Can you love them all?

I currently have 15 full dolls and one head home, and another girl in transit. I have plans for two more girls and a body for the floating head, so that will take me up to 19 dolls total.

The most I've ever had at one time was 38, I think. It was too many for me, personally. I definitely had favorites, and while I had a little bit of an attachment to each of them, some were nearly neglected without even proper clothing or really even fully finished.

I also tend to rotate dolls in and out, I'm not much of a collector. Usually if I bring home a new doll, a different one ends up leaving. It seems like 13-18 is usually about right for me. If I have fewer, I feel like I don't have enough characters for stories and I get bored. If I have more, I get overwhelmed and spread too thin and don't enjoy most of them.

 

I have 60+ dolls and no, I do not love them all equally. Does this diminish my enjoyment? No.

I prefer some of them as gorgeous display pieces (and some I refuse to move lest I scratch a 250+ bucks expensive realistic horse blushing ) and some get dragged around everywhere, including on motorcycle trips to other countries.
What I personally find important to find joy is that they all have a faceup fitting for their character and one set of "in character"-clothes (I call this the manga/comic approach, one signature outfit is enough for most of them)

As long as that works, I'll add more if one strikes my fancy.

How you enjoy your collection is something deeply personal so the art is figuring out what works for you. And if that's 50 dolls behind glass and 10 as ride or die? Or 2 dolls you drag everywhere? All behind glass? Somehing else?
Nothing wrong with any of that, you do yours!

 

I'm at 112 at the moment. No, I don't treat them equally, I have my favorites. But I try to take photos of all of them (at least one doll once a week), I have them on display and that's fine for me. There are days in which I don't touch a doll, but that's how some days are when you work full time, you come home, eat and almost go to bed instantly, there is no time for the hobby. Weekends are most likely the doll-days and my days off too ♥ I love doing things with them and since my theme is Circus a big crew is fine, a circus needs a big crew >w<

Oh and since the dolls are based on characters drawing the characters, discussing them or writing about them are also "doll time" for me.

 

I’ve only got 3 and I’m pretty happy with that! I do want more, but probably no more than 12! It seems overwhelming to have so many, I like to focus on a smaller number!

 

Right now I have 5 dolls, waiting to buy a new one when she gets released, and I have 3 other characters I want in doll form. So let's say my plan is to have around 10 dolls. I don't think I can say I won't have more BUT I think I would like to avoid to own meaningless dolls, I sometimes find difficult to handle just 5 (mostly because I don't have time at the moment).

There was a time when I wanted like 30+ dolls and with time I started to see how ridiculous it was in my case xD I don't think I could handle it. I already feel guilty for not being able to make them enough clothes and stuff...

 

I have the five in my signature, plus two alternate heads for two of them. I also have one OT doll I consider part of my BJD collection (he's 3D printed) and four that are/will be put up for sale soon. I'm in a minimizing phase at the moment.

If I had a lot of space and more money I'm sure I'd like a larger collection but, for now, I'll be happy once the ones that are going are gone and I'm down to my 5 or 6. They're all complete with their signature outfit, wig, eyes, etc, so once that's done I am hoping to be done. I started this hobby with a lot more disposable income than I have now and it's not like I do much of anything with my dolls so it's more a matter of being too attached to the ones I already have to get rid of them. I don't think I'm in danger of buying any more any time soon.

 

I have 3 with 1 floating head and his body should be here in May. Out of the four, one is my Grail, two for display, and the fourth will travel with me.

I've had almost 20 at one time in my collection, but like you said, I didn't love them equally, so they went to new homes.

 

I have 40 and have plan for few more. I do love them all but not equally. Most of them are displayed and with pride. However, few of them I love the most and I do have favorites. I just find that with the ones I dont use the most, I just cant bring myself to let them go, so they stay despite just sitting on my shelf. Each one of them represent something importaint to me. The only ones I let go are the ones that doesnt represent something.

 

I am currently at 38 dolls, with more on my wishlist to boot

Sometimes I do feel like I may neglect some of them, but I regularly spend time around them all - I cart one around the house with me some days, set some up in the living room or bedroom, and I often cycle through different ones. I have some of them set up in a glass-door cabinet in my craft room, and I often spend a lot of time there, so sometimes I just stand at the cabinet and happily look at them all, without moving them.
I know that I love all of my dolls, even the tiny little inexpensive ones, and while I sure do have some favorites, even the least favorites still have a special place in my heart.

I think display vs play with is a subjective opinion, and people can love all of their dolls, no matter how many they have, or what they do with them. It's just down to personal preference.

 

I have in the 30 dolls range, and I love them all. Sometimes I get overwhelmed and that's when I know it's time to sell some off. I definitely have about 5 favorites, and three are DISPLAY only. About another 5 are sentimental and don't really get played with but I love them. The rest are in active rotation. I don't keep dolls I don't love.

 

Dolls are inanimate objects. They don't have needs like pets do. I keep mine in drawers so I don't even see them daily, just when I feel like taking photos. I also don't love them all equally or spend the same amount of money on all of them. And that's fine, because again, they're just dolls. I don't need to do anything with them to justify owning them.

I like owning my dolls. I sell a doll when I no longer enjoy owning it. If I see a new doll I desperately want, I get it.

 

My question is, why do people seem to think they need to love all of them?
I have cats, they need a lot of love. They're always all over me begging for attention...so I refuse to get more than the two I have because I don't think I'd be able to give them the love they need. Unless I quit my job and never leave the house again.

Dolls are not alive. They don't need anything. If I wanted to leave them all unstrung in a heap forever I could and it wouldn't matter at all.

So no. I can't love them all and I don't care. I enjoy all of them, If I didn't they'd go away. I've got my favorites. A small handful that I do love, to the point where if I had to get rid of the rest of them I'd cling to the 5-7 I couldn't let go of no matter what. I don't feel any guilt about not caring about the rest as much. They're just dolls, and they don't care either.

 

We've got 18 currently, and are heavily considering a few more. And we've had many more than that in the past! You definitely end up with favorites, but really all of our current dolls are my favorite, in one way or another. They're all characters for different shows and things and that in and of itself is enough to want hundreds more, at least for me. We've got chunks of five different casts and could easily expand that - either with more characters per cast or with more casts!

As far as "touching" them goes - we've got displays set up that everyone is in, and those change with the seasons/holidays, so at the very least everyone gets some love ~5 times a year, which is enough handling for them - they get appreciation all the time, after all. Our puki needs a friend though, he hasn't been out of his drawer for a while...

In the end, you do what feels right for you! Some people like their dolls behind glass, some people stick them in their purse. Some people have one doll, some people have 100. Like everything else with BJD, in the end it's up to your preferences.

 

I think you can easily love all your dolls more than enough to justify owning them while also having a very clear few favorites.

I have 25+, and I feel like I definitely still love all my dolls. That appreciation isn't really related to how much I handle them- I have them all prominently on display in my home and I spend a lot of time every just admiring them all.

My "favorites" usually are just the ones I spent the most time customizing, since spending a lot of time with a doll just makes me feel more connected to them. Similarly, "least favorites" are almost always just dolls I haven't put in as much time customizing yet.

 

I kind of want a bjd from every well knows company. A doll from each one. I feel buying different sculpts from the same company will still be like repeating. Once I can collect a bunch of dolls from different companies, I will be happy. And no, I wouldn't play with all of them but they make me happy, even if they are for displaying purposes.

 

Ouch..@ me next time lol

My dolls are display pieces, and nothing more. That doesn't mean I don't love them. I just love them in a different way: stationary in a glass case on display with other like collections to be looked at and admired in passing.

I will collect until I've no desire to collect any more, or I run out of space....or maybe i'll just buy a bigger house.

 

I only have one as of yet. I project emotions into her that she doesn't have because I'm crazy like that. At the same time I feel terrible for leaving her without pants for about a week after I got her, because I wanted to make her some myself (and because after spending all my fun money on her, wigs and a shirt I couldn't find pair of pants that were both affordable and the style I wanted for her and on the other hand would have no issues leaving her home naked and without her head cap because I needed to get her some pastels and needed a reference for her skintone.

And then again I brought her to my bedroom each night for a while because I didn't want to leave her in her box for the night in case she got lonely and decided I am a bad doll mama and plan to kill me. I'm cray cray and I know it. One minute she's my baby girl, the next she's just a doll. I used to have a severe phobia of dolls, so me owning dolls is the final step getting out of it. Some dolls still scare me tbh, but not my Lilly. ❤️

Hearing about how you guys have so many dolls I'm thinking you must either have a lot of spending money or have been in the hobby for decades. I mean 112 dolls? Amazing! That is quite an investment in time and money, I'm a bit overwhelmed, terrified and a tad bit envious at the same time. ❤️

Everyone does their hobby their own way and that's fine. OP you seem to need an emotional bond with all of your dolls, and if that is how you need it to be, then you need to find the right amount of dolls for you to still do that.

For me the amount of dolls I end up with will be determined by three factors; my wallet, how much I get into the hobby and my HAF (Husband Acceptance Factor).

 

I have to have at least 50 dolls and working on their displays and making props is one of my favorite things to do. I do find certain dolls lend themselves to certain "looks" but I usually like to change them around. My best friend won't even change her favorite dolls eyes while I am constantly experimenting and switching things up. I have sweet, fantasy some really bada@@ and everything in between. The one constant is that they are all girls. I am working on a bar/club setting so I can put a bunch of unrelated doll types in one display and really have some fun. The bartender needs to be really special so still deciding there hmmm...…..anyway I think however and whatever makes you happy rocks. If I hit the lottery I don't even want to contemplate the dolls I would add since my time would be freed up and I would be making things pretty much daily. For me it's like saying I love sushi so that is all I am going to eat. What about pizza, veggie burgers and cream of wheat??! I always loved dolls but finding bjds was a revelation for me. The sheer amount of customizing and look changing will keep me busy forever. I intend to be in the nursing home with some of my dolls if it ever comes to that!!! I totally support everyone else enjoying their dolls in the number and way that makes them happy. No body is better or worse, just different like with everything else.

 

I have 2 right now (I've owned 4) and in terms of how many I'd be comfortable with...I think it would depend on the size of the doll. I keep them out in a safe place, posed, and tweak them or take pictures when I want. When I look over, I feel joy and could never just shut them away even behind glass. I only put a doll away in preparation for selling, as it helps me become unattached. Attachment is important when it comes to dolls, whether you see that as love depends on you as a person. I certainly do feel love for my favourites.

I also have a really bad habit of just wanting dolls that I don't really feel attachments to, that's how I ended up with the two dolls I no longer wanted to keep. So I think it's important to feel a certain pull to a doll be that just joy or something like love.

 

I think I have 19 at the moment, and 2 on layaway. I definitely don't treat them all equally, there are some that are extra special to me, but I love them all. I wouldn't have bought them in the first place if I didn't love them! I am self employed and I have very little free time so it's hard for me to do stuff with my dolls at all, I'm sure if I had more time, they'd all get more attention, but that's just part of being an adult I suppose. I don't have an ideal number in mind, I'll keep buying dolls as long as I keep seeing dolls I'd like to add to my collection.

I think it's easy to say you'd prefer to have less, but it's very hard to stick to that when there are so many beautiful sculpts out there, with awesome new artists popping up every day. I wish I had less so I could spend more time and money on them, but I love each and every bjd I own, they are all special and unique in their own ways, and I honestly wouldn't want to part with any of them, so I'll just have to deal with spreading my attention across them.

 

I would like to own a small, concrete collection, and maybe one day I will. However, I've come to the conclusion that my dolls will always be fluid.

I have around sixty-some full dolls and a pile of heads. Next month it could be fifty. My circumstances are a bit different from other posts I see.

I am a faceup artist. When I look at sculpts that interest me, I get an overwhelming urge to own one and paint it for myself. But sometimes when I get that sculpt in person, it doesn't speak to me. It may not even get repainted before I move it on. Or I paint it and then I'm done.

I've been asked when I'll open commissions more than once, but I don't feel confident enough in my consistency to do that yet.

My journey through the hobby has been a massive evolution in taste; there are sculpts I own today that I wouldn't have touched ten years ago. It's a combination of dolls I bought early on, dolls I wanted early on, and the dolls that have joined us along the way. I've sold it off twice over the years to pay off bills, and every time it comes back bigger. I don't like having so many of them, but I am reluctant to part with the ones I've bonded with. I think one of the biggest challenges you may face the longer you are in the hobby is discerning, "Is this a doll I want in my home, or am I content to enjoy owner pictures?"

Do they get treated equally? No. I have to be invested in that doll at that time for them to receive attention. I do try to rotate. I keep my eyes out for things they all need. Some will always be favorites. But a doll has to be completely neglected before I ask myself, "Should I move this one on?"

 

As someone who has no kids or family to speak of my dolls really do become a priority in my life a lot of the time. Anytime I have extra funds to spend on something of my choosing it goes towards dolls. For me they fulfill so many different desires I have, whereas other people might find travelling fulfilling or many other things.

I have 32 Dolls right now and I'd say I love them all equally. Any dolls that I find myself not really liking I sell and I can usually tell right away if I don't connect with a doll. I have every single one of my dolls out on display in my bedroom with blackout curtains so I don't have to worry about yellowing. I ensure everyone of my dolls has his or her perfect eye/wig/clothes/shoes so I can be 100% happy with them. Sometimes it can take a long time of trying things out to really find what's perfect for a doll but once I find it I generally don't change them. I'd say I'm a perfectionist so if any dolls have something about them that i'm not totally satisfied with I will lose sleep knowing something's not right. I view my collection as a whole, rather then individual dolls that I can choose to like more or less.

The last time I went to a doll meet I thought about it for over a week and couldn't pick a doll I wanted to bring more then the others, I on the fly just grabbed one on my way out the door.

I wouldn't say I really "Spend time" with my dolls other then being constantly surrounded by them. For me the journey of discovering my dolls personality and gathering all their ideal items makes my bond with them very strong. I don't think this experience would be the same for someone who buys a doll to match a character, since they would already know that character.

I think the way people enjoy their dolls really depends on how they enjoy life in general. I don't enjoy going out and having new experiences. I'd much rather prefer to stay in with the same person and do similar things every night of my life, seeing how I describe my interactions with my dolls I think it really reflects that aspect of myself. Even though I have a lot of dolls now, I don't think I'll stop getting more unless I literally run out of space to display them, or no longer have the finances to continue growing my doll family.

Overall for me dolls are like living art, I respect everyone of them in different ways, and I think each of them has something special that the others can't bring to the table.

 

I only buy dolls that I love the look of, and if they arrive and I don't feel the same when I see them in person, I sell them. That way, I'm left with only dolls that I think are completely wonderful - and that has happened a ridiculous number of times by now, so yeah, lotta dolls in my crew. But love, as in a spiritual connection? Love is for my human family and my pets. My dolls do not need emotional support, they do not need my time or attention, and they certainly don't crave affection. As long as I enjoy looking at them and playing with them when they're out, who cares how much time I give to each one? I like owning them, even if I don't handle them for months at a time...so how is that "pointless"? Nothing is pointless if it makes you happy.

 

I'm currently at 20, and waiting for a body and a whole doll. Most of them are on shelves, sitting on couches, so I see them every day even if I don't interact with them. I do love some more than others due to posability, story/personality development, or unique-ness. Handling them, making things for them, and writing stories about their characters are all part of why I enjoy this hobby. I want each of them to have the perfect wig and eyes, but some of them have far more clothes than others.

I've sold a few that didn't work for me, but most have stayed.

 

I have about 15 right now, who all stay in the closet when I'm not actively working on one. Same with my figures. We're in a small apartment right now, so there's no room for a display for them. It's fine. I don't wear all my shoes (of which I have fewer than 15 pairs, lol) equally but I don't think anyone outside of practicing minimalists would look sideways at that.

Like others have said, they're things. Whether they're being actively enjoyed on the daily or taken out of their box and admired every couple months, they don't care either way. If a collection starts to cause anxiety, whether over space or money concerns, then by all means it's time to go Marie Kondo on it and thin the herd. Otherwise, it's fine.

 

I have two and originally I was so set on keeping as just two... alas, they don't match well together and I still want both of them.
So... I will eventually get two for the two I have... hopefully one at the VOLKS event if I can go in Sep even tho it's going to be all lottery... I find that everyone loves (although maybe play with/enjoy would be the better word) their doll in different ways so, I might spoil them with too much clothes but others would rather use the same amount of money for different dolls. So love is love, I do keep reminding my friend to take her dolls out of the box because she has too many, she gets anxious with them sometimes but loves them all and don't want to part with any.... I feel like doll numbers should be manageable, and everybody's number is just different. I thought I'd go crazy with more than two... but we'll see XD

 

I just have 6 dolls. Sometimes I would sell a doll, after I buy another one. I like them, but I think I can't pay attention on too many dolls.

 

Everyone collects differently. I prefer small collections but I know several people with large collections and they enjoy themselves just as much as I enjoy myself.

 

I have really enjoyed reading the replies on this thread as It makes me happy the way people enjoy this hobby in different ways.
I have 15 at the moment with two in transit and four on order. Because I am limited on space I set myself a limit of 30 BJDs I have a favourite and I love my collection but in a different way to loving my pet cat Cleo for example.
If I did not love collecting and having time with my crew I would not spend money getting them. I don't though play with then every day I don't have time for that but they are on view in my living room so I can look at them daily
What ever works for you in this hobby be it just a collection to look at and admire or one where you take your doll out with you each day is what makes it personal to you

 

I don't think quantity is the issue for me with loving them. It's time. If I have taken the time to love and appreciate each doll individually they will be in my heart always ("it is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important") This includes time spent mooning over a particular sculpt in my head before I purchase it xD Honestly, the sculpts that I am in love with, some of them I've been lusting after for ten years!

I have to space out my doll purchases a lot to allow for this time spent bonding with each one. That's really what makes each doll special to me, and remain special to me, no matter how many more I acquire.

I also have this rule that if I couldn't imagine owning just that one doll on its own and none of the others, and being happy with it, then it's not worth me having. I'm really brutally honest with myself about this because I personally can't stand to have dolls in my collection that I'm not excited to spend time with. It just ends up feeling like I'm watering myself down, and stealing attention away from the ones I do love.

Learning all of this about myself has made a huge difference to my happiness with my dolls. I'm starting to get to the point now where, in the past, I might have felt overwhelmed by the number of dolls I own and started selling them (I think the most I ever managed before was 7, and I have 6 now in various states of completion), but that's not happening this time because I put a lot of time and thought and love into each of the dolls in my current collection. I can't imagine ever losing that attachment to them.

 

I currently have 11 dolls, including 2 floating heads. Of those, two are complete and I'm working on finishing up the third (I blame the overabundance of MiniFee clothes, my MiniFee Rendia is spoiled rotten while 2 of my dolls are wearing other doll's clothes)

I have a long wishlist, comprising of at least 60 dolls. I don't know if I'll own all 60 at once, but I would like to own all 60 at LEAST once lol. And of those 60, some of the others I want aren't listed. I want to comb through every doll company I know and see if there are anymore that catch my eye, maybe finally complete a "masterlist" of dolls I would like.

 

I currently have around 50 BJD (plus many, many, many, other OT type dolls, bears, stuffies etc.)

None of them are packed away. They're all out so I can pick up and play with whichever oned take my fancy at any given moment. Of course I can't play with all of them at once, but rarely a day goes by that I don't pick up a few of them for a bit of a play'even if it's only for a short time, or even in passing. I sew clothes for them, re dress them, take them places with me.

I bring at least one into work with me each day to sit on a shelf by my desk (I have a thread for that on another forum) who get picked up/re-posed or whatever in the odd moments moments between work tasks.

Any that I realize don't get played with get moved on. For example, BJD's around the 8 inches size rarely stay - they get dressed, set down and then not touched for months on end until I decide to redress them. Once i realize that's happening, I start making plans to sell them on.

Teddy

 

Like it was said before, I do not love my dolls, I enjoy them. If I don't enjoy a doll anymore, I sell it.
I have around 50 dolls and I don't equally enjoy them, but I'm happy to take them out of their boxes once in some months. I have 4 in display in my living room and around 8 out of their boxes in my workshop. I'm happy this way

 

I have about 10 now (give or take, with random parts laying around lol)
I think this is the point where it's enough. I'm finding it's hard to keep up with them and when I think about my dolls I end up almost forgetting about a couple. I'm not bonding with my newest msd and half my dolls haven't been touched in a while. I'm probably going to find a new home for the one I can't bond with.
I'm planning on stopping buying dolls - at least for now (there is a Smart Doll I'm going to get later this year probably)...it's hard, but I need to. I just can't keep up with them all anymore

That being said...aside from that one I can't bond with, I do love all of them...they each have a special purpose and origin and I wouldn't get rid of the others

 

I currently have 22 dolls, 3 floating heads, and 1 headless body with at least 1 more definitely planned, 2 more tentatively so. I don't know how many I will ultimately end up with, but I recently realized that I want groups of dolls for each story/franchise I have doll characters for. Ultimately, I want each group to have its own display space, with a backdrop and/or furniture. That way, I can express some of the story ideas I have that I don't have time to devote lots of words to. I do love each of the dolls fairly equally, although some are easier to work with than others. I love each sculpt for different reasons, and I absolutely LOVE finding the perfect sculpt for a character. I don't find it too overwhelming, since dolls don't need food/attention the way pets do, but I do find it frustrating that I don't really have enough room to display them all like I want to right now.

 

I have about 40 bjds (really who's counting anymore?) I look at them and they make me happy, especially as they get closer to being 'done'. Is that love? I don't spend time with each one, or do any rotation to take them out or anything, nor do I feel guilty for not doing so. After all, as others have pointed out, they're not pets. They don't need love. They don't feel anything about it because they are dolls. They make me happy and that's enough. If one doesn't spark happiness, I sell it.

It does make me wonder if the tendency for some to feel like they HAVE to love or give attention equally to dolls has to do with the fact that they're in the form of something living. Do people who collect plushies feel the same, and how would that compare to someone who collects matchbox cars?

 

I have a herd of dolls & love each & every one of them. I used to have at least double what I currently have but sold the ones that stopped making my heart beat faster. That's my criteria for keeping dolls, I must continue to love them. My 1:3 dolls are all just display dolls now. I don't really play with them anymore but I still love having them & display them in little vignettes. Right now my Little Fees & friends are the ones I play with the most & my slim minis get their clothes changed several times a year, either seasonally or when the urge hits. I have no problem with loving a bunch of dolls as their mere presence gives me joy.

 

I keep all of my resin dolls in my closet to keep them from yellowing too fast, but also to keep my fur babies away from them; I got a person commenting on one of my gallery threads on here, that it was really sad that I only took the doll out whenever I took photos of them. I don't think of dolls as living beings, I think of them as objects. I like to think that I respect and treat them as the expensive customizable toys they are, but I don't think they need me to spend time with, at all! I don't need to see them all the time to enjoy them either, I can play with them when I have time to do so, or when I feel like it and not worry that they'll feel negletcted because they are not alive. I like to keep my resin collection small, but even so there are times when I don't play with any of my dolls at all, there have periods of time when I don't play with them for years at a time (some of them I haven't played with in more than three years). I don't feel like I have to do so either, because they are inanimate objects I collect, not living creatures. I sincerely feel like I love all of them equally, but I don't feel like I owe them time or attention because they are once again toys.

 

@UrbanHermit I tend to think of our dolls as embodying the characters they're shelling (since, well...) and thusly feel as if they have their own wants/needs - though of course I ultimately just treat them as the expensive toys they are. I also collect a variety of plush things, and off-topic dolls, and other figures, and other expensive high-end plastic toys, and I cosplay. It's quite busy, I suppose, but I do try and give the attention to anything I think needs it, and if anything in particular (even if it's a collection of gadgets) sits for too long unattended I do feel guilty (if only because they literally start gathering dust!). The BJD probably get the most attention as they are a nigh-constantly changing display space, whereas many other things are static once complete.

 

Dolls for me are art pieces and creative outlets for tangential artistic things such as sewing and faceups so yeah display is their main purpose. I don't really understand what people do when they "play with" or "spend time with" their dolls but that doesn't interest me, if I want companionship I have a living breathing cat for that. I would be over the moon having a whole room full of dolls displayed on shelves and stands and I don't feel guilty fixating on some over others. They 'aint real or living. It'd be like feeling guilty for wearing one dress more than another lol.

 

I have, by pretty much any objective standard, a fairly ludicrous number of dolls in my crew... But here's the thing... I'm a *collector*. I enjoy having that entire ridiculous, sprawling tribe and, to me, that's what a proper collection IS. An assortment of related things that you enjoy having around. I can't say that I tinker with every single doll every single day (I don't), or that I don't have favorites (I absolutely do-), but if I didn't love the gang, I wouldn't keep them. The actual numbers are irrelevant.

All that said, I'm also one of those people who see their dolls as toys rather than resin children or little inanimate BFFs. Very cool and highly-valued toys, granted, but still Objects rather than Entities. That means I probably relate to my dolls a little differently than someone who sees them in a more animistic light. Like Nefla, I don't feel any guilt at all over one getting more attention than another, because they're just dolls. They aren't capable of jealousy or loneliness. They don't give a fig who got a new outfit and who didn't.

 

Currently I own two dolls and one is on the way, so one day I'll own three dolls.
I used to own five dolls but I got overwhelmed and decided to sell some of them. It just seems like a smaller crew is perfect for me

I prefer to make time for two dolls/characters to change their clothes, posing or eyes. But I still view them as art pieces and don't really feel the need to spread out my love evenly between them.
It's more like getting overwhelmed if I own too many dolls and I don't like to have too many dolls sitting on the shelves.

 

I currently have about 46 dolls plus some various parts that need to be turned into full dolls. I only have one doll I don't care for, and that's because I've just been lazy about selling him on, the rest are all dolls I like, and were all purchased because I like them.

Everyone enjoys the hobby in a different way, and just because someone has a different way of doing things than you do, that doesn't mean it's "pointless." It doesn't affect them if I handle them every day, or leave them in a glass case for a year, or leave them in a box in the closet for a year. They're not alive, and they don't feel; they don't know if they're in a box or a display case or being photographed because they can't know--they're objects.

It's fairly easy to anthropomorphize them because of their human appearance (and typically, a cute or attractive human appearance), but it's important to remember that they're still just objects. I invest my time and energy into my cats, not my dolls, because the cats are alive and do feel, and they all have different needs and desires for attention (like the one that's sitting on my mouse pad right now). The dolls do bring me joy to own and work on, but anything alive will always come first.

 

I found the majesty that is your social media last year, and I must say, I like the way you approach your collection. You get a doll, and if they don't click for you, you talk it through with yourself. You take some more photos, try new things, let it sit for a bit. Then you move them on. It's a process, and it can help you connect or disconnect. Especially if it's a doll you've had for a while.

 

I currently have six complete dolls and hopefully will be adding three more to my family this year. I feel that I'd like to stop at ten to twelve, but who knows. I don't see myself as having a giant collection though because I lack space and I'd also get overwhelmed, and I do feel that I wouldn't be able to give my dolls enough love.

Like @ekala said, for me my attachment to my dolls comes from them embodying my characters. The doll itself may just be a piece of plastic, but it has meaning to me because it represents Kestrel, or Aramy, or whoever; it's as close as having them exist in real life as possible. That being said, the great thing about them being plastic is they won't care if I'm not in the mood to play with them one day or another; they'll always be there waiting when I want to come back to them. But my fondness, or I guess I'll call it love, for them remains always.

 

Oh my life, I’m 100% the same! Mine live in my wardrobe and I can go months and months without looking at them if I’m busy or something, doesn’t mean I don’t value them and the OCs I made them from, but I also don’t want to manhandle something so pricey all the time!

 

LinkInMyHead, I also think about avoiding manhandling my white SoulDoll Bebe Aku; he's white resin, discontinued doll and has the default pink body blushing from them -- so every time I take him out to take photos, I feel like I lose a few years off my life trying not to handle him too much, or trying hard to not break his tiny hands. I've modified my most expensive doll, and most expensive head sculpt quite a bit though; so I don't handle the others due to them being too valuable/cost-me-too-much, but rather because I don't always have the time (or energy) to do anything with them anymore. When I was younger I was always eager to make new clothes for them, take photos of them, or modify them but now I'm just older and lazier. DX

 

Oh thank you I'm not sure if I could continue with this method if I had, like, 20+ dolls. Maybe then I would struggle to love them all. It's hard to say when I've never had that many. But it's definitely working for me now. I do have a pretty long list of sculpts I would really like so it's possible in time I might reach a much higher number. I wonder if I could still connect this way with all of them. My process of collecting dolls is very slow now anyway, so even if I did get that many it would take many many many years.

It's been really interesting reading everyone's responses to this question. I guess it really depends what we want to get out of our dolls.

 

I have 5 full dolls now, and sadly no I don't love them equally. The ones I can't bond with, especially my 1st and 3rd dolls, I try to give more love, but it's not working very well. I might change their faceups to make them more fitting for the characters I want, hoping this would make me love them more. My 2nd and 5th dolls are my favorites, perfectly matching my OCs. My 4th doll (impulse buy and still no faceup) I have no feelings towards him at all, I feel like I still don't know him, but I hope after giving him a faceup it would make me find out his character and start loving him too.

 

I always ask myself this question, because I have 30+ dolls now.. To be honest I don’t love them all the same. There is a msd I really really like, I sold her at once but I regretted very soon. Luckily the buyer decided to sell her again so I bought her back and got three other sisters for her I would buy twin cloths for them but I do love her more than her sisters

 

Probably between 5-10, i feel like if i got more i'd be overwhelmed.

 

I can't, so I limit the amount! I feel bad when I have it but don't play with it.

 

I think 4 dolls I enough for me to manage, just like a child. I need to be able to give them everything they need, props, clothing, etc and just be able to enjoy each and everyone of them so they will not be left out of anything. When I got sick a couple of years ago I got rid of all my babies so I'm lonely now but will have some new dolls soon (fingers crossed).

 

I think it depends on the person! I haven't been long in the hobby (arround 1 year), but seeing how I'm doing I'll probably tend to end up with a large amount of dolls (I have 3 at the moment and 1 more coming home). However as I said, it varies for each person, I have friends in my local bjd group that prefer to have less dolls and spend all their time to spoil them, while others say they have "doll Diogenes syndrome" xD

 

There's always a favorite and I guess it is difficult to love them equally... I own a triplet of the same mold, but I spend my time and money mostly on a certain one of them and the other two (along with the rest of my doll families) are somehow less attended.

 

I've only got one, and while I am brand new to the hobby, I think I would be content if I continued to only have one forever and just pour all my affection and hobby energy into him.
If ever I did change my mind and decide to go for more, my max would probably have to be 3. Any more, and I'd probably feel overwhelmed. They take up a lot of space, and unfortunately, both my fiance and I have a lot of other very space-consuming hobbies...

 

I feel like it is impossible to love all the dolls, if the collection is huge. That's why I try to keep my collection as small as possible, and let go anyone that I don't have any feeling of

 

This sums up how I feel so well!

I see so many dolls that I find just stunning and I will look up pictures of them and think about adding more to the collection, but I got so much anxiety from adding the fourth that I don't think I could handle more. I grew up with a parent that hated clutter to an unreasonable extent and it seems to have done some work on my ability to actually collect anything. I like big dolls and the space they take up just makes me nervous, despite how much I love seeing them.

Plus there's the upkeep factor, which I'm only just starting to experience. One of them needs a new faceup and another needs restringing. I'm terrified! I'm looking forward to learning new skills, but when I think of maintaining even more dolls...

On the other hand, the small collection means that each of them is incredibly special!