What's your hobby story?

In my childhood I collected stuffed animals but hated dolls. I found them creepy D: and to be honest I still find several porcelain dolls creeptastic. Several years ago I attended an anime convention and saw some BJDs for the first time, and was awed by the creativity and difference in style and detail of their outfits. I only really started collecting BJDs early this year after saving up and I haven't even received my first doll and I'm already looking at more <.<

 

I'm another one who hated dolls as a child. I was very much a tomboy, and I preferred stuffed animals, dinosaurs, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to dolls. I did have a large collection of trolls and My Little Pony figures, but very few dolls. I started collecting dolls when I was eleven, and soon after I started getting the magazines. My first exposure to ball-jointed dolls was from one of these magazines. Barbie Bazaar (defunct Barbie magazine) ran a brief ad about Volks dolls. I liked them, but being a teenager I couldn't afford such a doll. I closed the magazine and tucked the Volks dolls into that part of my brain that holds information that will one day become useful.

I took a sabbatical from the doll hobby for a few years, then rediscovered the joys of collecting when I was about 23. I was browsing Anna House for lolita dresses and noticed that they offered SD-sized dresses. The craftsmanship of the tiny dresses sent me looking once again for ball-jointed doll that I could call my own.

Fast-forward five years. In that time my tastes changed; instead of an SD girl I found an MSD boy that I liked and could afford. I'm saving outfits for three more, and finally...FINALLY I found an SD girl that I want. Too bad Anna House doesn't make doll dresses anymore. Oh well, I will fix that when the time comes!

 

I never liked dolls growing up, and got them as gifts but wasn't really interested. I was more of a Power Rangers/TMNT girl. Action figures were cooler. As I got older, I appreciated the beauty in the more expensive/designer collector dolls (compared to Barbie), such as Tonner and Pullips. When I was browsing for Pullips one day, I came across BJDs, and my immediate thought was that they were too expensive but super gorgeous. I kept seeing them, and realized there were more companies than I thought. Dollshe and Soom really captured my attention, and I was hooked. There is a certain charm about BJDs that other dolls just don't have

 

I always loved dolls. I played with them all through high school. In eight grade I found BJD's and wanted one so badly. I wasn't able to buy one until sophomore year. I saved up my money and I'm so glad I did!

 

My story is actually pretty similar to yours! In high school I came across pictures of ball jointed dolls on the internet and I first discovered Luts! I fell in love with their Tatiana doll and her circus outfit!! I would literally stare at her photos for long periods of time!! I later discovered Dejavudea's youtube channel and her videos with her Volks dolls. I fell in love with bjds once again but thr first dolls I started collecting were Monster High dolls!! I started collecting Monster High dolls when they were first released like in 2012 (I was 15 or 16) and I liked those as well but the complexity of course was no where near a bjd. I guess I loved bjds so much was because of how diffecult it was for me to get one (the price) and their complexity drove me to want one even more. Finally when I graduated high school I purchased my first bjd with money I had saved up. It was a Peakswoods FOC Briana. I loved that sculpt so much because of how flawless and beautiful her face is!!!

 

When I was a little one I had a bunch of barbies but I didn't liked other dolls beside them. I never really wanted to end with barbies but I had to keep them as I no longer had the time to play with them when I was like 14.
Then I moved away and landed in a city where I met a girl who I became friends with. One day I went to her house to watch a movie and she showed me her lovely bunch of Yo-SDs. They were really cute so I decided to ask her about them. She introduced me in this world and showed me the companies. I hadn't been interested in dolls for a long time and I had quite a crush with them
So I stalked the forums for about 2 years and then I decided to purchase my first BJD, since then I got 2 more and I'm planning on getting more.
From that, I also gained interest in other kind of dolls, now I have a MH that I want to customize and a custom obitsu girl is coming home next week but I do not plan to get more dolls of other kinds, well maybe a boy for my obitsu girl... xD

 

I had a bunch of dolls when I was younger and I gave them to my sister when I got to be around 13. I recently took them back. I always played the sims when I was younger, I've played since the original Sims! So through the years I just played more sims and transitioned from dolls to the sims. then!!! Really recently my friend brought two of her bjds into our college and I held them and I just, fell in love. It felt right to hold her and then I started researching bjds and joining in the fun! so my whole point with the sims is that I never really stopped playing with dolls, they were just computer generated dolls!!! So now I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of my first bjd while playing the sims as her character!!!! I can't wait to have and hold my own dolls!!!

 

I was always into dolls in my childhood even through high school and college. I just never advertised it except to a very few confidantes/friends. I did the whole fashion doll thing. I brought my older sister into it and then we were going to flea markets, second hand stores and garage sales to "save" and customized discarded and unwanted dolls. That's how we honed our customizing crafts. We knew about BJDs and articulated dolls from the get go because we read all the doll magazines and started joining listserves on the internet before formal boards were invented. My older sister delved first with a Volks Isao Nanjou offered through Haute Doll magazine which helped launched BJDs to mainstream USA buyers. I didn't succumb until late 2004 when I finally bought my own MSD Volks dolls. I've still got a variety of dolls in my main collection and I buy only what I like. The bulk of my BJD collection consist of tinies though I have representation in every size.

 

As a child, I don't remember hating or loving dolls all that much. I had some that I played with when other children were around. I didn't feel connected to them though. They were little avatars and it didn't matter what they looked like. It was my sister who loved barbies and as that was her thing, I chose other kinds of toys put on my Christmas list. As I got older, their incessant staring actually made me uncomfortable and the dolls got lost in the back of a closet. I found them intimidating.

That sort of changed 2-3 years ago when I discovered Tonner dolls and Pullips and made what I thought was a major purchase. It got the ball rolling fast and I found myself seriously considering bjd after that. And I can't explain at all what changed. But somehow, dolls don't bother me now and in fact, I simply adore them.

A funny thing though, I recently discovered some old pictures of my 3 year old self cuddling a baby doll and smiling at her.

 

Let see I come from a collector family. Although my mom collect lalalopsies and barbies.
When I started high school I got an 'itch' for dolls. I started buying monster high dolls like crazy. I have about 20-30 of them now.
I was on tumblr and saw my first bjd. I knew I wanted one. I saved for months for my first doll. I was shaking once I ordered her. Now I have three bjd dolls. I stopped collecting monster high's sadly.

 

I got into cosplay since my younger sister liked it and we attended a few conventions together. Because of this I eventually got into Lolita. BJD are common in Lolita since some companines release matching outfits for people and their dolls but I just sort of ignored it. But I was online one day searching for a cosplay outfit for a upcoming conventions and I actually stumbled across a BJD wearing the cosplay I wanted and just out of curiosity I googled BJD's and well I fell down the rabbit hole and here I am!

Before hand I also collected teddies who wear clothes so it lends itself to me so well!

 

I never have problem with doll, especially BJD. I found my first love with Dream of Dolls because they're so much anime character look a like (not like Dollfie Dream). I know I will never have such money to buy them, so I'm waiting till I finally ready. It was worth it

 

When you say Anime character look a like are you referring to cute boys and girls and not the super-stylized ones right? 'Cause if you are I agree with you there as I'm not a fan of Dollfie Dream either (I mean their cute but not enough to tempt me to own one) as I like the realism of BJD's most of all.

 

Yup. No Dollfie Dream for me. Too cute and girly for me :/ Never like big sparkling eyes

 

I never really had dolls when i was a kid. My mom always bought me stuffed animals instead. I only had two barbies when I was younger. I started collecting dolls when i turned 17. It started with porcelain dolls. Then wax over porcelain, vinyl, reborns and now bjds. I've been collecting for 30 years and never get tired of seeing new dolls. It would be nice if i had more money for my hobby. lol

 

Yer, those eyes are just weird...

 

I was once at an anime convention and was in the hotel room, changing for an event, and one of our roomies came in and whipped out this beautiful doll. I was entranced and they began to tell me about BJDs and that they were headed to a meet up with their little friend. I was immediately hooked on them, but quickly shoved them aside. I was barely able to afford conventions, let alone dolls, and my parents sure would have had a flip trip, so I decided to move on. Earlier this year, I stumbled upon them again and realized, "Wait, I have money now. No parents. My own roof. No one can stop me now!!" I ordered a Doll Surreal Calliope, and now have an IOS Chaos, a Harlan (Gore Version) head and a ResinSoul 70cm body coming to me.

And that's my story.

 

I've always had dolls growing up, being biracial my mom always made sure I had a baby doll, barbie of every skin color. At age 12 I finally got my barbie dream house and later that summer mom decided I was too old for dolls and sold the dream house.
I had collector barbies I could never play with and eventually they too were gone.
I was introduced to anime/Manga in middle school and collected the figures of my favorite characters.
I first heard of bjds after high school from a friend who just came back from japan but back then it was a kit you had to do everything and it was hard to get supplies.
It was at a convention about 7yrs ago that I saw bjds again I bought my first 1, Mei from resin soul, it was like water for my soul, missing playing with my dolls the dream house all came back.
I've been on hiatus for the last 4 1/2 years, marriage, children. Just had my 3rd a baby girl and she's brought back my love of dolls hoping and looking forward to when I can play with her.... and building her a doll dream house.

 

When I was really small, I was very into Barbies. My interest switched to horse figurines, then My Little Pony, then Littlest Pet Shop, then just stuffed animals. At some point my mom gave all my old toys to my cousin. >_> Then in high school, my friend showed me Super Dollfies, specifically Shirou Tachibana. I thought he was kind of pretty, but obviously not very affordable for a high schooler with no job! XD After my friend graduated and moved away for college, I forgot about Shirou. I did start collecting anime figures, though, and just when I was thinking about getting into garage kits, a friend on Livejournal got her first BJD. I was like, "Ohhhh, that's like the doll my friend in high school showed me!" I went looking around, found Luts, and was doomed the moment I saw the Delf Moon. I didn't end up getting one, but he was definitely what convinced me to spend big bucks on a little plastic person (and I did get a Moon years later!).

After I joined DoA, I found my friend from high school on here and messaged her. She had a good time laughing at me because I had seemed so disinterested back then. XD

 

I love dolls! All sorts, mannequins, even the silicone 'love dolls' are beautiful. I'm fascinated with the history of dolls and how they are made. I even think the collector war themed action figures are neat. I enjoy seeing them all, but I only focus my own collection on bjds.

I had one very special doll as a kid. I played with them and the Little People play-sets were my favs as a kid. My brother would play dolls with me as much as I played trucks and the sand box. We were two years apart. One Christmas we both had dolls under the tree from our Grandpa! He had My Buddy and I had Kid Sister. My brother used to love feeding the eat n poo dolls dirt too..... I always wanted more Ken dolls as a child and generally favored the boy dolls.

I lost interest in most toys as a teen and young adult. I had other responsibilities like school and jobs that dominated my life. Then later, my own child and home. My life began to slowly settle and I started to make small doll house kits. I wanted to find a nice looking small doll to put in my dollhouses when I stumbled onto bjds in 2010. I really liked them, even tried to buy one on ebay then. It didn't work out.

I watched one doll on my ebay list for years.... until life was even more settled that I felt it was 'okay' to let myself spend that much on one thing that was purely for myself. I almost immediately found a local group of bjd owners and have since made several friends. I have a blossoming collection of dolls now. My favorite is still my first, though I love them all. Only two in my collection were made especially for me. I enjoy giving them faceups, finding wigs, eyes and clothes for them. I'm trying some sewing for the first time. I hope as my various skills improve I can focus on photography after I have a more finished look to my dolls. They're always a WIP but that's okay!