Why do people dislike character dolls or dolls without backstories?

Maybe I just have the world's thickest skin these days or maybe I'm oblivious to the insults flying all around me but my basic question about this whole thread is still: Why care? So what if some people look down their noses at the way I collect dolls, so what if they don't like the fact that I have never seen a Volks doll I wanted to own, I don't keep my dolls in boxes but what the hell if I did? This hobby attracts all sorts of people from all walks of life and some of them are guaranteed to irritate the hell out of me.

Maybe I irritate the hell out of you? Maybe you would like to make a post all about it here and call my dolls ugly and call me stupid, snobby, lazy, whatever. You can say that I shouldn't be allowed to have dolls because their wigs are not groomed to your standards, you can say that you will refuse to give me a lift to a doll meet because you don't allow people with big noses in your car... or whatever the hell you want to rant about... it won't make any difference to me because you are just some stranger on the internet and I don't need your validation to feel good about myself. I don't need your say so to enjoy my dolls!

Here comes the usual disclaimer about "you" being generic, I just thought it would get across my point better than "They" in this instance. DOA is a big place, big enough for the good the bad and the ugly. If it's big enough for those of us who create original characters for our dolls, then it's big enough for those who recreate characters from anime or wherever AND it's also big enough for crazy people, anti-social know it all's and people who mistakenly think that everyone should follow their rules. There are snobs and irritating people everywhere, they are just a fact of life, they shouldn't get in the way of anyone else's enjoyment of their hobby.

 

This. Although I do remember some specific incidents on this board that this post may be influenced by but that's probably because I read a lot more into things than I ever really should.

You know, English teachers can never accept the fact that the curtains are just blue and all. =)

 

This, yesyesyes. I am the same way. Because I'm a writer, I have lots and lots of characters that I would love to put into resin, and even when I get a doll that doesn't have a character right away, I'm positive it would evolve into something eventually.
I agree with the 'I' comment thing; if I said, "It bridles my creativity," I wouldn't be trying to be mean or condescending, I would just be giving my opinion. Everyone is a different person, and therefore, everyone will be a different kind of doll owner. :3

 

I dont see a problem with people making characters they like into dolls. Iv considered doing it for a few of my favorite characters in the past and probably would in the future. But because I like to write myself and have alot of original characters I must admit my priotity when it comes to my dollie wishlist is always getting my own characters made up first. Just because I like the creative aspect and seeing my characters come to life so to speak. But of course not everyone is good with creating these huge back stories and personalities and if they want to base it of something they have seen on tv or read in a book then what ever makes them happy. I must admit I find it hard to justify to myself buying a doll that I want purly based on liking the look of the sculpt. Im not sure why...I just like to fit them into my storys and have ideas for photos I guess

 

I'll trade your locals for my locals--none of them show the slightest interest in whether your doll has a character or even a name, though they will look up if you have a cool Soom fullset.

That said, though, I confess I have asked my roomie why she hasn't come up with any characters or backstories for her boys, but I swear, it's not because I think she loves them any less or is a less good doll-mommy because of it; I just honestly see how she can resist it! To me, they all cry out to BE someone. But I don't think any less of her or anyone who doesn't have that sort of life with her dolls. (And, seriously, you've gotten attitude from people for not making your own wigs?! With so many beautiful ones out there to buy? That's a brand new one on me. )

Seriously: some people think of their dolls as blank pages for their ideas, as art projects in which every detail has to be handmade; some as beautiful, pampered children for whom they want to get the most elegant couture outfits or the cutest Loli dresses and prettiest wigs and shoes; some as parts of themselves, some as photographers' models, some as their favorite characters, some as shells for their own fictional characters, and some as just cool toys. And many more. Nobody can tell you which shelf to sit on or diss the other shelves cos they don't choose to sit there.

...grr. It really aggravates me to hear that anyone would try to dictate to anyone the ways in which s/he must be, or can't be, creative.

 

I say to each their own. I reshell my own characters into dolls. my girlfriend's doll is one she customised and then turned into an OC. that's just my preference though, I wouldn't say I'm superior because of it. if someone wants to make...I dunno, Ron Weasley out of their doll, then go for it. and actually I've seen some Character Reshell's that are REALLY well done. one girl on DA (who's probably around here somewhere) made Ciel and Sebastian and they are BEAUTIFUL. I also saw someone mod a doll to be nightcrawler. how awesome is that? what I like about this hobby is just how much you can do with them, and for stuff like that they really are perfect. just because I make my OCs it doesn't mean my dolls are better.

 

Some people are easier to brush off than others, internet or not - they might have a presence that shows face-to-face or behind a screen. It might be especially difficult if there's someone who's a first-time participant, as well as a first-time owner, who has a limited idea about the hobby in general or how big this community is. They might end up running onto one of the very few people who dislike their brand of doll (but also feel that it's not OK for anyone else to like it, either) and that person might have a very big impact. Their reactions might mislead the new owner to think "This is what owners are going to think of me?" "Do I really need to get this doll?" and might be concerned that they spent all this money and are now going to be laughed at.

It's natural that no one wants to get laughed at, and I think it's also natural for someone to go by the first opinion they get, sometimes. It just might be your luck that you ran into one or two condescending people, but you probably don't want to constantly parade your doll around if you fear that the general population is going to laugh at you.

Seriously?! I don't think I ever want to make my own wigs, or eyes. The reason I don't is because I know they're going to turn out hideous.

 

I created my characters for myself to enjoy, others do and don't, my humour is very much my own, and for awhile I did feel bad about it, that I was the only one who liked these characters I spent a lot of time making, but these days, I really feel that they're mine and part of what makes me-me is the fact I have a weirdly different mind, conforming would ruin a hobby I enjoy.
I don't claim to be hugely original, I based 2 dolls of the mst3k robots, though I've not gotten any real harsh comments to my face, I know how outlandish my idea's are (its like that with every hobby)
though in my bizarreness, I do think I created at least one or two things original lol

 

loved that!

It's up to you have you do with you doll, whether it be OC or not! If the people you are talking to are saying things like that to you, get new people to talk to.

 

I am going to go out on the limb and point this out: The OP didn't ask if it was Okay for people to judge for this, but WHY. So, yeah.

From all the dolls I've "built," I have to say that my OC's have been the easiest. The biggest challenge I have had was building a character doll. I am not even partially done, or even close. It's pushed me to find artists outside of the DOA world to make parts for the doll, and I paid attention to detail of this favorite character I've never noticed before. And now I may have to make the wig by myself, ugh, I want to run and hide. It is hard.

 

Thank you for noticing the flaw in this thread. In my opinion, as the owner of a single character-less/bio-less doll, I think its because some people may view an owner not giving a backstory/character to their doll as either uncreative or lack of effort. Perhaps, along the lines of "she's your doll, you should put some effort into her!" etc. Or even, for those owners who buy dolls just to give them a story or to go along with a character idea they have, "why would you even buy a doll if you don't know who they're going to be!?"

But, yes, I will agree that no one has the right to judge, but the question was WHY.

 

I just want to point out that even though that may be true to you it certainly isn't for others. For me it is extremely hard to find dolls for my OC's. They are every bit as detailed and specific as any character doll. Just saying.

 

And I was just saying, for me.

 

Non-OC characters do seem harder to build because (and I think someone mentioned this) you have to be spot-on with your translation to doll form. There isn't a lot of room for any variation. If you have an OC, most people have no idea what your character is supposed to look like, so if you want to rewrite him to have a rounder nose rather than a pointed nose, you can do it, and no one would ever know. To do that with an actual character can throw off the entire look; it might be a significant detail that can make a doll go from "Dr. Who" to "Who is that?"

 

I think the reason a lot of people are explaining why it's okay to have fan-character/background-less dolls is because they don't dislike them, and have never encountered any animosity towards fan/background-less dolls. Therefore, the only thing left in the discussion is explaining why there actually isn't any dislike - because people understand why others might do it and do not pass judgement upon them. I have definitely not seen any kind of condescension towards people owning dolls without original developed stories, at least in the aspects of the community I do get involved in. Is there possibly a leaning towards preferring dolls WITH characters among the community? Yes. That's because those dolls are easier to get familiar with, and develop some kind of a personal connection to the doll in question. That doesn't mean the others are disliked, however. Dislike and indifference are two very different things.

That being said, I have certainly seen this dislike manifesting itself in other similar areas - art and illustration, for example. Now THERE I have definitely seen statements akin to "fan art is unoriginal and boring, and just stealing someone else's idea, and any artist who draws fan art has no skill" and "I don't respect illustrators who do not have defined personalities and story for the original characters they draw because they're just drawing an empty picture full of fluff and nothingness". Which really, is rather silly - from a purely artistic stand point, a skilled illustrator would spend the same amount of time drawing an original character with a story, a piece of fan art, or a random person they came up with on the spot. Obviously, they'll approach the planning stages slightly differently - but the bulk of the illustration, the skill and the time put into the drawing - will remain unchanged. (Mind you, I illustrate my own original characters with elaborate back stories, so these are my observations as someone who doesn't have any personal involvement).

Personally, I feel that the difficulty in creating a doll doesn't have anything to do with whether it's original or a fan doll, but with how well the character is established. I've been searching for most of my original character dolls for years, and so far, I've found.... one (Peppermint doesn't really count, because the character, while being 100% mine and painstakingly created, did not exist until after I saw the doll (I think I have 70+ drawings of variations of this characters on file, and about 250 images and links in my reference and inspiration folder)). The rest I come across tend to be in the "Almost-perfect-but-there's-just-something-not-right", and I pass them by, hoping for another one that's closer. Mind you, this is just the sculpt too - rinse and repeat the procedure until satisfaction for face-ups, wigs, eyes, and clothes. This of course can be very similar for fan dolls as well, though they will always be missing that initial step of designing the character and the look. ETA: I'm someone who generally refuses to rewrite characters to fit dolls better. Tried, horribly suppressed my creativity and artistic growth, and now it's either the doll is 100% spot-on, or it's just not going to work.

 

True, but you are assuming those with OC's are comfortable with changing those types of characteristics just because "no one would know". But that's untrue. Someone would know. You, the creator of that character, would know. And while this may not be a big deal for you, it certainly can be and is for many other writers, and these OCs are just as detailed and require just as much painstaking work to be created accurately as character dolls. Sure, no one would know the exact shade of purple my Ivan's wig should be and I could change it to a different color and no one would be the wiser. But his look is just as concrete as any official character out there and it would be untrue to him if I went with just any wig simply because it's easier.

 

I think it could also be because the dolls might be a little more... personified to other collectors. There's most likely an interesting story to why a doll has marks or a scar on his face, and I think it's generally interesting to learn about someone's characters.

I get that, and I think I'd have a hard time trying to change something if it was important to me that it stay the same. I guess it also depends on what part of the doll could be changed, and if you're OK with doing that.

 

THIS! So much!

No writerm I cannot and would not change my character just to fit a doll. Maybe you do not create your own characters so you do not know, or you work differently. I take pride in my OC's and changing them is to me impossible. They are fixed.
It would to me be a lot easier to change someone else's creation and do a different interpretation of it because it would not be as personal and close to me as my OC's.
Many seem to assume that creating OC's is easier than character dolls but I believe no writer or artist would change their own creation because it is the easiest way out. They mean to much to you.

 

What a silly thing to feel superior about. o wo

I've got a mix of them, I guess. I mean, my current doll doesn't really have a back story, I just love him for what he is, but a few of the ones I want to get will. Does that mean I'm superior to myself?

Honestly, superiority amongst doll people is just silly. Just because your character has a story about how they grew up doesn't mean you're better then anyone else. Everyone loves their dolls their own way.

 

I think I'm having trouble seeing it from this perspective because I've never been that attached to any character I've written about. None of my characters have inspired me to create an OC doll for them, but I think the concept is really cool.

I tend to have a difficult time creating characters in general, but I do get what you mean to some extent. The characters are your babies, and you've lived with these "beings" for quite some time. You're not going to change them into some pseudo-character that doesn't match up to your vision or description.