What's your hobby story?

My story begins a little differently -- when I was a kid, I wasn't all that into dolls. I had a bunch of barbies from the Barbie movies (which I loved) but I didn't play with them all that much. (Save for the Wonder Woman doll I was given when I was 7-- she was beautiful!) However, as I got older (so I mean in my teens), I found myself getting more and more into dolls. before I discovered BJDs, I was in love with the Tonner/ Barbie Collectible dolls they make after characters from movies. (I had a special adoration for the Damon Salvatore ones that I never got.) I'm the kind of person that even today I love toys--i have many many stuffed animals everywhere in my room, little toys, LEGOs, you name it! It's gotten worse, my infatuation, as I've grown up! (I'm nearly 20 now)

Anyway, throughout my teenage years: The LIV dolls that came out also caught my eye; my stepsister got one for her birthday once and I drooled over her, even adopting her when my stepsister abandoned her. Monster High dolls were a fleeting attraction. but it was a secret adoration--i felt people would judge me for liking dolls. And then I found out about BJDs in 2013, and I was smitten. Since then I've got 3 BJDs, and intend to get more; I'm very very happy with them and they're exactly the kind of dolls I live for. :3

 

I've always been into dolls and toys. I grew up playing with Barbies, She-Ra (and her knock off sister, Golden Girl), Ninja Turtles, and My Little Ponies. The older I got, the more I focused my collecting on action figures (and amassed quite a collection of anime and Buffy figures). I didn't discover BJDs until college and I knew about them for over a year before I finally found one that I couldn't talk myself out of wanting - a Delf Moon. He wouldn't come home to me until May of 2007 but I've been hooked on BJDs since then. The idea of a doll that you can customize and make your own just appeals to me. It's also been good in the sense I've refocused my interests. I do still buy action/anime figures but I don't buy EVERY FIGURE that comes out and it's made stop and consider the things I really want. This hobby has also been great in that I've found some of my very best friends it in and there's nothing better than being able to share your love of a hobby with another person who gets it.

 

Growing up I never had much interest in dolls. Fantasy books & exploring places were my passion and still are. Later as an adult I started picking up dolls that interested me. I enjoy having them around but never did anything with them. My collection has grown and this last year I discovered BJD and I haven't looked back. I am a newbie with resin BJD and just received my first one, a little 27mm girl elf. Jumping into resin BJDs is a whole new world and my legs are still wobbly. Hopefully not for too long. Joining DofA has opened my eyes to the amazing possibilities of the hobby and the talent of the people in it. This hobby for me is a perfect storm of creativity and connection with other.

 

I was never super into dolls as a kid- more of a tom boy type. I liked Transformers and Matchbox cars more than Barbies. I did manage to procure a few dolls over the years and I built sets for them and sorta...left them there? They seemed more like decorations than toys to me. Around 11 or so I got rid of all my toys in favor of art supplies and didn't really rediscover the joys of collecting until college. That's when I started amassing comic figurines. I'd always read comics but I didn't really have the budget for the fancy statues until I was older.

Fast forward several years more and that's when I stumbled upon Hot Toys. They were my BJD gateway drug, as it were. I became interested in kit bashing (that is, customizing Hot Toys)- which led me to eBay for spare parts. One day 'eBay's 'you might also like' ' feature suggested a BJD. It led me to a flurry of research where I eventually found the Iplehouse website. And the rest is history, I guess!

 

With BJD's, it all started with finding an appropriate fashion doll that had posability. Had one that I fell in love with, but couldn't find any more of her particular sculpt/maker. (This was back in the early 2000's!) I stumbled onto Soom looking for goodness knows what--I think jointed dolls was my search term?--and I fell in love with Sweet Witch. Been trying to get my little paws on her ever since then.

 

I don't even know my story, honestly xD I think i just stumbled across BJDs at some random forum one day a few years ago and musta thought: "Wow! A doll that's not creepy or for little children?! I didn't know those existed!" haha.
I honestly still think some of the dolls can be a little creepy - i do not and might never really like the children dolls. To much "The Ring" over some of them - but most of them are SO beautiful and gorgeous and oh my! I can even, sorta, appriciate the childre dollies that people post, because you can easily see how beloved and cared for they are by their owners!

The price initially scared me - still does. I like SDs - but i broke down and ordered my first a few months ago. He'll be here at the end of July/start of August! I am sooo excited!! I can hardly wait to make him truely my little Luce. gotta sew him dem clothes!

 

I also really loved dolls as a little girl, too. I always enjoyed styling their hair, dressing them up, and creating stories and adventures for them. Even when I gave most of my dolls to my younger cousin when I was around the age of 12 and supposedly too old for dolls, I still liked playing with them with her. ^_^ Around my high school years, I was introduced to Volks through the book Kamikaze Girls (aka Shimotsuma Monogatari), as I was really interested in lolita fashion and I was intrigued about this story based around a self-centered girl who wore nothing but frilly lolita dresses. xD I looked into them more and I really admired those dolls, but the price of them deterred me from getting one, and I wouldn't have dreamed of asking my mom for one since we were struggling financially, so I kind of just forgot about it and admired them from afar. Then just a couple of years ago, I got big into Pullip collecting, and through that I was reintroduced to bjds and exposed to even more companies that I was unaware of before, and then I found one that really made me fall head over heels! I decided that I must get her at all costs, and once I did, I just became hooked and now I want to expand my bjd collection further! I'm getting my second bjd soon, too, and I'm really excited about that!