Why do people dislike character dolls or dolls without backstories?

I think this sort of sums up how I view it.
I've been creating characters, naming my toys, writing stories for as long as I can remember. The only time I wasn't doing it was when I was depressed. For me it's second nature. I always try to be understanding of other people so I would never be rude, or look down on someone who chooses to do something different with their dolls, but I find it very hard to grasp how they are able to have a doll and not want to name it.
I've been trying to think of an example and the best I can come up with is chocolate. The majority of people love chocolate (me included) so when I meet someone who says they really don't like chocolate, I have a really hard time understanding why. Logically I know that people have different tastes, but I always just want to scream "come on it's chocolate how can you not like it?!"
The closest I can come to understanding it, is to imagine that someone gave me a doll on the condition that I couldn't give it any kind of backstory, I couldn't even name it. I imagine I would be just as miserable as if someone with a non-backstory doll would be were they forced to give their doll a character and stick to it.
I would be screaming "why can't I name it?", they would be screaming "why do I have to?"

 

Because it's chocolate? And it's sickly sweet, and makes me way too thirsty, and gums up my tongue? XD

I think a lot of the way we view collections is on a personal level, and it's human nature to assume that 'the way things are done' is the 'way things have to be done' - only with dollies, this becomes a personal thing, and it becomes 'the way I do it is the way everyone should do it.' People don't stop to think that people have different ways to get enjoyment from their dolls.

It's sort of like the saying that 'one person's pain is another's pleasure, one person's trash is another's treasure.' I mean, if I had a penny for every time someone told me that I was strange for liking the things I like... well... I'd have a lot more dolls.

 

The thing is, fan dolls do have stories as the characters came from somewhere. If the owner likes and able to write fanfic then that story even continues to evolve in new and different ways. That's cool that they aren't your thing, but I thought it might be worth pointing out to help people understand better. My fan dolls have distinct personalities and stories, they just stem from outside source material.

 

Jenny Nemesis: I know there are really negative, snarky, morons out there who think they have some almighty right to dictate to everyone how they should enjoy their hobby, but I still believe they are the (admittedly very vocal) minority. Those people exist in every walk of life and are usually treated as a bit of a joke by everyone who comes across them and maybe they use the anonymity of internet forums to bolster their lack of authority?

They are sad and misguided and should be ignored. What I am trying to say to KellyinDallas is that you should just tune out those voices, don't let them interfere with your enjoyment of this hobby because most people don't feel that way.

The overwhelming majority of people I have 'met' here are just really into dolls and want to know what you have planned for your new incoming BJD, they don't care whether you do or don't give it a name, whether it is based on some character you created when you were 6 as an imaginary friend or whether it's based on an anime character... they just want to share your joy in getting a new doll.

For me personally I find that all these different approaches to owning and enjoying BJDs are sort of enriching. The world would be a very dull place if everyone were the same, I think most people recognise that.

 

I, personally, would not want a character doll or doll with no backstory, but I have no issues with people who do!

My reason for this is because I roleplay all of my dolls in a completely "original character" setting. Also, if a doll has no backstory or personality, it can make them impossible to RP with others. I have a hard time rping a doll whose story I have not yet fully written, and also do not enjoy rping with others who have no real basis, as character interaction is often dull or inconsistent.

That being said, there ARE RP sites made specifically for character dolls, and in one of those, it would be fine.

Another issue I've had with my own character dolls has been feeling very limited on what I can do with them. I've felt the need to get the costume perfect (and kind of fail...) and then feel like "well...here he is...now what?" I need to be able to let the doll guide the character, not have it pre-set.

But those are all my own person issues with me owning character dolls. I have NO problem with other owners having them. In fact, I've been completely amazed by some of the Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts dolls on here!

I think some of these "critical" people may see it, as others have stated, as a "waste" to have the option of making something so unique and individual, then using it to make something that already exists, but I KNOW there is as much, if not MORE work going into character dolls than original characters. Original characters don't have to have an exact costume or a specific hairstyle....if an original character is not exactly as you imagined, no one will know but you...with character dolls, they need to be pretty close to be effective and get recognized, unless you are just loosely basing your doll on that character.

As for no backstory, well, what you do with your doll is your business and if you see no need for a backstory, that should be your choice. It feels incomplete for MY doll to not have a story, but I can appreciate the beauty of someone else's doll without knowing every detail of their past.

 

I don't get the customizing holier-than-thou attitude. So I bought a doll with a company face up, rather than doing my own. So what? I just redesigned my entire bedroom. Does that make my e-peen bigger than yours?

I agree with Jenny waaay back on the first page. Insecure people will try to find something to boost their self esteem. It isn't worth your time or brain cells. Ignore it and move on.

 

While I've never had a problem with those who collect and form their dolls differently that I do, I do have beef with those who state that OC's are less difficult to create than character dolls. In my opinion both types of dolls are difficult to create, simply in different ways. For someone, such as myself, who as written extensively about their OCs, those characters and looks and personalities are just as set in stone as pre-made dolls. It is about consistency in creating a believable character that can not be 'changed as I please unlike a character doll'. These OCs DO have their own set of rules of what they do or don't look like, such because a doll represents my OC and I could technically change it however I wanted that doesn't mean I can just suddenly give him a brunette wig just because I want to when he is supposed to be blonde. An OC is not a blank slate doll, an OC DOES have his or her own well formed look just as a character dolls and many owners are often just as restricted and utterly picky about these details as character doll owners are.

 

I really like that your brought this point up.

I just am getting this weird feeling that 'character dolls' and 'dolls without backstories' are being treated as the same category of dolls. For me there are two distinctly different types of dolls (or rather, doll owners) being talked about here. Character dolls do have stories....that's where the character comes from >.<

I might just be confused.

 

I agree. I customize to enjoy my dolls and characters not because it makes me "better". I also do it cause I'm cheap. Yep I said it. I don't sew clothes cause I couldn't if my life depended on it. I collect OC dolls because that is how I collect. That is what works for me and I believe that in life you do what makes you happy. If I didn't believe that I certainly wouldn't be collecting expensive dolls at 29 years old. I have nothing against people collecting anime character based dolls or even dolls with no back stories. I think it is great and that they should do whatever makes them happy just like I do. I love seeing well done dolls in all of the forms that they take. Just because something isn't what I would personally choose to do doesn't mean it isn't perfectly wonderful for someone else.

 

Personally, I just think it's incredibly funny that anyone would seem to care about how other people play with their dolls. Some people take everything in this hobby very seriously. I was amazed when I started reading this forum that so many people even had "characters". I don't get even remotely offended if people are anti non-character/backstory dolls, though. Just like I wouldn't care if someone hated dolls with blonde hair (a lot of mine are blonde).

Also, I think some comments from people with character dolls may just seem like they're against "non-character" dolls because of how they're worded - some just feel very strongly about their own characters.

 

The same could be asked why do people LOVE character dolls and dolls WITH backstories? Whatever floats their boats in the ocean XD You chose to swim instead. Everyone's happy XD

Sure it is annoying sometimes but they shouldn't affect you and make you enjoy your dolls and hobby less.........

 

Not only do I agree with this, it also makes me giggle ^_^ I really do not like the whole "mine is better than yours and I am a super special cupcake with sprinkles because I painted my doll or made the clothes or wrote some story about it and I am going to insult your not as special doll" (this really applies to anything in the hobby, there is no need to make others feel bad regardless of what it is). It is a really negative attitude and I wish people were not so concerned with what other people do with their dolls. We should all just enjoy what we have and be happy others are enjoying what they have

EDIT: I just wanted to add, that I am in no way insulting cupcakes. In fact, they our one of my favorite things ever

 

My girl doesn't have a back story, just a personality and I am happy with her that way, and so are other people I've talked to or met. I don't think I've heard people say things like that about me or my doll, but I have seen some of the other debate threads and it just makes me go geez people, it's just a doll :P

I guess it's just like high school and he who dies with the most dolls wins? :P I have no idea.

 

... and don't forget Xtal's Kenpachi (from Bleach) also hand sculpted and just incredibly amazing. There really are some over-the-top talents here

I did the same thing! I couldn't get over it. Then I had the aha moment which is playing an online game and saying to the hubster "oh, this is so much fun... I'd love to make dolls out of some of my...characters... " Ok, so now I get it. But yep, I started out wondering how on earth ALL of these people were writers!

Best turn of phrase I've seen in forever. I just love it.

I probably could apply it to myself (militantly tolerant, that is), because I have some things from Column A, some from Column B and some from Column C. (and probably D, if there are such things). I have character dolls (no kidding?), dolls with characters I made up, dolls from China, Korea and Japan, resin and vinyl, tinies and big'uns (some day I shall get a 90 cm Angel of Dream boy just so I can say I've gone pretty much as big as they get); boys, girls, centaurs, cats, a dog I made, elves, chimeras and trees. Tan skin, white skin, yellow skin, "beauty green" skin, dyed black, dyed greenish-blue, and red; oh, and formerly normal skin that has gone lemon yellow. El-cheapo tinies and very pricey limiteds.

And yeah I get cranky when people start doing that usual thing that is putting other people in pigeonholes and flying off the handle at the least little thing. It's just... unnecessary. But then, I'm turning into a little hunched-over baakay in my old age so maybe it is just a matter of not enough fiber. The doctor keeps telling me that...

 

I'm not a fan of chocolate most of the time, either. It makes me thirsty, too - not to mention that it melts and kind of "molds" onto your teeth. I can't eat a lot of chocolate, or things with a lot of chocolate pieces in them because they make my teeth hurt for some reason. Gummy candy doesn't do that melty/stick-to-everything thing.

 

Baakay: tee hee, thanks for continuing my education! Having managed to avoid Playstation, Wi, Sega and all the other computer games, ancient and modern except Tetrus... well, I also thought that everyone who made dolls of their original characters were writers too!

Right up until I read your comment!!!

On the Chocolate issue, despite being a Chocolate Based Lifeform myself, it also makes my tongue go all weird and goos my teeth and makes me drink a ton of water... you're saying these are bad things now?

I remember when I first joined DOA - I absolutely hated it! Despite not even knowing what a Sharpie was, let alone wanting to draw on my BJD with one - and never having the urge to make a dress from a sock - I was really angry that there were people out there who thought they had the right to tell me I couldn't do those things! I just couldn't see past those rabid "Do as I do" Evangelists and really felt I would rather keep my love of BJDs to myself. The more you read and maybe join in a bit you get to realise that actually, all kinds of people love dolls and there are lots of different ways to mess around with dolls, and those crazies kind of receed into the background if you don't go seeking them out.

Plus, I do find them quite funny, especially on debate threads where they are working themselves up into a frenzy over something and nothing and are determined to have the last word, like anyone seriously cares. It's just a forum, take from it what you want and disregard the rest. Unlike people in our real lives the zealots have an off button.

 

Eh, there will always be jerky people in any hobby who try to put down others for their tastes. All my dolls are my own characters, but I would never be snobbish about it. What's there to be snobbish about, anyway? My patently home-made clothes? My incredibly amateurish face-ups? Making my dolls into characters is my creative outlet, and it makes them more special to me, but that's about as far as it goes.

 

I think the whole 'customized doll equals better' attitude, is people see/think they have put more work/time into their doll and trying to find/justify value for that time/energy.

I always like to mention, I have a horde of not my own character dolls. Yet, I have plenty of stories and worlds in my head, even one novel finished. But my own original characters don't want to be made into dolls, and so I do not make them into dolls.

 

First let me start by saying that when it comes to other peoples dolls, "whatever floats your boat" sounds pretty good to me.

But for me projecting personality and/or backstory helps a lot with bonding, with how to dress the doll, and what type of props to get it. It helps me not to buy tremendous jobloads of stuff that wont be used in the long run, so i can buy tremendous mountains of stuff i will use.

Plus its fun. For me if i could not make backstories and storylines, it would take a lot of fun out off the hobby.