Can you love them all?

Not really， when you own too much doll it‘s hard to love them all.

 

I have 10 in my collection,and that's too many for me. I don't love them all and wish I only had one,the one in my avatar (Simone). She's the one I love crafting and sewing for,taking pictures of her. It just feels like work and obligation when I do something with the other dolls.
The dolls I'm unhappy with were all impulse buys and dolls I got to shell characters I'm not interested in anymore,and simply don't like the sculpts anymore. It's different when people have 10+ dolls that were not just impulse buys,and dolls they really wanted.

 

I completely agree, if I cant actually spend time with my whole collection then I feel like its just... too many dolls. I personally have 11 dolls and I REALLY don't want to add more unless it's a grail at this point.

 

I don't see why it's not possible to love every doll in a huge collection. In fact, I love every single one of mine - both as an individual, or as part of a group. I'm a collector. Which means I like the idea of being surrounded by a *collection* of dolls. And there isn't a single one among them that I don't love or at least like very much.

Having said that, 'loving' a doll is like loving any other inanimate object in my house. Not at all comparable to the way I feel about my pets, for instance.

Some of my dolls have been nude for over a year, but I don't feel guilty about it - it's not like they'll be traumatized.
I have dolls that I haven't dressed yet, craft supplies that I haven't done anything with yet, craft projects that I've been working on for a dozen or more years... I don't mind that - I enjoy the process of needlework, the process of finishing a doll, the possibilities of untouched yarn.

The best thing (for me) about dolls is that they're never finished. You can always wipe them clean and start over. I love the endless possibilities.

 

I love all my dolls, but not equally. Some are more special than others.

 

I have over 50 dolls, I do have a love and fondness for all of them, but I have to admit I do my a favorites. I don't use the smaller ¼ dolls a lot. They kind of just sit on a shelf, but I still very much enjoy looking at them everyday. I do have a couple favorites among them as well.

My larger dolls are my favorites. I spend a lot more time with them, doing stuff with them, making stuff for them, writing stories for them they I do with the smaller dolls. I really do love all my dolls, and if I am doing an overhaul, like washing them all down, touching up faceups, changing outfits. I don't just do it to one doll, but for all of them.

I think what makes some of them more special is the circumstances around when or how I got them that endear them to me. Like Dollzone Carter was the first doll I ordered, so he is always going to be a favorite. When I wanted my Dorian fullset, my mother put money toward me getting him.

With Raven (Ringdoll MoYu) he got stuck in the mail, we were trying to get the house tented, and we had to wait for the box to arrive but it got lost for over a month! The whole family was put on hold waiting for this box. When it got here, I didn't have time to open it before we left for the mini beach vacation while the house was being tented, when I came back and opened the box his leg was all broken, Ringdoll replaced it. Every time I see the doll I think of all that happened to get him.

Or my family cheering me on to get Tristan, or winning one on an auction, or even a nice seller will bring back fond memories and endear a doll more to me over the ones that I just bought, they got here and huzzah new doll. It's the memories around the dolls that makes me more fond of them a lot of the time. Or if it's a doll I wanted for a long time and finally got it, that can make a doll extra special as well.

 

I’ve been happily collecting BJD for a long time, and once the last of my preorders finally arrive home, I’ll have upwards of 60 dolls. What can I say? I’m a collector at heart. But yes, I can also honestly say that in spite of that number, I love each and every one of them. They are all on display, scattered throughout my home in artistic groupings that I consider like art. And each one is carefully and thoughtfully curated and complete. I’m always doing things with them, sewing wardrobes, imagining their stories, and refining their displays. I’ve created my own fantasy world with them, and walking through my home is like walking through an enchanted village or forest, visiting with various groups of friends along the way. It’s a lovely way to live.

 

What's your ideal doll family size? My ideal doll family size is about 5-6 dolls, which is exactly what I have right now.

Do you really love them? Like each and everyone of them? Even with only those 5-6 dolls, I sadly don't think I love them all the same or spend the same amount of time with each of them.
I have two crews from two different worlds and I probably really spend time posing and photographing weekly the dolls from one of them, mainly because I don't have much time in general and I direct my attention to the ones that bring me the most joy in this moment.
The other dolls I still have in display and like looking at, but I won't interact with them at the same level. I still love them, though, and I want to keep them, but they bring me enough joy just being in view and being cute.

 

What's your ideal doll family size? Until I run out of space. Until there is nary a flat surface that can display a doll, that is empty. If my house looks like a doll store or museum - I win.

Do you really love them? Like each and everyone of them? Maybe this is the height of hubris, but yes. I love every single one. Note that I already have over 100 dolls. Moving them from room to room is a slow, meticulous, and joyful process. I restring. I wash their bodies. I admire the sculpting and different engineering styles. I glue eyelashes and magnets back in. I clean and change outfits. I wipe down pleather with vinyl restorer. I repair shoes and re-glue sequins and other design pieces. I make notes for future projects - mods I am considering, outfits I want to make, wigs I want to style. I re-organize. This process is everything to me. Instead of being overwhelmed, I am overjoyed at all the work I am doing and planning to do.

I constantly agonize over how many I have, and I am frequently asking myself - do I really love this doll? Can I part with it? 99 times out of 100, the answer is yes, and NO. I have also learned that before I sell a doll, first I change the outfit, wig, eyes, and face-up. If I fall in love with the doll all over again - it stays.

Because I have so many (on topic) dolls, if there is a single doll or part of a doll that does not spark joy, it goes. Either it is sold (rarely), traded (sometimes), or gifted to a new collector (more frequently). Maybe I'm crazy, but as much money as I've spent already - I can afford to gift a thing or two.

 

well there are people who see their collections as family/company and there are people who see their collection well as collections , I like dolls cause they are pretty and I love the artistry that is put on bjd's but I don't love them as I love people or even pets. Still I have some favorites but I wouldn't go back to a burning building to grab my favorite doll I would do this for a real person.
I admit I have many dolls it worked for a time I was young and without family obligations but with children the space gets more limited the time to tidy up more limited and smaller collections and more manageable become more enjoyable in my case.
So my target after reducing my collection is to stay at 7-8 dolls max , but it's not exatly a matter of "love" more about utility.

 

!00 dolls that must be an awesome collection!!! And "spark joy" exactly what I was looking to say thank you to me it's not about love but about sparking joy!!

 

I own many dolls.....a lot! To me dolls are forms of art. I get enjoyment from looking at them. No. I do not love them like my children or family. They are dolls. In animated objects that I like to collect. Even the ones kept in boxes due to limited space. I still open a box from time to time to view them. I swap different dolls from the display case to the box. So they get rotated when I want to see something different.

 

I have a couple dolls(bjd and non bjd)
And I do have my favorites. And I have some that rotate in my mind to sell.
So no I dont love them equally, but seeing them brings me joy even if they just sit on display since I'm more of a collector

 

@Pizzazz when people say they "love" their dolls, they don't necessarily mean they love them like family. Any more than when people say "I love this painting" or "I love pizza"... The question is: do you like all your dolls equally? If half of your dolls disappeared, would you miss them?

 

I love all of my dolls because they're particular. They're individuals that stand out in my eyes and in my imagination, and it's this individuality that makes each lovable in a distinctive way. I do rotate them in and out of my attention, but yes I love each and love all of them.

I should say that I shell OCs with my dolls, so my interest and enjoyment of the doll is strongly linked to my interest in their character being alive and active in my imagination.

ETA - oh yeah, ideal doll collection size. I'm pretty much there with 9 dolls home or on order. The cast feels very coherent, every character/doll is significant, no one is missing (although a couple are on order), no one is superfluous, and my imagination is very occupied with their story. Not to say that the doll collection won't keep growing - because creativity is like that - but now I'm very pleased with it and hope it'll stay single digit for a long while!

 

If I really really had to, I could probably pick the ones I would part with from my crew of 5, but I do love them all in different ways! If anything, I'd rather look into upgrading parts of them (like getting better bodies or hands) to keep them. I usually go through cycles of handling one or the other doll more but they all end up getting enough attention to not doubt keeping them.

 

I don't know if it's love, but I would miss them. Each one fulfills a little slot in my head. It also seems a little amiss to say not playing constantly with a doll means it isn't loved. Most of the things I handle constantly get dirty and worn. Even when I was a child, I tried to keep the touching of the things I love the most to a minimum. I save the cuddling for my pets and humans.

 

I have I think just over 15, and I suspect I'll eventually settle around 20. I don't really have an ideal family size, it's just what space and money allows and which ones bring joy.

This hobby for me is probably 80% collection/display and 20% actually doing anything with them. I'm not much of a photographer so I pull them down to make clothes occasionally or re-arrange the display and that's about it. I work from home so I can look at them very often, and I do plan to re-arrange to get them closer to my work desk but that's still just display. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that! They bring me a lot of joy and at the end of the day that's what a hobby is for.

As for loving them; as a collector/displayer I do still love them, I do have favorites, and I do occasionally fall out of love with one and have to make to decision to move them on or try to find a way to bring that love back.

 

The ideal doll family size is probably always less than what I have, but I've made peace with that. I have a lot of dolls. Good luck counting if you peak at my profile or my flickr lol....but yes, I do love them all. None are packed away and I look at and often talk to them all daily. There are a few exceptions for those who are a WIP and in pieces or awaiting bodies or customizing of some sort, but the vast majority are lining the shelves and furniture in my room and I love it.

I do absolutely play favorites, and the current fav (or favs) will come out and sit with me at my desk as a buddy. I take candid awful photos of them oh my phone that I don't share outside of my closest friend group, but it's just for me capturing a moment...or I'll sit one on my lap, hold their hand while watching vids, or just gaze at them and contemplate their character. Each and every doll I have brings me so much joy...and if I find myself falling out of love with them or their character, then I start thinking of rehoming them.

 

I don't operate on general impulse and only buy dolls I love. Some people may only buy for aesthetics. But I won't buy a doll that I won't love. My focus is completely on which dolls I'll be able to take care of as a collector or curator.

 

I have to really like a sculpt before I go for one. Like, bordering of grail sometimes. Either that or I have to have an idea for it easily come up. I don't want a family size that is completely overwhelming, but there also the fact that I have a tendency to get emotionally attached to my dolls rather easily, so I don't see them as easy to sell off.

 

I definitely can't love them all but I don't necessarily think that I need to. Whenever I'm falling out of love with a doll I'll either put it into storage and wait for the "magic" to return or I'll sell it.

 

I have yet to receive my first, but I have dabbled in a collector-oriented hobby before and I think it's too easy nowadays to get funneled into a neverending cycle of FOMO that makes you buy a shiny new thing after another while losing track of what you really were looking for in the first place. Especially with the pressure of preorders and limited runs.
There are many amazing doll-makers out there that I'd like to support, but I plan on getting two, maybe 3 dolls I really want and then enjoy what I have. In my previous hobby I felt I loved only a handful of the things I had and could've easily lived without the rest.
So as a rule I'm only getting 1/3 and I'm being really considerate with sculpts but also how well the body poses (I don't like the idea of getting something I can only display sitting somewhere), how easy it is to buy clothes that fit, and so on. The upside is that I can splurge to my heart's content. Quality over quantity. If I ever break that rule I still don't see myself owning a doll army because I'm naturally picky and (thank goodness) I tend to be satisfied for good after I clear my bucket list.
That's the plan at least.

 

I think as long as you’ve made a character for the doll before you bought it, you’ll love them because you immediately opened the box knowing who you were looking at. I think a lot of apathy may come from simply buying a sculpt because it was pretty or on sale, making you see it more as a toy (which it is, but some object projection helps with bonding) rather than a representation of a person you know in your head.
That being said, you also can also love art for arts sake, so you can love a doll just as a doll. But for me personally, I need to know a dolls personality and backstory to love them. When I don’t do that, it’s significantly harder for me to really care about them.

 

I have for now 7 dolls and 3 heads. I think that i still love them all, beacuse they are an important part of my family.
It's true that I have my favorite, but that's only because that he is my first doll.

 

Since 2009, I’ve collected 17 full dolls and 12 heads and each is a character in my Free Lands story. I don’t buy limited or full set dolls because I enjoy the process of crafting outfits and character for each doll. I love them all of my crew. The one I’m playing with in the moment is my favorite.

 

I love them all equally, but at different times. Some I will gravitate towards for a few months and then move to another doll or batch.

 

I haven't got dolls which I don't love. But I don't think of them equally or see them all every day. There is the favourite one of course. I think, more important that they all have my attention from time to time and bring me joy.

 

I have 16 complete dolls and at the moment, 5 loose heads, as I have one of them for sale. The truth is that I try to pay attention to all of them but it goes a little bit to times in which there is one that calls my attention more than another, but that does not make me love the others less.
I think that in the end it is part of the hobby, it is a cycle and if one of them does not satisfy you is when you decide to sell it and give it another home.

 

I think I love them all equally but I can't help to have my favourite one among them.

 

I love them all, but inevitably I have preferences. Actually I'm considering selling the least loved since she has not been paid attention to as others.

 

I'm currently sitting at 86 full dolls. I enjoy all of them and it would be very fair to say I love them. All of them are characters in the novels I write so they all have a deep meaning and connection for me. I've been in the hobby for 16 years now and the only resin I've sold in all that time is a body that I had for years that nobody wanted (the head I bought it for hated it and the 2nd head I tried it on hated it as well so after like 8 years, it was time to move on). All that being said, all my guys live in their boxes/bags on shelving units in my spare room. I don't have the room to display them all at the same time. I do generally have 3-4 dolls out on a chair in the living room and I rotate them out every few months.

I fit into the collector side of things in the hobby. I lean heavily to the odd/unusual/weird and a lot of my collection reflects that. When a company comes out with something that's off the beaten path, I'm probably heavily drawn to it but I don't always buy (price and available space are a big factor for me know).

 

If I don't count the floating heads, I'm below number 10. I love almost all of them. Except for the one that bites me with her thigh joints every time I handle it. But I love the first one the most (my favourite Rei, Dollmore Zaoll Luv). The quality of love doesn't tend to go down, but I'm more connected to some than others. The nature of some of them makes it impossible to love them, but I respect them in my space.

 

What's your ideal doll family size?
My ideal size is whatever I have now. I think I'm at 106. I may go up to 120 or so, I don't know. I love all of my dolls.

I find it pointless if it's just for collection/display purpose if you don't really spend the time with them.
My grandmother had two dolls because she enjoyed knitting doll clothes. She got a kick out of dressing them up, and two was enough to keep her busy. That's a much more interactive way of owning dolls than dislaying them on shelves. However, I don't agree with you that my grandmother's way is the only way, and that my way of enjoying my collection and finding joy in it is "pointless".
I find joy in collecting dolls. Just like my grandfather did with his stamp collection, and my grandmother did with her stacks and stacks of knitted doll garments. And my husband with his thousands of books that he doesn't have time to re-read.

I have to admit that I also have stacks of yarn that I'm not crocheting/knitting anything with right now, and several cross stitch kits that I'm not working on. I just like having stuff around that I can work on when I feel like it and ignore when I don't.

 

I currently don’t own any floating heads. So I have a total in my procession 11 dolls with 2 otw. No I can’t love them all, but I do enjoy them all whether I am physically doing something with each of them or not. Collecting dolls makes me happy. Whether it’s admiring them on my nightstand, dressing them up, taking them out with me, or photographing them. Everyone has a hobby that makes their time on Earth enjoyable and one of mine is dolls.

 

I currently have 6 dolls (plus one unfinished) and two more I’m waiting for. The first two years I was in the hobby, I collected at about a rate of 3 a year. This rate was fine for me with being able to spend time and bond with each doll (except that one, but it was for other issues).

Then I was on hiatus for 15 years and acquired 0 dolls. However if I had continued to collect at a rate of 2-3 dolls a year, thats 30-45 more. Such a number (especially on top of the ones I already have) seems wildly daunting and overwhelming to me, but if the rate of acquiring them had been slow, I don’t see why they wouldn’t all be loved.

If I had a collection that size (and the space lol), I would probably also collect dolls with the intention that some are grouped or paired together, that way if I am spending time with one in particular, there’d be a few more getting attention at the same time too.

I also don’t think there’s a wrong way to collect. Some people like large collections and will love seeing each doll on display, even if they don’t “play” with each one as much — not everyone is interested in doing that. Others get more enjoyment from playing with fewer dolls.

 

i think around 10 big dolls is my ideal that i know of, as my tastes change I'm downsizing my collection so ill just have to wait to see if i can handle more, but yeah ten was a good number, i could appreciate one on one day and another on another day

 

If I had SPACE for a big collection, I'd do it. I have enough love in my heart for so many toys! But I would want to have a space to be able to display them, and space to be able to work on them, whether it's doing more faceups or making more things for them-- I don't want to feel like I'm buying them just to chase the next shiny new thing, it's just that I have a lot of characters taking up space in my heart that I'd love to make into physical objects that I can show that love to and use in creative projects.

This isn't always in the form of BJDs-- some characters might get amigurumi'd and have that fill my urge to bring them to life. But, some characters I might want to have multiple forms of, like how I have two tabletop minis of my last D&D character and also turned him into a BJD, or how one of my favorite movie characters I have in funko pop and nendoroid form and I am drafting an amigurumi pattern... but I'm also still shelling him as a BJD (I mean, I have both his head and body now, he's just still unpainted and I've got to find eyes and wig and clothes that fit), because I love the whole act of bringing a little guy to life, in a form that I can dress up and perfect.

 

i have around 20 dolls now after 12+ years of collecting them and i am fine with how many i have. i don't really plan on continuing to add to the collection much if at all. so i'd say i guess what i have is ideal to me.

as to the question "can i really love them all"? that depends on how you're defining loving your dolls. if it means, do i "spend time with" each and every doll regularly, touching it, handling it, paying specific individual attention to it, or treating it like a companion...then no, in that sense i don't "love" ANY of my dolls. i have a big meathead of an English bulldog who i adore for that kind of relationship i don't feel any need or desire to interact with my dolls in that way.

however: i absolutely love owning my doll collection and displaying them in the shelf my husband built for me to keep them in! i love when i am in my art room working on a drawing or painting and i look across the room and see them all over there looking awesome. sometimes i don't feel like working on doll stuff for awhile because i'm busy doing a different creative interest, and it's really nice to just have them there to look at during those times. other times i am SUPER into doll crafting and i love doing mod projects and making tiny eyes and wigs and clothes and props. in the sense of deeply enjoying just owning the collection i've curated and doing doll customizing and crafting-- sure, i love all my dolls.

 

When I first started out in the hobby, my then-boyfriend/now-husband had set our BJD family goal of only enough to fit on a BJD couch and some standing nearby (so about 3-7) as our financial situation wasn't that great to begin with and we didn't have a permanent residence yet. It's been a couple decades now and we blasted past that number. We are more of collectors though so we don't customize our dolls or write fan fiction (okay, I did for like a hot minute when I was young) so I don't feel the need to always play with them or do things with them.

Oh dear. I fear I've been called out as a bad Dolly Mommy. It was so much easier to love and take care of them when we had like 2-4. They were like the "first born" children where they got their own set of clothing and shoes and wigs and accessories and toys and were taken out much and had dolly tea parties and birthday parties where we invited other BJD friends to bring their dolls to be our dolls' friends. Once it got beyond that, I would try to rotate who would sit next to me in the living room watching tv or in the office while I was on the computer. And usually the newer ones just stayed in their original default outfits in the library or craft room, "borrowed" the older one's clothing and wigs, or would get just one new outfit (rarely happens). Now that I've reached I think around 37ish...yeah, it's harder. They are more on display than anything else with only "the favorites" that get taken out to do stuff like conventions or just again living room and office hang out.

Do I treasure all of them? Yes. If we had an evacuation warning due to the fires, we would load the car with the dolls first. Hahahaha. I at least have a go bag and a checklist of what to bring and the dollies are definitely on there. Would I prioritize certain dolls over others if I had less than a half 15 minute warning? Yes, but I would try very hard to bring all of them with me.

I think also it's harder once you hit certain milestones in life. Like, my BJD friends that have kids have a harder time spending time with their dollies as their kids are still too young to understand not to roughly handle their BJDs. That, and these same friends have to make decisions that are more real family related than BJD family related and usually real family wins over BJDs. I have young nieces too that are the same ages and they know enough not to touch Auntie and Uncle's collection but if left to their own devices for sure Crayola markers and crayons would be decorating my dollies.

Having chronic pain also has dramatically changed how I interact with my dolls. I no longer can physically hold them or change them for prolonged periods of time due to the insane pain so I just display them and it gives me joy. It also relates to how I interact with my nieces; just because I cannot hug my real life nieces sometimes due to my pain doesn't mean I don't love them. It just means Auntie has to show love differently until the pain gets better.

 

I have about ... idk, 5 or 6 dolls. I don't really take them out and play with them anymore. I feel too bonded with them to sell them, but I'm not as invested as I used to be. I love them all equally. I feel bad for not really feeling motivated to do anything with them but also too attached to sell them. It's a real conundrum.

 

This is a really good question and I agree that at some point it’s impossible to truly love all your dolls the same. I already have dolls that are just sitting in a drawer or box and I almost never think about them. I’ve started to have favorites after getting into this hobby for 2 years now. And when I shop for clothes or things for the dolls, it’s clear that I’m only shopping for specific ones just out of habit.

Currently, I have an active list of dolls I want to sell, it’s so hard to sell them too (not just cuz I am sad to see them go, but also because posting/listing and finding the right buyers). It’s made me reevaluate every purchase now. I think to myself before I succumb to buying this I need to make sure that 1.) I have space for it AND 2.) how much of a hassle is it going to be to get rid of it if I have a change of heart. I have one doll I waited more than half a year for only to never play with them, and I tried to sell them but no one wants to buy it despite its pristine condition and lowered price. It’s rough out there.

Right now I have 20 dolls (includes 3 on pre-order), all over 58cm. I know I can’t love them all, so I am working on bringing that number from 20 to 13 within the next year.

 

I currently have 7 BJDs, but I’m actively “playing” only with 2 of them. Playing for me means changing their outfits and taking some photos. I don’t interact with them like I interact with a pet, it’s okay for me if they just sit in a drawer and I take them out when I feel like and have the inspiration. So, I could say I’m a display collector.

The ideal number for me is around 10. In the past, I had more dolls and floating heads, but not all of them had proper clothes, wigs, eyes, etc., so I decided now I will have few dolls, but every one of them needs proper accessories and I’m only allowed to buy a new doll when the others are completed.

I want a smaller, curated collection where I love every doll, but if I had a bigger space and money to dress, let’s say 50 dolls, I think I would be okay with more dolls.

 

At the moment I've got 4 full dolls in my possession with 2 more on the way, and I can safely say that I only really love 2 (soon to be 3) of them. I've been in the hobby for less than a year at this point and the early dolls were mostly just about discovering what I like, so I feel pretty safe in selling the ones that I don't love as much. I'm hoping that after this, I'll have a small collection of dolls that I truly enjoy having.

 

I feel like I do love everyone, which makes me not want to sell many even though I could use the space/money and am running short on finishing dolls with clothes/wig hair/accessories due to excessive buying of blank dolls. Not super happy with that.

I have sold off plenty of dolls I didn't *love* though, and have a few more I'll be listing for sale soon. But my collection will still be in the 25-30 range which really is a lot to manage. And I always have a wish list.

I collect artist dolls and I have a little bit of everything in my collection... all 3 scales and 13cm to 72 cm, cute and chubby babies, children, teenagers, beautiful women, even men (I don't really like male dolls but found exceptions), extra-jointed and hyper-posable fashion dolls, fantasy colors, little fairy-looking creatures, ultra realistic, ultra stylized, company bodies, super uniquly shaped curvy bodies, animal heads etc etc. So everyone fills a very different niche and feels so different to handle, photograph etc. I just love this art form!

 

I have 9. I have to say I am very biased. Unfortuately

 

My dolls number well into the double digits. I don't rotate them evenly in terms of which one gets attention – it's more a case of which particular doll or idea is inspiring me at the time. I have several groups of dolls with different concepts or storylines that don't interact with one another.
For example, at the moment I'm in the mood to sew traditional Japanese clothes, so I'm focusing on the dolls who wear kimono/hakama/haori, even if those dolls aren't all from the same storyline.
I do like all my dolls – when a doll seems more of a obligation to work on rather than something I enjoy thinking of ideas for, I put it up for sale – but the attention isn't always equal or even.

 

I love all my dolls, but I do have favorites that are above the rest.

I do rotate through who gets the attention, but it's not a regular or planned thing, it just sort of happens.
While I spend at least a little time every day on doll related stuff, sometimes a doll is left in the same outfit for months. Sometimes a doll is left int the same pose for a long time. Sometime some basic maintenance gets put off to a vague 'some other time'.
But -and this is important- dolls don't suffer when we "neglect" them. They are there to bring us pleasure, joy and happiness. They are not pets. They are not children or dependent adults. They are just dolls, no more, no less.
I have no obligation to my dolls, no time quota to to reach, no amount of minimum amount of attention for each of them.

The only time the number of dolls in ones collection is relevant to this, is if the owner feels like it's too much.

 

I have 6 resin bjds, 3 of which are "complete," 2 pet dolls, and 2 floating heads with active plans to complete. I also have 6 vinyl dolls, 2 floating heads to finish, and an incoming preorder next month.

I don't feel the need to focus heavily on my vinyl girls, though I love them all very much. They're more for standing around, looking cute, and playing dress up with than trying to make intricate storylines or what-have-you. I also don't feel pressure to play with my pet dolls, since they're small and pretty auxiliary to my bigger doll family. Again, most of the value added by their presence is just being cute to look at!

My big resin kids are all loved deeply, though I am definitely "closer" to some than to others. Marcie, for example, is still a work in progress, so she's not as prominent in my head as Aiyu and Eden, who are complete.

I agree with Lillith -- dolls are not suffering from "neglect." I go through periods of time where I am more interested in playing with some or others, and I go through periods where other hobbies or obligations take all of my energy. My dolls will still be there when I eventually wander my way back into being interested in them, and that's okay!

 

I personally don't have the time to dedicate to a large collection, but some people do and I do think they love them all in different ways. If I had the space, I'd definitely fill my apartment with dolls and an excess of clothes I like. Sometimes you can dedicate your time to something just because it looks pretty, even if it isn't the center of your world.

 

Same. My hope is to buy a house one day so I can dedicate space to the dolls. It makes me sad to see them all clumped up in a tiny space

 

On ideal size I dunno, I like having a lot of dolls since I have many OCs from various stories I write. But lack of space holds me back on being able to display them all.

Honestly I do love them all but my attention on them is cyclic. I do have favorites who have the most expensive/ epic clothing and get the best of everything while others while due to their measurements and body type don’t have as much. But that does not mean I love them less. Each one is important to me cause they are reasonably accurate shells of beloved or hated (lol) characters.

 

I have 25 dolls with two more on the way. I *do* feel overwhelmed at times. Mostly because a lot of them are in a state of half completion.

Sometimes I do go back and forth about what I want to do with my collection. Currently there are two “casts” of characters, and one is usually getting way more attention than the other depending on what I’m feeling at the time. I’ve been really into one cast over the other for about half a year now, and that’s been kind of making me reconsider the other half of my collection.

But, I’m nervous if I let the other cast go, I will regret it once I inevitably get back into them. It always goes that way!

There are a few however that I’m really considering if I want to put the work into or not. There’s a few dolls I’ve seen on the marketplace or on preorder that really appeal to me and I keep asking myself, “would I trade any of my current dolls to have one of those?” And sometimes the answer is yes…

Agh. Decisions…