What doll got you into the hobby?

The first one to intrigue me was an Angel Region Lillica belonging to an online friend. But the first one I couldn't get out of my mind was was another one of hers, a Dollstown Seola who I was smitten with at first sight. I was accustomed to fashion dolls with their cheery (sometimes manically cheerful) expressions and I couldn't get this somber little girl out of my mind. I was lucky enough to bring her home about eight months later and I still have her almost ten years later.

 

Here’s a response full of irony. The doll who got me into the hobby, the first doll I ever ordered, I STILL AM WAITING FOR. Still waiting almost four years later. Have you figured out which company it is??? If you guessed DOLLSHE you would be correct!!!! I ordered a Dollshe Diana in honey resin, sapphire blue, and paid in full. So yeah, I’ll probably never get her and it’s too late to get my $$$ back. First, I waited a year, then two, then Dollshe stopped making honey resin, but said they’d still make mine, then stopped making fantasy colors, insisted he’s still going to honor my order, then stopped responding entirely. And here I am. Still waiting. Luckily, now I’ve amassed about 30-40 other dolls from about 15 great companies with 4-8 month waits. I can do those standing on my head after Dollshe. And still I wait for Diana. Someone should make a book called “We Waited for Dollshe”

 

I'm in the same boat. Been waiting for a Saint for over two years. I've accepted I won't get him and now looking at other dolls to replace him

 

Soom Sabik was the first one to catch my eye...it took me a few years, but I did eventually get him.

 

That’s so wrong. This is unacceptable, Dollshe should be ashamed of himself

 

I ALMOST ordered a Saint through Dollshe a few years ago, but chickened out...I JUST got him second hand a few months ago, so I will cross my fingers that you get yours eventually.

 

Yes, I think secondhand is the only option now. I'm not sure exactly where to look though. I don't use social media and from what I understand, many deals take place there now. There's always eBay and other such sites, but I'm unsure how reliable they are.

 

It was, I think, a DoD Shall way back in 200... I want to say 7? I must have stumbled upon the fullset pictures through deviantArt and got sucked into a rabbit hole. I was obsessed with bjds for a few good years, looking at pretty pictures on dA and scrolling through company websites, but as a teen with no money I never managed to buy one. Eventually other priorities took over, I had forgotten all about it by the time I started uni and chugged on with life. At the end-ish of last year I had a project I had to make marionettes for, guess what I checked for inspo? I soon found a doll second hand "just for reference" and well...

I'm so sad that DOD is gone but glad I finally found my way into the hobby 1,5 decades later.

 

I think it was 2006 when I first saw BJD's on Deviant Art...and it was someone with a Dream of Doll Camine. I was blown away by how cool he was but, finances and other things made me take a hard pass....2 years later in 2008 I rediscovered BJD's and became obsessed. I ended up getting many other dolls first, but did finally manage to pick up a Camine of my very own off the secondhand market in 2013, and I'm so glad I did, since DoD is long gone now.

 

I saw Volks Ami Ayase on the cover of a doll magazine at the bookstore, Barnes and Noble!
After that I went down the rabbit hole and ended up staring at the Dream of Doll (RIP) website daily, I really wanted a Si! I actually have never owned either of those dolls! Maybe one day!

 

Hujoo Freya and Freyr got me into the hobby after seeing their customizing video by YouTuber Dollightful. I wish they were still around, though. I've only been able to find one listing on Ebay for a Freya doll.

 

Danny Choo's dolls!

 

I'd seen BJD's a few years before I became interested in them. It was Souldoll Harace that really made me want to get into the hobby in I think 2010, but I didn't get my first doll (a second hand Soom Kremer) until 2015. I did eventually get a Souldoll Harace second hand in 2018, and he even still has the original company faceup I loved so much! To this day he might still be my favorite doll.

 

Iplehouse Cordelia JID. I wanted her for about 6 years before I bought a bjd.

 

Dream of Doll Tender Yen and Twing-key. I had them both, adored them, but moved to 1/3 size not long after and sold them long ago.

I still remember that first wait/arrival though. Pretty magical, honestly.

 

I love how many people have mentioned Dream of Doll here. As for me: Dream of Doll Homme Ducan, I was googling something related to gothic lolita style and I found a picture of him. After that I got more and more into BJDs. I never owned DoD Homme Ducan myself (I got DoD Camine at some point), but he was the doll that got me hooked.

 

Oh, interesting question.

The first doll that ever got me interested in BJD was Dream of Dolls DOT E-an, and to this day I still have a strong soft spot for her. If I ever managed to find her, it would be amazing. Full set version, because it was the full set that got to me.

The first doll I ever bought that made me realize I really liked resin BJDs? It would be my little Resinsoul pup, Basil Vincent. He's just so adorable, and I can hold him in my hand and he makes me smile to look at.

 

3 years ago, I have no knowledge that BJD exists. Then I saw this beautiful male doll on a local shopping site, and I instantly fell in love. I did some research about BJDs, and the rest they say was history. My first BJD was Iplehouse's Bichun FID. He was the one that started it all. I have more than 30 fashion size BJDs from 4 different companies as of this counting. There are more dolls I want to purchase. I am even planning to buy my first SD size BJD.

 

I remember seeing dolls on my Instagram explore page and wondering what they were. I kept going back to them and decided to start researching and here i am now!