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

The first two dolls I got were lovely, but I couldn't bond with them the way I wanted to. Simply because I just settled with them, something close tow hat I wanted but not quite. But now with my current dolls and the doll I'm expecting, I'm very happy with

 

For Nigel and Shillelagh, right out of the box. I was nervous about Nigel at first, because his mold in my head had changed many times and he was my first, but when he came out of the box... that was it. Shillelagh I had a different personality in mind, but right out of the box that all changed. I spent a day with her in my hands as she unravelled a whole different story for herslef for me.

Salil... had to go through several naming processes, and perhaps I'm not fully bonded with him yet as he seemed to need some final pizzaz to him. He is now getting hisbody blushed and hopefully that will help.

Frigg, it is a long process that is happening over her re-birth and new face-up/body painting as I choose tattoos for her and watch her change through photo's fromthe artist. I didn't connect with her much when I first recieved her because she still had the original regular face up and had MSC sealer issues all over her body. I hope to properly bond with her when she comes home probably some time in March.

And when I personally mean bond (it can be different for everyone) I mean 'I am never giving you up, you are irrifutably mine now' kind of bond. I get thousands of ideas for dolls when I look at them, but when I bond, I bond hard, and rather final. Sometimes, as with Salil and Frigg, that takes a bit of work to make them really 'mine'. Sometimes it falls in my lap.

 

Felix spent a lot of time in his box because life was waaaay too hectic for BJDs for a while. I even considered selling him at one point, but I held out and waited to see how things would work out. I wasn't even really sure I had gotten the right doll for the right character.

It totally clicked when I found time to blow the dust off of the box and went through the restringing process; particularly when I set his head down and noticed it looked like he was scowling at me.

It was love at first glare. I managed to figure out how to keep that nasty (yet versatile) look on his face, and I knew that he was definitely right for me, and the character.

 

As weird as this might sound the moment I look at their picture. There are a lot of dolls I like, both looking at sites and in the marketplace, but upon looking at certain pictures I just felt my heartstrings tug, more like yanked at, and I immediately knew that was the doll I had to get no matter what.

The first time it happened was with my first girl Elli. I had been looking around the marketplace for a doll I wanted. I knew there were a lot I wanted but being a teenager and only making minimum wage there weren't a lot of dolls I could afford. I don't know how many dolls I had seen that day but for some reason one just jumped out at me. A PukiPuki Cupid on sale for $200 even. I saw the pictures and something in me immediately said "Get her! Get her now!" I felt my little heart tug and everything. So I ordered her the following day, and when she arrived she was everything I had imagined and more.

The second time is with the doll I'm paying off now. A DOC Bee-A. When I first saw the pictures and I looked into her eyes something in me just snapped and I knew I had to get her. I couldn't pay her off all at one time but luckily the owner was willing to do a layaway. So as we speak I'm paying her off, and even though I'm losing money, loving every minute of it. I just can't wait until I can finally hold her.

 

I first bonded with my first doll as soon as I opened the box for the first time. I couldn't believe she was mine! I loved her so much from the very beginning!

Dahlia, my second girl, took a long time. I got her and she kind of sat for a month while I wasn't really sure, then I decided she needed a new face-up. If that hadn't worked, I was probably going to sell her. But I just couldn't be happier with her now, she's really looking good.

My Megi was kind of a no-brainer. Megi was the first doll I wanted seriously, so it was really only a matter of time until I got him. He got a face-up and at first, I really didn't like it. But now I do love it and he is just wonderful.

The puki was the worst trouble. I had a puki sugar and I tried really hard to bond with her. She was so cute, but I like to make clothes for my girls, so I decided to sell her (I can't make things that tiny). She came with a full Pukisha set. So I was taking sales pictures and I put the pukisha things on and I bonded with that little cat in about five seconds. She became a he and his name became Max and I'm glad that I put those parts on him and found he was there all along.

Fifth doll was a MNF Soo. I had also wanted her for a long time so I was excited to get her. I got her on a modded body because I was impatient and I wanted her NOW. That was kind of a mistake, because the mod was to her chest and I'd always wanted a B-line larger chest girl. So I tried to make her into a boy, but he has hips and that isn't really working either. So I might sell this one and get a new one with the body that I want. I would just sell the body, but it's a MNF from 2005 when Luts was making them, so resin matching is a bit tougher and I'd like to keep the head and body together.

Finally, my sixth doll. He's a Crobidoll Nia. My friend has a Nia and I just couldn't get enough of hers at our monthly meet-ups. So I got my own to hug and cuddle and love on whenever I want to. He's just the best. Once he has a nice face and more than his one outfit, he'll be even better too. I take him everywhere

 

I bonded IMMEDIATELY

 

Problems at first can making bonding harder. With my first doll, it was a total roller-coaster since the company first sent the wrong doll and I had to send it off to someone else. They couldn't guarantee getting me the right doll since it was limited. They didn't do the faceups on both heads and they eventually got rid of the artist they did have doing them since so many people complained about the faceups in general. A month later, I finally got my doll. I didn't have clothes or the right wigs or eyes... I wasn't NOT bonding, exactly, I was excited to have him and know he was what I wanted, but I still wasn't entirely sold on him.

Customizing a bit definitely helps! I know that once I got eyes that were more like what I wanted, and wigs... and I even altered his faceup a bit... I can remember just staring at him and thinking he was just so beautiful! And I've been happy with him ever since!

 

With Hakkai, it was right out of the box, I think. I just loved him so much and he was perfect just when I opened the box. Now he goes with me everywhere in the apartment, and my aunt laughs at me for talking to him ==; oh well! I love him and I have since I got him. :3 I feel bad when I have to leave him to go for overnight visits and such, even, lol.

With Kazuki... who knows? She isn't here yet. But I suspect I've already bonded to her somewhat. :3

 

I bonded pretty much immediately with both my dolls, but oddly enough one thing that really struck me was their wonderful resin scent! love at first sniff... Now I have a bit of a Pavlovian response when I smell them after opening their boxes to take a peek at them slumbering inside... Makes me all warm and squidgy from when I first opened them.

 

I never really bonded with my first doll. It was such a learning experience so I think I got a little burnt out. It also turned out that I really didn't like the sculpt all that much once I saw it in person. I ended up selling the doll with in a year. I read many stories on DOA about bonding and thought every one was crazy! Lol. But then I bought my lishe... I bonded with her the moment I took her out of the box. Her face is so sweet it seemed like she was smiling as if she was so happy to meet me. I love her very much and now I understand how people feel about their dolls when they talk about bonding

 

My first was a tiny, tiny J'aime Ara who was absolutely precious in photos and unimaginably small in person. I was so afraid I would lose/break/maim her she lived almost entirely in her box for months. Once I got over my terror of crushing her, I started sewing and knitting for her and really fell in love.

And then today, the SD13 I was having remorseful, uncertain thoughts about ordering arrived and I was instantly in love! I'm getting used to the idea that I won't really know how I'll feel about a doll until it's in my hands.

 

To be perfectly honest i never planned on getting a KDF Bory for my first doll, but the moment i unboxed Shun and looked at him i just knew that he was meant to be mine.

It sounds really weird but it just felt like that, during the saving up i already had a character planned for him because i drew him so much, and the moment i held him in my hands, blank and naked with only his default eyes and a wig i bought he was just so much like him already. Even the way he sat was exactly how i envisioned him to be

Doing his faceup myself sorta just made us closer, and even though it's his fault i now spend money like nobody's business i still love my baby a whole lot ^^

 

when i saw her the first time! (both :P)

 

I received my first BJD just over a week ago and immediately got him wigged and dressed and that's when he "came alive" for me and it's been love ever since :-)

 

I think I was bonded with usa(my BC PEPE's name) when I finnay find eyes fit him
I think eyesight is evrything for me^^

 

Figured to update and clarify, but forgotten I already replied to this thread ^^;;;
Hmm, well with Ariana, it was near instantaneous once I got her put together. I had loved a certain look but wasn't sure how it'll go together, but once it did I was in awe XD Funny too because I didn't like her sculpt or dollmore's default look of her at first till I saw a different faceup and some owner pics.
With Caleb, I just knew once I saw owner pics. Default pics weren't doing it for me ^^;; cause he too I didn't like at first.
With Dyani and Luna's sculpt I fell in love with the Soom's pics and again just knew I had to have them and even more so when I customized them I don't have my Appini from Soom yet, but I think I'll bond well with her/him too since I'll be working with her/him because I suddenly developed a character for them lol ^^;

 

when she did her "you're awesome" point I've had her not 20 minutes :P

 

for Aiden, it was right when i clicked ''purshase''
i loved him even nekkid and bald and without faceup
but for my other dolls its another story. as long as they dont have (good) faceup and clothes i only hafly bond.
i love them, but if they stay too long naked and blank, i soon end up unbonding and selling them :/

 

With Amelia, as soon as I opened the box.
With Toby, last night when I finally got his wig.
With Sonet... not yet. She's still bald and I'm not fond of her face-up. I still haven't settled on a style for her yet, and I think that's hindering a proper bonding experience. I love her, yes, but I don't think there's a true bond because she's incomplete and just feels like an empty doll to me, and not the character I want her to be.

 

I only started bonding with Jamie after I decided that he wouldn't be the character I had in mind when buying him but to be who he is now. I decided that while he was away for his faceup and while talking with the friend who did it for me the character started to develope more and more. I send him to her plain and without refined story or anything feeling kinda ... 'well I have a BJD but ...' and got him back with a new wig, new style, faceup, character with story AND a boyfriend xD And since then it just ... clicked and I can't imagine him to be anyone but his current self. Now I truly look at him and go 'squeee you're so handsome' every time xD