Which Came First, Character or Doll?

My most recent doll was character first. Then as her clothes wig and shoes came in they fleshed out her story

 

For my first doll, I had no character for her, until she got here and I developed one for her over a period of a few months. Heck, I'm still developing it. My next two dolls I have coming in already have characters in mind. Just hoping they fit the sculpts.

 

For me, when I see a sculpt that I like I begin thinking about a character for them. I have a character idea for pretty much every doll on my wishlist, but I've come up with those characters from looking at the dolls. So I guess you'd say the dolls come before the character? Even though the character is already planned before the doll arrives. XD

 

To me, usually the sculpt will get my attention first. If ideas of characters starts to develop in my mind for that sculpt, I will consider whether to get the doll or not.

Sometimes, after the doll arrived, my idea of the doll's character may suddenly change.

I recently redesign my 6 year old doll's character, modded and renamed her.

So I guess it's doll first for me.

 

Character. That's why I got into BJDs, to shell my girls XD

 

For all of mine so far, it has been the doll that comes first. For me, having the doll in my hand helps me create a character for them. I have had a couple of ideas for characters, just need the right sculpt for them.

 

For me it's more about doll personality than story. My dolls might be used for multiple characters in different worlds, but their personalities are more or less consistent. I generally like to wait until I get the doll before determining personality, but I do have Ideas before they arrive.

 

For me the doll comes first. I find a doll that speaks to me, and then build their story, style, and personality based on how I perceive them. :3 Doing it like that is a lot easier for me, because I think that a doll's face really does show so much about who they are, based on their expression and their features, and it makes it simple to create a story that reflects that once you've got a basic idea of what they're like.

 

Characters first, then doll! Though the newest girl (I'm still saving up for/waiting on MP access for) will be doll first, then character. I have an idea of where I want to go, but we shall see!

 

For me it was doll then character. But the story I came up with for my first doll is the same one I'm basing by second doll on. So for him ( her brother) it will be character then doll

 

Dolls tend to come first around here. No matter how hard I try to "plan" characters and buy dolls to shell them, it never works out. (hence my title haha)

 

I like to pretend the character comes first :} It helps me keep impulse purchases in check if I say to myself "but I don't have a need for any character that doll could be!"

But really, if I love the sculpt, then I'll come up with a loose character frame, so that the new doll would fit into the world I already have going. Stuff like, this could be her mentor, or his long lost childhood friend... but I leave it up to the doll to tell me the particulars when it gets to me

 

Doll first, definitely.

Lol, I learned early on with these guys, that it's best just to wait until the they arrive, and then let them tell me exactly who they are, rather than trying to impose a character of my own on them.

The few times I have tried to turn one of these dolls into a pre-created character I had planned, it has always been a complete failure. Their sense of self and their personalities are just too strong!

So when a new doll arrives, it's doubly exciting for me, because I never know just who is going to come out of that box.

 

For me, it's always doll first, character later.
Sometimes I have a some idea about what I'd like for their personality or characteristics before getting the doll but I do not have predetermined characters for dolls. I let the doll tell me their character.

 

Usually, character. If not, then I tend to impulse buy dolls, and then sell them quickly because I can't figure out who they are or where they belong. If I find a doll that I just fall head over heels for, then I'll still usually take some time to create a develop a character for them before diving in to buy the doll.

 

So far for me it's been the doll first, haven't really thought much on characters stuff for my dolls.

 

my doll , my other characters don't even have names yet i just really like to play dress up

 

Me too!! For me, I learn a lot about my dolls by what they like to wear

 

It's a mix of both for me too!
I got my first few dolls/heads just cause those were the cutest or prettiest and I wanted to have them. The characters for them came afterwards.
Since then it has been partially sculpts I want to have to be certain characters in my BJDs' story, and partially more sculpts I just find so irresistible I have to have them no matter if they will ever fit into the story.
I'm a bit on the fence now because I kind of wanted all my dolls to be part of the story, and fit together, with nobody left out as a story-less just for fun doll. But right now I have no motivation to progress there, so I think I'm going to just play dress up and style them and play with them without keeping their characters or story in mind.

I own a ton of OCs already, but I opted against shelling any of those into dolls when I got into the hobby.
I'm too particular about their looks and don't know if I'd ever find the right sculpts, wigs, clothes... it's more easy going and fun to start over!