1. It has come to the attention of forum staff that Dollshe Craft has ceased communications with dealers and customers, has failed to provide promised refunds for the excessive waits, and now has wait times surpassing 5 years in some cases. Forum staff are also concerned as there are claims being put forth that Dollshe plans to close down their doll making company. Due to the instability of the company, the lack of communication, the lack of promised refunds, and the wait times now surpassing 5 years, we strongly urge members to research the current state of this company very carefully and thoroughly before deciding to place an order. For more information please see the Dollshe waiting room. Do not assume this cannot happen to you or that your order will be different.
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  2. Dollshe Craft and all dolls created by Dollshe, including any dolls created under his new or future companies, including Club Coco BJD are now banned from Den of Angels. Dollshe and the sculptor may not advertise his products on this forum. Sales may not be discussed, no news threads may be posted regarding new releases. This ban does not impact any dolls by Dollshe ordered by November 8, 2023. Any dolls ordered after November 8, 2023, regardless of the date the sculpt was released, are banned from this forum as are any dolls released under his new or future companies including but not limited to Club Coco BJD. This ban does not apply to other company dolls cast by Dollshe as part of a casting agreement between him and the actual sculpt or company and those dolls may still be discussed on the forum. Please come to Ask the Moderators if you have any questions.
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When you realize it’s over...

Jun 29, 2019

    1. This part of the hobby is off topic for DoA, but you could start a thread in Brigadoon, the off topic subforum, and search for other people interested in playing. You might also check social media like Instagram, Facebook or Tumblr for BJD RP. Also, if you look at the doll profiles here, you can search for profiles that say the doll is available for off site role play, and contact the owner to see if they'd be interested in starting a story with you. In my case, I started out on a doll roleplay website many years ago. It's since been closed, but I stayed in touch with a few people who introduced me to others. There are some people who play on Facebook, but it's very casual and takes some time to get used to jumping in and getting involved more deeply. Feel free to message me if you'd like to talk more about it! :)
       
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    2. Thank you!!! Will dm you later <3 juggling baby right now.
       
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    3. I thought it was over for me when I took a few years break from hobby. My dolls haven't seen the light of day for a long time. I was even thinking to sell the all at some point. Now I am slowly coming back to hobby. I looked at my dollies considering to give some of them new home but suddenly I don't feel like parting with them anymore. I have pretty mixed feelings as for now standing on the crossroads. One thing I know for sure, I don't want completely leave hobby that still making me happy.
       
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    4. Hello! I love reading this thread :hug: I came back to love my dolls again after a long break. For me, it was a natural period of growth. I used to write stories for my dolls. It’s not the same as role play because it wasn’t done live, but it was still finding an expression for different muses. :celebrate It was really fun to imagine worlds and plot ideas for them.

      I stopped because I took a job that required about 12 to sometimes 18 hours a day as a care person for people with disabilities. It was rewarding work that left me with little time for anything else, ha! A lot of my hobbies took a semi-permanent backseat. It’s a relief to see others having the same experience, and that It’s not being a ‘bad’ doll owner. Mine were kept carefully and are still in great condition. I’ve thought of selling but maybe the love for them never totally went away.
       
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    5. It’s kind of a huge relief hearing that you’ve done this too! I’m purging a lot of my collection over an rp and a relationship ended, and it’s kind of just gratifying in a way to know that I’m not the only person who’s ever done this.
       
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    6. I have been in the hobby for eleven years, but the last year or so, I have sort of lost my enthusiasm. I still have nine dolls, I have never sold one, and doubt I ever will, but somehow I have quit wanting more. I am not too sure why. A friend who was into the hobby sort of drifted away, and now I don't have a close friend to talk dolls with, so that might be part of it. I chiefly collect Iplehouse, and none of their newer sculpts really appeal to me (they are all starting to look pretty similar) I guess I am just in the doll doldrums....
       
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    7. I've taken some breaks from the hobby, including a multi-year break due in part to a negative living situation. When I finally came back, the friend who started it with me was selling her collection and getting out.

      While I'm in the hobby largely because of her, my participation has never hinged on her presence. Yes, it was fun doing things together, but I'm in this hobby for my own enjoyment, and relationships with other hobbyists are a benefit, not a requirement. Yes, my original hobby friends may not be here anymore, but I've met new people and formed new friendships in the meantime.

      My dolls and their stories have never been dependant on anyone else; even the RP-based ones are purely my own (and were conceived and purchased well after the end of that RP). I have them because I enjoy them, not because someone else does.

      Evaluate what it is you really want from this hobby. If it's friendships, make more. If it's making things you think are beautiful, then create! Look for what truly made you start into the hobby in the first place, the spark that got you going. If that spark is truly gone, then perhaps it's time to move on, but if it's still there it can be rekindled.
       
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    8. I want to sell all my dolls but not because I have fallen out with the hobby. It's just that my life is too messy right now, I'm so stressed and I haven't touched my dolls in a long time. Worse of all, I'm struggling financially so many times I looked at my dolls with disdain because of all the money I spent on them. Sometimes I wish they would just magically convert into the money I spent on them....my stress and struggles have made me fall out with my dolls. In the future, when I'm at a better place, I will come back because for me this is a hobby for life but right now the dolls just give me more stress.
       
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    9. I've recently returned after leaving the hobby for several years. I actually dug my dolls out of storage to list them all for sale, but was surprised when I realised that some of them still bring me a lot of joy.

      Also, I just found a local friend who only has one naked doll that she bought many years ago, but never did anything with because she didn't know where to start. We have been so happy to re-find the hobby again :)

      Looking at the community, is certainly isn't as bustling as it was, but I'm not giving up because there's clearly a lot of good people still here and many potential new friendships (and dare I say dolls lol)

      I do hope you manage to find some joy in the hobby again, but if not I wish you well anyway x
       
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    10. I'm back after being out of the hobby for about five years. My husband developed severe health problems, and we had to start our life over in a new, much smaller place, far from friends and family. At first, I didn't have space to unpack my pretties, but even once we moved into a larger home, the dolls stayed packed. I went to one or two doll meetups, but was too depressed to make new friends. My last job was insanely stressful, and it wasn't until I quit (May of this year!) that I realized how much of myself I'd given up.

      Unpacking the dolls last month, I realized that there were really only a handful that I was attached to. There's been so much improvement in doll design and posability! And, when I first started, I did the overly cautious thing of buying a bunch of cheaper dolls instead of investing in more expensive dolls that I really admired. A few of those original dolls still have an aesthetic that I love, but some were clumsily sculpted to begin with.

      I've sold half my collection. I told myself that I was going to focus on just the ones I kept, but when the doll money came in from the sales... well... Fairyland was having a good sale... mumble... and Soom made a doll in a size that I always wanted... my new income is a full 10K higher... you know how it goes?... three new dolls on order...

      To rekindle my fire for the ones I'm keeping, I stripped off everyone's clothes, wigs, and eyes. Two are getting new faceups. All but one are getting a new identity. One of the best things about this hobby is how much customization is possible!
       
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    11. wow, thank you all for your posts, i think i will try to refresh my family. keep the ones i like and sell and try to get new ones that make me happy. i also have lots of clothes and accessories i will try to sell.
      it has been rough times here too, and its inevitable seeing them and thinking on how much money you have spent on this, but at the same time that make us happy so the guilt has to go away.dont you think?
       
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    12. Wow, 'tis the season for renewed interest in BJD, I guess... I started in 2009, but totally fell out of the hobby, and my dolls have been packed up for 7 years... when I came back to sell them last month, I got sucked right back in! But, I don't feel the connection I once had with my current dolls, so I've decided to sell them and buy new ones. I figured, if I can live and grow for 7 years and STILL be interested in BJD, I am in it for the long-haul! My interests, though, have changed a bit - I don't do RP or write, but I want an excuse to craft, and dolls are perfect models for that. I am happy to see others in the same boat!
       
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    13. I don’t have much experience with this, but reading all this thread definitely humbled me on how deep and complex the emotional side of the hobby can be.

      I also have trouble with losing motivation after losing the friends found in it, but after peeking around this forum I can say for sure that there are so many people open to friendship.

      Anyways, however you decide to go about it, best of luck! I may not have seen you here originally but I am glad to see you back.
       
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    14. I have collected dolls for years. But I only came to the BJD hobby this year. I lost interest in dolls for a while but I realized some of the interest I lost was because I didn’t feel a connection to the dolls I had. I always wanted a BJD so one day I thought ‘why not?’ And here I am today.

      I think though I lost a bit of the connection to Nicolai my first doll. He was my grail at the time a Dollshe Bernard though he was an SA sleeping head and not an OE one. When I got Oliver my OE Bernard I felt more connected to him than Nicolai. And it feels a shame since I was so happy the day I got Nicolai. I wonder if he needs a new body and a change of character?
       
    15. I left the hobby back in 2015, putting all of my dolls into storage and deciding that if I didn't do anything with them for a year I'd sell them. Well thank goodness I didn't because early 2019 I started eyeing them up again and actually missed my dolls, and the friendships I made around the hobby. Now I couldn't imagine selling my (keeper) dolls.
       
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    16. I went through a period where I wasn’t interested in BJDs including the two I own (I still have both!). I’d look at them and wish I could just sell them and get the money to spend on my current hobbies. I put them out of the way and pretty much forgot about them for... eight years. Then one day I saw some pictures of some really cool dolls online with loving attentive owners and I said “oh right I have dolls!” I dusted them off and then set to updating them.

      Looking back I’d say I was more dissatisfied with the trends of the hobby at the time I bowed out. I’m way more interested in the types of clothing/wigs/eyes/doll sculpts coming out today than anything back in the day.
       
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    17. I've left BJDs several times but never stopped collecting dolls in general. Went thru an antique phase as those were my first love but they aren't for play so I came back to this hobby. Did artist dolls but sold them & back to BJDs. I've stopped buying but play with what I have now.
       
    18. This thread has been such a great read. I left the hobby myself for about 9 years after being immersed in it for about 5. Graduating and having to focus on work was what did me in. I only just returned in August this year after going for a local doll meet and I'm super thankful to my friend for inviting me because I love being back in this hobby right now! Learning about the new BJD landscape has been such a joy and seeing so many new artist dolls in the market these days is so refreshing (i missed the entire recast drama and the fact that this is a reality truly saddens me! :eek:) . I've sold a number of dolls throughout my time in the hobby, but I've already jumped back into this head first with 3 dolls on the way and another 2 on layaway.

      The big difference with how I connect with my dolls between now and back then is the fact that I've given them more of a backstory. I've decided to shell some of my RP characters into dolls, as well as taken them out of those RP worlds and created my own universe with its own set of characters! It's been a really great creative journey for me ever since I've returned because of this. :love
       
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