Would you loan someone your doll or ask to borrow one?

I loaned Teddy (my Amakusa) out to a friend for about ten days. Her first doll was an FCS from the LA Sumika, and it took four whole months before he shipped. At the end of the wait, she was about to go nuts. Teddy, being strangely cuddly and friendly for a very large hunk of resin, was a good choice for a loan doll.

I won't lie; I was a little nervous. The loanee is a good friend and someone I trust, but accidents can happen no matter how trustworthy the person is. Plus, Teddy is definitely one of my favorite dolls ^^;. I was very happy to get him back after his little visit.

 

It would depend a lot of what type of person it is. If the person is a total newbie and know nothing about dolls what so ever, I would not let the person borrow my doll, not even over the day. If the person maybe wanna take pictures of it or something, I would wanna be there the entire time and keep a watchful eye on everything. There's so much that can go wrong, which even a lot of experienced doll-owners discover from time to time. It's so easy for them to fall over and they get stained so easily etc etc.

But if this friend of mine were an experienced doll-person who maybe have dolls of his/her own and know what type of caution is required, I think I would feel safe enough to let him/her borrow my doll when Im not around.

It's not only because "Oh it's my doll, my little precious darling." etc etc, but also because most of the dolls are really expensive, and doll owners tend to put a lot of work and effort into customize their dolls. If a doll break or get damaged in any way, the work to repair the damage can be both time consuming, difficult and expensive. Some time the owner might have to send the doll away for repair, maybe half across the world, and the shipping, especially if you have to send the entire body, and it's big doll, isn't really for free either. So it's not only that you happen to love you doll to death, it's also a lot of money involved.

 

For me. I'm okay with it. It mostly depends on who. If it's someone who is inlove with this stuff and knows how much these mean to me, I won't mind it. I have my first too dolls that I ever got and I've only had them since august. I've already hurt one of them (within in the 1st week I had it) she took a bad spill to her nose. And after that I realized that they can actually handle a lot. They're like flowers. They can be trampled on yet still beautiful and always come back.

In fact my dolls (both) at the moment are with my friend and have been for the past few weeks. She's making them clothes and is playing with them a lot more than I have the time for at this moment.

 

I wouldn't, even if i did know them. :S

 

I've never loaned out my doll...but I've borrowed from Satoru and Elegant Destruction because I know them well and they know I would never harm their dolls. It all comes down to how well you trust someone. ^__^

 

I'd only loan my dolls to a fellow bjd enthusiast (so that they'd be properly cared for) that I knew extremely well (so that they wouldn't be stolen) who lived in my immediate area- either on my campus or in my town (so that I could get them back easily or hunt them down and kill them in person.) Anyone else'd get a definate 'No.'
I might however make one acception- if the close personal friend were not a bjd enthusiast but would only be expected to watch the doll, maybe dust him or her, and keep him or her from immediate physical harm, then I'd probably agree to that- but only for a short time.

 

If it was one of my dolly friends, I would most probably happily agree, but it might have to be sometime when I could be over too with the doll. If it was someone I had just met or didn't know very well I would inform them that I am very protective of my doll, and don't feel so great about leaving it alone, as I'm sure they would understand if they were a doll person. I would also offer to make an outfit for their doll as well, so I could practice my sewing too.

 

My brother makes an excellent dolly-sitter and he often takes Zee and Rupert into his room for 'boy time' since I have far more girls than boys. If he wanted one of those guys to keep him company if he was going away to uni, I probably would let him. The doll would be Zee rather than Rupert because as much as I love my brother, I wouldn't let him wander far with my LE doll in his arms, but he loves Zee to bits and so do I, I can't imagine any harm coming to him and if his faceup got damaged, it's no big deal, he hasn't got his perfect one at the moment anyway.

Same goes for my boyfriend, I wouldn't worry about him damaging a doll of mine because he knows I would never let him forget it. My boyfriend needed a model for a photography lecture he's giving on lighting and I was perfectly willing for him to borrow Cynthia to do that. In the end, he didn't need to, but I was happy for him to take her with him and I know she was well-protected.

I probably wouldn't do the same with a friend though. A have a few best friends and I doubt I'd let them borrow a doll of mine. They're not in the hobby, so I can't imagine them wanting to borrow a doll anyway!

 

I would have to really know the person, be able to visit there house and trust them.
I just wouldn't see myself letting someone borrow a doll.... that I barely knew. x.x

I mean doll clothes are fine- [just not my doll heart fer] I've asked my friends if they wanted to borrow a sweatshirt or a shirt so their doll wouldn't hang out in the nude.I don't have a huge amazing selection of clothes, but their clothes right? I just can't help them doll pants, as I only own about 2, and they are both Geoff's cause Kotori owns like 4 skirts.

 

Only if there are very good reasons to do that, like making very special outfits,etc..., and i'm sure i can trust the person. And just for a couple of days .

 

I would only lend my dolls to people I'm very good friends with online and my friends IRL. I trust my good online friends enough to send them my dolls to play with, since some of them have no dolls but know a lot about them. My IRL friends are the same. I often let my dolls sleep over with friends and they come back fine. They can understand the value of the doll and how much I care about them.
I would let my family borrow them for as long as they wanted. My mom likes to keep a doll near her if she's in the hospital and my brother is always asking me if he can sit with Gir in his room. He's trying to make him more "manly"

 

No. There is too much risk even if you know the person well.

 

Half.jak here on DoA are gonna have our two 27cm bobobies as boyfriend and girlfriend, and I trust her ^_^ we were planning on letting them have sleep overs and such

so ya I guess if I trust the person im not worried about it

 

well no, personally I wouldn't ask to barrow someone elses doll, I'd be much to afraid should they say yes @_@; although I think a doll would do fine in my care, the simple fact that it belongs to someone elses is scary enough and what if something should something happen to it? *shiver*

I feel the same way on the other end to. I don't think I'd be okay with my doll in someone elses care. for if something did happen how would the problem be fixed?
((Except one friend who has two of her own and makes clothes for them. I trust her enough that if she ever wanted my dolls for a short time, that they'd be in good hands.))

 

I would tell them to wait, not because I wouldn't want to loan my doll, but from experience you never know what that fabric will look like on the doll that's coming! I've had dolls come that I was sure would look great in certain things, started to make an outfit and the dolls comes and wham! They just don't look good in cherries, or blue, or whatever. If it was exactly the same doll that the person I had coming though I'd definitely loan, but with visitation rights and I'd probably get antsy within a few days!

 

It really depends on how well I know the person, honestly. I don't have any friends who are actually interested in the hobby, so I doubt I would lend my doll to one of them, but if I was ever asked by a doll friend, I would definitely consider it. And I don't know that I'd ask someone else to borrow their doll. Dolls are really personal to me, so while I might not find them rude for asking, I would feel rude if I asked them.

 

Yes. I've done both, actually. LadySaiyuki was supposed to bring me my Teds a year ago at the Orlando meetup, and she forgot them, so she insisted I hold onto one of her Yos until we saw one another again and I had my dollies. That was loads of hilarious fun, as I did the most photostories I've ever done at once! As for lending out my dolls, well, don't you technically do that when you send them off for faceups? But in any event, I've loaned dolls to friends who I know can handle them properly. But a) I have to know where the friends lives, as in their house and b) they have to be within beatdown distance should they not want to give the doll back. *wink*

EDIT: Oh, and when my mother was in the hospital I gave her my lilac Hanyuu to keep her company since my dad and I couldn't be there all the time, and she was there for a few days. Apparently the nurses just adored her!

 

I would loan Isabella or Pierlorenzo to Cpt. Schlumpy or Sgt. George Carter. That is it.

I have baby sat some friends dolls too. We did a mini photoshoot.

 

is this someone in driving distance? I have a few friends I"d even go so far as to let borrow long distance...but only very very VERY close friends. In terms of nearby I've let friends at cons carry them around and just today I let my friend take my boy out for pictures. Last night she borrowed another for clothing measurements.

 

Depends on the person and situation.

My Petite Ai Raphael went home for a few weeks with a friend's toddler after a convention without my having a problem with it, but when a newish acquaintence from a hobby-group I'm in asked to borrow one of my dolls (I think to show her husband what they're like or something), while I didn't actually say no, I took great pains to explain exactly how much they cost and she stopped asking.

I wouldn't hesitate to loan one to someone dolly-friendly who I know well and trust. And I wouldn't be bothered by asking someone else if I could borrow one of theirs - it never harms to ask, they can say yes or no as suits their comfortzone....(although, for making clothes it's the same as with making them for people - most of it can be done from measurements with the occasional access to their doll for a fitting, you don't acutally NEED the doll there with you the whole time, so it would be unlikely to come up).

Teddy