Others Handling Your Dolls

In general Im not comfortable with others handling my dolls. There are some exceptions such as if I am physically present and watching then an extremely good friend who I reasonably trust is welcome to handle the resin dolls... Like moving their joints and holding them on a sofa or on carpet... They aren't going to learn how to stand up a doll with one of my wonky old loosely strung dolls and from experience I've also learned that I'm pretty much not ok with any other person touching my dollfie dreams. I was surprised to see how much more roughly an acquaintance would handle them vs me and I about had a heart attack so no more of that! I can't really assume that just because someone has their own dolls means they respect mine in the way I do or that they handle dolls like I do. That's pretty normal I think.

 

If someone washes their hands and doesn't touch their face and is careful, they can hold a doll of mine.

 

I showed a friend my doll, and he was mildly interested but not inclined to touch. I then turn away for a minute (he was being entertained by my partner, not myself, so I was in the middle of something) when I turned back. Well, the friend had found one of Leander's jointed hands, which are blushed (and weren't attached to his body at the time) and was. Not being very kind to the poor fingies.

Internally I screamed, but externally I carefully extracted the offended limb and saved it from an untimely demise. The hand survived unscathed, thankfully. Though my heart will never be quite the same.

I...I have a few friends I would trust enough to treat my dolls safely without my supervision. This friend was not one of them xD

 

I have one friend who gets very curious and touchy with things while drunk. A few years ago, I watched him break someone's nendoroid and not fess up. When he comes over, I go to extreme lengths to hide all of my dolls. He would never admit to being curious about them while sober, but I'm just sure fingers will fly if he were to find them while drunk.

The rest of my friends are welcome to hold my dolls if they're going to be careful.

 

Hmmm I feel like I might be in a minority here, because I have let small children 'play' with my BJDs in the past before lol. I don't tend to be overly precious about things that I own, although I do take good care of them. I've lent things to people in the past and gotten them back in terrible condition, and while I made sure to let the other person know it was not appreciated, I also accepted that it's part of the risk of letting someone else use something.

My rule of thumb for my dolls is generally that I be present, and I'll give them a brief rundown on what they should know:
-Expensive
-Somewhat fragile
-Don't touch their face

If they still want to hold/touch/play around with them after that, I don't mind! But I do it with full knowledge that they might possibly damage them on accident lol. Frankly, being a clumsy person myself, I understand that sometimes things happen. That said, if the person is clearly not respecting the guidelines I gave them, I'll take the doll back quickly of course.

 

The only other people that have handled my dolls are my parents. They were very careful as soon as they felt how heavy a SD was.

Honestly though, there's no real reason to touch a doll unless you're actively playing with/posing it or if you're putting clothes on it, both of which are things I'm fully capable of doing myself so I don't know how common this problem will be.

 

I usually only let people who are already in the hobby to handle my dolls.

 

I'm a big ol' germophobe, so I generally hate people touching my things, no matter what they are! Plus I have horror stories where my brothers almost used my good sewing scissors to cut plastic wrap or similar haha - so I tend to keep a close eye on important tools and art like that.

On the other hand, when my nieces and nephews get a little older (they're toddlers now) I would love to be able to share the hobby with them. I know that when I was a child I would have been in heaven to have an older relative who collected dolls. I already loved making miniature accessories and furniture and so forth - I even made my own dollhouse! So either I'll buy (or maybe, by that time, make myself!) a few less expensive dolls to share with them, or I will let them handle my collection very gently and with close supervision.

 

Unless it is someone that I completely trust, its a no for me. I already have trust issues and dont plan to add to the experience

 

I encourage people to handle my dolls! They've all been very careful.

 

I only let people touch my dolls if they ask permission and I trust them. Only like 3 people other than myself have touched my dolls, so it's a pretty rare occurrence, but I also don't bring them out much around other people.

 

It would make me uncomfortable honestly unless it was someone I knew and trusted.
I think some people may view dolls as toys or play things and thus not handle them with care.
To me they are works of art so would prefer they be admired, but not handled.

 

I don't really mind, provided that they wash their hands before handling and not touch their faces. They also need to hold them over a soft surface as a just in case. So far, everyone that handled them are close family members and someone that has a friend who also has BJDs.

 

I never take my dolls out and nobody has ever wanted to hold/touch them, so I haven't really needed to worry about it. If it ever came up, though, I think I'd be nervous. I'm a bit of a germaphobe, I guess, and I'd have no idea of how to clean the doll if anything happened.

 

I'm nervous of people handling them if they haven't washed their hands first, because I'm scared of stains. But if someone is respectful and careful I actually love when people are interested in them and handle them! My fiance isn't into the hobby the same way I am, but when I get a new doll and he wants to look at them I am more than happy! A lot of people in my life don't like dolls/find them creepy, so when someone actually admires them it makes me very happy.

 

Generally I'm okay with family or friends holding my dolls. On very rare occasions I'll let strangers hold them.

For example, at an anime convention one year I had a mom and her son come up to me and ask about my doll. The mom was super into the dolls but didn't know where to buy them so we chatted for a bit. She asked if she could hold mine and take a photo. I was standing right there and so was my husband so I didn't see any harm. She had her son snap a photo of her holding the doll. She thanked me and returned my doll, no harm. She was very respectful and didn't touch it's face or dangle it around.

That being said, I don't generally let every stranger that shows interest in them hold one.

 

If I know the person will be gentle when handling the doll, then I wouldn't mind it! I wouldn't let small children or people who don't understand it's importance to me handle my doll. I'm pretty possessive with my stuff so I'd probably be watching someone closely while they touch my doll but if someone is truly interested, then I'm not going to deny them from handling my doll for a bit.

 

Honestly I’ll ever only handle or give someone to handle my doll if I know that person or if I know the person can be trusted. I would be especially wary when I’ve never meet the person before and it was my first time meeting them. If they want to hold him they must prove themselves capable of carefully handling him. It also wouldn’t hurt if they washed their hands as I don’t prefer having my boy dirty especially on his clothing. Instant don’ts if they touch the face without permission or any permission at all I wouldn’t feel safe trusting them again to handle my doll.

 

I'm in the camp of being comfortable with people handling my dolls, so long as they are respectful. If I get the sense that they can't tell the difference between a resin BJD and a cheap Barbie, then they're not going to touch my dolls. I don't want anyone randomly messing up her faceup or hanking on her arms or clothing. If they understand that BJDs are art and not a child's toy, then that's all I need (clean hands, too, of course).

 

Jesus! What a nasty one you came across in the park! Not sure I would have been this cool about it!

 

This tells: I'm already repurposing an old china cabinet (wooden cupboard with glass door) into a doll cabinet. Remove shelves, glue light colour wallpaper to line the inside, install lights, AND fit not one but two locks on the door - top and bottom. Only a selection of people will get that door unlocked for them. And nothing to do with age or how closely related we are. Some of my friends' kids I totally trust to be respectful and follow instructions to a T while my own beloved dad is so careless it borders on criminal negligence. I normally don't trust strangers with stuff that is important to me, my kids, my dogs, my car. Because I know I will be the one spending my time and energy to repair even if money wise I have insurance on top of insurance in case anybody makes a mess.

Regarding that incident in the park with the monster child and monster mom: they would be the ones having a heart attack. Proved I flop the switch from cosy to Mama Dragon in nanosecond. A seasoned paratrooper said it's scary and he is happy I'm on his side. And I didn't even do anything. Just told somebody that he WILL NOT touch my car. The man threatened to slash the tires. And then he retreated fast. I wish I could see it on a video or something.

On dog forums you can often read stories how people had demanded dog owners to sell their dog for a fiver because their kid looked at it once. And my mom's friend was asked to sell her baby daughter, don't remember how much they offered but their reasoning was "you are young, you will have another". Some people.

 

Life has taught me that people, even "after" Covid, don't wash their hands or use a napkin when eating.
So no, I don't let anyone touch my dolls. I treasure them so much for someone with dirty, ragged hands comes over and stains them or breaks them.

 

I'm barely okay with handling them myself! I have let my family hold them before, but only if they're ok with me hovering around and asking them to wash their hands first.

 

I let my grandma and her sister hold one of my dolls and it was so cute! They really thought she was very lovely~ The only other person I trust to even touch my dolls is my husband. I have let my sister help me with doll photos and she let one fall face first on the concrete so never again am I trusting literally anyone unless I know they are familiar with dolls and have a decent amount of their own

 

In general I don't like people handling my stuff period, but that goes double with my dolls.. it's so easy to mess them up, and people hands are so greasy... No thank you !

I think I'd be okay if my dolls were wearing dark clothing. But I'm so worried about them getting damaged because they're so expensive

 

I usually don't like it when other people touch my stuff. But if they ask for permission and understand that they have they have to be handled carefully, then I don't mind.

 

I only let people handle my dolls if they've cleaned their hands and if I'm close by, to "supervise", lol. I'm super protective of them. I def don't let children handle them except if they're very calm. And I explicitly tell them the rules of doing so: no touching the face, being very careful, etc etc.
But I'm usually very happy when people want to handle them, I just make sure they know the DOs and DONTs.

 

I'm generally ok with it. Most people who handle my dolls are friends and family so they know to be relatively gentle with them; If I have them out in public and someone asks to touch or hold them I kind of... Demonstrate how to handle them through body language if that makes any sense?? I.e. handing them very gently and only touching the back of the head instead of the face. I go nonverbal in public sometimes and I've found this is the easiest way when my voice doesn't wanna cooperate. Most people catch on pretty quickly. Usually the only people I have to tell to be gentle with them are kids. I do have a friend who kind of gave me a mini heart attack the first time they handled my dolls; they grabbed one of them by the ankles and yanked their legs open. I know they were just playing around but my heart still stopped for a split second and I still side eye them a little when they pick up my dolls lol.

 

My wife can touch my dolls... but nobody else!!

Well, I guess if I was right there watching and they were extremely careful with my children, perhaps it would be street legal... but most of my irl friends are scared of my children.

 

I'm okay with it. My resin girl, I am like a nervous parent holding my arms out to catch her if she is dropped. I try in the nicest way to ask whomever is holding her not to touch her face, but I want to enjoy my girls and allow others to too. She's going to get a little wear and tear on her, but that just means she is well loved and enjoyed.

 

My partner can touch and handle my doll, but that's honestly it. I even get nervous when my family handles them, and they're BJD collectors themselves and great with their dolls! I can't help it, I'm so nervous about something happening to them. You would think I would relax after over ten years in the hobby, but nope! Now that I have fewer dolls, it's even worse haha.

 

I'm actually pretty rough with my dolls, or at least less gentle than I should be considering the money I've spent. But I bought them to handle and play with, so I embrace the risks associated. I'm usually excited to show off my dolls so I don't have a problem with others handling them. However, I don't have any children in my life and I have yet to have a complete stranger ask to hold one of my dolls. So those who have held them are within a trusted circle. I haven't really had a real reason to hesitate yet.

 

I'm not even comfortable with handling them myself, let alone letting other people handle them. I'm way too paranoid :'D

 

I do! I ask people to wash their hands prior and to be gentle beforehand but its always fun to share the love!

 

It depends, sometimes my family just tries to grab at them to get a closer look especially if I made a new outfit to show off.

I get aggravated if one of them tries to pull them out of my hands by the arms or legs, I have mentioned countless time that you don't hold these dolls by the limbs. Also, if someones hands are a bit grubby, like they were cooking, or snacking, or doing some messy crafts and they reach for my dolls I will step back out of there reach and tell them to clean those hands before touching my dolls.

Otherwise I will let them hold the doll to look at the outfit or the doll, but I do stay nearby waiting for the doll to be properly passed back to me. I do get a bit nervous when they are in someone else's hands. I stay close in case some mishap comes along. This way I can grab my doll should the doll look as if it is slipping.

 

I personally don't let others handle my dolls besides my mother and best friend.

 

I personally don't let people handle my dolls very often and if they do it is under my careful supervision while I am there. People are not allowed to touch my dolls if I am not there because they might break them, scratch them, or mess them up.

 

Honestly I worry enough with me touching my dolls, so the idea of someone else doing it brings me a bit of anxiety. That said though I have had my dad help me dress some of my dolls in the past when I've struggled with certain clothing pieces. Ive also had a friend hold my doll while ive rearranged things in my room. If someone I don't really know that well were to ask to hold one it would be a straight up no though.

 

Generally okay with my family members touching them as long as they are careful. A few of my smaller dolls are now kept in the living room in my house so my mom is often picking them up. I don’t handle my own dolls that much unless to dress them. I don’t mind if people pick them up at a meet etc as I know most of the time they will be careful.

 

I think the key is consent. Ever since I was a kid with Barbies I couldn't stand people touching my stuff, especially when I wasn't around. I'd always notice if something was amiss. It was pretty much a break of trust.
If they ask politely, then sure, go ahead. I'll most likely let them handle the doll. Only exception would be children. I'm sorry, I just can't, don't trust them, don't like them.
Usually there are a select few I trust to handle my belongings. My partner's one of them. Currently my only bjd is at their place, so they get to move him around. Also helped me with dressing the doll up and spraying the msc for faceup.

 

I’m okay with others handling them, if they are curious enough to want to hold or pick them up they tend to understand the value of them. I just say not to touch the face or wig. My daughter is the only one that will pose them sometimes. I think if most people walk into a room with anything displayed in cabinets with glass doors they understand it’s something that should be handled with care.

 

I'm usually alright with adults and older teenagers holding mine as long as I know they're not going to be disrespectful, just usually warn them to not touch the face. Younger kids is a no for me, unless I'm sure I can trust that one.

 

Im not exactly a fan of others holding my dolls but I am not opposed to it. It depends on the situation, the persons maturity level and if they know the cost value of the doll in question. For example, my long term partner is allowed to hold them because he knows the cost value, the significance to me and also semi-financially supports my hobby. But he always asks before hand and makes sure to be respectful of the doll in question.

But when it comes to random strangers I don't allow the dolls to be touched or handled. I have taken dolls out in public before and when people attempt to touch or ask I explain that although I understand the curiosity I wouldn't appreciate the doll in question being handled due to the expensive nature of the doll and I don't want them becoming damaged. Usually people are respectful. When they are not I have no issue walking away and explaining that I have boundaries that have been violated.

Other collectors and friends? I haven't been to a doll meet-up in many years. But I assume I would have no issue with it. Friends? Depends on the friend, maturity level and respect.

 

I don't think so, but I will say that someone very kindly letting me hold their BJDs did help me get interested in the hobby.

 

I would only allow my "doll friends" handle my dolls, because they know how delicate bjds are and even if a doll falls and is not damaged, the face-up or body blush could get nicked, chipped,or smugged. So I always tell my family and friends, my dolls are not toys for children or for rough play. Overall, it boilds down to how much one trust the other person. When I handle my dolls, I use the cotton gloves that musuem curators use to prevent any dirt oils getting on the resin.

 

I have no problem letting my mom, my partner or my friends handling them, they understand that they’re delicate and would’t be rough with them.
As for people at doll-meet-ups, I’ve never been in one but my first thought would be that since they themselves own dolls or are planning to get one, they can mostly be trusted.
Other people, idk, depends on the person I guess ? I’ve known young kids and teens who were more careful than some adults, so its not always a factor.

 

I've never had a problem with it. Most people who don't like dolls, won't ask. People who do are very sweet to them.

 

I finally handled my dolls this year to sell some because we finally moved, but to a smaller place. So I decided to sell some dolls to make space in our smaller space. Anyway to get to the answer as I was holding my doll i got the sudden thought I need to share my joy and wanted my sister to handle the doll, but she was at work. I don't think i would mind my sister handling the dolls, but i don't think i want anyone else to handle my dolls.

 

I've let my sister (adult) hold mine. She collects fashion dolls and was interested, and she ended up sitting for half an hour with my Liebe Klum in her lap. I might be able to convince her to join the resin club yet

I don't think I'd let any children (not that I have any in my immediate family) handle my dolls. I had a cousin hurt a pet when I was a kid and that incident scarred me deeply...

 

I can relate with the cousin thing. When I was little my cousin kicked my dog and yanked her fur. It's something I can't ever forget. It was shocking. I thought about a little more and I think if the kid had a pushy parent i might let the kid touch my doll for a little so I don't have to deal with the parent. Just ti avoid any conflict, but I don't think I will ever get into that sort of predicament. Just maybe hold the dolls hand I suppose.

I don't want to get in the situation my sister got into when my sister let a kid hold her dog and the kid kept asking for my sister dog and took my sister's dog to her mom and wouldn't give him back. I think my sister had to spend like about 10 minutes trying to get her dog back. My worry would be the kid would ask it's mom for my doll and i feel obligated to give the doll to avoid conflict.

When i was younger my mom forced my sister and me to give most all our toys to my cousin. We didn't have much toys, but we had to still give most of it away. We got to keep a few from what I recall. I think I got to keep my barbie because I recall i still had it for a few more years before my sister accidentally broke it while we were playing (we played really roughly with our toys like swing our dolls pretending they were gymnasts or put it under a lamp to try curl its hair). I think some plush toys too. I recall i still had my teddy bear.

 

Depends on the person, and depends on the doll.

My family understand they are not cheap and if/when I need them to hand them to me they are good about it. I have 4 year and 9 year old cousins that often come over and they very much love my dolls. I wouldn't let the 4 year old hold a bigger doll, she has not asked to hold any, but the 9 year old has and I have let her hold the a feeple60 before.

Other doll people at doll meets are fine.

As for strangers, when I was younger I took a doll to a convention and a cosplayer I just met ask to carry my doll around for a few hours. (She knew about BJDs and I think she was a friend of a friend.) I had to be like, 14-15? Because I said yes to letting her carry him around and when I asked for him back she was very thankful in being able to know what it was like to hold and carry one. Even though she completely had the chance to just vanish with him, she didn't. But now as an adult I don't think that I would let that happen.

As for other strangers, if its a small child and the doll isn't to big and the parents explain to be extra careful I don't mind. I have even offered people in the past if they want to hold one and most of the time they are content with just looking (I really like sharing my hobbies and want people to get into them too.) I have not been out with my dolls in years so I am not sure what I would do now. If another doll collector wants to hold it I will most likely say yes.

 

I try to be gentle with my dolls but I also want to enjoy them, so I don’t wear gloves or anything. So I figure as long as the person who wanted to check the doll out was responsible and willing to follow directions and do the same I’d be ok with allowing it - although I have one new addition that is small and delicate, so I’d maybe keep the handling on that doll to a minimum.

At my first bjd con it was really helpful to get to handle lots of different types of bjds. I always asked, and everyone was quite generous in letting me enjoy their dolls and get a sense of what I wanted for my collection. I’m in the camp of people for whom handling a doll is a big part of the fun, so if I can share that in a way where the doll won’t get damaged I like to!

 

I avoid pushing my hobbies on others. If someone show no interest, I will simply change the topic.
On the other hand, when people do show interest I am absolutely one of those owners who is happy to hand a doll over for people to examine for themselves. If they are unsure or very new to dolls I will give them the "avoid touching the painted areas, but feel free to pose it and play around with it."
I find that in addition to keeping the doll safe, having that little bit of a guide line makes people more comfortable interacting with the doll.
Within that category of actually interested people I find it to be much more common for people to be overly careful, rather than overly rough with them. I never had any bad experiences. Perhaps some needs reminding about not touching the face a tiem or two, but that is all and easily managed. For some people, examining the face with their fingers seem to be a reflex.

Generally, I'm not too worried about my dolls. I make most of my own face-ups and I can fix most light damage, should something go wrong.

I would not let a child handle the dolls. Not just any child, anyway. Someone I knew to be gentle and respectful, maybe, but probably not. These are not ment to be childrens toys. They can be heavy, joints can pinch and not all the materials are chosen with safety in mind.

 

I have a toddler that lives in my house-- by NO means is she allowed around my dolls xD I love her to death, but I see what she does to her barbies!
As for my roommates-- my girlfriend can touch my dolls whenever and however she wants-- so long as she isn't covered in oil (She's a mechanic). She'll often see me handling mine, and jokingly ask to see them until I notice she's just gotten home from work and her arms are BLACK (she'll stop me if i get to close to handing my dolls to her).
My sister is getting into BJDs thanks to me, and has handled them before. She is generally kind, and always clean, and an adult, so she's good to go. I'd be suspicious if she just came in and grabbed them, though.
My long time best friend has helped me restring them, clean them, dress them, sew for them, etc so she can as well.

I've had a fun time reading these comments. lol. good idea for a thread.

 

Most of my family and friends are too afraid to touch them because they are expensive and they are afraid to damage them :,)
I would trust them but they don’t want to so nothing to be afraid of.
But i wouldn’t give my dolls to a stranger. Even thinking about it makes me nervous.

 

Sadly I have learned the hard way to not let anyone touch my things. Perhaps I've been unlucky but every single time I let strangers handle my most expensive stuff even for a second, they did some damage. People really love to drop expensive knives tip first...
I would only let someone touch a doll of mine if I knew that person closely, and only after watching how careful she is with her own dolls. Even then, I would probably feel uncomfortable.

 

I generally don't mind adults handling my dolls as long as they are respectful and know they need to be handled with care. For anyone younger it would probabliy be a case by case basis. I like to think I'm a decent judge about stuff like this and thus far it has worked out for me, at least.

 

I have not been often at all in the position where someone else would want or have to handle my dolls. The only person I feel comfortable with in handling my dolls is my partner, there is awareness in how to handle and their value and the effort put for them to look like they do.

Any family member that knows or has seen my dolls has never shown interest in holding or touching them what I prefer, the couple of occasions when someone did show interest they either held them poorly or they put their fingers directly on their faces despite me warning them 1 minute prior, or they directly wanted to see if they were wearing underwear or how their intimate parts looked like (talking about adults here).
I've also had differences in the way of handling dolls with other doll collectors, so I would say that although I'm not completely against people handling my dolls it will depend entirely on the situation and each person specifically, but I'm generally cautious and I prefer not having to deal with the situation.

 

No one outside of my family has handled my doll. With my siblings, most of them collect stuff too and know to handle the doll gently and not touch the face. I definitely would not trust a total stranger with my doll. It gives me anxiety just thinking about what could go wrong.

 

I'm generally cautious about who I let handle them. Most kids are an automatic no. However, I really like having them appreciated, especially when I've done work on them.