Why do people dislike character dolls or dolls without backstories?

Mmmhmm~
I've shared my dolls with my younger sister, and she doesn't have any characters which she could turn into dolls(as far as I am aware), but she seems interested simply in the fact that you can continuously customize them in any way that you want. ^^ If she were to buy one, she probably wouldn't give it a character as that isn't what would draw her to them in the first place.

 

The owner of the doll should be able to do what they want with them... It's fine to focus on a dolls character and backstory and such, but for me it's hard to even think of things like that for my dolls. Not like I don't love and cherish them, I just consider them inanimate objects most of all and hold their aesthetic value more important than dreaming of their imaginary characters all day.

 

Personally, I... can't bring myself to care. I just can't. I can't be bothered to worry over whether or not people ascribe personalities to their dolls, original or borrowed or fan-oriented, or consider them a simple decorative object. I just can't see this as any of my business to worry about.

If people choose to share those things, it's cool -- the stories are usually interesting stories so it's fun to hear them, just like it'd be fun to hear cool RPG stories or about writing projects, and so on. There's plenty to find interesting about the dolls themselves, however, if people don't have those stories to tell or share, and when they don't -- whether it's due to a choice not to share them or because they simply don't exist to share -- I don't find myself missing them.

At times, the stories can become a bit... overwhelming? I don't have a lot of brainspace to store my own random RPG tales of crazy or character tidbits or scraps of fiction I want to write, so there's not too much room in there for more. Basically, I don't have the world's best retention for it outside of RPGs (non-doll-related in my case) in which I'm interacting with someone with some regularity, and it's sometimes awkward trying to recall things about them. Most folks are fairly cool about this, but I've noticed that at times, there's an expectation that everyone else will be just as rapt by their personal unfolding tale or perfect replica fan creations' universe (which I may not even know about) as they are, and while I can totally relate to that feeling that it's awesome, it sometimes can create just a bit of awkwardness for the person standing there scratching their head, wondering what on earth they're talking about. Don't get me wrong here; I love that we can share these ideas and concepts and don't think any aspect of that is a bad thing in any way. I'm just commenting on the fact that sometimes, that aspect just bounces off or doesn't enter the long-term memory, and it can create a moment of, 'uh... what are you going on about?' when it that happens and there's an expectation that it's been etched into long term memory.

 

People that are fans enough of an anime/movie/tv series/book etc to make fan dolls are also very likely to tell people where their doll's character came from -- they aren't claiming that they own the character, they are paying tribute to something that they love. Speaking for myself here, of course, I will say that when I'm really into something I want to be more than just a passive viewer/reader/whatever. It's fun to be able to actually do something and be more involved in whatever that thing is. It's not a matter of ripping anybody off or stealing an idea, it's being really really enthusiastic and inspired by someone else's very excellent work.

 

I do understand where you're coming from. I've seen the way that the character issue in particular becomes a testament to "MY CREATIVITY!!!" etc. Now before I get called out for being an arse, I would like to point out that I happen to have really frickin' complicated backstories and OCs. That does not in any way mean that I think people who don't aren't creative. Some of the most amazingly creative people on this forum have dolls that are simply a testament to their artistry- beautifully face-upped, wigged and dressed (and looking a damn sight better than my "personal character dolls" I might add) that are based on a pre-existing character or haven't got personalities at all.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with having a doll based on a character that someone else made up, or having a doll with no character at all. Heck, I've got one doll with another planned that are essentially my fangirl tributes to David Eddings' Belgariad. They have the names, and (although I didn't necessarily intend for this) most of the essential character elements. They also look just like their namesakes. And it was surprisingly fun for me to go that route for once. I think people assume that you almost need "build by hand" or else it's "too easy" or "not creative enough" and I think that's rubbish. It was really hard to pick out a sculpt that would fit my interpretation of both characters (although Ce'Nedra just came to me- for real, she looks EXACTLY like her). I get just as much pleasure from making up stuff as I do finding something to fit.

 

I did not even know people had a problem with this.

It can be fun to read about peoples OCs or look at fanbased character dolls.
I am mostly on these sites to read reviews, news and learn stuff. And I enjoy looking at pretty pretty dolls.
In the latter case it really does not matter. Fullset, default, own face up or modified, OC, character or no backstory makes no difference when I am simply looking at the doll.

 

Again with the gross misinterpretation! Wow. Message repeats, I'm not the one being mean-- if I were being mean, you wouldn't have to dig in-between the lines for it, you'd hear it. (The Pope in Rome would hear it. ^^) Nope, I was helping her by explaining a good method to START understanding someone else's style/viewpoint. She indicated she was willing to try, but not everyone knows where to start.

But I think I get it now-- probably you were offended by my use of the word "Toys", is that it? Well! I have news: it's not considered "mean" or "an insult" to call a toy a toy. Most of us don't feel we need to invent a new word to describe a plaything (I think there was already a whole debate thread about that! xD)... but now I see that some folk are defensive about having their toys referred to as toys. But I don't think I'm going to be going back to edit my post to use the term Resin Power Sources or Synthetic Snowflakes or any other such euphemism. When discussing the various ways that various people play with their toys, I will be continuing to use the correct word.

 

JennyNemesis - I could be wrong, but I think it might have been more the phrase, "If it's hard to stretch one's brain around the notion that everyone is different" -- it can easily be read as condescending. It's not necessarily that the previous poster couldn't understand that people are different, so much as they couldn't identify with that particular viewpoint. I get where you're coming from and what you were getting at with the suggestion, but the intro bit makes it sound a bit less positive.

And for the record, I'm kind of glad when I see people call dolls "toys." Sometimes in the discussions about dolls as expressions of art, I feel a little foolish off in my corner thinking about how fun my fancy toys are. XP

As for the original topic, I've definitely seen some of the dismissive/derogatory comments aimed toward tribute/"character" dolls. I don't have any, nor do I have any serious plans for making any, so I don't think I'm being overly sensitive on reading things into some of the comments I've seen. I expect, as many others have said, that many of those people feel it's an issue of being "less creative" by using a character someone else created (or no character at all, for that matter,) which just seems foolish.

But, as Jenny so aptly pointed out on the first page, some people just like to feel like they're better. ^^; It reminds me of the music snobs who like to put people down for liking popular bands; it just seems like a really silly thing to feel superior over.

 

Uh...no? I know my dolls are toys and I've never said otherwise O.o?

 

Oh cool! I guess its the same as my porcelin dolls then, they don't have names and were either gifts or I picked them out because they were pretty. Never thought about giving them names. I just can't...not give my BJDs a name though. They seem too "Alive" for me to not give them a name...and they usually have their own personality that comes shinning through.

How do you keep from giving yours names? I feel like I have to have mine named because what else would I call them?

 

Actually, I was more bristly at the 'imaginary friends' - which is, I'm lead to believe, a vastly deroggatory term when applied to someone beyond the age of about seven. I'm well acquainted with the fact my dolls are called toys! =) Most of the time I love reading your posts, Jenny, but that one really rubbed me the wrong way. I think that Malaryrush hit on the reason why.

I read back over your post and forced myself to read it in a non-condescending tone, and I can see what you meant, but the first sentence made me read it that way, and there are several other words in it that cause it to continue as such ('even the fattest ideas can fit through'). Apologies for the bad interpretation, and when read in the right tone, it's a good post. But that's the internet, I suppose, you can never tell the tone that someone else is writing/reading in, so one always has to be careful how they word/read things.

 

Except I've yet to meet an owner of a fan doll who doesn't credit the original source material as the inspiration for the doll. That's...kind of the point of having one. It's an homage to the original source material, not an attempt to steal the idea for oneself.

I make it pretty darn clear where my dolls are sourced from -- and to be bluntly honest, if anyone thought Kiyo or Shirou were my own original concepts, then they can't read. I love the characters. I made dolls of them. I did it because I love the characters and the source material. I am proud to tell people what the source material is, because they might go look at it and think it's as cool as I think it is. I mean hell, it's a form of fangirling, and there is nothing awesomer (to me) than to have someone go look at something I like and start fangirling it with me. That's FUN! The only thing about them I could even claim to be 'mine' is the way that I chose to interpret them; what molds, what wigs/eyes/faceups/clothes, who I go to to have them customized, how I see them in my mind's eye. But that is different, and that certainly does not make them my own original works -- and I don't want them to be. That would be completely missing the point of the doll in the first place.

It's fanart. Three-dimensional, interactive, resin fanart. That's really all it is.

 

Things I've heard people say:

"People who put their dolls in cabinets are bad doll owners. Those dolls need to be saved."
"I can't believe people pay hundreds of dollars for a doll and then play with it the mud! They are ruining their doll."

Those extremes are the opinions of just a few people and most people don't mind what you do with your doll or how you play with it. There are people who can't imagine not having 100 pages of back story for a doll, there are people who can't imagine why you do that with a doll you just have because it's pretty and there are a lot of people who think: "Whatever floats your boat."

If people would stop feeling so insecure when they hear one of those extreme opinions, there would be a lot less "Is it wrong to...?" threads. Yes, there are maybe one, two, or three people who think you are doing it absolutely wrong and you should change your heinous ways right now. Learn to ignore those people and you'll be a lot happier.

 

Hee hee, I really should name the nameless ones, because as it is I'm calling them "fluffy wig girl" and "bunny hat guy". I have another one that I did (maybe) name Juniper, but I keep referring to him as "cute sleepy-face boy".

 

Yeah, I know that most people do credit stuff every time they post or anything like that, but I have seen those who don't, and it's that that annoys me. Some people just assume that people know what something is from, and some just forget to credit and I've seen some that don't even know you should. ((Not really any on here, but some other places.)) I've had a few time when I'd comment on someone's cool design only to find out later that is was from an anime or TV show or something.
But I think this might be a little off topic... :P
Like I said before, I have nothing against character dolls; they're pretty dang awesome when done well!~ ^^ Some people should just be more diligent sometimes.

 

THANK YOU!

I've had people make snarky comments (at meetups mostly, rather than on the forums) that because most of my dolls are based on characters from books, I'm being "lazy" - having to travel to the other side of the country on the off chance you can get one of the super limited tickets for a book signing, just to try and get a definitive answer on one of their character's eye colour is not lazy.

Might be considered crazy though

 

I guess I kinda did the same thing with Nani. For the longest time I didn't know her name. I ordered her in April and had her by July and she refused to tell me her name and I found her rather annoying so I just didn't care and referred to her as IS (Illusion Spirit) Sara because that's what she is. It was only after my IMPL BB Jasper came that I learned her name was Nani...and it bugged me all the time...and I kept wishing I had a name for her, but nothing fit. But to just have a doll sit there without a name...I don't know...personally it drives me crazy and I can't do it but all that matters is that you're happy with it and that it doesn't bother you!

 

I know I'm not exactly adding anything to this discussion but I had to chime in on what Jenny said and give a massive fan girl squee. It's like a breath of fresh hair to see someone else not taking these people (who clearly take themselves too seriously) too seriously!

As much as I love this hobby, some days it really has it's moment where I wonder if it's worth it and this is one of those problems - the negativity and superiority.. then I remember I don't owe anyone else anything to be here and figure you can't let the *ahem*.. swines.. get you down

 

I don't necessarily think that the examples in the first post are some how offensive, or an expression of the individuals dislike for fan dolls. They just read like "I" statements to me - "I can't imagine owning a character doll" or "it stifles my creativity". Because really - it is true for a lot of people. Like me. I have more than enough of my own characters - enough for me to spend decades finding shells for all of them, and they really do mean a lot more to me than someone else's character, no matter how much I may like them, because in the end they're not MY characters. I don't really think they're "easier" or "less creative" (although there are certain steps that are missing from the creation of a fan doll, for obvious reasons). As for dolls without backstories... I'm gonna be honest, I don't think I'll actually be able to pull this off. My imagination would run off before I could even check it, and bam, character+story+design is just going to eventually attach itself. It's inevitable, and it's really the only reason I spend this much on these dolls. Obviously, that's not how it works for everyone, and that's fine. I don't think everyone NEEDS to have original character dolls with fully developed backstories, though to be honest, I really do have a hard time envisioning myself as any other kind of doll owner. That being said, if there is a fictional character that I REALLY like, I'm not entirely disinterested in incorporating a tiny part of that character into my own, kind of like homage that only I would know about.

As far as general attitudes - I actually see the opposite. I feel really awkward sharing my doll characters with other people most of the time (there have been a few exceptions here and there, of course). I kinda feel like most of the time no one really cares - maybe because they already have their own, or maybe because my characters aren't interesting, or something. Maybe I'm just not very good at explaining them. I sort of find it a pretty general attitude around these parts - just share pretty doll shells, and keep quiet about the characters unless asked (Not that I'm complaining, I mean, hey, that's fine). I don't think I know anything more than a few random bits of information about the doll backstories/characters of people in the hobby with whom I interact with on a regular basis, and they usually come out because someone makes a remark about what they think the doll would be doing, and the owner would sort of correct them by explaining that specific facet of the character's personality. (eg, "Ahaha, he looks like he's gonna murder someone really soon for putting him in that dress!" "Nah, actually, he's a really laid-back kind of guy"). I like listening to other people's ideas when it comes to their characters and backstories, actually. I read the BJD databases sometimes, for fun.

 

I read this thread and my first thought was "Oh geesh, now we've got to have characters and backstories?" When I first joined this hobby, I was part of the uncool group because I didn't own a Volks, I had bought the 'cheaper' imitator Korean Elfdolls amongst others. I went to a doll show, took along my gal and had someone sniff and turn her nose up at my BJD because she wasn't a Volks. That was quite a few years ago now and everyone embraces the different companies these days. Even back then a lot of people used their BJD collection to make themselves feel special. Who cares? Ideally I'd like to have mine in historical garb from thoughout different time periods and I hope I'll eventually get around to doing it. I don't want characters and back stories or even names although I'm happy to listen to other people's. Everyone seems to use this hobby for something different. It's when you start feeling that you've got to listen to other people's thoughts on what the hobby should be that you've got a problem.