How many dolls are enough?

No limit for mee but well yes I prefer fewer dolls because they take too many space at my house lel

 

I've pretty much set my hard limit at 25. If I'm counting incomplete full dolls and not floating heads or ones I plan to part with, I'm currently at 18. Since pretty much most of my crew is either OCs or favorite existing characters, there are only so many of them I can create and then develop in physical resin form. I've maybe got ideas for four more? But beyond that, I think I'm reaching my limit.

 

My friend bought like 5 more instantly when I talked to him about bjd.
And I'm like still waiting for mine.

 

For me my absolute limit would be 24. Because I want to base my crew of 12 zodiacs 12 female, 12 male ideally. I'm at 3 so far. About to get a 4th and a body for 5th.

 

Haha! I'll let you know if I get there!

 

Hmm, I don't think that I'm the type of person that sets a hard limit, really it all comes down to what I find manageable at the time. For a long time, I had no more than 4 dolls and that was the upper range. If I wanted a new doll, I sold an old one. That worked for me then and I enjoyed having that amount of dolls. Now though, I just want to be sure that I love every doll that I have and that they inspire me to do more art. My collection might end with 6 or it might end with 60 (funds permitting of course). I just want every doll in my collection to have a place and mean something to me. I think it'll only be too much when I'm collecting them just to collect them.

 

For me personally, I think that the perfect amount of dolls would be 2-3. I have two MSD, I kinda wanted one smaller, preferably odd and chubby, but never got one. But for my budget two were good, so I could get items and clothes I wanted for them without spending too much.

 

Well, in January, I said my limit was four. I am currently at four, managed to find space for six. ...So of course I have a fifth ordered, and a sixth on layaway.
This is a dangerous hobby. XD

 

I thought I had no limit, but I (hand)sew for all my dolls and I want them all to look nice on the shelf with a similar like outfit, for example all eastern style or all chique or all in pajama... And I have 14 dolls now and I just feel I reached a limit. I would like 1 more that won't be a part from my current crew and will be anime styled. But she's not urgent and at the moment I have my hands full with my current dolls. Because sewing for 14 and a lot of different sizes is... well it's not easy breasy lemon squeesy!

My first goal btw, was 8. Because my dolls are based on the 5 elements, yin and yang and qi. But a couple of eventdolls later, which I got with them, and two Soom dolls I wanted to make into a specific kind of humanoid dog breed... and suddenly I ended up with 14.

 

*whoops, double post*

 

I don't think setting a hard number is a good way of limiting myself for me personally. I'd rather set the limit on how often I'm allowed to get a new doll - that would assure me that I will have plenty of time with the "new" doll being the latest and the center of my attention - I do not want to get the next one until the one I have has been properly customized.
So for now I'm forbidding myself from ordering a new doll until I have the one I ordered with me, considering the waiting times I expect I'll have several month to sower my undivided attention at the newcomer
My only exception to the rule are Dollshe dolls - considering THAT wait time I'm keeping them "outside the line", so I'll figure out what to do with them when I get them - wile I have two on order I highly doubt that they will show up at once anyway or anytime in the next two years
So the amount of dolls I have is going to be dictated by how long I stay interested in the hobby - the longer I'm in the more dolls I'm allowed to have

 

Definitely fewer than I currently have. I'm on another minimalism kick at the moment and seeing all of them all crowded in their cabinet is giving me desire-to-declutter vibes. I think two or three would be good. That way I could, like, dress them all up for the holiday and stuff. There's too many of them right now for that.

 

If you asked my family, they would say that - ideally - a person should only have one or two dolls and be satisfied with them. For me, I like collecting, and I think I probably won't really be satisfied until I shell all my OCs, (meaning at least 5 more for my main story) and even then there's a few extra dolls that I just like the look of, lol. I think it's largely dependent on the person, but I would say that there is a cutoff point. At some point, I feel that a person would stop appreciating the dolls as dolls. I've seen a few videos of people with literally hundreds of dolls - almost all of them in boxes in closets - and they had forgotten they owned many of the dolls and couldn't recall anything about them. It is up to the person buying them, but I personally feel that if one comes to the point where they have so many dolls that they can't 'play' with them all (if that's their thing), have their closets bursting full (provided they don't live in a small or shared space with no other room for them), or forget they own them...then they have too many. At that point, I feel as though they might as well just own pictures of the dolls and would get the same use out of them.

In my opinion, 'enough' dolls is when you can get enjoyment out of each individual doll without being overwhelmed. That being said, everybody takes part in the hobby differently, and for one hobbyist, that might be one doll, and for another, that might be in the hundreds.

 

Fewer than I have now. The right amount is still TBD and will depend on the space I ultimately decide on and how much I want to rotate the display. Once upon a time I wanted a doll room. That changed so now I want fewer dolls!
The right number for me is: however many can be styled beautifully and then displayed nicely in 1-2 groupings - or stored conveniently when not on display. I am attached to many of mine but if I was starting from scratch I’d say no more than 15, honestly...and display no more than half at a time most likely.
I do think it’s a very personal preference though because some people are well content with 1-2 and others are really so happy with a whole room full.

 

I used to want like 20 dolls in total. I have about 15 or so now and that’s just way to many. Most of them are incomplete. Some just heads and others have been waiting years for faceups. I now want to really cut it down to 6-10. 10 Max. I would prefer to have less dolls that I spoil rather then more. I just can’t decide who stays or who goes

 

I think several of us are at that point this year so you are definitely not the only one feeling this way. I have some of my dolls put away (but still accessible), and I think what I’m going to do is put most of my dolls away and bring each one back out as I miss them and want to do things for/with them. I have a core crew of certain dolls that I know I’ll keep regardless so I’ll start with them and then see how many of the others I also wish to continue with. For me it was realizing that I can be just as much ‘into the hobby’ with fewer numbers and as you aptly put it, have fewer dolls and spoil them more. Having an overwhelming number (for me) has actually put me off from doing creative doll hobby things sometimes. Seems a bit silly because they are just resin lumps and do not ‘demand’ anything...but still. Having too many who still need too much is not a good feeling for me so reducing the numbers and concentrating my efforts feels like the right thing.

 

Enough is enough when I don't have characters I want to shell, and too many is too many when. I get overwhelmed. I don't really have numbers for that! I've found everyone has to be faceupped as soon as they can be, because having too many blank dolls for some reason makes me feel bad--probably because faces aren't something I'm able to do for mine (especially now that I've seen how pretty the faceups other people do on my dolls are!) Too many mod projects doesn't bother me though, so that's a helpful thing to be aware of for me.

12 was too many earlier in the year, when I had so many dolls that didn't mean anything--or worse, were a part of negative experiences. One I sold at a huge loss, just to not see him anymore. He'd have been too much if he was my only doll. 24 with me, and 1 in transit, plus 3 full dolls on order isn't overwhelming, because almost none are blank, and they're all dolls/characters I like.

 

Three is the sweet spot for me.... three of each type, that is! But I get what ya mean about wanting to give them all attention. I currently have six dolls... They keep each other company, and I make clothes for all of them/they double as models for my store so that's how I give them all attention ^^ They all have their own style and attitude so they all model different types of clothes.

Edit: I realized I didn't count my American Girl dolls.... that would be nine dolls in my household in total, with a resin girl on the way. But I plan to sell the dolls that I currently give zero attention to (I have two in mind)

 

I don't really have a limit as long as all my dolls are complete and get enough attention (in theory, I've only ordered two dolls thus far).

 

I don't have a limit, aside from the limited space of a small apartment and limited finances. Which has currently balanced out at five dolls -- three MSDs and two tinies -- and way, way, WAY too many play dolls.

 

My experience with collections is that no matter how many I actually have only about 7-10 can actually hold my attention at a time while the rest are woefully neglected and making me feel guilty

 

My limit will be 20.

 

Hi
I like the idea of keeping my circle small.
Now that I have my grail doll I do feel like I'm content. Not looking for any additions just enjoying and focusing on the ones I have. If something breathtaking comes up I probably won't say no but I'm a quality over quantity kinda person. I used to have a large collection but a smaller group is better for me at the moment

 

For me, the limit does not exist. However, I usually find myself thinning the herd every once in awhile when dolls I bought on pure impulse no longer float my boat, or worse if a financial pickle pops up, like it has a few times this year

 

I currently only have 8 dolls, but I think 27 is a nice number...

 

The number I currently own is the right number, until I fall for another beautiful face and then...

 

As the years go on, there really is never enough.

 

I'm very particular about what dolls I get. So far I have two with a third on the way. I don't see myself getting any afterward except in certain circumstances (if some on my wishlist get released, or pet bjds to accompany my dolls).

 

I have three Resinsoul dolls..and maybe I'll get one more but three to me are a hand full sometimes lol..dressing them and the wigs an all

 

Dolls are like goldfish. They grow when the space exists.

 

My joking answer from page two of this thread aside. Enough is whatever makes you happy and you have both money and room for, be that 1 or 100 plus.

 

Yeah, this was almost exactly 2 years ago. And it turns out my hubby with the eye roll was right. I’m now up to 52 once all my current layaways are completed. I’m not sure exactly how this happened, but I’m really happy it did because I’m absoluely thrilled with the collection I have today! So my new answer is it’s never enough, as long as it fits within my budget, my space, and brings me great joy and satisfaction. Go me!

 

I know this is a doll forum but fishkeeping is also one of my hobbies and I just wanted to say that goldfish don’t just grow when the space exist. Keeping them in small spaces cause stunting and negatively impacts their health. The myth that goldfish can live in small spaces causes many goldfish to be put in small tanks and most of them die before their full lifespan of 20+ years. Sorry I just wanted to say this as goldfish mistreatment is very common and I hate seeing such adorable fish suffer.

 

I thought I was done purchasing accept for a few I already had in mind. My birthday came and I saw a Fairyland Luha head that I loved. Now I no longer know as looking at them makes me happy. As long I can still pay my bills and I have room, I don't really have a set number.

 

My bratty inner child says there's never enough, lol.

My grown-up self realizes that too many is, well, too many, and it feels as if my imagination is stretched thin, dealing with so many characters. I look back at a group photo I took in Spring 2006, about 9 months into my BJD collecting, and become wistful. There were 16 dolls then, all with definite characters, and I think maybe that would've been the ideal stopping-off place. I should've found different ways to further express their characters, or go into different story dimensions, like a theatrical repertoire. Then I think about how I enjoy the dolls I acquired during the rest of 2006 and onward, and the characters I made for them, and how I'd miss them.

I also have a weakness for old and discontinued dolls, like some Volks FCS, or Unidolls, or Elfdolls, which leads me down the path of being more of a collector than character-driven. Not that I was character-driven in the beginning; the character inspiration followed, and followed, and followed... which puts me squarely where I am today, with too many!

 

How many?

.....

.....

....... all of them?

seriously though, for me, I can only say that it's not going to be a set number, but rather a feeling that comes over me that I've gone too far.

 

Since I'm a bit of a newbie when it comes to actual collecting, I haven't really thought much about a specific limit, I imagine it will change quite a bit depending on my living space though (right now I don't have a lot of room so even like two or three dolls and a couple floating heads is starting to feel a little much).
It's also interesting, I don't think I thought much about the type of collector I would become back when I was watching from afar and hadn't started collecting yet, but I'm noticing I'm leaning towards a revolving door approach? Part of that may be because I'm pretty new and I'm learning my own tastes but yeah. Nothing wrong with that approach at all, but part of me feels anxious like "what if I look weird selling a doll after only having it for half a year!!!!!" which is pretty silly to worry about LOL there's lots of ways to enjoy a hobby after all~

 

It'll be enough when I can no longer manage them due to space or I start feeling overwhelmed. Everything, including boxes and accessories, has to fit on my bookshelf, so that's my only limiter...for now.

 

I don't have a number limit, but I'm naturally a "small collection" person and buy things slowly - I've never had more than 5 dolls home at any point in time.

I've discovered, over time, that I have all kinds of subconscious "brakes" that slows down my doll collecting. For one, I'm quite picky about doll sculpts that I want to own (vs. ones that are just pretty to look at), so my wishlist is already tiny. More importantly, my dolls all have characters which I develop alongside owning the sculpt. A big part of my hobby enjoyment is to get to know these characters, which happens by playing with the doll, trying different appearances to find what works for the character, taking photos and photostories of my crew interacting and developing relationships with each other. This is stuff that can't be hurried (I tried in the past and just got frustrated), so I've learned to cruise and enjoy. When I've gotten all of that character building settled, then I feel mentally prepared to add a new doll to the family and repeat the process.

I don't have an upper limit, but I think I just naturally want a small crew. Currently, I own 3 dolls, in the process of getting a fourth, and have a fifth on the wishlist (just waiting for preorder to reopen) -- and that's literally it. I'm sure there will be more dolls to come in future. I'm happy to take it slowly. But "enough"? I guess "enough" is when I have no more stories to tell with dolls... and I have so many stories right now!

 

I feel like my current collection is good. 6 on topic dolls, 2 off topic, and 2 art-doll types. There's two distinct groups, and they fill up their allocated space. I'm looking forward to having the last two completed, just waiting to get their heads back from faceup and some clothes.

 

At most I've had 12 dolls. Right now, though, I have 7 and it's a decent number. My tentative doll plans at the moment will inevitably bring it up to 16 if I manage to complete all of them, though that's a long way off and those plans may change. Personally, I think less than 20 is going to be where the number naturally falls, but we'll see. If I manage to get good at anime faceups there will be no hope for me.

 

I don't know if I can have too many. Right now I have 10 dolls in my possession, but I have 10 more on the way. It's crazy to think that I'll have a total of 20 dolls, but there are still so many more dolls I want that I can't imagine stopping any time soon (especially with so many new gorgeous sculpts coming out everyday). The main thing I'm worried about is having the space to keep all the boxes in my apartment, but my fiance and I are working on buying a house right now, so hopefully that wont be too big of an issue soon. I like dolls to look at and customize, so I don't feel the need to constantly work and play with them, especially once I get them to a point I'm happy with. Once I have a doll to my liking, I'm happy to prop them up on my shelf and admire them until I want to change them again.

 

Hmmm. I think that only time, and maybe space, have the answers to this question.
And I’m sure that you can make so much space in a room for dolls.

 

At first I spend one month looking for the perfect doll, cause it’s an expensive hobby, and I want the perfect match for a character, I didn’t want to regret my decision and have to buy another one.
So I finally bought one. I thought she was perfect, but the next day the same company released a new cast and… she was awesome too. So I bought it too so the first one have company…
I said “this is enough” and half year later I discover Supia and I felt in love again… story continues…
And now I have 9 dolls.
So… once you start here… maybe there is no limit.

 

I don't have a limit. I'll continue to collect dolls until I run out of room for them. Unfortunately for my wallet I'm really good at making space for more dolls!

 

I am a packrat, so it is a constant battle between more dolls, more art supplies (often for the dolls), and more books.

I am at 15 resin BJDs, soon to be 16 as I have a new boy ordered.

I tried to get myself to collect slower by saying I will sculpt my own BJDs, but I still bought some new dolls.

I think I am at around my limit for 60-70cm sized dolls. I miiiigggghhhhttt add one more 1/3 gal.

 

i remember when i joined the hobby i thought 5 would be a nice amount.
now im at 14 with 2 extra heads. finally im feeling satisfied... but i suppose a few more would be nice also

 

My limit is how many I can display without looking cluttered which is a lot but I do want to set a limit so that it doesn’t become a hoard. I don’t want family members to have trouble selling them if something happens to me. It would be easy to sort the bjd but I have a lot of ot dolls too.

 

I haven't set a limit since my dolls haven't come in the mail yet but I doubt I'd own more than 10. I'm only interested in collecting larger dolls right now but I'm not sure where I would put a lot of them because I don't have much space. :,)))

Not to mention the prices of the 1/3 dolls and their clothes. I'd like to give my dolls a lot of attention and gifts so keeping my collection limited is a must.

 

In 2020 this seemed like a lot of dolls

Doll squad 2020 by Indifferent Red, on Flickr

in 2022…

Group photo!! by Indifferent Red, on Flickr

Now we’re here. And I have 2 dolls on preorder, and a handful of floating heads that need bodies. And a couple that were being modded when I took this that I couldn’t string for pics! So I don’t try to make rules about quantity because we know I won’t adhere to them…

 

Never enough

 

I Know its different for everyone. i have 5 full dolls and 5 floating heads that need bodies with 2 more dolls on layaway lol its hard. i think i am going to slow down after i get some of the floating heads bodies.

 

I don't really have a limit, but i guess maybe 3. I have other things frivolous things i like to spend my money on and bjds aren't really my main priority. Plus, I always find myself missing out on sculpts i really love.

 

I have four right now, and while there's a body I would seriously consider grabbing if for some reason Dream Valley brought them back for an event....I am not really feeling the itch to get another one. I love my little group and the stories they've given me together and. I think I'm good. I see other dolls, new dolls, and I might go "OOOO pretty! But I don't have the "MUST HAVE NAOW" burning inside.

Which rather confuses me, because I'm definitely one of those people who goes hard and deep for things and hoards. But I don't want to with the BJDs. I just want to spoil the children I do have xD

 

I have too many dolls now. I am trying to slow down and buy less, so I can actually get my dolls somewhat finished. No i have no limit or self control. I'm trying to work on that. Now I am only trying to buy my favorite brands and only the ones I truly love the most. I ended up buying so many I missed out on some dolls I wanted more than the previous dolls I bought.

 

I had 7 for years, then a sculpt I'd always wanted for my OC was on sale ready to stop being sold, so it edged up to to 8.

Then lockdown happened and my commuting costs morphed into dolls... 2 dolls I'd been extremely fond of (and casually looking for) for around 14 years came up secondhand by chance and I jumped at the chance to have them as neither are every common. That lead me to decide after 15 years appreciating another doll I should just buy her while I could before she becomes one I have to wait for 14 years for!

I used to think my limit should be keep them under 10 and I'm now at 11 so not far over. I think it's a very individual and a personal thing and also that the timing is everything.

If you have been admiring a doll for 14 years and it comes up for sale, it can change your mind!

 

I do not have a limit set because I know I will not be able to stick to it.
So if I start to feel overwhelmed with the number I have I will let a few go.

 

I agree not to limit yourself but as long as one can afford it! I am constantly re-evaluating my collection to see what needs to be moved out though. I think one should always look for getting the most enjoyment out of their collection.

 

My self imposed limit is thirty, I have twenty three complete dolls at the moment, with three incoming. But I also have a box of heads (mainly Minifee). It’s difficult when I see new sculpts that I fall in love with, but as I still have a bit of wiggle room I am not panicking yet! I have also sold a few that didn’t work out for me, so they’ve sat around the early to mid twenties mark for a while.

 

I think for me it's mostly about space, and being able to store them all properly when they aren't being played with/displayed. So in my current living situation, until we move into a bigger apartment, I think my cap is going to 6 or 7. But once we move and I have a more dedicated office space/hobby room I'm not sure there will be a limit anymore