2006 memories, huge hiatus, but back!

Welcome back! You joined the hobby the same year that I did. It's a shame that you no longer have your first Lishe - there's something so special about your first doll. I sold off my earliest dolls as well - regretted it, and have tried to find them again with a good amount of luck. I've never left the hobby, so my collection has grown through the years.

It was so incredibly sweet of your husband to get you those dolls! I know the sick feeling of spending so much - BUT - you've waited years to come back into the hobby and be able to enjoy your OWN dolls. Sometimes the splurge is worth it! So try not to go with those nagging feelings and just fully embrace the excitement!! I hope to see pictures of your dolls once they finally come home!

 

There's more of us oldies than one at first thinks! It's always a delight to see people who share the same memories of the earlier days of collecting. You kind of start to feel "old" and "outdated." Not that I actually care, but I get sentimental for the old days!

Oh gosh, a LOT has changed. My favorite doll lines seemed to retire their old sculpts at the same time (CP Delf, Pipos PI/Jr. PI, Iplehouse, for example.) The aesthetic has greatly changed. There are still companies that do the less real looking big eyes and pointy chins (my personal favorite.) But it seems the more realistic and mature the doll is, the better. It's just my take - other's might describe it differently. There are new companies, a variety of sizes, like even 80cm dolls, there are a lot of artist dolls. Recasts continue to be a scourge. And now you add Temu and Aliexpress? Groan.

I'm surprised DoA is still hanging on. It's far less active than it used to be - people seem to (in general) prefer social media for interacting. There's lots of facebook groups. I am not real active on there - I still prefer message boards, but they are a dying breed. People don't seem to blog like they used to - another thing that I miss. I LOVE dolly blogs. You can still find them, but most haven't been updated for awhile. Instagram has a lot of activity - I struggle on there, ha ha, but a lot of people find IG to have a very good doll community.

 

@sweet_robin I share your opinion on IG - it can be fun, but I have really missed out on exactly where the community is. I think I just don't know how to navigate it very well. And the algorithms keep changing which makes it harder to see and be seen, if you know what I mean!

Popovy is definitely one example of aesthetics changing. Dolls have just gotten far more realistic and less anime as the crowds and demand have changed. It's impressive the capabilities sculptors have - in a way, it's neat to see how the hobby has evolved and the stuff that people can do now versus the early more simplistic days.

Yeah, Iplehouse still makes gorgeous dolls and I would like to own a couple of their newer sculpts, but I sure do miss the old nYID line. Luts is still around, but the CP Delfs are a thing of the past. (There was an ugly divorce between Luts and CP, which ended the line.)

Fairyland is still pretty popular, though maybe not as popular as they used to be. Hmmm....who else is popular right now? TBH, I'm not real sure!

I hear you on the drama. The nastiness going on in SM is just crazy and is very unenjoyable. There's plenty of nice people there, and a lot of the groups are well moderated. But.... then there's the other side! Recasts really broke the community in many ways. We never used to have to worry if the doll we are buying is legit. *sigh* And you summed up buying a recast vs. buying a real doll very well.

Fingers crossed DoA survives another 10 years!

 

Welcome back! I’ve been out of the hobby Awhile but kept my dolls. Don’t ever feel guilty about using your money to buy something that makes you happy! Life is short! Buy the dollies!

 

Aw welcome on back to the hobby and congratulations on your incoming dolls!

 

Hello and welcome back I bought my first bjd in 2007 and still love the old style dolls and just recently bought an old Custom House doll still with the old style face up. Although sadly it will have to be redone as a small part of it has come off. I took a 4 year brake away for everything bjd related but never sold any of my dolls just stored them away and slowly started to get back into them late 2019 and couldnt believe who much had changed in just those few years.

 

Welcome back! I have been away from DOA for quite some time too!