A Family Affair: Do your loved ones love dolls too?

My brothers think it's scary, my mom and dad aren't all that bothered about it, but my sisters are quite fascinated with my dolls.

They'd sometimes help me dress my dolls up, or I'd ask them about advice on dolly hairstyles and they'd tweak it! It's pretty cute, really!

 

I've read a lot of posts where people say they can share the hobby with their family, especially with sisters. That's so cool! My mom really likes my doll, she sees it as art, not a toy. My sister just says "creepy..." when she sees her or I mention her, which is weird because she has like milions of barbies, lol! Anyway, I know a lot of people find dolls, puppets and clows creepy, so I always try to face those comments with humour, like "yeah, I hope she doesn't stab me with a knife while I'm sleeping, but you know, it's a risk you know you're taking when you buy a doll", and we all laugh and it's ok.

But... well.. my father said something that bothered me more than it should have, and I wanted to share it here. I have my doll in the living room and sometimes in the morning, the sun is very bright, so when this happens I just put a cloth over her to avoid yellowing. My parents saw it and my dad asked me why I did that, and when I said that sun was bad for the resin, he didn't let me finish and said "are you sure you don't believe she's your daughter or something? Or maybe you think she's you! That's it! Nai, you know it's a doll, don't you? Hahaha!" (Because I'm very pale and I always use sunscreen, even in winter). I don't know, that comment made me feel... small, and like "the crazy doll girl". Is that normal? Maybe I should have laughed, but I just tried to hide I felt bad and changed the topic.

Woah long post, sorry >.<

 

@Naisha, that's a pretty common fear among many doll collectors that I've known or talked to—that our dolls are going to be perceived by non-collectors as weird extensions of ourselves or replacements for children.

Honestly, I think it's pretty normal that that comment bothered you. My sister also calls my dolls creepy (especially any headless, body-less, or bald dolls that I may have lying around), but I think that it would bother me far more if she or someone else accused me of believing that my dolls are somehow real. The underlying implication is that we've lost touch with reality and have slipped into the realm of "crazy".
Your dad was probably just joking and never meant to hurt your feelings, but I think you were completely justified in feeling bad.

 

noone really like them much, but yeah they don't hate them either XD my mom and sis call them pretty but were saying funny thing i own them considering i am a male ahaha ^^

 

@SaelaVe, thank you so much for your reply! You're right, he was probably just kidding and didn't think that it would affect me that way. It's true that nobody likes to be called insane, especially when a lot of people believe that we are, when they first hear about this hobby.
I've been asked some times if bjdolls are the same as reborn babies, maybe that's why people tend to think that we're trying to replace something it's missing in our lifes. And well, reborn owners know perfectly that their dolls are not real babies, they're not crazy! but it's true that those dolls usually help them in hard moments, like some kind of therapy, which I think it's good. It's very easy to judge, and sometimes even not judging, it's easy to make a cliché joke.
Anyway, thanks again for your reply, it means a lot!

 

I wish. My boyfriend doesn't really like my dolls but he also doesn't hate them.... He just doesn't like doll chateau... Even though they have similar body shapes lol.
But anyway he is ok with them and respects my love for them and the fact that i force him to look at dolls with me so its not so bad.

 

My family finds my dolls fascinating, and regard my collection as one of my quirks. My girlfriend, on the other hand, may have claimed an event doll from my current doll chateau order Yeah, she loves dolls as much as I do, I'm a lucky guy

 

My family is fully supportive, my mom is even interested in making clothes for them! My only problem is because of how big and open we are there are going to be mixed reactions...
My oldest brother is going to think it's cool but probably not too interested, my oldest sister is an artist so she would probably love it, second brother will probably be creeped out but understanding, second oldest sister could go two ways, she could be creeped out also OR she will see his private parts laugh and show it off to everybody... Finally my youngest sister will probably love to take pictures of him, very, very, VERY gory pictures of him...

 

My mom and I are starting this together, we both love it and can't wait to make clothes and get more dolls. The rest of our families think we're nuts though. They were appalled at the price and my dad thinks they're creepy. My husband did admit that my doll was "hot!" though.

 

I'm lucky that my husband seems to not care too much about them. He is interested in them and he always likes to see the new stuff I'm working on with them but I don't think he would ever get one himself.
My mother on the other hand feels like they are a waste of money. So I just don't post pictures of them on my facebook page anymore.

 

My sister really likes dolls, she has other toy dolls but wants to get a BJD badly. We talk about them all the time and I share pictures of dolls with her all the time. None of my other family likes them though.

 

my husband is a bit upset about their price, but he thinks they are beautiful, and even has a favorite. As his hobby is Videogames (he just bought a Playstation 4 and a couple of games) we try to balance how much each spends in our respective hobbies.

 

My kids love them they are used to my doll obsession but my husband isn't super fond of them especially the price.

 

I am one of the few lucky ones. My second oldest daughter is the one who got me into the hobby by buying me my first doll as a mothers day gift. She said she did so, so that we can share in such an amazing hobby together. She has 6 dolls to her collection and I am now the proud owner of 4 soon to be 5 of my very own.

 

At home, I have a wide variety of reactions. For example my father doesn't care about them at all, nor he comments anything about them. My mother, on the other hand, is not too fond of them but she likes helping me to dress them or put the eyes correctly, and she is always eager to open the packages with me when new dolls or stuff for them arrives. My sis is probably the most supportive, she usually asks about them, help me decide things for my characters... She even make presents to my dolls XD she does all that even when she isn't interested in dolls for herself at all.
Apart from them, my fiance is supportive too, but he does it in a more contemplative way. He has sometimes given me some money for spending in dolls and answers me when I ask if he prefers one thing or the other. I entered in this hobby when I was already dating him and he also has his expensive hobby, I think that makes him very understanding about the doll issue.

 

My partner and I collect off-topic dolls together and I'm sure that he would also love to get a bjd of his own but he can't afford it at the moment. When my first bjd gets here I'm definitely gonna include him since he'll be good at the stuff I'll be too scared to do, like restringing, sueding and body-blushing. I guess I'm pretty lucky that I've got a partner who's going to embrace and share my hobby. Though the rest of my family would laugh me off the planet if I ever let them know.

 

My parents think dolls are cute but too expensive and they are too "mature" for dolls. Luckily my bestie loves them, though she can't afford one. We get together on holidays and play with my dolls.~~

 

My partner also adore them) We are planning to buy him one or two because he wants to make a couple with my doll))

 

My entire family thinks they're creepy and weird But they tolerate my obsession with dolls and like seeing her new clothes! They even offered to buy me one for my birthday!

They do shudder when they come into my room and see me styling my doll's hair or even just playing with her on my lap. I do wish I had family to share my hobby with though

 

My wife doesn't care about my dolls, my daughter love them. My wife admits though, that they are beautiful, but I suspect she's jealous on them .. hehehe

 

No, I am the only one in my family who likes and collects dolls. Having said that my father is a collector too, it just isn't dolls - it's steam trains. He's a massive train fanatic and in the process of creating his own model railway. So while dolls and trains are very different we can at least relate to having a passion for collecting. We can relate to the cost that's involved e.g specific model trains for example are very expensive just like certain dolls are. My mother used to own several porcelain dolls back in the 90's when they were popular (given to her as gifts) but she didn't really bother with them, they were stored away in their boxes and eventually given to charity. She doesn't hate dolls but she's certainly not into them like I am but that's okay.

 

Woaah!! That's super cool! Have you ever heard about Miniatur Wunderland? Your dad must know this spectacular model! Check this video, it's so amazing! Miniatur Wunderland video

It's great that you two share this. Not everyone understands what collecting means for collectors. Trains and dolls are not that different, in the end they're both small versions of real figures (or fantasy, of course).

 

No one else in my family collects dolls. I think my grandmother used to collect porcelain dolls for a little while, but that stopped a long time ago. My dad thinks they're kind of weird but my mum quite likes them, though I don't think she would ever want a BJD of her own. My sister also thinks my dolls are weird but sometimes wants to borrow my doll to draw for her art class ~

 

My parents both have dolls. My mother collects traditional Japanese dolls and a few porcelain dolls while my father has historical action figures. I am the only one that has a BJD type of doll. As for my future wife I think my current doll is growing on her. Considering that she previously had a doll phobia, I think she is well on her way to full dolly acceptance!

 

My girlfriend collects BJDs, my mom collects BJDs, my aunt collects BJDs... basically everyone in my life pretty much collects BJDs, lmao, and it's as awesome as it sounds. My mom did a faceup for my Doll Leaves Noir and my girlfriend's Dollshe Saint, and gave my girlfriend a Dollstown girl she won in a contest because my girlfriend fell in love with it (that happened this weekend and I'm still just. DYING.)! My aunt has bought me and my girlfriend a couple of dolls for birthdays and Christmas, too (most recently my Mystic Kids Gene). And I take pictures of dolls my mom and aunt are selling and write up the sales posts for them since they're less computer savvy. It's all pretty amazing tbh.

 

@roserising Can your family adopt me? Your family meetings must be really interesting!!

 

My husband will be very disappointed if he finds out that I spend all my salary on the dolls. He cannot appreciate the beauty of this little art creations

 

Not really ! My sister does own a 1/6 Obitsu, and could possibly owns another one in the future. She loves making clothes for her little doll and is really good at that, but since she already has another expensive hobby (mangas, and now she's also beginning to collect Magic cards) she doesn't really want to spend too much money on a doll since she's already really happy with the one she has (that was a gift from me).
My dad is not specially interested in them, and my mum, even if she does like my dolls a lot can't get over the price, and anyway she wouldn't do anything with one, it's not her thing.

 

Well, I don't know him, so I can't really have an opinion about it. However, I think when someone spends all their money on a hobby, their loved ones become concerned. Of course it's your salary, your money, and you can spend it the way you want and makes you happy, but when a hobby requieres almost a salary every month, I would say it's normal that he can be a bit upset. I have no idea if it has to do with not appreciating the beauty, but if my husband spent an awful lot of money on his aircraft models I would be concerned too, and still would appreciate the level of detail on the models and the artistic aspects of the hobby.

I'm sorry if it's something you didn't need to hear (read), we're supposed to support each other on this hobby, but I wanted to give you another point of view.

 

My husband really seems to like all my dolls, including Serenade. :3 He also likes looking at the bjds and other dolls in my wishlist, and helping me pick out which one I should save for next. xD My brother also likes seeing photos I take of my dollies, and he also buys me dolls I want for my birthday and for Christmas. My mom is aware of my hobby, and likes my dolls well enough, and she even has one of her own, as she said that she wanted one, so I bought her one for Christmas one year. She doesn't really find herself very into the hobby though and mainly just keeps her's on display, but it's where you can see her as soon as you walk into her house, which I think is pretty neat. ^_^ So everyone in my family doesn't seem to find it weird, nor have they made any negative remarks about it. ^_^

 

No. My husband doesn't mind them and my two daughters (ages 13 and 15) stopped collecting dolls about three and five years ago. They enjoy doll photography (sometimes) but I'm the doll collector in the home.

 

My partner isn't into it, but they're happy seeing me happy, which in turn makes me even happier! I plan to give them a customized doll of their favorite OC at some point, and I'm sure they'll love him even if dolls in general aren't their thing~ My mom LOVES my new doll and I think squeals louder over her than I do. She'll walk into my room and see her and say "Oh! The dollie! She looks so beautiful!" I'm pretty sure my doll is going to have a massive ego before long.

 

I have an Aunt who has been collecting dolls since forever but she would never by a BJD since they are out of her price range. That would change if she ever won the lottery. She loves when I bring my dolls around for holidays so she can look at them. My mom has also started collecting dolls but not BJDs. She stated she would only want the SD sized dolls. She gets excited when my dolls come in the mail. My best friend loves them and hopes to get one soon. My father is a collector of train sets and buses so he can understand the hobby.

 

My girlfriend actually got me into this hobby! Though she rarely takes photos of her dolls anymore but now that I have purchased one, she is slowly getting back into the hobby as well and buys more clothes again X3

 

My mum likes helping me pick out clothing for them, and making small things for them, she thinks it's amazing how detailed the things that are made for our dolls, likemshoes!, are, it's very cute, and I try to include her when I buy something for on of her favorite dolls of mine.

 

My family vary. My brother is, I think, a bit terrified of BJDs... My dad looks at them with curiosity, but doesn't really mind at all and listens when
I talk about them from a crafting point of view, as I make a lot of things for them.

My nephews just act as if it's nothing unusual. They're used to their auntie having action figures, stuffed animals, BJDs and all sorts.

My mum thought they were a bit weird, but then I sat two of them on the couch and she started posing them and stuff! She loves their little clothes and makes suggestions on what they should wear. Also, she wants it to snow so they can make tiny footprints... My mum is odd.

 

My mother loves them! I actually think she might be a bit more excited that I'm going to be getting two new smaller dolls! She loves knitting for the dolls, and with them being a different size from my old dolls I'm going to have to get them a entire new wardrobe! My mother loves knitting, so I can guarantee a lot of their new items of clothing will end up being knit rather then bought! : D

 

My parents helped me order my first doll and my dad wants his own dolls in the future, but wants me to design and create the outfits for them. Its so cool that he's like being dragged into this hobby with me. My significant others find the dolls creepy, but I hope that that will change.

 

My sister has one ^-^
as for my parents they aren't interested in getting their own however my mom likes to buy furniture for my dolls ^-^

 

Well... I can say that my parents really don't get the hobby. I would like to say they are supportive but not really that either. They think my liking it is a bit childish and they view it as a waste of perfectly hard earned money. That being said, my dad while he doesn't share in the hobby whatsoever can be supportive at times when he thinks of it just in the strict sense of a hobby/interest but the price of them really irks him lol. As for my boyfriend, he supports it whole heartedly as long as I don't try to convert him into collecting.

 

ive introduced my mum to bjds, though i only had a floating head to show her x- D shes had porcelain dolls before, in fact we still have one in the house, so the concept of doll-collecting isnt entirely new to her...
im hoping this is something i can share with her, though i dont know if she'll ever buy one of her own. hopefully she'll help me make clothes and props though :'- )
meanwhile, my brother doesnt know about this hobby im getting into, im not sure how to tell him just yet haha!

 

My sister and my sweetie will go with me to do dolly stuff. My sweetie would not collect dolls. Both he and my sister are into action figures. Recently I got her the large World of Warcraft Dorotan big figure.

 

The closest I come to family support is my 11-year-old son, who thinks BJDs are "interesting in a creepy way." He'll give me his opinion about what I should buy next and check out any new doll that arrives in the mail, but that's basically it. He thinks they're hilarious when their wigs come off, that dolly nudity should be forbidden, and that empty eye wells are the stuff of nightmares. Like I said, he's 11.

I wish I could share the hobby with my mom, but she doesn't collect anything and really sees collections as wastes of time, space, and money.

 

My grandma enjoys dolls, but she wouldn't spend the money on BJDs! I've given her a couple that she really liked. But other than that, nope. My family has always been okay with my collection (as long as I don't neglect any responsibilities), but they definitely could care less about dolls.