When did you first feel you had "bonded" with your doll?

Oddly enough I just this moment adopted out a doll I wasn't bonding with. Love to look at him and he's just as sweet as can be, but I didn't feel anything special at all when I looked at him.

My first two dolls, though, I bonded with immediately. Yuki just seemed so fragile and sweet that I wanted to take care of him. Kenshin was my first full-sized guy and I didn't really know about him because he seemed so huge (at 56 cm. How funny... ) But I picked him up and just felt a "zing". I remember going "ooo!" Because I suddenly had that "I love you lots" feeling that I got picking up one of my own children when they were infants.

Isn't that the dumbest? But once that happened with Kenshin I knew I was a goner.

 

I saw my doll online and went "ooh!" When she finally arrived, it's taken me almost six months to feel that I've truly bonded, because now I know her inside and out. She has a new faceup and her nose was modded a bit to look less pointy. That's really what did it. Now she's the doll I imagined when I saw the sculpt and a good representation of the character in my head.

 

I only really started to bond with Kori after trying out several clothing styles/wigs...now I have a good feeling for -who- he is. ^^ I couldn't imagine ever being able to let him go now.

 

Well, with my first girl I bonded with her right away, but then that seemed to fade. But with my second girl, I'd have to say it was like what Baakay mentioned. The second I picked her up it felt like I was holding my first child, it just felt right and I loved her lots and lots and couldn't imagine myself without her. She was exactly what I always wanted in a doll, she was my dream doll. I hope I can bond with my next doll as well with her.

 

For me it was probably when I was dressing him (my first doll) for the first time. He put up such a fight and I had no idea how to dress a doll but in the end I succeded in dressing him, thus bonding. Changing his eyes and wig strengthened the bond even more.

 

This is going to sound odd, but I realized I had bonded with my dolls the moment I considered possibly selling them for a much more expensive doll. I felt sad and empty for a moment. I had zero issue whatsoever selling off my Shiwoo, but not my two tinies. I couldn't part with them.

 

I loved my doll right from the start but it was only when I started customising him myself that I realised I had actually begun to bond with him properly.

I'll never order a doll with a default faceup again because I enjoy the bonding experience of customising so much.

 

I pretty much bonded with all of my dolls straight out of the box.

However... as odd as this may sound, it wasn't until my DOC Petsha had a slight accident (face-planted right into my camera) I truly started to "physically" bond with her. After that, I was willing to hold her, cuddle her, pose her far more freely than before. She was my first ABJD and until that time I viewed her as delicate and fragile. I'm more attached to her than ever before.

Also! When I received my Dolkot Day's head back from his face-up artist, his s-hook slipped and he ended up having to be restrung. It was completely unexpected and the very first time I even tried to restring a doll. I really bonded with him at that point. It's kind of difficult to explain.

 

When I started talking to and taking photos of her.

She really "spoke" to me then.

 

When I got my first doll, my Petsha, I was a bit unsure if I had made a mistake or not. She was beautiful and magical and all, but I just didn't feel anything...but later, after I started trying to find clothes for her and changing her eyes/wig I started to feel more connected to her! Since then, it's taken about a day with my Mei and when I got my IH Luna altogether, I connected with her right away!

 

Generally, I bond with a doll immediately upon opening the box. I get them out, see what poses they'll hold, change the eyes & wig & find clothing for them. Now there've been a few that didn't make my heart go pitty-pat right away & those I generally never bond with & they move on to someone who'll love them.

 

When I saw Tsumiya online I thought, "oh he's cute but I'd never get him" three years later I picked him up out of the marketplace and when he got here the bond snapped into place.

Hibiki I loved when I saw his picture from the company so I loved him before I even got him.

Petrova I love a love since I saw a photo from her face-up artist but we didn't really bond when she was blank.

 

I enjoyed my first doll and I think I had started to bond a little but that went away fairly quickly. I got my Kid Delf Ani Boy and was in love with him immensely before he even arrived and despite changing my expectations of how I want him to look, that bond has only grown. I just wanted to cuddle him right from the box, he just warms my heart.

 

For my first 2 I didn't really bond with them properly, my first was a DoC Too and although he had the cutest face, I realised he wasn't getting as much attention as he should have been, I just couldn't seem to get any emotion from him and decided I should try to find a scupt I could get some from.
My second I chose a DoC Tender Too, as I really did like the sculpt and thought that as the eyes were different, I could get some more out of him. I could, but couldn't do everything I wanted with him, it seemed no matter what I tried, I could'nt get him to look just right. (My sister on the other hand, has bonded with him beautifly, and he never leaves her side)
My third I tried another company and ordered a MNF V.E Woosoo, and it really was straight away that I bonded with him, even tho he has no faceup yet I can already tell that he's going to be perfect, I can't look at him without feeling happy that he's finally here

 

Well as of right now all I have is a puki and an Obitsu Gretel head. For the puki, I was afraid there wasn't really any bond until I finally figured out her name and went through the ordeal of restringing her. After that I felt free to pose her and play with her and I just love her to death now.

The funny thing about my little floating head is that I had never really intended to bond with her at all! She was meant to be faceup practice! lol Then I got her and a name popped into my head right away... then she got eyes... and a faceup... and another faceup... and a wig... and I made her a hat... lol. I can't wait to get her a body now! I can't imagine not having her. Even if she's propped up on a tacky glue bottle.

 

Hm, I guess I will just say one doll XD Um, my first doll to arrive (Fo-ru who is a KDF Ani) was always someone I liked but I feel a bond is more then just loving to look at them. I dont remember why, I am assuming it was a family fight, but I took him out of his box, laid on my bed and hugged him until I stopped crying. Ever since then I just feel something special with him, I love my other dolls in a wonderful way and have bonds with them but nothing quite like or as strong as that.

 

I find that my bonding with them starts the moment I decide I want them. It grows as I save for them, after the order is placed, while I wait for them. By the time they GET to me, I am decently bonded. I finish off my bonding with them when they come home by playing with them...tightening or re-stringing, doing face-ups, making clothes, jewelry, wigs, and/or eyes as needed. And doing photo shoots! Photo shoots are just awesome for bonding for me...especially with dolls that I don't need to do much work on because I have wig and clothes waiting, eyes with the dolls, and company face-ups already done.