Why did you buy your first doll?

I purchased my first doll, a Volks Dolfie Dream I, to test the waters so to speak. I was never into baby/toddler dolls as a child, so I never had a large doll, I always preferred 12" "mature" dolls, even at a young age. I wasn't sure I was going to like the size, or feel like it was a giant baby doll (which I always been a bit creeped out by, because babies are alive, and dependent on you). I wasn't in love with the idea of owning the type of doll I got, and back then it was sort of "looked down upon" to own those type of dolls, but it was a semi-popular first doll for people with a restricted budget, even if they weren't into anime. Hybrids were looked down upon as well, and most people who got the Volks DDI body did so to hybridize with a resin head. It was probably the most popular inexpensive female hybrid body, for those with a tight budget at that time. So, that's what I did -- I was still in college and vampire male dolls were limited, and not to my taste. I got the DD to see if I liked the size, and once I discovered I didn't mind it at all, I got my first complete resin male doll, a few years after he was released. I still own my first hybrid doll, and now it seems like Dollfie Dreams are rather popular dolls to own, I don't do much with mine though (sewing for female bodies is a pain in the gut, when you don't know what you're doing). (:

 

I really like centaurs and was basically smitten. I didn’t shop around or plan to own bjd dolls at all. But the following dolls were a bit more thought out. He needed friends after all.

 

I'm a photographer, so the reason of buying my first was for photo purposes of course. But he is a great companion for me while I'm retouching he is sitting there, where I can see him handsome and thoughtful. And I have awful lack of time for taking pictures of him, almost none. This is a bit frustrating.

 

I already had a house full of other types of dolls and bears when I discoverted BJD's, I too thought just one would be enough and here I am, fourteen years later, with over 50...

As with all my dolls and bears, I buy them primarily to play with. That may or may not include making clothes for them, taking them places, dressing and redressing them etc. Taking pictures is a "Necessary Evil" if I want to share them with doll friends and on forums such as DoA. I'm not particularly good at it (because I'm not interested enough to improve).

Teddy

 

I was casting about for a different type of doll to collect. I was so taken with an Elfdoll Soah on auction I bought her knowing nothing at all about resin bjds. So I got into the resin hobby kind of backwards. And it has steamrolled!
My knowledge of ball jointing and stringing though, comes from wanting (and not affording) antique dolls. Made it really easy restring at least! I like building things and customizing and found to my chagrin that Dollfie Dream bodies work pretty well for stray head until a body becomes available!

 

Soah was one of my early ones too - and I made reproduction porcelain dolls in the 80's so stringing held no mysteries for me either.

Teddy

 

I got my first doll after three years of only dreaming of owning a bjd, it was pure luck as there was no way I could buy a bjd where I live, I didn't know any companies other than Volks at that time and my mom happened to be visiting USA, so I checked Volks USA and managed to order an SD13 girl right before they were discontinued (that was in 2013)

 

I recently bought a Gem of Doll Moky, I just saw him and felt this really parental sort of feeling about him, like he was my child and I needed to take care of him. I guess some kind of combination of companionship, photography, and appreciation for the art of BJD making.

 

Because of his handsome face.
Oh I can never get tired of looking at Jade...

 

I had a teacher that brought in her dolls! I was utterly taken in by them, how pretty they looked.. I was hooked. I wanted to have one of my own. It felt like a natural extension of my love for art and visuals, especially focused on humans. All the details kept unfolding, and I loved every bit. Even just the natural movement of the elastics made me want one of my own.

Four dolls later, and I'm still just as smitten whenever I pick up my resin dolls.

 

I think I bought mine mostly as a kind of retail therapy. I was in a bad place in my life, and needed something to cheer me up.

 

A friend of mine came to school with a BJD one day, and that's when I knew I wanted to get one as well.

 

I have a couple of Blythe dolls, but hadn't done much with them for the past few years. But I like sewing them clothes. Recently I went to an estate sale that advertised Blythe and many other dolls and there was a cabinet of beautifully dressed BJD. I decided to grab the one that captured my attention the most. I thought it was a SoulKid Sweeni due to the certificate, but it appears to actually be a Miryu.

 

At the time of my first bjd purchase I was an avid MH doll collector. I had seen BJD's from afar, and fell in love with Doll chateau as they were even more over the top and could go farther in their themes than play line dolls could. I was craving more and just didn't realize it until my first doll came in. She was a doll chateau carol, a full on bird doll, with beak/wings/talons? I was smitten.

 

Loving dolls, the first time I saw an actual BJD I was just gobsmacked! Wanted one, then had to have two, then there were three... now have 20, and would not be unhappy to be smitten again.

 

I have/had been part of the Blythe community for a while, and we all know that other dolls tend to sneak in sometimes. I think my first "official BJD" was the Ixtee Mui Chan, (sigh, I wish they still made them) because I saw someone selling her, and I just couldn't pass her up! I was inspired to get more into BJDs recently, thanks to a local group of people I've found. : )

 

When I was a child, I have not dolls, I play with model cars and model weapons. I didn't like dolls before I saw bjd. They were so realistic that I thought - must have!

 

Because she is so cute and attractive me！

 

I needed a drawing model. But now I have 3 dolls. I don't draw them and I don't know why I'm going to buy a fourth doll.

 

I hated dolls as a kid, but when I was thirteen I found the tumblr bjd community and fell in love with @namirenn's Alex. He was so beautiful. I could never afford one, though. Fast forward seven years and I'm collecting porcelain clown dolls. I found a Unidoll Cupi fullset on oobiedolls and had to have her.