How Old Are You (continued... 2)

It makes me happy what a variety in ages there seems to be in this hobby. It makes me feel like I'm not out of place for being 30 hahaha.

 

Almost level 44 and in the hobby since 2005 (18 years old this year. Makes me realize I started collecting vinyl and resin dolls at the age of 26. Wow !)

 

I’m 27, I started in the hobby when I started working XD.
I’ll never know what does “to save money” means.

 

I'm currently 26! I've been in the scene since 2012 but I was never financially stable enough to get a whole doll. I had a lot of floating heads! But I recently fell back in love with the hobby and got a full set! Can't wait for him to come home!

 

I'm 32 and I only bought my first doll about a year ago. I remember seeing things about BJDs online around 2005-2006 and was always interested in getting one of my own eventually, I never thought I'd actually be able to afford it and here I am

 

I'm almost 36 and I've just bought my first bjd, still waiting for it to arrive! I absolutely loved barbie growing up and just discovered bjd last year or so. I'm so excited for my first bjd!

 

I'm 32 now, and started my doll adventure at the age of 18.

 

I'm 29. I started collecting dolls pretty young, but only recently started with bjds about ~2 years ago.

 

I'm 25 and I've been interested in BJDs since middle school (I was about 13 years old). But only got my first doll at 16-17 years old

 

im 40

 

Started the doll hobby at age 12, BJD at age 14.. Now I’m 20! I’d love to meet more people too that are into the hobby now that I’m back in Europe (less language barrier since a lot of Europeans speak English, especially in the NL).

 

This thread made me feel so much safer in this hobby omg, I just turned 30 and could finally afford my first doll 9 months ago, absolutely couldn't afford one before, but I FINALLY was able to buy one and I really felt like "wow I'm too old for this, I better squirrel it away and be super ultra secretive about it" but it's so so nice to hear other people are older in the hobby too, I feel more at home !

 

Level 37 here. I think. I'm starting to forget a year in either direction. I won't count loving Barbies as a kid the start of my doll hobby, but rather I was reintroduced via Pullips in 2016 which took me a few paths and finally landed me in resin. One of my favorite quotes is by George Bernard Shaw, "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."

I'll never grow 'old' again ♥

 

This is so true !!! "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." like Bluefire, when I started I felt a bit "wrong" to be doing stuff with dolls but the more I got in the hobby. the more in came across older women! if this was 10-15 years ago I would not be able to afford the dolls I have so...

 

Yes, exactly! I remember being 13 and angry at myself for still liking Barbies and I hoped that the desire to like them would go away, because I didn't want to be embarrassed. Sending hugs to my 13 year old self by going out in public and photographing my dolls!

 

I turned 50 last month. I am old. I started collecting dolls (vinyl like Tonner, Barbie, Fashion Royalty) in 2002, while on mat leave with my firstborn (now almost 21!). I only started being interested in BJD’s about 4 yrs ago, so fairly new to these types of dolls.

 

Turned 27 last week (time flies xD) and got into BJDs properly at 22-ish before that I was a cosplayer/lolita, always admired BJDs from afar since I was 11-12ish but never knew where to begin

 

I'm 29 and have been collecting for about 15 years! I fell out of the hobby for a few years and was nervous about getting back into the community at the ripe old age of 29... Lol but I quickly forget and then am pleased to see how diverse this community is!

 

I'm under 18 and I've been collecting since 2019~!

 

I love reading everyone's experiences, I wish I had been more confident at 26 when I bought my first BJD. I felt so embarrassed for being 26 and having a doll (even though I had also amassed and sold off a large Monster High collection at the time??? Maybe because they were "trendy" then I wasn't embarrassed about those). Now I'm 37 and getting back into the hobby! I love dolls and toys of all kinds but BJD are really special and captivate me.

 

So many more people in their 20’s than I would have expected! And anyone who’s older…that’s so cool. Especially those of you in your 50’s and 60’s. I wanna be like you haha

I’m turning 25 this year. I saw a BJD at an anime convention as a young teenager, but didn’t really know what they were, and when I tried to figure it out I did NOT have much luck haha! I wasn’t very internet savvy then. I ran into DOA those years ago but didn’t know how to use it and getting into the hobby just seemed really intimidating and confusing. Not to mention price tags…until I got my own money, that was not happening (and I do not blame my parents for that at ALL. This is totally a luxury hobby and I really wouldn’t want them to buy me any).

14 year old me would’ve been so captivated to see the dolls I have now! ♥️At least I know she would be proud I’m still out here playing!

 

About to turn 66 in October, and I work in a plumbing warehouse. Whenever the question of how I spend my free time comes up, I show people my Flicker, and they're like, "You made that!?" Which leads to at least 5 minutes of them showing me their projects. Everyone is a frustrated artist.
I even got to meet Brian Kaplan of the Mobile Makers Club. I would love to attend a meet-up of the "Makers" and Ball-Joint Doll Artists/collectors.

 

I'll be 42 in a week (It's the answer to life, the universe and everything. I better know everything in a week or so!)

I first discovered BJDs about 20 years ago in my early 20's, though the way of Visual Kei J-rock and Alice in Nightmare. The doll that got me hooked was a AiN-modified Volks Mimi. I saved as many pictures of that doll as I could find vowing to myself that I am definitely going to get one for myself, one way or another. But my first BJD was bought in 2014 and it was a Blue Blood Doll Valentine. It wasn't because I was afraid to join the hobby or anything, it was because I was living from one rental place to another, from city to city. It wasn't until I had some stability that I was ready to bring one home.

Now, I am facing another move, but at least this is a place where I'll be staying for a long time. And when I do move in my own place (It's not much, but at least I can call it "mine"), I can finally display my dolls again. And actually work on the Mimi I finally bought so I can realise the dream I had when I was in my early 20's.

 

28 years old here. Bought my first doll when I was around 15 and didn't do much until now. My family's currently going through a lot of medical issues so bjds give me something to look forward to and think about other than hospitals and stuff.
Nice to see such a variety of ages in the hobby!

 

I am 37. I found BJDs in the early 2000s when I got into EGL and Baby the Stars Shine Bright released matching BJD coords for some dresses.

 

I'm 28 right now, but I got my first bjd at about 21.

 

21! i've been collecting various types of dolls for years but i got my first bjd last year shortly after i turned 20 :3

 

I‘m 22 and started collecting bjds in 2020. I first discovered them when i was like 15 on tumblr and they kept haunting me since then. I wanted one so bad and when i earned my own money i was finally able to get one

 

I will be 35 in August this year, when I got my first doll I was 18. I can not remember how I got into them though but its stayed with me, even when I took a step back to get other things in life in order I would find my self looking at doll sites I am so glad to be back.

 

21. Found out about bjd’s when i was 12 i believe, and recently acquired my first!

 

I'm pleasantly surprised by the age spectrum here! I feel like everyone expects dolls to be a hobby for children, even though they are so expensive. I'm 25 myself and felt old, but now that I saw this thread maybe I'm not that old after all.

 

I'm turning 27 in August; I've admired BJDs from afar for over 10 years but was too intimidated and/or not financially ready to commit to the hobby. I bought my first BJD last year, though. I hope to learn more about BJDs and the community moving forward!

 

I'm 30, I love my bjd's. I got my first bjd when I was 16-ish. I fell out of it a few years ago when I had a falling out with my best friend who is also in the life. But now I'm slowly coming back because I missed the fun I had with my dolls.

 

I’m 19, but got my first BJD in junior year of high school (so about 16). When I was finally able to make my own money I ended up using most of it on ordering a lot of dolls. I had been interested in the hobby since I was about 10 but never made enough money to save for an actual BJD.

 

I'm in my 30s. I've been interested in BJDs, since I was 14-15, and rediscovered them recently. Luckily I have a job now with a steady income so I could afford.

 

I’m 28, but in hobby since I was 15. I was very active and I bought most of my dolls at that time. Then I had a long break and now I’d like to come back again)

 

35! I wasn't huge into dolls as a kid, but I did collect some. Then I gave them away only to rediscover my love of dolls last year/ (Typical story!). I started with OT fashion dolls, but then I saw bjds and art dolls and was hooked and my interests have been in that direction ever since.

 

I am 31. I've always loved and collected dolls, but now that I have adult money, I can finally afford the hobby

 

I’m 52 been collecting dolls for about 20 years, but BJD’s are a recent thing for me and I just love playing with them.

 

I have actually been a long time action figure collector for as long as I can remember. I have had toys ranging from 1/12 scale all the way up to 1/3 scale now (obviously! Lol). I didn't get my first true doll until I was around 25 I believe it was. I am 28 now.

 

I'm 33 years old, I collect bjd just from a year but before that i collected other kind of dolls and gadgets (especially Sailor Moon ones).

 

im going to be 32 in 2 days...

 

Happy birthday!

 

Lol you were waiting for that!

 

32! I knew about BJDs when I was younger, but there was no way I could have afforded even a single, cheap doll and only got my first doll this year. So definitely not surprising that a lot of adults collect them!
I also got recently back into collecting OT dolls. I always had "childish" hobbies (for example I also collect tamagotchi, vintage and newer ones, which is a bit niche). I used to feel embarrassed and self-conscious and I'm not really broadcasting my interests to, like, my coworkers, but I'm trying not to be embarrassed about things that bring me joy. And people that make of me for my interests are honestly not people I'm interested in knowing.

 

I've said it a few times on this forum in the past because it's true. Our happiness is no one else's to decide. What makes us happy is no one else's business or choice. It's the same reason we don't allow others to choose our careers for us. If we did that, we may end up extremely unhappy and unfulfilled because it's not what we wanted for ourselves. The same logic can be applied to hobbies. If someone says that an interest or a hobby of yours is dumb or a waste of money, ignore them. They are incapable realizing the hypocrisy in that statement because I promise you that whatever hobbies they have, someone else would say is a waste of time and money as well. The best people who will support you in your BJD endeavors are right here on this forum!

 

Turned 31 this summer, and only just now realized that a month or two before that it had been a full decade since my first BJD had arrived. Good thing dolls don't have the ability to care about forgotten birthdays... I don't remember when I first heard about these dolls, but I would guess it was when I was 18 or 19.

 

I'm in my late 30s. I got my first BJD in 2014, IIRC.

 

39 and collecting bjds since 2010.

 

I’m 27, and got my first BJD last November when I was 26. I’d been following my the hobby for a couple years before then, hemming and hawing about spending so much money on a doll. Now I just wish I’d joined the hobby sooner haha!

 

I am 42 and a half born in 1981 (and now I see this thread is 42pages lol)

 

I'm 37 years young.
Recieved my first doll Feb 2013, shes the ginger in my profile pic. About five years ago I took a break when my child was born (didn't get rid of the dolls, just stored them away). Few years later, got right back into the hobby, when I got an email notification about a release I had been waiting years for.
Turns out my child enjoys playing together with dolls too. She's very careful with them, has a bjd of her own in fact, and knows all their names.
Shes not as into them as I am, but it's still become a shared thing.

 

I'm 27. I've known about BJDs since high school, but wanted Dollfie Dreams at first since I'm an anime fan. I got my first BJD in 2021 from a 1/6 scale blind box and have been collecting BJDs ever since.

 

I feel younger than I did when I was 20. I go to the gym every day and hit the elliptical while looking at Instagram. I only allow myself to look at Instagram then which helps motivate me and pass the time. At home I lift weights daily.

I am always told I don't look my age. I feel ageless. Maybe it is the doll collecting that does it. -- I could be a Cat Lady, except I only have one of them. I am definitely the Doll Lady. Let's just say I have turned 25 many many times.

~ And, after being in the hobby for over a decade, I see no slowing down of my interest. I did have to box them all up and store them while I moved into my mother's house to take care of her during that last bought of cancer. She HATED dolls. Taking care of her illness was totally consuming. She had a rare gene mutation lung cancer that went into her ribs and spine. A hard time, but a precious time. When that season passed, I returned to collecting and definitely made up for lost time!

 

It’s crazy — I found BJDs through DOD in middle school and soon after joined DOA. That was 2006-ish. I’m now almost 32, and back in the hobby after a long hiatus. I found that I can do so much more with financial independence now, which makes the hobby even more fun and interesting (ie can attend conventions globally, buy better quality items, attain the dolls I’ve been pining for)

 

I'm 39. Been collecting dolls for a few years now, received my first BJD in summer 2022. This is my first year collecting BJDs with removeable eyes, though (eg Fairyland, SoulDoll, etc)! And the first time I've collected 16" dolls - my typical preference is 12".

 

I'm 33, and I've been a general doll collector for over 10 years now. Got my first resin BJD in 2019. I was aware of them for a decade, it just took me a really long time to work out what I liked in them. Generally I stick to 1/6 scale if possible, though I do own one 1/4 scale doll. Who really needs a friend, lol.

 

I’m 19 right now. I got my first BJD when I was 17 or 18… And I got my second one this year. ^_^). I’ve been interested in BJDs since I was 12 or 13, because I got too edgy for normal plush toys and thought typical dolls at the store were too small :v. It only took a couple years of hounding my parents for one for my wish to be granted :’D
…But, I’m glad they didn’t let me have one when I was any younger.. Given all of the similarities I share with Sid from Toy Story, things could have gotten really ugly >_<.

 

I'm currently 22. I got interested in the hobby when I was around 12, and got my first BJD when I was 14. I then stepped away from everything since high school and early college were a very busy time for me, and have been slowly getting back into things for the past year or two!

 

Hi! I'm 36, collecting since 2007. I've been out quite a time but I'm currently trying to return to the world.