Others Handling Your Dolls

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I'm iffy on it, mostly because of their faceups and body blushing. I changed Juliet's skin color almost entirely to blue, and although I trust my sealant, and its (probably excessive) three coats, it still makes me anxious, considering how hard it would be to fix those gradients.

The same goes for Rain, who fades to three different colors of green. Foxen is a little different, but because his color is so "splotchy" and blotted on, it would be even more of a pain to fix. His face is also the first I ever did, so it's special to me.

I haven't even given Athena a base coat of sealant yet, she's just bare straight from the company, so with her I'm more concerned about general finger grease, and I try to keep even my own handling of her to a minimum because I always feel like I'm leaving nasties on her. For all of them except her, though, I would let anybody I personally trust handle them, as long as they didn't try and move their position, which is more of a personal nitpick, since I take a lot of time making them look as natural as possible. Well, as natural as an ice themed resin doll can be

 

It works! I’m so happy I can use it again! Thank you~~

 

Oof... I guess I don't really know. I might let friends or family, but I don't need to worry too much about that since none of them have ever really wanted to hold one.

 

The extent to which people handle my dolls is literally just my doll-friendly friend (lol) holding one at convention or helping me move them. No one I know really expresses interest in playing with them except my little cousin (9 years old). However, she does not get to touch them because she isn't careful with anything. I nearly died when she put her dirt-covered fingers on one of my doll's faceups X'O

 

I don’t let just anybody handle my doll since it is very special to me. I’m okay with my immediate family and close friends handling them since they know their worth and are careful. Other than that, then no.

 

I don’t mind people touching or playing with my dolls, but I do find that my friends are scared they’ll break them or ruin the outfits if they do anything rough. So I’m usually the only one that poses them. I’d probably be the one to break them because I posed them in a silly way and they fell over.

 

I would let others handle my dolls as long as they knew their value (not necessary the price tag just how much they mean to me). I don’t think I’d let them handle my limited edition dolls though and I don’t think I’d ever let children touch any of my dolls. Not that that’s a problem since I don’t know any children.

 

I honestly would not let a stranger or friend touch my dolls since they might accidentally scratch the faceups or drop my doll and I couldn’t risk having that happen haha my dolls are too precious to me!><

 

I always let others handle my dolls if they ask politely first. All people who came to me and asked for permission to take my dolls held them very carefully, not touching their faces. Otherwise, when people are trying to grab my dolls not paying attention to me I get really angry and never let such persons touch my dolls. And I was greatly surprised by the fact that most people who are used to doing this are in BJD hobby too and know perfectly well how fragile and expensive dolls are.

 

I personally am not a fan of people touching my dolls. If someone I knew asked nicely and I saw them wash there hands then I would consider it.

 

Yeah I don't really care. As long as your hands are clean, you're more than welcome to handle my doll! I'm probably the most relaxed out of all of my doll friends. I even let kids play with my dolls. My experience with kids has actually been the exact opposite of all of the horror stories I've read. They're always so gentle and treat the dolls like they're made of glass. It's adorable.

Funnily enough, as fine as I am with handling other people's dolls, I hate doing it myself. I know a lot of people are emotionally attached to their dolls and that what might be a small purchase for one person might be a big purchase for another. There's also super fragile outfits, faceups done by people who no longer offer faceups, dolls that love to flop and snap, etc. I really don't like having that responsibility, so I always decline when offered. @_@

 

When I am out for a dollie meet up, in general those who are there are allowed to handle my doll because I know they are used to BJDs and proper care. Nevertheless, people always ask me first before touching my doll. I always say yes, but stand close by just incase the dollie gets kicky legs and goes flying head first (which happens sometimes). If its children, that makes me uneasy and I wouldn't be comfortable with kids handling my dolls.

 

I would not mind friends and family who know a little about them holding them. What I mean by that, is that they know how fragile and expensive they are. They would hopefully handle them with care and respect then. I don't think I would let strangers hold them except for ones at a meet or conversation and that would still take some thought from me. I am still in the learning stage and would be scared something would happen to them that I don't know how to fix. I was on a plane with one of my little ones and a little girl next to me saw her one time. She asked if she could see her. I told her sure but she could not come all the way out of her bag since she had to be ready for the flight. Lol. She loved seeing her and asked to tell her bye after we landed. Her mom asked some questions and maybe she now has one of her own!

 

All my close friends know how much my dolls mean to me and how careful I am with them and I'd trust them to handle just about any of my dolls. My brother and my dad I think I'd trust because they bother understand like collectibles and how important they can be to the collector, but I'm not sure on my mom? She doesn't really understand things like this lol

 

It's very much a depends kinda thing. I remember when I first joined there was a young lady in our group who did pannels and she'd let anyone hold her dolls. She always pointed out how sturdy they were and that people shouldn't treat them like they're made of glass.
It made me more comfortable handling mine, but I'm still nervy about letting others hold them. Mostly because they're tiny, so they'd be easy to throw in a purse and walk off.
I'm not the best judge of character so I tend not to let strangers in open areas hold them. If it's a room and I'm between them and the exit I might let people hold them.
I have let my 3 year old hold my soom alk when he was sitting down. He loves birds so much, but I was right there and it was a quick hold and look before I put her away

 

Not much people know about my dolls (only my family and my closest friends) but my main rule is that no one touches them unless they properly ask for it first or I tell them to (in case I need help with stringing for example). I do not worry that they could hurt them or anything, it's just that no one shows that much interest anyway.

I have this horror story in which one of my youngest cousins (5 years) saw one of my dolls sitting in my desk (he should have been inside the cabinet but I had just taken him out for a quick fix of his wig) and he grabbed him by the head (precisely by the head) and at that moment I almost had a heart attack. Lucky for me, his hands were clean and it was no disaster but... From that day, I'm much careful whenever someone comes to visit.

 

I don't mind others holding my doll as long as they ask for permission. I've even let my 4 yr old and 2 yr old cousin hold my doll (under my supervision and after they have washed their hands). I let them know that they have to be careful and that they should not touch the face so it doesn't ruin the face-up and they were surprisingly very gentle with my doll. If I notice them starting to move my doll more roughly or carelessly, I just tell them it's enough playtime and put my doll away where they can't reach it.

Perhaps I'm not as worried because so far the people I run into are curious but a little creeped out by it, so they would rather not even touch my doll. And those who do want to touch or hold it, never have seen any doll like a BJD before and so they try to be extra careful with it since they're not familiar BJDs work.

 

I don't mind handing most of my dolls to people, but I make sure that their hands are clean, and that they know that "this isn't a kid's toy you're holding. These are collectors dolls meant for us adults to "play" with."

I also tell them to not touch the face, as even though it is painted on and sealed, touching it can damage it. I also make sure that I keep a close eye on whomever is holding them, and that they don't put them in a dangerous place, such as on the edge of a table. Of course, I also have dolls that I won't let anyone outside of the hobby touch.

Ryuichi is my "here, hold him, he's heavier than he looks" doll. He means the world to me, but he's also my BJD ambassador. I've handed him to curious people so they can see how heavy a BJD is. I've also handed him to people new to the hobby, along with a pile of clothes and said, "he needs a clothes change, do you mind?" They usually end up getting a doll soon after doing so!

Ryu

 

I keep my dollies at home and almost never take them outside. But one time I did take my Juan with me to a store. It was midnight so almost no one was there. Just employees staring judgmently.

Otherwise only my mom and younger brother can touch my dolls. I practically shove my dolls into my brother's hands any chance I get. With my mom I'm more careful and watchful. Making sure she's doing it right and not going to drop them. She also has a thing about being super proud of what I do with my dolls. So she always shows them to her boyfriend when he visits. And I'm following her around the whole time making sure she doesn't hand them over to him. I know she never would, but I still get anxiety thinking about it!

 

For the most part, I'm very happy to let people hold my dolls. I bring him along to conventions, and although I was quite nervous at first, I actually really like letting interested strangers hold him. A lot of people have never seen a BJD in person before, and it's fun to watch them figure out how heavy they are and how the joints work. Sometimes they'll straighten out his clothes as if he were a child. They're almost always way more careful with him than than I would be. I always ask them beforehand not to touch his face. When I get home, I wash him gently with water to get off any residual oils.

As a caveat, I only let people hold him if they already know what BJDs are since, I figure they'll know how delicate he is. (Plus, people who don't know about BJDs wouldn't want to hold him anyway.) Also, I've been attending conventions for more than a decade, so I think I have a pretty good eye for who will or won't handle another person's possessions with care.

I've only one remotely negative experience. Once, a friend was having a lot of fun carrying him around and didn't want to relinquish him, so I had to chase him through a crowd and demand my doll back. D: It wasn't malicious -- he just doesn't have the best sense. Everything turned out okay, but I was really worried because his magnetic wingpiece pops off sometimes, and a bit frustrated with my friend. Still, the good definitely outweighs the bad.

 

I'm a little leery of people handling my dolls in public; I'm okay with it if it's at a doll meet or something, where people know what they're doing, but you never know what kind of ick is on random people's hands. I wouldn't really worry to much about them being dropped or anything, it's mostly just things like dirty/oily hands and whatnot. I'm okay with friends and stuff touching them though! I sometimes have to ask for help when I'm restringing anyway.

I don't mind showing my dolls off though! Showing people what they're made of and how the joints work and everything, and letting them test the weight if they want. But not a lot of messing with posing and stuff, especially when it comes to the heads. I'm pretty protective of my doll's faceups; they were expensive and are just perfect! I know it would take a lot of messy hands to really damage a faceup, but I'm not willing to take chances!

 

Family: Maybe, depends on the family member
Friends: Yes, my friends are aware of their value and know to be careful
Doll Meetups: Of course! My local group is close and I trust them with my dolls
Strangers: NEVER

 

I'd only let people handle my dolls if they knew what they meant to me/their worth. Typically if you say "this doll cost $500" they're going to be put off and not want to break/ruin it, so they won't touch it haha

 

It depends on the person for me. I'm usually fine with people handling my dolls as long as they're careful of their faces.

Even amongst my doll-collecting friends, I know of a few of them who give no regard to faceups and just put their hands and fingers on doll faces to position their heads or to tug on wigs! I get so stressed out when that happens and I've probably yelled at some of them before...

 

I usually don`t mind if friends want to hold my dolls.
I am very cautious with people at conventions. Some doll of mine is usually standing at my booth and looking cute, but some people don`t know any boundaries.
Last convention, a young woman touched momo right in the face. She was very excited about her, but I am very cautious when someone touches her face (I can`t restore her face up).
Now, my dolls are standing in a non reachable distance for visitors.

 

I'm not a big fan of other people touching my dolls. I don't have any hobby friends living near me, nor any close knit community nearby that might have lessened my feelings about people touching them. Look, but don't touch.

 

I don't particularly enjoy others handling my dolls since I'm always afraid that they might unintentionally damage their face up. My boyfriend though handles them very carefully, sometimes he even helps me restringing one of my dolls
I've never been to a doll meet but I think that I'd have little problems letting a fellow collector handle them.

 

I let people handle my dolls, but honestly most people are afraid of breaking them that they won't hold them

 

Totally ok with ppl holding them but highly supervised. If I get bad vibes then ofc not

 

im starting to notice i'm more relaxed with others holding my dolls than most bjd owners. if its another bjd owner i am more than fine with it, if its a non bjd owner i watch them but i find non bjd owners tend to be overcautious, from my experience anyway.

 

for the most part i am fine with it but i get worried about my fantasy dolls and their small parts

 

I dont mind it. I have never had a problem. Of course if some stranger just came up and snatched them it would be different. But they are really not as fragile as some people think. Not quite what you asked but my 3 yr old son likes my dolls and i let him play with them when he asks. Actually in 12 years the only time ive had a broken doll was one time a doll arrived with a broken hand

 

sorry, I will say never in a thousand years. maybe only very very close friends will allow to touch them.

 

If they ask permission and I front load them/inform them ahead of time what they can and cannot do with my dolls (don't touch the face, don't twist the arms/legs, etc), I'm fine with others handling my doll. However, I keep close and swoop in if I need to. When I first started the hobby, I remember showing my Marie/first doll to my best friend that was also interested in the hobby but didn't have a doll yet. Although she never touched the face, I was rather dismayed when she started contorting the doll into different positions and twisting the limbs round and round. After that encounter, my doll just didn't seem right. At the time, the Volks USA physical store still existed, so I had one of the people there take a look at my doll. They also noted that something was wrong so like after over an hour of waiting and purchasing I think new string (I don't remember if I had to buy new parts too but I think I might have), they returned my doll. She was damaged from the twisting that my friend did and it's made me realize that even though she handled the doll gently enough, it still got broken on the inside.

Honestly, now that I have young nieces, I'm kind of contemplating getting a doll or two from another company that I wouldn't mind getting knocked about and played with by them since I do want to share the love of the hobby with them without having to freak out if something happens to those dolls. It is fun to share the hobby in a more unconstrained way with people you trust, but I think it's also nice sharing it with strangers that are simply curious about the hobby anyways.

 

The only time I’ve met other BJD collectors, one person brought their dolls but I was having some eye problems and I kept wiping my eyes (forgot a napkin, so embarrassing) so I didn’t dare touch their dolls. Wasn’t about to be rude like that! If I ever go to another meet I will remember napkins just in case my eyes decide they want to tear up like I’m sobbing my eyes out again.

I would maybe let someone I trust hold my doll if I was right next to them. But I don’t think I would let just anyone grab her and handle her without me right there anxiously ready to snatch her away! I’d let collectors touch her no problem. Especially if they could show me how to safely take her apart and put her back together, I’m still far too scared to do it alone lol

 

So I don't have my own BJD yet but I don't think I could let strangers touch or hold them. If something would happen then they can just walk away and forget about it, and you're left with the damage yourself! However I would be okay with friends or family holding them. If they damage my doll I would be very sad but I like being able to share my hobbies.

 

It's not just about the risk of damage. I also collect soft toys, and I have to say I always feel quite weird and almost a little violated when other people pick them up. It feels rude. I suppose this is the way children relate to their soft toys but *shrug*, I invest a lot of emotions into these imaginary people and creatures, and it feels bizzarely invasive. If you have seen/read His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman, then I 100% get this "someone else is touching my daemon" shudder. Or someone slapping your butt in the pub. A "why are you in my personal space?" vibe.

 

Personally, I have only let people touch or hold my dolls if I know they will be careful and are aware of the value. I do usually try to be careful about making sure hands are clean and things like that. I think letting someone who is new to the hobby or unfamiliar interact with my dolls is good because they can see if they like them, but I try to keep an eye out for damages and stains.

 

I have one doll that is a hujoo coojoo and I am planning on getting a dollzone Tit for my b-day! Today I went to a manga class and I brought my doll along with me. Most of the students there handled my doll nicely, but there was one guy that twisted her head around multiple times and I was worried that the elastic would break. Fortunately (or unfortunately) he went up to one of the teachers and showed her the head twisting thing. The teacher told me she had bjds too and I was so happy!

 

I let other doll people touch my dolls. I might let an interested stranger touch my dolls if I were in a friendly environment. It depends on the person and the place where I am.

 

It depends. I let family, my fiancée, and close friends touch/hold/dress up my doll. However, I have some friends I don't trust with my doll, as I know they don't take it seriously. I also allow my doll to be touched and held at BJD meetups, since they are all doll owners. I bring him with me to my crochet club meetings, and they can hold them as well, especially since we are sitting for it.

I almost never let strangers touch my dolls. However, there have been a couple occasions where I have allowed fascinated children to hold him while sitting. They have all been so careful and gentle, and I keep a hand close by to catch him just in case.

 

I had to get me and my daughter our own dolls cause It made me so nervous everytime she would touch mine. She's 11, but very figety so I'm always scared she will unintentionally break something.

 

Though it's lot of fun to share the experience of dolls with people, I've gotten specific about what circumstances and who when it comes to others holding my dolls. There's just a tense feeling I get letting others hold them, especially if they seem too rough with the doll. This subject has become a point of contention with my family, who I live with; they see it as standoffish and rude to not let others interact with the dolls when I share them, while I just want to avoid any possible mishaps.

 

I can show interested parties my dolls, I don't allow anyone to really touch my dolls. It's a personal thing. The only people who have the ability at the moment are my dear friend when I go to visit her in Japan, and my S.O. I've never been to bjd cons or meet ups so I have yet to have that be a criteria.

 

I generally dont like people touching my dolls. There are only a select few I would allow to touch them, thats only after they know they're worth, and how I would prefer them to hold them. I've seen someone hold my doll almost like a rag doll and slightly sling her around, and I almost had a panic attack.

 

I do not like it when others touch my doll, mainly because they do not know how to handle them. They want to touch their faces and such, and I get really nervous when they do that. Even more so when I see they do not know how to hold them and I feel like they are going to fall and break, that’s why I do not let anyone besides myself touch them. Maybe if one day I go to a meetup or something, I might let other bjd collectors hold them, but only because they know how to handle dolls and where to touch and where not to touch (ex. face).

 

I let other dolly peeps handle them for the most part. Other than my partner, there isn't really much family, but I'd only let them touch them once I explained not to touch their face.
But for the most part, not really anyone else.

 

At meets/conventions I'm pretty chill about letting people handle my dolls because I know everyone present knows how to treat them-- sometimes it's someone asking to pose one of mine with theirs for photos, or to rearrange a group shot where they have a better reach than I do. With Marigold, I've had a couple people who were excited to check out her body in person because they'd been considering purchasing one of the little deer dolls. But the general public I would NOT be so chill with. It's very situational.

 

I only let friends touch them, my boyfriend generally doesn’t want to touch them which is fine with me because he doesn’t really get their value anyway lol. I don’t let anyone touch my Soom Dia specifically though. It’s just he’s really old and his body is chipped in some places and I don’t want to risk more damages. It won’t be like that though when he one day gets a new body.

 

I don't mind my friends and family handling them as long as they wash their hands beforehand; I also tell them not to touch the dolls' faces. Some of my friends have shown interest in them, and although I asked if they wanted to handle them they were actually scared to do so! They were afraid they would break the doll somehow, which is valid, though I think they believe the dolls are as fragile as porcelain or something Still, I trust them to handle my dolls because they're very careful with their own collections and treat their belongings very well. So if one day my friends do feel comfortable in wanting to handle the dolls, I'd be happy to let them!

 

Only two people have ever handled my dolls. One was my best friend, who also has two BJDs, and the other was the 5 year old daughter of another friend. I let Evie hold one of my minifees because I had witnessed how she played with her own Barbies, and she is a very gentle careful little girl. She did a wonderful job holding my minifee. She cradled it tenderly and asked intelligent questions about her. She was enthralled that the hands and feet were magnetic, and she teased me by sneakily taking the feet off and putting them back on the wrong legs. We had a good giggle about that. Of course I made sure she washed her hands before I let her hold my doll. I don't regret that experience. It was delightful..

I would be nervous about anyone else touching my dolls, unless I knew they respected my belongings in general. It's not a problem however, because my dolls are in my bedroom and my friends rarely come in here.

 

I’m okay with people I trust touching my dolls, and as long as they ask to touch I’ll let them. If I see them doing something I’m not comfortable with I will correct them immediately. My friends and family aren’t really doll people so while they find them pretty I don’t think they’re very comfortable touching my dolls at all lol. My sister really loves my doll and we’re twins so I let her hang out with my doll even if I’m not there. As long as the person is respectful I will always let them indulge in the experience that is handling a cool doll!

 

I don't think very many people have handled my dolls. Most of my dolls haven't been handled by anyone but me. They're in a display case, so they look very "off-limits" to those that do see them. But if someone I trusted did want to handle them, I'd just ask them to wash their hands first.

 

I’m still new to the hobby, so I haven’t really had any instances of taking my doll out and about (and I’m not sure I would apart from meetups with other collectors), but I think the only person I’d really trust to handle my dolls is my husband - he seems genuinely interested in them and understands their value, so I know he would be careful. He can be a bit clumsy which makes me a little nervous, lol, but I’d definitely let him have a go at it at least once.

 

I will be moving at the end of this summer, and will be living with my brother and his family. My sister in law is enthusiastic about me bringing my doll collection to "live" with them. She has never seen my dolls however, and doesn't know anything about BJDs. They run their home as an air bnb, with guests renting rooms and using the common areas such as the kitchen, dining and living rooms. My sister in law wants me to display my dolls in the china cabinet in the dining room. I said a resounding NO!. I told her I need to keep my dolls in my room and to keep the room locked when I'm not there, if there are strangers in the house, I would be terrified of anyone handling my dolls without my permission or when I can't supervise. The thought of having my dolls in a common area of the house, would scare the poo out of me.

 

What a horrible experience for you. That mother was way out of line. Some people have no empathy at all.

 

The only person I let touch my dolls is my other doll loving friend. She's the only one who really understands their worth so she's very careful

 

Generally I only let my mother, grandmother, and father handle my dolls aside from myself. However, there was one time I carried a DD with me into Walmart and a younger girl (10-12 I think?) asked about her and I let her hold the doll for a bit. RIP her parents if she remembered what they were called long enough to ask for one for Christmas

 

NO!! definitely not..no one handles my ladies only one doll I have that my wife handles because we did agree to buy her together. But me myself is always very careful when I handle them myself I still haven't got over the fear of how delicate they are