Getting back into the hobby after a long hiatus?

Just back after an 11 year hiatus. Was moving things from the guest room and found my dolls a few weeks ago. I got out of the hobby when I got unemployed, my meetup group fell apart, and the friend who got me into BJDs moved away. Combination of all left me shutting the drawer and largely forgetting the dolls.

Overall, my favorite doll is still my favorite doll--a Souldoll MSD Yewon (the doll in my profile). She is still the same gorgeous girl I got new 14 years ago (I went to gmail and found the receipt, LOL). Also an Elfdoll Sooah doll as well. I found another Dollmore vampire MSD head with a stunning faceup--such a delightful surprise.

I also had a Minimee SD face that was painted to look like Vivian Leigh. The likeness is incredible. On the other hand, the SD body I used with that face...one I bought probably third or fourth hand from a friend--is now a hot mess. The old base layer didn't age well, the body blush degraded, and finish is coming off in patches on the body. I started to clean it a few days ago and it's looking like it will be a big job. But once it's done, it should be in good shape.

Then there were the surprises that came out of the drawer...An unpainted Soom Namu head (odd, since I don't recall wanting to collect boy dolls in that time, though it's androgynous enough that I may have intended to use it as a girl doll) and most shocking of all, a full unpainted mystery tiny (1/8) doll that I really can't imagine how I got.

Probably everything has slightly yellowed, but I don't see it. Fortunately, they've been kept in a drawer. Overall, I notice that the old paint ups tended to have brighter lips (ie, mock lipstick) than is common now. Eye putty did not take the test of time well (it's totally crumbly) but it's easy enough to clean. It also seems that the hobby has many more DIY solutions, which I really like (I made a pair of 18th century shoes for my SD, which was really unusual at the time). OTOH, the cost of clothing...at least that I like...is crazy expensive now. Well, that's incentive to sew. Also, it appears that Haute Doll Magazine is gone to the pages of time, which is a shame. Well, now we have Instagram, but it's not as well curated and doesn't have pull-out patterns or special orders. DOA is bigger than ever, but a bit more difficult to find threads.

The proliferation of recasts is sad. I really don't recall that being an issue, but I guess it's to be expected, given that nearly everything is pirated these days.

I am really loving discovering the new doll makers. The dolls look better made than ever. There are more options for realistic dolls--I remember having a much more difficult time finding them before. I've already ordered a Nakana head--must clean that SD body to get ready for her!

 

Same. I tried to make a whole cast of mature mini’s but there wasn’t enough variety of mature boys and then one day I just hated how small they looked! I’ve got mostly SD and one YoSD now, intrigued by the 70cm ones now too.

 

I love my big +70cm boys

 

Ever since lockdown due to covid happened, I experienced 7 months of "no work, no pay". Since I wasn't earning any money, I had to stop my BJD hobby up until I am already earning money again.

Now, I am working again in my old job, I am estimated 10 months working again after that 7 months of no work mo pay, and I am now back in my hobby again.

 

For people who've experienced a long dolly hiatus; how long was it and how did you get back into the hobby?
About 3 years, maybe just under for all the dolls. We took an even longer break from resin dolls, likely 4-5 years. For a while, at most my husband and I set out 2 of our vinyl dolls that didn't have a box, on a shelf in the bedroom. We only touched them to dust them off or open the cabinet their legs sat on. We were moving a lot, and our budget was spread thin. Just had no time or money for the hobby. We've got some more time, but not much more money these days. Got really bored after attending Otakon 2021 and decided to get them all back out. At first, we just got the vinyl dolls out but the resin ones came shortly after. Then we changed all of their outfits and tidied them up a bit. Shortly after, I got back online for clothing ideas and to see what people were up to. Messaged a dollfie friend and got two invites to two Discord servers.

How did you react to your dolls after such a long break?
A bit overwhelmed, because I remember just how much work they were!

How did you get yourself back on track with new releases, companies, faceup artists, goals, wishlists, etc.?
I lurked around on forums, and checked out what dolls were popping up the most on Etsy for clothing searches. I see minifees aren't as unavoidable these days, but exclusive clothing for them is still abundant on Etsy lol.

Were you still attached to your dolls after your hiatus, or did you reset your collection?
Yep! I got really nostalgic opening them back up. Especially the resin dolls, which we spent more time away from.

Any tips for people trying to get back into the hobby?
Just dive right into it. As soon as any itch pops up, open one or two back up and fuss with them. Take some pictures. Get back into the habit and fake it til you make it.

Best of luck. I'm not sure if I could ever clean-wipe my current collection. I've rehomed two I wasn't clicking with in the past, but I rather like all of my current dolls. My husband has more than he cares for but I don't think he's going to part with any of them. I definitely see the appeal in the idea. People change every day, and a doll you loved a year ago might not be up your alley anymore a year later. People and time keep going, regardless of you looking at them or not.

 

For people who've experienced a long dolly hiatus; how long was it and how did you get back into the hobby?
Mine was about three years, maybe four. I'd tried to, I think, throw myself too deep into the hobby and just burned out. I spent a lot of time with my first doll, not physically doing much with him besides photographing him, but it was bordering on daily obsession. So, I put him aside one day. One day turned into a week, into a month, into a year. I adopted three young rats from a girl in a local city, and they became my priority for the three years they lived in my care. After the last one, a little fella I called Pipsqueak, passed after struggling for a couple days, I reached for my doll to fill the void. Then, I looked at expanding my collection.

How did you react to your dolls after such a long break?
I pretty much picked up where I left off; planning and buying more dolls to expand my collection. It was a good distraction from a lot of hardship, as our old dog had to be put down and several favourite celebrities passed in that time as well as my ratty boys. It was a relief, companionship. I loved having them.

How did you get yourself back on track with new releases, companies, faceup artists, goals, wish-lists, etc.?
I came back to Den of Angels, Facebook groups, the YouTube community (or what was left of it at that time), joined Instagram. I started browsing dealer sites, mostly Alice's Collections as it was pretty much the only one left after my time away.

Were you still attached to your dolls after your hiatus, or did you reset your collection?
While retaining my original doll, I could see immediate changes in my collection goals. I took a recent shorter hiatus and, again, my goals have changed with what I want from my collection. I started out with just a doll I liked the look of. Then, after my initial hiatus, I wanted OCs from one story. The next hiatus brought the notion of scaling down to FID-size dolls. Another short break reset me to SD-sized dolls for OCs from another story, and a couple passion projects based on pop culture characters.

Any tips for people trying to get back into the hobby?
Ease yourself back in, and remember to enjoy yourself. You don't have to buy up all the dolls you want at once, take your time. Appreciate those you have, or try to. If you took a break because you didn't connect with them, move them on to other owners if possible. Find dolls you will enjoy. Also, it's not always about constant interaction with your dolls or photographing them every day. My one [and only currently complete] boy sits atop a bookcase, as a distant but constant companion. If he wasn't there, I'd be lost. Currently, he's my most bonded doll. "Currently" because I've got a treasured OC in the works [whose head sits in a small box on my bed...].

 

I got my first doll over a decade ago and where into the doll-thing for a long time. Then my mental health took a severe beating, economically it couldn't keep up and then family stuff happened on top of it so i took a loooooooooong break (6-ish years i think?)
I never sold the very first doll i bought, and i don't think i ever will, honestly. I think i'd be able to part with most of the others, but he just does something for me. I feel happier holding him. So my only tip is mostly going to be repeating other people here. Just look around. See if something interests you. Find out how you feel about your dolls before selling them off and maybe find new things i nthe hobby you love or revisit old things.

 

I take breaks from the hobby every so often....i think my last break was in 2016 and was due to just a lot of life and mental health stuff. I sold a lot of my old dolls because I used to move pretty frequently and never knew where I'd end up so I didn't really have a lot of time for my dolls. Heck I think I lost a head or two in a move as well which was devestating. I only recently came back to DOA (glad to see its still around!) like this year i think. I'm in a more stable place than I was before and I still love bjds and I feel happier with the dolls I own now, I actually own way more dolls than I ever have lol

 

I left the hobby right or mine years ago. Sold everything except two heads, some eyes, wigs, and bits and pieces of clothing. Everything got packed away while I pursued different kinds of dolls. One day I was looking through boxes, and came across the heads, now a decade old. The bjd bug got woken up again. It’s been slow-going getting back into things. Many companies I knew have shut down, and lots of new artists are selling on different online platforms. I now have two dolls, a Black Cherry Bukkumi and a DZ sd girl body with an artist head. I work two jobs, one of which is 12-hour days, or nights, and the other is part time on my days off from my first job. My life is making it slow to get back, due to my time constraints. However, I am getting there. I’ve got a doll and some clothing on layaway. I love bjds, so I’m hoping in my limited amount of feee time, I can enjoy the hobby once again.

 

I was pretty active back in 2010-2013 but took a long hiatus due to study, work, life and moving a bunch! My resin fam has always been in the back of my mind but i just didnt have the motivation to unpack everyone and get back into everything with how much free time i was lacking it was only recently my partner was asking about them so i got a few out to show them and realized just how much I missed them and as my partner put it id forgotten "how much joy they bring me"

A lot has changed in 8 years.... but its fun to get a chance to rediscover the hobby again with almost fresh eyes, at least where it comes to new dolls and companies that have sprung up over the years! I hope you've been enjoying your return to the hobby too!

 

I had almost 15 years of break. It is when I came back to dolls when I actually "started" the hobby.

My first doll was Volks SD Tae. I used all money I had and queued in a line for Tae's release event on New Year's Day. I was 18. I adored her and enjoyed dressing her but so little did I know how much it costs to upkeep! All I had was her default outfit. I was kind of ashamed that I liked dolls at that age. So I rehomed her within few months after the purchase.

Many moons later, I started thinking about buying a doll. I didn't't know anything about "BJD" so I went to Volks FCS. Then I started searching. I know...wrong order!! Then I found there are much more than just Volks that are BJDs and that they are called BJD I also figured out unrealistic sculpt was just not for me...! So I got my current dolls and I can't be happier

To enjoy this hobby it was very important (but did not know back then) that I am confident in myself, I know what my style in everything is. Many people are not that surprised that I have dolls and they look the way they do. Though they are often surprised at the quality of my dolls. lol I also have better understanding about BJDs now than before thank to the internet. So this time around, I am enjoying so much and I doubt I ever leave this again!

 

I took quite a long break too. I bought my first doll in 2009. I went to local and even international meet-ups, I took at least one doll with me anywhere I travelled, I had a LiveJournal BJD blog together with a friend and the dolls had their own Tumblr account too. I was even travelled to Austria to join an international LUTS event. I had been very active until 2014, but after a series of personal loss and struggles I quit. They brought back memories.
I didn't stop caring - I still bought doll clothes, took photos, kept their wigs tidy, do the necessary maintenance to keep them nice and clean.

At the moment, I don't think of buying new dolls. But I would like to join the community again, have discussion, discovering new talents, update my knowledge on the current molds and trends.

Now, I am happy to be back, and I plan to stay.

Did you ever feel guilty of leaving a hobby for a while? Like you 'betrayed' something that gave you so much joy and fun? Not that you should... that's not what I mean. But first I could not help feeling guilty... for my dolls. Is it just meg or can your relate to this?

I am happy to see that DoA is still such an active BJD-hub - while forums of other hobbies got lost in the social media boom.

 

I still do feel bad for Tae that I let go of so soon, and the MSD I got from FCS last year that I had to rehome. But I’m also in peace to know they went to someone who genuinely adores them.

Sorry to hear the reason for your leave and I’m so happy to hear you came back! I don’t think you really left the hobby if you cared for them! Taking care of / playing dolls is what this hobby is about and social media or group is just one of many ways to embrace the hobby.

I also admire your care for your dolls to adore original dolls. That’s a true love right there

 

I am actually just starting to take steps back into this hobby after 8/9 years! The reason I stopped is because I had just graduated high school and was starting college, so I really needed the money for books, supplies, tuition, etc. Now that I graduated in December 2021 and am working a full time job, I'm finally ready to start getting back into bjds, albeit a little tentatively. I know I won't be able to buy dolls at the same rate I used to before my hiatus, but treating myself every now and then to a doll is exactly what I want to be able to do.
I never truly lost interest in the hobby during my hiatus, but I waned a bit. Two out of my five dolls are still on my shelf while I boxed up the others to store away; this was because two of them didn't fit the characters anymore and one of them was getting sun damaged. For the two that no longer fit the characters, I do feel a little unattached and might even sell them to reboot the character, but I don't feel that way about the other three I have. So overall how I've reacted to my dolls after my hiatus, I look upon them the same way as the day I got them, they are still very precious to me and newer dolls I have been looking to buy are just as alluring!
I'm honestly still trying to catch up on what I've missed. I've come to find that some of the dolls on my wishlist were discontinued despite not being limited edition; some face-up artists are no longer active while others are being brought to my attention, and my prefernces for face-ups and sculpts in general have changed a bit. It's a little overwhelming as I try to explore the community outside of this forum too, which is why I'm taking small steps back into the hobby. At the moment, I've just been browsing around to reevaluate what new sculpts and artists are out there to see what I want to do. Some have already caught my attention and I'm starting to save up for my first doll since my return! I don't want to do anything impulsively, so I'm planning out everything I can such as clothing, wig, eyes, the right face up artist, etc. I'm really excited! Other than that I've been taking it slow

 

Hello DoA! Long time no see!

Today I bought another doll (Dream Valley Howard II) for the first time in 4 years. I took a break from the hobby while I completed college due to no longer having disposable income. It feels good, but strange, to be back. In the time I've been gone, most of the dolls I wanted are no longer being produced (apparently Doll Zone's Snow is now a 44cm girl instead of a 62cm boy?), there are new companies I've never heard of, there are so many more options to choose from, and several companies now have a different style from before.

I'm curious if anyone else is currently in the same situation as me, and what that experience has been like for you. What changes have you noticed? How do you feel making the return? Did you keep your dolls on that break, or are you starting from square one? Are you finding yourself having to relearn the things that use to feel like a second language? I'm curious to know!

 

I took a long break and started coming back into it in 2019 when Fairyland released Honoka, incentive. Now that I've been into it again for a few years, I can say the hobby has changed so much but it's kind of better and worse simultaneously.

The community is so much bigger now and it's great to be able to find doll friends and yeah, the options are amazing. So many doll bodies can do crazy poses now compared to back when I got started when minifee bodies were said to raise that bar. There's a wider range of clothing and accessories too so we can really style our dolls more uniquely. And there are people out there who have really perfected their craft so quality stuff is easier to find. I'm finding more faceups artists all the time too so that's been more fun to shop around and look at all the work in their portfolios. When I came back to it, I had such stars in my eyes.

With the growing interest in bjds though, the demand for cheaper dolls has also gone up and recasters have taken advantage very successfully. And there has been some drama in regards to recasting but also on the social side. I don't like to spread rumors and generally try to stay out of that part of the hobby but some of the stuff I hear through the grapevine is so disheartening. I won't get into details but I was limiting my personal interaction on the bjd socials to stay out of the mud.

Bjd socials isn't all bad though. There is a little pressure to stay active and relevant which can make polite casual interaction feel sort of forced but that's how you meet people. I've made some friends on Instagram, getting to be more chatty in their DMs and learning so much! The community there can be so amazing like recently, I've had to post stuff for sale due to a financial struggle and people have been boosting those posts for more reach. They didn't have to do that and I didn't ask, they just did. Faith restored.

Apologies for the rant I generally keep this stuff inside so I can go on and on but I'll spare the reader

 

Yeah it was shocking for me too when I got back into the hobby last year! I took a six+ year break as well due to lack of monies and disinterest at the time. It has EXPLODED. I mean I remember looking at dolls in 2010-2012 and thinking how many choices there were! And now the goliaths of my time are no longer top dog. Well they still make beautiful dolls but it's really interesting to see how many of them aren't holy grails anymore and how many other companies have taken over in styling. I remember when Doll Chateau first came out and how many people were commenting on how unique the dolls were and some were questioning if they were going to last. But look at them now!

The community has changed but it is a good one I think. The demand for dolls has meant companies have been gaining more money and can create more and keep staying afloat. I do miss some of the old brands such as Boy and Girl or Doll In Mind but alas.

 

Yes, I do remember that about DC! I thought those dolls were so strange but I was such a newbie. They definitely found their niche and I understand the appeal. I think they definitely made room in the hobby for other artists to come in and try new things with sculpting dolls.

I was really surprised when Dream of Doll went silent. Their fullset outfits were so popular that people were cosplaying their dolls. I really wish I had kept mine just for that nostalgia factor. It's just funny because at today's standards they really weren't all that special. My heart still skips a beat when I catch the rare sight of them in the wild though.

Minifees also got even more skinny haha

Aside from companies, there's been an explosion of art dolls too. Artists working with casting companies to bring us limited works, it's really amazing. Over the years there's been some trial and error and new artists can learn from the successes and mistakes made. The whole process seems more streamlined now, the future is bright!

The bjd scene is whole different jungle now and can be overwhelming and scary but I'm excited to see what happens next!

 

I left the hobby when I got married and moved to another country. With the start of a new job I found my love for the hobby came back. I had 3 dolls and now I feel like I have too many. I never imagined having so many but they have brought excitement and creativity back into my life. I have even tried my hand at faceups. Im still bad at it but I enjoy the process.

Since coming back to the hobby I have been obsessed with Dream Valley.

 

Nice. Thank you for sharing your story,

 

I just pulled my dolls out of storage after 7 years away. Can't believe I can still remember my log-in!

 

Eiyo! I'm pretty much in a similar situation! Though I wasn't 100% gone (I sold off over half of my collection in the last several years and bought some sculpts to reshell some characters that ultimately ended up sitting around waiting for me to be back in full swing for a really long time), I've been practically in a dormant state since 2017. That was literally the last year I actively tried to take photos of my dolls and/or had any sort of inspiration for them. Finishing uni and moving back to my hometown which I hated, starting a thankless job, missing my friends, poverty, and eventually my mom falling ill and then passing in early 2019 effectively crippled me emotionally and creatively in just under two years. It was then I decided that I wouldn't let depression win over me and hit the ground running and... in less than a year I found myself expatriating to another country, and before I even had the chance to settle down covid hit like a tonne of bricks!! And, like that, another three years passed in the blink of an eye.

I've had small moments of touching back down in the hobby between then and this year but all were very brief and far apart. Then I finally completed my first doll since taking this ginormous break, my minifee Alan, my Venti, whom I bought on a complete whim as a sort of emotional support doll when I was going through a hard time last year. (it took me... only, maybe 4-5 months to get around to giving him a faceup, if that's any indication of my state before) and suddenly it all clicked back into place. Since then I put forward all of my dolls and have started doing maintenance on all of them and it's overwhelming but I love it all the same. I pooled some funds and bought some much-needed bodies for a couple floating heads, cleared out dolls that no longer worked for me, repurposed several to fit my stories, and am getting ready to place some massive clothes orders. Then I dreamt up the story of Genshin Gymnasium while looking through my uncle's old german boarding school photos that he posted on Facebook, and there was plot, and my love of dolls multiplied by my love of genshin made my wishlist explode for the first time since maybe 2014 (it was normally a very reserved wishlist just a couple dolls long, I swear).

For the social aspect, I'll be honest, I'm still recovering from the shock of being doused in inspiration and trying to reconnect with the community. There's so so many new companies now, new dealers, new options... At the same time a lot of my go-to places to buy anything either no longer exist, only sell extremely limited quantities or are lacking in variety and I have to research and relearn everything from scratch. The community also feels more segmented and harder to reach (I just want to make some new friends, please!!!). Den of Angels is quieter compared to when I was active, and so is tumblr, while instagram has become nearly impossible to be on and interact with people... The marketplace is slower but still there (just found my grail of over 10 years not two weeks ago, I'm REELING). I can't find youtube creators anymore, and a lot of the content I used to consume was there before my break... and yet at the same time there seems to be more bjd owners than ever. Maybe is just a matter of getting acclimated again!

 

Welcome back, Grey. I've missed seeing your mods around. They were always interesting.

 

Wow what a great read, thanks for sharing! I definitely relate to a lot of what you said and it's really comforting to know that others have similar experiences. I definitely felt creatively bankrupt and depressed at the time I decided to pack away my dolls and leave them in their boxes. Before I left for college I bought my grail (SWITCH Holy Soseo) and packed him up a couple weeks later. And, similar to you, 4-5 years later his face is still blank, although I'm finally getting ideas for what I'm gonna do with him. With this fresh creative spark I haven't felt in years, I'm hoping he'll finally have a name and face after all this time.

I definitely feel you on the limited options with companies you once loved, too. It's really sad to see, in a way. I have yet to really break back into the social aspect of the community (other than posting here, of course), but I use to use Instagram and made some really nice friends there. Sadly I have lost touch with them, and I know Instagram's algorithm has changed wildly since I last used it, so it makes me reluctant to go back. I've also noticed this site is slower, too, which makes me a bit sad. I never got my marketplace access, but I hope I can be approved and hopefully find some of the dolls on my wishlist that have sadly been discontinued in my time away. I agree that it'll definitely take some time to get reacclimated, but hopefully we can both do it.

 

After 10~ years I finally decided to get back into the hobby and wow!! I feel like it's a whole new world. Was sad to see that D.I.M Doll are no longer in business, but excited to get into the hobby again. It feels just like when I saw my first BJD in 2008.

I quit the hobby when I was about 19-20. Had just gotten into a new friends group and I didn't want to tell them about my interests in BJDs because I was afraid that they would think it was weird.. Unfortunately, I forgot about the dolls while trying to catch up on other things in life. Now I'm 30 and very secure in myself, so the dolls are back.

 

I took a long break from buying dolls (and subsequently from the hobby) for about nine years (≈ 2013). I too no longer had the finances to support the hobby at the time. The hobby never really left my mind as I completed high school and college; I would occasionally log on to DoA but I used it less and less over the years. Throughout the time I was gone, I did keep my dolls and still feel bonded to them! I did, however, become detached from one of them and have since sold her recently.

I became interested in getting back into the hobby around November/December last year when I was about to graduate college since I would finally be able to save up for a doll and not have to worry about school. It was a little wild getting back in since I also realized that quite a few dolls I wanted were no longer available, there are even more companies with beautiful dolls (and some companies that changed styles), the spread on other social media platforms is more vast, etc. It almost felt overwhelming, but I found that getting back up to speed hasn't been as daunting of a task as I thought. I retained a lot of the knowledge I had and most of it wasn't outdated. Although it's sad that some of the dolls I wanted are gone, I love that there are even more options and I'm still discovering new ones. Not mention, it has been easier than ever to get information on companies and dealers, tutorials, artists, ordering and shipping questions, etc.

My first doll purchase after my hiatus is a Soul Doll Seo Jeong-U, who I'm still waiting for to be shipped (purchased in March); I also recently put a Ringdoll Hua Cheng on layaway. I'm very excited for both of them! As for the dolls I already have, I have newfound motivation to complete the two who are not complete, and to update the other two to give them a new wardrobe that will better fit their characters.

Socially, I haven't been super active within the community apart from posting here, and that hasn't changed within those nine years. I'm content with where I'm at right now on my journey back into the hobby, but there are still things I would like to learn about or try eventually! I'm just glad that the community has a larger reach than ever so this information, whenever I may need it, is available!

 

I only very recently returned to the hobby, after having been fairly active between 2004-2014; various house moves, having to homeschool my youngest for a year, getting married and a whole slew of IRL issues meant the dolls basically got put on a backburner. they went into boxes and crates for the last house move and just basically didn't come out again until the past couple of months when I had the sudden urge to shell my WoW RP main character, Derenly, into doll form and embarked on modding my Lishe into a boy, sculpting blood elf ears and so forth. The project has definitely reawoken my interest in the dolls again; I dug Marius, my Dollshe V2 Hound, out and gave him a new face-up plus a new replacement wig for his old red one that was looking very ratty after all these years. And now I'm pondering hunting through to find which box my Minifee Shiwoos are in....

Socially, I've joined the BJD Discord server (I'm far more active on discord than I am anywhere else, so it was a logical step for me) and posted for the first time in years in the small little UK Facebook BJD group that I used to be active in; the folks there made me feel very welcome as a returnee, and I've had an invite to join some of them on their next doll outing here in London. I'm not hugely active on Instagram, though I've been posting the progress pics of Derenly there.

I don't have any plans for doll purchases at the moment; I'm focused instead on rediscovering my love for my existing dolls, one or two at a time.

 

I left the hobby around the 2016-2017 era, as I had just clawed through a pretty bad break up and had a lot of mental health issues I needed to sort out. After neglecting to do anything with my dolls for a while--even letting them collect dust--I put them away and wasn't sure if I would return. At the end of 2021 I became really interested in the Gem of Doll Capricorn and purchased her. Not long after that (or maybe even a little before that), I returned to the social media side of the hobby.

It's really interesting to see how some things have changed, and others haven't. Some doll communities are more utilized than others, and Instagram has definitely become a place for doll photos, which is great! I'm slowly picking up on things I missed since I was gone, like doll companies that have closed shop. Other than that, I'm staying pretty busy updating my current collection, since I completely changed a few of them. I also sold a few dolls so I can add different dolls to my collection. It's kinda fun to see even how I myself changed in how I display my dolls.

 

Big same!! I've been in the hobby for over half my life at this point, so prepare for a ridiculously long story lol.

Spoiler: TLDR had some bad times, took a break lol

I took a break from the online side of the hobby for several years, and to some extent the hobby altogether. In 2010 I had a bad experience at a doll meetup at a convention where the locals literally didn't speak to anyone that wasn't a member of their local comm, and us visitors just kinda hung out by ourselves a few feet away like two teen cliques in a cafeteria. I had moved away from my own local community for school and it was pretty demoralizing. It made me miss my local comm terribly, but my local friends were at more stable points in their lives, moving for work and getting promotions, and it was hard to get people from the wider area to be willing to travel for meets (to me, South Florida is like, Dade and Broward county, the coastal bottom right corner of the peninsula, but to some people "South Florida" was pretty much anything south of Orlando and they'd be unwilling to commute but expecting us to travel every time we tried to make plans, lmao, classic local hobby comm problems). Looking back on it, there was kind of an unspoken expectation among a lot of people in the BJD hobby that "doll meet-up" meant huge tables full of dolls, dozens of people, and that was pretty unrealistic outside a few select cities or special events like conventions. I was flat-out told "I like to see a lot of dolls at meetups, so if it's only gonna be like four of us I'm not coming" a couple of times, but I think that sentiment was more widely held than people admitted at the time. So as our core group of locals got more and more unable to make it, the local BJD scene kinda sputtered and died for a while (at least for me).

Not even two months later I had a terrible experience where a BJD package of mine was misdelivered to a nonexistent address six hours away from my home and it was never found or returned. It took a heavy toll on my BJD enthusiasm, I'd look at my dolls and think about the lost package and just not be able to enjoy myself. I slowed down taking photos, let alone posting them. I'd occasionally order a new outfit or two, occasionally get out a doll and play with it a bit, but that was pretty much the extent of it. I had a gradual reentry a few years later as Mint on Card (rest in peace) announced its closing, and saw an uptick in my BJD activity, but I was still spending most of my time enjoying other hobby dolls (shoutout to Monster High for somehow keeping my mental health afloat as an exploited first-year teacher lmao).

I think taking a break from the hobby worked out pretty well in the long run, because I take it way less seriously now than I did as a kid. All the old drama that used to come to the fore every day is nonexistent - be glad we don't have a Debates forum anymore y'all, holy moly - and we've had so many pioneers be brave enough to test out materials, paints, sculpting styles, the hobby is a much less hostile place than it used to be! Not to be an old fogey but I remember back in the day the cadres of people who made sure we all knew that the only sealants they felt were acceptable were MSC and Tamiya UV Cut. "You're using sealant for MINIATURES?! Ugh, you're going to melt your doll and die, I wouldn't even THINK of doing such a thing on my precious resin when those products are made for cheap mass-produced plastic" type of comments, lol, there were a lot of folks who were very vocally anti-experimentation back then! Without all the people looking for creative solutions, and advocating for and creating different body types for dolls themselves, this hobby would be way more one-dimensional than it feels to me today. I'm gonna drop another old fogey comment, lol, I remember seeing/hearing a few remarks about how making and casting your own BJD was seen as a foolish newbie move, as if people dropping thousands on molds and air compressors were out here saying "I can't afford to buy a BJD, so I'll make my own!" So glad that the artist doll community has flourished, and that so many artists are out here finding the support and market for their work they deserve! That was a great thing to find now that i'm getting more active.

I think the isolation of the pandemic brought me closer to my dolls, they're not people but it feels more like company than an empty room to have them around so it made me feel less alone! My collection also really took off the last few years or so, I've found dolls I never imagined I would be able to bring home as tastes change and my old favorites become less and less high demand status symbols. I even brought home the first BJD sculpt I ever saw, the one who got me into the hobby! It's so nice to be back and connecting with people, though that's still a challenge for me lol. Here's to us returning folks, welcome back everybody!!

 

Those are all really good observations! You're right, it's really nice to see things more open and less toxic and gatekeep-y. One of my favorite things about bjds is how customizable they are, so I love seeing the experimentation. And as someone who has plans on sculpting my own doll, I can confirm that it'd definitely be a lot cheaper to just buy a doll outright lol, especially if you count the hours of labor as a cost.

 

I just came back myself from an extended break. So sad to see so many companies I knew and loved gone; but a few are still around and some new places to discover too. Glad to see DOA is still here too

 

I took a year hiatus after my son was born. Wthin recent years I've fallen back into it really hard though.

 

I walked away from the dolls in 2017, for some reason I couldn't stand them, I guess that in the past I bought so many I didn't know what to do with them. I'm slowly getting back into being around them.

 

I started collecting in 2008, I think? I was very prolific in the hobby until I graduated from college in 2015 (I had scholarships, a job and was living at home so I had a lot of disposable income). Then I kind of dropped out, due to a combination of building health issues, lack of money, and also shifting interests. I came back to buy one doll in 2017 (I think?) because I happened to find her by accident and she was perfect for the main character for a story I was working on at the time, then I bought another doll in 2020 from a company whose dolls I admired for a long time, but I had no energy for doing anything with her so I left her bald and naked in her box.

Recently I've been recovering from the health issues and decided I needed more hobbies for my own mental health. So I came back to dolls, and I've been having a lot of fun re-discovering things like crafting (turns out, not a big fan of that anymore) and photography. Also while I was gone, all of the fashion doll people went ahead and started making incredible BJD shoes. I remember back in like 2012-ish, all shoes looked so clunky and doll-like... now you can get these perfect replica miniatures, down to the teeny little stitches.

 

I was introduced to BJD through Dream of Doll, joined DOA in 2010 and got my first doll from them 2012. I've been averaging about a doll a year since then, so haven't really had a hiatus from doll collecting. 2018 I didn't have anyone ordered, I was feeling less connected with my crew 2019 as I was after a dedicated space for them and didn't really have one. They mostly stayed in the cupboard on shelves.

We were planning a home build and so a lot of my time and headspace was taken with house design and planning. This kept going over the pandemic. I got a doll I'd been looking forward to for years, a doll choice from Iplehouse, and she got taken out for box opening photos and then after a month put in her box for over a year.

2020 sucked for everybody. I was the same, increased anxiety and depression. As an autistic person, having my routines completely shaken up when needing to drop everything and work from home was very hard. My hobby space became my work space and I basically didn't engage with dolls at all.

2021 we moved in with my parents while our home build happened, all my dolls went into storage for a year. I was desperate for doll content and that's when I moved to Instagram. I lurked and worked on transferring my doll pics from Flickr since their change of limits for the free accounts.

We moved into our new home beginning 2022, but I was so tired from everything I just took everyone out of their boxes and they stood behind a couch for months. It's only been in the last few months I've started being active on DOA. I don't have their new home built yet, but there is now a cubby. I'm back on DOA looking a photography tips and equipment. I have something to look forward to. And that's really nice, considering the last few years.

 

I discovered bjds back in 2007 and I was absolutely awestruck by them. I purchased my first affordable doll in late autumn of that year and it became an instant obsession for me. It felt like something I had been wanting my entire life but just didn’t know it, if that makes any sense!

By 2011 I had 5 dolls and still adored the hobby, however I also got married that year and moved cross country, into a small apartment. That was the year I reluctantly had to pack my dolls safely away. I had no intention of taking a break from the hobby but it just wasn’t something I could fit in my life along with a new marriage, new far away home, new job, and as a couple years passed, becoming a new mom!

Fast forward to 2015 and I’m still “out” of the hobby but my mom and sister (who also collect) surprise gifted me with a Fairyland Liria Minifee. Just like the first time I found BJDs, I was completely awestruck by her. I still didn’t have any space to keep dolls out the way I liked but I would keep her in her box and take her out here and there to admire. Getting Liria was the jumpstart to me re-joining the bjd hobby/community, I just loved her so much.

We moved cross country again in 2016 and I had a little more space for dolls. I ended up re-homing my original dolls that had been boxed away for so long and started fresh with my Liria. Since then I have stayed active in the hobby and enjoy each and every one of my dolls. Yay!

Initially it did feel like there was a big learning curve getting back into it. Photobucket wasn’t really a thing anymore for sharing photos, so I discovered Flickr, which even now isn't as popular of a “go-to” place to see dolls anymore. Companies had changed big time or were sadly on their way out, re-cast dolls had become a much bigger threat, and favorite seamstresses were no longer creating.

It didn’t feel like a small community anymore, it had exploded! Some people have said it was easier to make friends with the larger community, but I feel like it’s had the opposite effect for me. I know there are a lot of wonderful people in the community but I don’t care for the “keeping up with the Jones’s” mentality that seems to have taken hold. When I started out back in 2007 other collectors seemed so much friendlier, outgoing and welcoming to one another. I think people were more enthusiastic to know others who shared the interest because there weren’t too many of us out there.

When I came back from my hiatus I think my favorite change was how much styles of dolls had also changed, I found that part truly fun! I spent so much time exploring new, more modernized outfits and shoes, details had become even better, and Etsy was amazing! Everything felt more personalized. There were so many talented face up artists offering their services, custom made wigs, eyes galore for whatever style you were looking for. I think that really brought me even closer to my dolls and has kept me in the hobby all of this time. You can really bring your ideas and visions to life and create unique and beautiful dolls.

 

I got my first doll in 2009! a Bobobie Ariel! wow..ok now I feel old! lol
Several years ago I had to take a step back to focus on my career. I have returned to the hobby with a new ferver and a larger budget thanks to career promotions. (young me thought Bobobie were spendy! lol)
I am sad to see that many companies are gone, I have a few regrets that I didn't get and now are discontinued. I may never find a Dream of Doll Petcha Elf now that they are gone.
My collection and taste have refined themselves, But I still have most of my dolls. I am glad to be back and am looking forward to finding all the cool new companies and sculpts!

 

I took a hiatus from around 2016-2017. I still kept my BJDs and adored them, they just got less attention as I focused on OT dolls. Unfortunately that OT community was not a good one, and I stopped being so into that hobby.

Returning to DoA and getting more invested in my BJDs felt like slipping on a well loved sweater. There may have been changes in doll trends, companies or what have you. What I remember most from my return was a blessed lack of drama.

 

It’s really nice reading peoples stories.

 

I'm also in a similar situation, while I've never really considered myself to be "in the community" my interest in dolls has been off and on since 2007 - mostly off. I really struggled in that time to find dolls I actually cared about and connected with, and had a lot of personal issues to deal with that left me with no time or motivation to do much creative at all, in some cases, let alone be active in a hobby where it didn't seem like I could find something that worked for me.

What has changed now is that the past few years have seen a massive improvement in my mental health and creativity, including the creation of a lot of original characters who are dear to my heart. Art, writing and video games are my main playgrounds, but I had tossed around the idea of making something like tabletop miniatures of them just for fun, feeling like BJDs just wouldn't work because of the number of times I'd tried and failed to get involved with them. However, some friends who are more into dolls than me lead me to discover there is a lot of variety out there these days, particularly in the realm of mature tinies who are much more along the lines of how I'd like to represent my characters. So, while I still feel tentative at the moment due to past experiences, I'm feeling like I'm in a good time and place to explore the possibilities again.

 

I actually just recently came back as well. Haven't had a BJD since 2018 or so, but I've purchased some and they should be here in a few months. I had gotten rid of the BJD I had from back then a few years ago, because I just didn't "vibe" with her anymore. I finally realized that I prefer anime-style dolls and that I do, indeed, like dolls. I like looking at their outfits, and admiring the work that went into them.

Basically starting from square one, but with more knowledge this time. I'm so glad this forum is still around, found out so much back in the day because of you guys. Thanks to this forum and Googling, I was able to find some adorable YOSD BJDs that were anime style. There's still so much that I don't know, but I'm not above looking it up.

 

I didn't own a BJD when I joined DoA nearly 15 years ago. Had many friends who did and I could only envy. Then about 10 years ago, changes in life and direction got me distant from DoA and I stopped logging into the forum.
But I have BJDs in my home now because I got married to a BJD collector

 

I fell out of dolls when the pandemic began. I wasn't doing very much with my girls during that time. I took them out a couple times, but I didn't feel very motivated to do much with them. I didn't even unpack some of them after the last doll meet that I went to. All of a sudden with the pandemic starting, there was nobody to do doll stuff with, and that was the first time that happened for me in a long time. And of course all of the worries that came along with that time period. I finally started feeling better about my dolls earlier this year, and after a setback in February (broken thumb), I've come back to dolls fairly strong. I've been doing a lot more with my BJDs that I already had, and I even got myself a few off-topic dolls this summer. I even finally unpacked most of those dolls that had been packed up. I still have one packed up, but I'm eager to bring her back out once I've done some more things with the ones that are out right now. And with doll meets coming back, it's even more fun now

 

It’s interesting how even though a lot of us were stuck at home so ‘technically’ had less social life so more home time, it definitely didn’t result in more doll time.

Sounds like for lots of us our mood and energy took big hits and we simply didn’t have capacity for engaging with dolls too.

So it feels positive to read about people slowly coming back to themselves and things they enjoy. Thanks for sharing.

 

Thank you, @Buzzibee Yeah, I didn't feel the doll itch very much at all during that time. I did find some other new hobbies to occupy my time, though.

 

My story is pretty similar: got my first doll and was pretty active in the community in 2007/2008, then left for a couple of years due to life circumstances, got another doll in 2011 and was active a bit, then got back out until 2019/2020. There are so many more options now and it’s so much easier to get clothes and accessories. For example, I remember making my own wig grip cap from elastic and shelf liner (still have it!) since there were not many options to keep a wig on but now silicone head caps can be bought pretty cheaply.

 

Oh, many stories here are so relatable. It's great to read these stories, as sometimes I feel like an oddball, because I had a looong hiatus. I have been around since 2009, but I was inactive for many many years due moving abroad to study, so I sold almost all my old dolls. I was slightly active around 2015 and even got few dolls in 2016, but not really doing anything with them due my life circumtances and ending up selling them later. I started to get more interested in BJDs again in 2019, but I would say got full on back in the hobby around 2020.

As somebody already said doll trends seem to have changed a lot, it's really cool to compare the clothing trends and even sculpt trend styles. I love that there are so many new BJD artists, wig makers, clothing and face artists and companies now, so much more variety and choice. It is also easier to find BJD related stuff in Etsy etc. platforms now. Also social media has taken over forums as a place to share photographs and sell stuff. I remember when I first started I was mostly sharing photographs on this local forum in my country. I do appreciate social media as it is easy to share photographs and get quick answers to questions there, but I love forums as a platform to discuss and find information. Sometimes I feel like it's kinda hard to navigate between the different social media platforms and information can be hard to find due fast content sharing, but maybe I am just so used to using forums.

 

I’m surprised as well at how many of us have been in the hiatus boat. I fell out of the hobby and had to sell off a majority of my collection several years ago. I’ve only been back for a couple months now. I had a heck of a time trying to reactivate this account and get my password reset (thank you to the admins for the quick responses and help). My remaining girls have been stowed away in boxes for several years now. Honestly, I was a little afraid to pull them out because I knew I would get sucked right back in. I’ve really missed having my girls out, though. So they eventually broke out of their boxes and are not so slowly taking over my home office. And I’m trying to justify to my wife buying a couple new girls to join the family.

 

I took a three year break to better my mental and physical health and am just now getting back into the hobby! One thing I noticed is that some companies I liked and sculpts are now out of business or discontinued, so that's pretty sad. But there are a lot of new companies and dolls so it's been quite interesting to look at them all

 

I can’t really say I took a real hiatus like the rest of y’all because I never stopped messing with my dolls but I took a very long break from the community aspect after my dad died. I started the hobby in 2006 and my dad passed away in 2014 so it’s been a very long break. I removed myself from all the groups I was in and only kept in contact with a couple of close friends from the hobby. I did at one point put most of my collection away in their boxes while I was figuring some stuff out but that only lasted about a year if that and my favorites all stayed out.

I recently went to resin rose bjd expo which was my first time going back to the community and I had an absolute blast. Everyone was so nice and excited about the hobby. I met so many talented and creative people. I came home so inspired to work on all my dolls and I really felt like my passion for the hobby was reignited. The people were so amazing it made me really crave the community aspect again.

Unfortunately, I just went to my first local meetup the other day and it left me extremely disappointed. Everyone was SO negative. They spent nearly the entire time complaining and one girl interrupted a conversation I was having with my friend to tell me that I had overpaid for a doll (I double checked and I hadn’t). They were so unpleasant to be around I felt like I had whiplash. My friend and I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

I won’t be attending anymore local meetups but I will definitely keep in touch with the friends I made at resin rose and try to find more positive collectors in online spaces or at future cons.

 

I was really into the hobby in 2018 and I just dropped out as life became more and more busy. I'd kept tabs on new dolls and news, but wasn't as into it all as I was before. When I got the news that Little Monica was shutting down that really brought me back, as I always kept my eyes on a couple of their dolls. I realised that I was missing out on something I really enjoyed. I'm also now with a very supportive partner and I feel like I can share my hobby with him.

 

My country is just a tiny dot on the map, but despite that there were dolls on display at a couple of shops at a mall that housed shops specialized in toys and figurines, and other quaint items.

Back in 2007 I would tag along with my father to this mall, where he would browse through 1/6, my attention would always be caught on the MSD and SD sized dolls displayed at the more Japanese-centric doll store where they sold dolls from AoD, DoD, and Domuya (a local doll brand).

I didn't end up purchasing any after taking a look at the price tags because they were so much more expensive compared to my dad's 1/6 action figurines.

Although I didn't have the means to purchase a BJD, I would still do some research and would follow doll accounts on sites like Deviantart and Flickr. I eventually found a secondhand AoD doll on a sales website and bought it with my savings, but sold it off shortly after because I couldn't bond with it and got busy with school.

Fast forward to 2021— I finally came back to my longtime love for the hobby! I took up other hobbies like art, fashion and photography along the way, from which the skills I picked up really helped me express my creativity through my dolls. So glad to have found this world!

 

Aw man, I'm really sorry to hear about your negative experience at that doll meet. Where I live there has never really been a scene for BJDs, let alone one big enough to constitute a meet, but I do worry about things being more negative now that the community has gotten bigger. I guess I'll find out one I start bringing my dolls to conventions again.

 

Yes! I am in a similar situation. I am coming back from a 10 year hiatus myself. When I left the hobby it was the right time for me to take a step back. I wasn't enjoying the hobby and I had lost a connection with the remaining few dolls I had.

To answer your questions:

I can say that the hobby has definitely changed. There are so many new companies this time around and the overall tastes of the community has changed as well. I have noticed that companies have improved with time and I am also sad and surprised to see that some of my former favorite companies have left. On a negative side the increased rates of recasts has saddened me. On a personal side I have noticed that my tastes have changed as well. I look at what were my grail dolls and only one remains a grail for me. Interests change with time and age even if the interest in the hobby stays the same. (For reference I started in the hobby when I was 14/15 or so. I left when I was 20 and came back at 29/30).

I feel happy overall with my return. I think taking that break was good for me and it was much needed. I was at a place and time in my life where I was very unhappy and had gone through major loss and trauma. I walked away not only from this hobby but other hobbies as well along with what I was hoping to make into a career. Coming back now I feel content. This is the right thing for me and if the idea of getting back into the hobby has stayed with me since I left in 2012 it must be meant to be. I realize now that this is a big part of who I am and I think this time around I will appreciate my dolls more. I dealt with a lot of criticism from friends and family prior to leaving as well and it made me ashamed of my collection. This time around I am not ashamed.

No, my dolls did not remain with me until my return. This is something I regret. I had one of my grail dolls at the time I left (Volks SD10 SWD Nana who is the only original grail I still connect with) and I wish I would have kept the dolls I had. I try not to live in the past. So I am starting fresh and have the goal of repurchasing as much of my original collection (not the same exact dolls I had but the same model) now.

Lastly, yes, I have so much to relearn. I am surprised at home much I had forgotten. I mean, I did retain some things such as how to restring, no direct sunlight etc but others I have forgotten. This forum has been so helpful to me to relearn what I lost. Its getting easier by day and I hope when I get a doll again that it will all come back like second nature.

 

Aaaaayyyy! Totally still have one of your modded dolls! You've been missed; welcome back!

 

Oh wow, I'm so happy to have found this thread. Really enjoyed everyone's stories. I'm also returning to this after over a decade and was feeling kinda weird about it - in fact I'm actually shocked I managed to log into this old account after throwing dozens of old emails at the login hoping something stuck lol

Looking back at my few old posts from 2007 actually make me sad. I threw myself into this hobby as a teenager with an old old friend who no longer is (who I miss every day) and the date I made this account was only a couple months after my parents abruptly passed. BJD's were definitely something that sort of helped me escape my life in small ways, and something that my childhood friend shared together. We're both ASD and it was definitely a hyperfixation, but one that I needed at the time

That being said I was like 17 and definitely limited in funds, but at some point I managed to cop a couple of gorgeous Bimong 43cm Narae and Narin dolls (named Presley and Sid). Back when they were French resin! And came with little undies and beautiful little faceups if you wanted. I was a mess back then though, and ended up losing them both some years later through multiple chaotic housing situations, and then just sort of lost interest completely. Ugh I do miss them though!!!

Sometime last winter I very randomly remembered my dolls after having not thought of them in years, wondered how Bimong's brand/studio had evolved, found him on Instagram and fell in love all over again. Now I have a new Bimong 53cm Dandelion and she pleases my inner child in a way I forgot was possible lol. Now as a 30ish year old at a completely different life stage with a little more disposable income, it's been fun rediscovering the (VASTLY GROWN??) hobby, and kind of healing in a way too.

Now I have a Dollmore Ramie on the way lol

 

Ahh this is a really cool thread! I am also very recently back after a 10+ year long hiatus and it's been quite a time!

I was active in the hobby only from about 2007-2009, primarily due to a friend, and I quickly ended up with quite a few dolls. I know part of it was my lil adhd turbo-brain getting obsessed with something, as I definitely didn't connect with most of those dolls.
Shortly after that life got increasingly rough and I dropped the hobby, and also proceeded to sell 2/3 of my collection over time. Eventually, my dolls ended up in their boxes permanently, and then into storage.

I had mostly forgotten about my dolls entirely until about a month ago when some online friends were talking about their own dolls, and I mentioned I also had some still in storage - I was very quickly 'shamed' into getting them out of storage XD
Going through my doll stuff was quite the nostalgia trip! I couldn't even remember exactly which dolls I still had, and it was really neat to pull them out and see them again. And the clothes! It was like a tiny Hot Topic had thrown up all over lol.
A lot of the clothes had damage, and quite a few shoes were basically falling apart after so long, but I've since sorted everything out and saved what I could.

Looking through all the links and info here after so long was a bit overwhelming! (I'm also amazed I was able to log back into this account lol) But it's been fascinating to see all the different companies and how much more variety there is in all aspects! I actually found a handful of dolls to put on my wishlist too, which was quite nice.
Right now I don't really have the funds to do any of the things I've got planned for my current dolls (a lot of maintenance needs to be done, and I'd like to get some new face-ups and wigs and such) but it's still been nice to look around the site and make plans!

 

I've come back just this month after a 14 year hiatus.

Life has settled out finally and, in my mid 30's now, I have reached a point in my life where am pretty much retired and able to return to all of the hobbies that I put on the back-back-back burner along the way. It's exciting to have not only hit a lot of major milestones in my life up to this point, but to be in a situation where I can spoil and enjoy my dolls.

A little Volks YoSD arrived to her new home with me in the last week and I am over the moon. She joins my FCS F-05 that I am trying to reattach myself to, though I am admittedly smitten with the little one right now.

 

I haven't gotten a second doll yet myself, but I got my first one two years ago back in 2020. I was really into getting her stuff for a while there, but then kind of just started falling out of it. I didn't know anyone else who was into the hobby and everyone around me who found out about the hobby kind of made me feel a certain way about it that wasn't exactly normal. It kind of died down a bit for a while because of this. I've matured a great deal mentally since then and I guess I've been really interested in exploring the hobby again. I will probably delve a bit deeper into it this time around.

 

I left this hobby for nine years and started again. So many things have changed, as you say, that I had to study this hobby for months to get started. So many companies have changed, and my taste has changed, so everything I've found before was meaningless. But I enjoyed the process because I thought it was also part of my hobby