When does a large collection become hoarding?

Wow, what a completely subjective rationale that was. That says way more about memory for names than any collecting problem.

Would you make that same expectation of, say, a stamp or coin collector? Match books? Swizzle sticks? I've seen all sorts of collections. Does this mean they must remember the name and acquisition date of every single stamp/coin/matchbook/whatever in the order they acquired it, or they have "a problem"? That if they have more than 50 items in their collection, they "have a problem"? Are they then hoarders as well?

How is it any different?

Again, there is NO NUMBER that makes someone a hoarder or "have a problem".

Edit: BTW, I'm the fly in your ointment. One of the various jobs I do for CCI involves having to track the exact text/location/date to put out of every single sign/banner/directional for our huge show. THOUSANDS of items, and they change every year. I have that job because I can remember all that stuff to the point that I can walk through an area and know immediately that something is missing, out of place or not set right. My decorator lead can give me a number and I know exactly what item it is, what it says, how many we have, and where it goes..he can do it too. It still freaks Pam out.

So, yes, I remember the name of every single one of my dolls, the mold name, whether I bought them new or adopted, and how long I've had them....and I have WAY more than seven. And it doesn't prove anything about hoarding or not hoarding, or any problems I may or may not have. It just proves I have a good memory.

 

The first five, I can tell you exactly in what order they arrived, and what part, and who was bought first! My El Mike was bought first, Kyo, Dreaming El head was bought second but arrived first. My Cory Aiden was bought third, then Damien's body, then his head (Ttori) came with King, my Shiwoo. After that, it's a blur. I can tell you exact date on Mike's arrival, and Seiji's, since he arrived the day after my grandmother died. He shipped the day before she died, and I will forever say she had a hand in his getting to me in three days. He was my final gift from her, and he was a Grail Doll. (He's an Elf El, but 2006 model.)

Other than that, I can't recall dates or order. But I can tell you my Naru is a Volks Olivia Morgan the second, Rowan is Soom's Ender, Jason is a BlueBlood Doll Waltz, and Alex is a DOD Luke. (Just using the examples from my other post.)

 

How ridiculous! That reminds me of the sobriety test in Tapeheads, where you have to recite the alphabet backwards & skip all the vowels & do the sign-language for each letter:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQev90aW4Sg

Into every day a little asininity must fall. Thank you for the laugh.

 

The thing about numbers always puzzles me, too. I don't mean that in a snarky way at all -- I mean, I'm looking over at the shelf I have in this room that has some of the new arrivals on it. They're big, big dolls, too. Three MegaGems, two Idealians, one Iplehouse EID female, and one Souldoll Zenith girl... are all sitting on a single shelf right now. One shelf of three in that relatively small bookcase. Granted, the girls are on the boys' laps to perch, but they're not jammed in there with a crowbar. That's a lot of resin, and not a lot of space at all. This is why I mentioned you could probably get 50 pukis on a single shelf pretty easily if you were inclined to do it. It wouldn't surprise me in the least if someone could fit 200 pukis on that shelf if they used the three shelves and its top with some little risers or furnishings.

I have a 'wall of shelves' where I perch the majority of my dolls. It's not a complete wall yet, and that's why some are in the studio with me now on a different shelf. They're out of the way, boxes safely stored up in the attic and out of everyone's way. I have a rather small house by modern US standards, too. The wigs, eyes, and clothes not in use are in little plastic drawer things on the lowest level of the 'shelf wall', partly because it runs along side the bed in part, and it's easier to keep things I don't need to access often there. Considering that's it's entirely possible that a decent percentage of people may have a whole room to dedicate to their collection(s, especially when we're dealing with expensive hobbies like this one) I don't see this being much of an issue. I'd even be able to do that here in dinkyville if I didn't have so many art supplies, or didn't need a home office space to work with those and do my actual job. (The beads and computer equipment, they get a room. I'm in it. Heh.)

I'm not merely deluding myself here; until we could declutter the attic to shed all the things my parents never moved out of here when my grandparents passed, the boxes for the dolls were becoming a very real issue. Lingering grancestor clutter has done us few favors in this house in more ways than one. (We will simply not discuss the four harness loom my mother parked on the enclosed porch because she hadn't space for it, and didn't want to part with it, no.... ) Noting that it was becoming an issue... we solved it by getting rid of things, sorting old clutter with the folks, and donating a lot of old sheets and blankets that were up there collecting dust. Some of the generic 'house clutter' will likely go live up there eventually, too, since other than doll boxes, it's now 100% empty.

There is a distinct packrat/collector instinct in my family. I got nailed with it from both sides. However, I also remember cleaning out part of the grandclutter from this house years ago. Some of the things my grandmother kept were baffling to us. (Some we couldn't even identify!) It was not possible to walk across the room I am in now while she was alive, because she was a very ardent rubber stamper/scrapbooker/etc., so every stamp, every bit of wrapping paper, every single greeting card she'd ever received would be saved for these purposes, and she stored them in here. Every time I walk across this room from one side to the other and -- gasp -- open the closet door! ...I know I'm not a hoarder even in the way she was, let alone the mother of my friend mentioned in an earlier post. Stuff tends to accumulate here for the 'that could be useful' reason, but more often for the 'I really don't have time to fuss through all of that and meet my deadlines for today' that strikes at certain times of year. It tends to get thrown out again in similar cycles. It's when and if the secondary portion of the cycle -- the house purges -- stops that there could be trouble in some form. That it continues to exist without external prodding tells me that, yep, we have clutter in the house, but the roomie and I are OK. (I have more stuff, but he's less willing to part with stuff; if we were bundled into one human being, we probably would be a problem. )

Numbers are just so arbitrary. 100 Lusions would be one heck of a lot of resin! But if someone has space for them in their home, who am I to say anything? *shrug* If they have the money and the space to support a legion of Lusions, and it brings joy into their life without causing issues for others in the process? I hope they go for it.

 

My parents hoard. I would love to set them up for that tv show. They blame eachother, but both are guilty. Dumpster divers and all. And my mom's sister hoards. "It might be useful someday". I haven't been to their house in years because my mom won't let me, she is so ashamed of the mess. Last time I was there was in 1998, and we almost couldn't find the couch, had to follow a narrow path through the junk which was piled on every available surface, which obviously included the floor.

No, they cannot find anything in that house. At least collectors know where their precious items are, for the most part. Since there is no cookie-cutter definition of anybody with a disorder, because we're all different, we don't know where that person is coming from or what drives them, I would be very careful judging anybody.

The very fact that Knibitz began this thread may shed some light. To question one's-self, to question your limits, is a sign of control. Hoarding is out of control. OCD is out of control. Addictions are out of control. I don't see anybody here whose collections are out of control, no matter the number in that collection.

 

This. I have way more than seven as well but don't have instant recall of the circumstances of their purchase. I have a list in case I need to refer to some fact or other. Frankly, the statistics of collecting don't particularly interest me, and even though I have a bunch of dolls, I don't think it necessary to have them all out at once for display (and dusting). They aren't alive and so cannot be "neglected" no matter what I do with them. There is no "proper" way to collect dolls. I like each and every doll in my possession or I wouldn't have bought them. I think it's silly to make assumptions of other people's mental status based on the number of dolls they have. I know a woman in Dallas who lives in a minimalist (and fabulous) house who owns hundreds, if not thousands, of pristine antique dolls which she keeps in a huge personal museum on the premises. Hoarder? No...collector.

 

Dude, just because you couldn't cope with a large collection doesn't mean that someone who can is a hoarder or a compulsive shopper. Frankly, where someone keeps their things, and how they keep them is entirely up to the individual. Regardless of your opinion, if someone's way of enjoying their dolls is to have all 700 stored away in boxes, then that's their prerogative. You can keep your opinions, and they can keep their dolls.

 

Seriously! With emphasis on the "Dude"! Projection, much? - Just because someone would feel overwhelmed by more dolls than s/he personally owns, this doesn't mean that other people feel the same way about their own collections.

I have 32 here right now (mostly large boys) in a 1-bedroom apartment, and I'll bet my storage/display setup is tidier than the dorm room of someone with 7. (The walking-tour is the link in my sig. ^^) I can still actually host parties in the living-room and have more than 3 people over to visit, along with the 32 dolls. IKEA is the answer to everything.

The only way I can recite all the purchase-dates in purchase-order is if I refer to my stack of Post-Its that contain this information; I cannot recite my nieces' & best friends' birthdays without consulting another Post-It, either. Post-Its are also the answer to everything.

It slays me that someone actually thinks rote memorization of dates is a prerequisite to "qualify" you to own dolls. Like there's a membership test you have to pass! I keep waiting for us to be able to bury the last of those "You must follow my One True Way of doll collecting & play & characterization, otherwise you are a soulless neglectful OCD monster" preachers. They're so arbitrary, that's what makes me laugh. But they mean it, which, if you think about it too long, will make you sad for the human condition.

 

Well apparently I HAVE A PROBLEM! Also seems like I don't care for my dolls properly whatever that means. Personally, I don't feel the need to dedicate time to my dolls. I mess around with them whenever the mood strikes me and the rest of the time they just sit around looking pretty. If this makes me a bad doll owner, so be it. But I'm pretty sure it does not make me a hoarder.

 

After reading all the posts in this thread I've come to believe that I am a collector. With 15 full dolls and four heads rolling this might put me in the "all most" category. All my dolls are loved. They each have a full suite of clothing with shoes and a wig. Most are packed away, but come out with certain holidays that they have clothing for. I try to do scene sets for each seasons holiday. Each doll gets a chance to be in a different season set each year so their get new garb each year. The cost for dressing all these dolls can be very expensive, so having they come out only occasionally it keeps clothing costs down. I do sew many of the items they wear and play with. Presently I'm not planning to purchase another doll, but then you never know......

 

Okay So maybe it's just my opinion. I have to politely remove myself from this conversation now. What I said really isn't on topic for the 'hoarding' subject and I was wrong to say it in this thread. It doesn't change my opinion though.
No, I would not expect the same from other types of collections. But I think that is what makes BJDs more special than other hobbies. I am very sentimental about my dolls and can't imagine having that many, I just don't have the time and space.
So I apologize to those who have larger collections than me, what I said was offensive...Maybe I was just in a mood. Anyway, no hard feelings, glad it amused you guys though Next time I'll just keep my mouth shut.
Umm... carry on

BTW: You all have very good points to make, and perhaps my opinions are a little closed minded towards the way others enjoy this hobby. I have taken what you have said to heart. Just so you know, I do admire some of your collections too and I do NOT consider you hoarders.

 

The only thing I would consider hoarding behavior for any doll collection is if not only do you have the dolls but have kept every little bit of junk that came with them, or comes as part of collecting the dolls. Every wig wrapper and wig net, paper ball used to keep the wig's shape, paper balls from inside shoes, packing peanuts, eye packages, clothing packages, bubble wrap, shipping box (the boxes that the pretty doll box is shipped inside), bits of tape from said boxes and packages, miscellaneous plastic bags, bits of cardboard - stuff like that, the typical useless garbage that comes with collecting the dolls, in excessive amounts. And you can't bring yourself to get rid of any of that stuff either, for whatever reason, as though they were as precious as the dolls themselves.

A collection, regardless of size, by itself is not enough to be considered "hoarding" in my opinion. There are far more factors, as others have said, that come into play when it comes to "hoarding" than simply collecting stuff.

 

Oh man I only have ONE doll and I can't remember the exact time I got her. I can only remember vague times. That is like saying that people need to remember the order they bought everything in their house or else they have a problem and need to get rid of everything... Just my two cents. I don't really care to remember things like that, so I don't. It doesn't make me a hoarder though... not at all.

 

But you have to realize that what seems an unmanageable number to you isn't necessarily to someone else -- hobbyists are different from each other, just because something doesn't work for you doesn't mean the other person is doing it wrong. Also, unless you really know the person well, how can you tell whether or not they care enough, and what constitutes 'enough' anyway?

Abjds aren't actually difficult to maintain -- the hardest part if you collect the larger dolls is probably really space. Keeping them nice is just a matter of using resin friendly materials during customization, limiting sun exposure and not dropping them. A person can have a very large collection and upkeep them with no problem at all. It really just depends on what you want to do with them and what you feel comfortable with.

Also this hobby has a strong collecting component to it, and collecting means acquiring more of said item so it seems silly to start pointing fingers at other hobbyists because they like to buy dolls.

The only doll of mine whose arrival date I remember immediately off the top of my head is my first doll -- after that I can tell you the year and the time of year if I think about it, but that's about it. As for actual purchase dates, I have no clue.

 

I remember two because Edward and Tisane came in the day of and the day after the Eclipse midnight premiere. XD But I would still have to go look at the ticket!

 

Just to clarify, I said 'in the order you bought them' NOT the date you bought them. No one could be expected to remember that. But most people know which doll they bought first and then after that, I don't think that's unreasonable. It's also not the end of the world if you don't.

 

It would be a little difficult to do that considering that I have redone characters, so their names have changed since I got them. Technically, Celadon started as Tema, so he would have been bumped down as he was first a Mythdoll, then rehomed, then re-charactered.

Ie...

Tema - Mythdoll Little Leroi ==> DoD Si Head & DoD Body (Bought Separately) ===> Renamed later when Tema character just wasn't working into Celadon.

Therefore, IMPOSSIBLE.

Does that make me a hoarder? Nope. That makes me confusing. XD

 

confusing indeed. But no, not a hoarder.

 

I... I think I hoard boxes. Mainly doll boxes. D:

I can't use my closet anymore because I have a box within in a box, within that box, and so on, on almost every square cubit of the floor. Like.. Inception style.

But that aside, I don't think I hoard dolls though I do often forget I sometimes have a random head(s?) stowed away in the drawer somewhere. More rather, I hate having too much because I always feel like one munchkin gets the short end of the stick when it comes to the limited affection for my dolls.

I used to be a pack rat when I was young and was somewhat worried that I might go back to the habit with dolls and their stuff but.. I didn't. Maybe it's because the cost of doll stuff is always in the back of my head. I do know my mother had a problem with hoarding clothes, shoes and purses if that was an indication of the reason behind my early pack-ratting years. She once said that she couldn't live without her clothes and every time we had to move, half (I kid you not) half of our luggage pertained of her dress articles. I think I almost cried once during this one move. That might have contributed to my dislike of clutter. If I'm not using anything it becomes clutter, and that includes my dolls too. Now things like boxes are disposable; I can get rid of them anytime I want. That's why I like collecting them.

 

That can get complicated, too, with larger collections, since wait times vary like crazy. When the order for one was placed vs. when the other actually arrived starts jumbling up very quickly. It amuses me a little, because I may order dolls six months apart, but they show up within days of each other, or sometimes even on the very same day.