive been in the hobby about 15 years or so and i find that its useful to take a break and let them sit around until i feel i need to do something with them.

 

I like that you can explore creativity in multiple facets in this hobby.
sculpting dolls whether by hand or digitally with a 3d printer, painting/coloring faces/bodies/eyes, wig making, sewing clothes, fashion/outfit coordination, prop making by hand/3dprinting, imagine/write stories about your doll characters, photography/digital editing, using your doll as models for drawing/painting, shelling existing characters from shows or book or OC ones, and probably more that I can't think of off the top of my head.

Personally I've done doll making/sculpting digitally with a 3d printer, faceups and a single attempt in making resin eyes.
I aspire to: shell Chihiro from Spirited Away soon and thus also try my first attempt at sewing for that cosplay; get more into 3d printing and finish up a doll and if I get a personal 3d printer, make props; and learn photography to take nice doll pics.

 

What I love about it is, is like having my own children...taking care of them, dressing them. I love it!

 

I echo EvangeladeLeon, I see my dolls as my children. I love seeing them nicely dressed and posed, although some of them still have on Christmas dresses (laugh).

I have found that I approach things I like as if they are "mysteries to be solved" (I blame Nancy Drew for that). When I decided I wanted a BJD, I wanted to learn all I could about BJDs.

What I like about the hobby is that I can play and learn about dolls.

 

I've had an interest in the hobby for almost 20 years now and been a BJD owner for just over 12 years, and this hobby has lasted longer than every other hobby I've ever had except for video gaming. Stuff I love about this hobby:

• The creativity of buying essentially a blank slate and truly making it yours. No other doll hobby I've ever been in has given me this much creative freedom.
• Dollmeets! Many of my current friends are people I met through doll meets.
• BJD Roleplay. Many other friends are people I met from roleplaying my doll characters with theirs. It helps me hold interest in my dolls by having an ongoing story with others.
• Clothing and accessories. Shopping for things for my dolls is one of my favorite aspects of the hobby, I love putting them in clothes I love but would never wear myself.
• faceups. I've been doing faceups since I got my first doll and I love painting them and making them my own.
• Creating characters for them. It kind of goes along with the RP aspect, but this is something you can do even without roleplay or writing stories. I have character sheets for them with everything from their families to their height/weight to fears to favorite foods and more.
• Photography and sharing photos on social media with other hobbyists.
• Sewing and crafting. I hate sewing for humans, but making stuff for dolls is more fun and it's always exciting to see the finished product.
• Handling them when I'm upset creates a positive distraction and helps lighten my mood and release stress.

I'm sure there's more I'm not thinking of at the moment, but I can't see myself ever leaving the hobby entirely. Even if I do cut back drastically on my crew, I don't think I'll ever entirely quit.

 

I'm still fairly new to actually collecting and being active in the hobby, but I absolutely love seeing everyone's photos of their dolls and taking some myself. This community is really awesome as well! I love that we can all join together to appreciate this art form. Seeing my dolls also just sparks a lot of joy inside me, seeing how gorgeous they all are has made every penny worth it. It also allows me to be crafty, I learned a lot of new skills from this hobby and am actually using my sewing machine! I love how active being into dolls has made me.

 

The dolls themselves. If I sit and look at them...they just fill my heart with something special, like a little fluttery rush, and I feel very lucky.

 

I love customizing them, and if I'm bored I can start all over.

 

I love the creativity of this hobby and how each individual doll can be absolutely anything you can possibly dream of. I’ve been in this hobby since 2006, and my fascination with it has truly never waned. I am constantly inspired and artistically motivated by the things I see here on DoA, which keeps the hobby continuously fresh for me. There’s always something new to learn, to try, to discover. The minute I found out about these dolls, I jumped right in, recognizing immediately that this was the perfect hobby for me and I’ve never been disappointed. My home is now filled with “friends” and fantasy everywhere I look, and I couldn’t be happier. Any amount of money spent is well worth the joy it’s brought me.

 

To remain positive, I sometimes just take a break. I leave the dolls on a shelf that I see every day, and I just let them chill there. I maybe look at them every so often, but I do other stuff rather than drown in doll-related things. I also try not to focus on the fact that I have six [nearly seven] dolls whose combined worth would probably pay for a new car or that dream holiday.

When it comes to the subject of the question; where do I begin? I love that they are that accessible, or not, at times. They're there, but they can be just sitting on a shelf for when you're ready again. I love the inspiration they have given me with my stories and creativity. Some of mine are characters of my creation, from stories that I'm in the process of writing. I should maybe write the stories to completion, then get a doll or two of my favourite characters to celebrate. Instead of getting the doll before the story is done. But, I adore how I can try a certain hair colour or style and see just how well that face-shape or eye colour suits it. I can try outfits and clothing combinations, for either scene ideas [matching sweatpants for a couple could mean it's laundry day in front of the TV, for example]. They are my writing prompts sometimes.

I love the 'companionship'. Even when they're just on their shelves, I get a sense of company. It might sound pathetic to some, but it's just the little faces as they sit there. Not that I've got them staring at me. I sit on my bed most times, so I don't want the dolls looking as though they watch me sleep when the light goes off at night. But, they're there for when I need them. As it's always been. My first doll, I've told this time and again, came in just after my mum got out of hospital after a tough illness. His order process was my distraction through that. Then, I came back in 2016 after a break, after losing the last of my three pet rats. Now, while we're in lockdown, I'm somewhat thankful I have them for a bit of a different hobby. As opposed to being stuck with just my writing or just my dolls, I can switch between them. I can change up the dolls' looks for variety. Though, the last couple of days, they've been sitting around in the same outfits for about a week or two now.

 

Dear ivorysand, I echo your thoughts. My dolls are my companions also. I love looking at their sweet faces.

When I go into the doll room (well, it's kind of the "junk" room right now), I always say "hello girly girls." Then I have to say, "hello man and boy." because I do have one of each.

I can take a doll out of the case and hold her and talk with her and feel her comfort.

 

I adore the DIY aspects of the hobby. Though I rarely mod or do esthetics, I enjoy seeing what other people do. When I left BJDs for a few years to concentrate on other dolls, the "buy all the things" culture was disappointing. I'd rather hang out with those who love to create.

 

I'm into diy and arts and crafts, and I love how many elements of that tie into doll customization. Painting, sewing, sculpting, wig making... the list goes on. It feels like tons of hobbies cross over with customization and the doll is a great way to exercise all of them. I also love the feeling of bringing a character of mine to life. I don't think I can really explain the gratification of seeing something I made in my head brought into reality, either piece by piece or in full finished form. And, well, they're never really finished for me as the characters are always changing. But that keeps it fresh and engaging. There's always something to fiddle with and always a reason to pick the doll back up.

 

One of the things I love most about the hobby is how much it inspires me to be artistic and crafty. I often find myself thinking or even telling my fiancé about how glad I am that I have a hobby that keeps me so motivated to continue crafting and making art. Though I have maaany years of experience sewing, I started not sewing or doing any kind of crafting, due to a lack of motivation (and a bit of depression I've been dealing with for almost my entire life). However, after getting into the bjd hobby, I found a new inspiration and motivation to actually start making things again. It helped me remember how much I love sewing, and now if I'm having a bad day I find myself sewing nonstop for my dolls and it really helps bring my mood up.

Another, probably less relatable, reason I love the hobby is that it gives me a way to express myself as a trans man. While I know many trans-masc individuals have no qualms wearing "feminine" clothes, I don't quite have the confidence for that myself. That being said, I love any kind of beautiful gown and especially historical dresses. Having BJDs gives me a way to sort of live vicariously through my dolls and make all sorts of gowns and other "feminine" outfits for them that I wouldn't have the confidence to wear myself. This makes each of my dolls very special to me and I really enjoy having a hobby that's special to me in that way.

 

I love how there is always someone there willing to answer your questions. I ignore the meany heads.

 

I love the community as well as the artistic expression of the dolls themselves. I feel as though it is a great outlet for me. Even when I think of leaving I always find myself coming back

 

I love the dolls themselves. There's so much variety in size, sculpt, etc. Seeing how much work artists put into sculpting and creating these beautiful works of art. I also love the creative aspect of the hobby. My favorite part is figuring out how each doll will look and putting together their name/character/personality/background and possible story (if I decide to write one).

Even though I don't sew or craft myself, the DIY aspect of the hobby is another great part of it. I really enjoy seeing what others in the hobby create. I've seen so many people create beautiful dioramas, clothes, wigs, etc.

 

For me, it's the creativity and how pretty the dolls are even without faceup and customization. The possibility to make my OCs and pre-existing characters from books/movies/mythology instead of ending up with frequently sub-par action figures is what brought me to the hobby, I think.

I don't really feel regret because the dolls are pretty much the only expensive things I'm spending money on. I don't feel any need to visit exotic places on the opposite side of Earth. I don't smoke, don't go to a club or bar each Friday, don't hunt for the newest tech as long as I don't need it for my work...Then why shouldn't I have an expensive hobby?

I think we shouldn't feel guilty about something we enjoy especially if the hobby is harmless and we paid for stuff we need.