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

The first time i could clearly recognise the moment of "bonding" was right when i took Amber's head out of box and saw him for the first time... I felt like he's been my friend forever. That feeling was so strong and surprising.

Amber is my 4th doll. The other ones didn't give me such feelings, so i guess i just slowly fell in contact with them, 'cause now they're so dear to me. But Amber is definitely the special one.

 

I felt like I bonded with Phinny (Dollshe Hound, my first doll) before I technically "owned" him. He arrived in October 2007, but my parents had contributed quite a bit of money for me to buy him as a Christmas present, so I wasn't allowed to open him until 24th of December. My mom checked him out to make sure he wasn't damaged, but yeah.

I totally snuck him in and out of his box allllll the time while my parents weren't home. Between October and December, we bonded over our little get togethers and it was wonderful. When I finally "opened" him in December, I was still so excited! Because it meant I didn't have to hide him anymore, and it was a relief.

Given the large gap of time between when I bought my Hound and my second BJD, I don't think I'll ever bond with a BJD like I have Phinny. It was just the two of us (and my Elysium floating head, but he's always in his box ) for such a long time, it'll be quite the challenge for any BJD to get close to that feeling I have for him. But my DC Agatha is trying very hard, and I do love her so much. She's my sweet little girl, and she definitely knows it

 

With my first doll I bonded with her the moment I got to hold her. With my second and third doll it was when I took then out of their company outfits and wigs and gave then new looks. My fourth doll is my largest, I adore her but due to her size its taking time to bond with her. My next doll that I just ordered is also a large doll so I guess I will have the same problem. I don't think I will ever bond with any doll the same way I did with my first, she is still very special and to me the most beautiful.

 

Each of my dolls was mine the first time I held them. First or 15th, it was the same with each, the magic when they came out of their boxes into my hands.

 

not till my 3 doll abby shes a little hybrid she has to be my favret

 

It differs depending on the doll.

Normally it is instant love as soon as the dollie has been unwrapped, with extra vibes once I have painted the face and/or created his/her look. But I have had a doll whose purchase I regretted on her arrival, and that feeling only went away after I had given her a face-up and saw that I had been right about her all along (she is one of my favourites now). Another I didn't grow truly fond of until I had put silicone disks in her joints - it was driving me crazy that I had such trouble posing her.

I do love working on my dolls. Making them look like my characters makes them very much mine, but so does maintaining them.

 

My first few I bonded with right away. I saw their face and went "this is _____". Zee, Chula, and Lori I got and they were more or less how they were supposed to look, so I bonded pretty quickly. Same thing when I got Phoebe and Rowan. Once I got them, got the eyes/wig I wanted, dressed them, and interacted with them a little, I bonded smoothly and without incident.

My biggest bonding issue came with my boy Damian. I saw his face and /knew/ it was him. (He was second hand.) Did the layaway, paid him off, go him--and when I walked into my friend's house (my friend had been watching for him), I immediately was struck by how pale he was. I didn't feel that immediate bond and I got worried. Then, of course, came the wig issues. (He doesn't look bad bald--and he likes to throw wigs. He's very picky about what he likes and dislikes--and if he /dislikes/ something UGH. He /cannot/ be reasoned with.) So I started to cuddle him. Try different wigs. Changed out his eyes, so they were the orange/gold color they were supposed to be. Little by little, I started to understand him. I thin the real bonding moment came tho, when I finally got a wig and a friend sewed in some purple extensions to give him the dyed effect. Then I gave him purple eyelashes. Once he felt "finished" I new I made the right choice to stick it out. He felt like he was truly mine and he was fully Damian. (I actually found myself really missing him and having a little anxiety when I sent him to my friend's for his hair work.)

I think a lot of the bonding comes from the interaction and making the doll who it is. Most dolls have an identity. Once you find it, it's all uphill.