Which Doll Would You Go With?

I'm also in the camp where I need a character in mind ahead of time before I buy a bjd, or I don't end up keeping them. I've found that blank slates leave me scrambling for ideas, and when there's nothing I can come up with—or it just seems like a half-baked concept—it ends up becoming a failure and then gets sold on. My collection is very character-oriented; I've never found myself able to collect just for a particular aesthetic.

I was going to give the concept a try with a Dearmine cat girl I got, after being inspired by somebody else's. I—well...she's been sitting in her box uncustomized for three years now, and I'm pretty much thinking it's time to sell her.

The approach is going to depend on the person really. Folks more interested in aesthetics and collecting with that specific purpose in mind are going to have more fun working with a blank slate. For us character-focused folks though—we're going to need inspiration if we're going to bond with our creation.

 

All my dolls have been love-at-first-sight, figure out the rest later- so I know I want their sculpts, and I just kind of roll with whatever comes to me once I have them in my hand. So far, it has always been the case that I expect a doll to look a certain way before I get it, I have a concept all planned out after seeing only photos, and then once I actually have the doll, their aesthetic and personality are completely different from what I expected. But they also really come to life! I feel like I have to get to know my doll first, in-person. I've come to like that process! It's a lot of fun and my dolls get to form their own unique personalities.

 

I don’t have any characters or stories for my dolls, and ultimately buy those I find most aesthetically pleasing to me. I like dressing them up however I want, doing their faceups, and taking their pics. They’re definitely little art pieces for me. Just looking at all the cuteness on my shelves makes me so happy.

shelling dolls from book ideas I’ve had swirling in my head for two decades just sounds stressful for me, and I don’t want my dolls to carry any negative, stressed, anxious type feelings with them.

 

I feel it depends on the strength of the connection with your character concept. If there is a particularly strong character that is developing in your head, then I recommend settling only for a doll that most accurately resembles the physical manifestation of that. Otherwise, you may buy one that develops his/her/their own character and have to purchase another...and another (and that's how I'm ended up with 31 dolls, lol)

Otherwise, if there exists several concepts and you are not intrinsically linked to any of them (which appears to be the case), I recommend purchasing a doll you find attractive/cute /impactful and let the character organically unfold.

Either scenario can be immensely rewarding if it is aligns with how your energy flows.

The question then becomes, are you planning on doing your own face up, getting a custom one, or a factory one? Because with that the possibilities virtually become endless. I had one idea for a doll but after doing her faceup, she ended up being a six-shooting cowboy witch. Something I NEVER would have seen coming. Ha!

Either way, I hope you enjoy your journey.

 

I have a charachter in mind, but it can change when I working with the doll. Without a character there is no reason for me to buy a doll.

 

For me, it's really varied! My Crobidoll Lance already sort of had a character -- I style him based off his appearance in the Cheritz and Crobidoll collab, Nameless. The others... not as much? I didn't really have much of a style concept for my Switch Shiho when she arrived, I had a concept in mind for my 5StarDoll Eric, I had plans that got completely thrown out the window as soon as my Switch Rusi arrived...

I really like playing by ear, but with the exception of Lance, I've never gone looking for these dolls. I just saw them for sale and thought, "Ah! I must have you."