Which Came First, Character or Doll?

I'm s mix of both at well. Because I play D&D most of the time I have the character made before I think of buying a doll, but every now and then there's just a doll you have to have and then have to make a character up on the fly

 

Since my doll still hasn't arrived I have to say it's usually character first for me lol. Sometimes when I am looking at sculpts for my characters though I will see a doll that doesn't fit but I still like and I try and come up for a character for them

 

With most of mine, the doll came first. I choose dolls that I really like, dolls that speak to me and inspire me. Dolls that I want to write a novel about. I get a general idea of what I want them to be before I purchase them, and go from there!

 

I definitely do the same, I figure out a rough outline of a character once I fall in love with the sculpt (usually through pictures online).

So that makes me curious: how in depth with a character do some of you get when you do create the character first?

For example, before I got my Iplehouse Eric, I knew basically that I wanted him to be a wizard who accidentally opens a portal into our world, but character details like he really likes teal and maroon, and that he likes nintendo games I didn't discover until I got him home and he told me!

And have you ever had a doll who's character you thought you had all planned out, only to find out the doll had a different opinion?

 

For me is both. I've already created a character just by looking to a doll, but I created before start to looking for any model

 

my bjd came first but I had in mind her character style whilst I was browsing for her, then once I had her on layaway I developed her character.

 

I don't even have my doll yet and I'm super excited for her. I have multiple characters planned out but I have no idea if I should go along with an OC that I have, or if I should make up an entire different character.

 

Actually, i think of bjd as of the way to bring certain original characters to life. I'm searching for molds that could fit.
But i also know that i may want some dolls as they are just because they managed to find a way to my heart)

 

Doll. I had an idea for some dioramas and needed a particular scale doll. Besides. you have to get to know them first to tell if they will bond with your character, yes?

 

Character! For two of my dolls, at least. I kinda tend to flesh the character out partially and let the doll do the rest of the talking, though.

 

I got my my boy first, because I fell in love with his sculpt. I'm slowly working out his character and personality, which I definitely wouldn't have been able to before I held him in my hands.

 

I only have one doll for which the character came first. Usually if I see a mold I like I iimmediately make up stories in my head on who they could be or how their character could be and thenI buy them xD

 

for me its definitely a mix, but to start, the doll came first. ill see a sculpt i like and a character will bloom from that, but maybe ill think of a relationship that doll/character would have so ill look for a doll to suit that role. and then ill see another doll i like... and rinse and repeat x- D

 

First I pick out a sculpt. Then, when they arrive, I do their faceup and make their clothes and pose them a bit. That's when they start to develop a personality and their name will come to me.

So, in short, first comes dolly then comes character.

 

So I've read about how some people give their dolls backstories. I've thought about making of a backstory for my dolls, but usually I just buy cheap wigs and secondhand clothes from Facebook. By doing this, I thought I'd just make up their characters as I go along. I haven't really connected with any of my dolls though. So here's my questions for everyone.

Do you think of a character before or after buying a doll?
If you've done things from how I've been doing it, after you decide to change something about the character (such as a different wig) what do you do with the parts?

 

After.

The character comes as I get to know the doll.

Falling for a sculpt comes first, then getting faceup (if it hasn't got one already or the one it has isn't they stayle I like) , then wig and eyes and then clothes and I gradually get to know who the doll is - what their character is.

I tried with my Narae to give her a character before I got her, had it all planned out that shes be a super-slick secret agent/fashionista. Then she arrived, I opened the box and realised she was a laid-back hippy. So much for that plan.

I have ony once shelled a particular character (from a book) and that took buying several heads in order to figure out which one worked - It's not my sort of thing, and only came about because another doll I'd got (becuase I liked the sculpt) turned out as, I got to know her character, to be a character from the same book and so I "needed" to find her sister.

With most of my dolls, the backstory usually comes gradually and the longer I have the doll the more of it gets filled in. Who they are and what they're like comes first, then how they relate to my other dolls, then little details come to light, prompted by this situation, or that situation, or whatever.

Teddy

 

Before-- but that doesn't mean it won't change after. It depends on whether I'm deliberately setting out to shell a character I've written about, or if I'm setting out to get a doll I love and want to create a character around them, in which case I think some change is pretty normal. For me, anyway.

 

I might have some thoughts before about things like possible names and their likes and dislikes. But nothing is set until after I open the box and meet them. Then it's a long process figuring out all the little details.

And I don't think changing things about your dolls is a bad thing, because people change too overtime. Like when I was a little kid I hated wearing pants, but now I wear them most days of the week. If I can change my mind why can't dolls change their minds too?

 

Sometimes before, sometimes after. For dolls that I know who they are just by looking at the company photos, I find they have less outfits and accessories than the other dolls. I guess in my mind once I find those outfit they don't really need any others. Dolls that I decide after have lots of clothes and wigs and eyes. They can be flexible and usually represent different characters at different times.

 

Before. Usually.

If my doll doesn't have a solid character, I lose interest and sell them. So I usually have a strong RP character before I buy a doll.


Occasionally I do impulse buy a doll I really love, then build a character around it but that usually doesn't last for me.

Anything I don't use, I end up selling or trading online or at a doll meet.