Say Your Farewells~

New Oh my, I've just seen the news. I haven't been really active in the hobby for years due to personal reasons, but I have always taken DoA for such an integral part of the hobby that I simply assumed it would be here forever. It's such a sad blow that I don't know what else to say...

 

New End of an era. ._.

 

New °՞(っ-ᯅ-ς)՞°

 

New I joined November 25th 2012. It’s been 13 years. I will miss Den of Angels. My first doll community. This was the go-to for ball jointed doll information, pictures, wiki links and finding out just about anything you could ever want to know. The community, tutorials, swaps, marketplace etc.

I hope to see y’all in other places in the future. Keep your spirit, heart and love for our dolls, and each other!

 

New Absolutely gutted to hear that DOA will be closing... This is a wonderful database, full of invaluable information and a great community.

I spent my early teens scrolling through the site, learning all about hybrid bjds, finding new companies and meeting new people. Now 20 years later, it's still an integral part of the BJD collecting world.

End of an era, I will miss this place

 

New While moving to discord for community is all well and good, it really can't compare to DoA for the sheer level of information. Shattered to hear we're losing this.

 

New I joined doa when i was 14… Im 26 now. I am so sad to hear that doa will be closing. I was able to find my dream doll here and learn so much about bjds specifically super dollfies. Checking doa has been part of my daily routine for so long. Everyone i talked to here was so kind in helping me learn a lot about super dollfies. Will miss doa so much

 

New I am truly sorry to see this -I have been posting here since 2010.
Thank you to the moderators for all your hard work and dedication.
And thank you to all the members who took the time to read my stories - I will truly
miss all of you and this amazing platform

 

New I'm so incredibly sad about the news. I joined DOA back in August of 2010 so this would have been my 16 year anniversary on the forum. I've spent a lot of time in and out of the hobby as I have a lot of interests and only so much expendable income. I've only recently started coming back to the forum over the last few months after being on a hiatus for the last few years so the sting of the news feels worse knowing that I've only got a few months left with all you lovely people. I wish I had been more active on here when I had the chance. There's pretty much no where else I really interact with other members in the hobby other than here so it kind of feels like breaking up with a long distance friend

Thank you to the staff who have kept this place running and creating a safe and reliable space on the internet for all our dolly resources and information. I've learned so much about the hobby through this forum and I'm truly grateful to have been a part of this community while I had the chance. I will certainly miss this little corner of the internet

 

New I AM FREAKING OUT!! The loss of DoA is CATASTROPHIC to the doll community!! Its one of THE go-to sites for legitimate 2nd hand dolls as well as an aggregator for news and new releases. The community is also fun and engaged and supportive.

Case in point: To order a doll from Harucasting you have to submit a link to your DOA feedback thread in order to purchase. There a couple other sites listed like ebay but I don't use ebay very much.

Can a Den of Angels 2.0 be created by the current staff? New forum same as the old forum??? Maybe a Discord server to fill in the gap until a new forum can go up? If funding is an issue I have ideas!!

 

New I am sad also, been on here since 2004! that is over 20 years! many years of reviews for me for selling and buying. Will miss the doll history which is here from way back. I think Volks will miss this site too, as I feel Volks got a lot of sales from people on here. *** thanks for giving plenty of notice

 

New This place had been one of a good source of bjd knowledge to me for a long time. So many wonderful fellow collectors I know here.

I wish for the best that they will not be close, but if the change is unavoidable I would like to know where the community will move on to. New forum, new platform or anything. I'm the type that ready to flow with the current. Just hope this doesn't mean the end.

 

New Oh wow... I joined May 26, 2017. Almost nine years now. It's hard to believe that much time has passed already... So much information is on here and DoA was so nice to have in a world where other BJD places online have been made difficult to wade through, along with informing and collecting information on problematic sellers, dealers, and companies.

This feels a lot like a punch in the mouth. I completely understand why operating the website like this is untenable due to the current situation... I applaud everyone for keeping it together as long as they have. What an absolute loss for the BJD community, though. Social media algorithms and changes to things like Facebook groups has not been kind to our hobby.

 

New I'm not giving up yet. I live in hope that @Dezarii will see this and consider passing the admin on so that more mods can be brought in and DoA remain active. Discord, Facebook, and IG are not viable alternatives to the 20 years of institutional knowledge that is in this forum. I'm probably in denial, and I'll slowly accept it as the summer progresses. But for now I'm hopeful.

However, I do want to thank the current @DoA Mod Squad, I don't know how they've been able to keep it afloat for so long, it's truly impressive! Thank you so much for all your hard work! You've taken a super brave and necessary step, and even if DoA does end up closing, you've done a job you can be proud of.

 

New

So very well said @luluna - this is terrible news in an already terrible year. I’m so very sad.
I’ve been on DoA since it was a yahoo group (and then grew into this forum). I read it every day
even if I don’t log in every day. It’s the only place I share my dolls and photos - and have met
some of the most amazing people on this board. Such a terrible terrible loss….

 

New DoA is where I started in the hobby properly; I can't begin to describe how crushed I am by this news. I've been a part of this forum for 20 years, about half my life. The writing was on the wall, and the moderators who kept it on life support for this long have my deepest and most heartfelt gratitude, but what a loss. There are other spaces to talk about the hobby now, but DoA was my first and it remains the cornerstone to me. It's not just the forum format, it's THIS forum, THIS space, with THIS history. I truly hope Dezarii might come back and hand over the reins, or at least that the read-only version can stay up for a good long while yet. But no matter what, I am pleased to have been here and to have been nurtured by this hobby for these past few decades.

 

New It's heartbreaking. It will mark the end of an era, like @Valentine said.
I don't really know what else to say. Aside many thanks to the mods for their hard work all those years.

 

New Devastated beyond words. It's losing a whole community, since there just are not spaces like this any more in any "modern" social media.

I've been here since 2009. I basically live 80% of my life and 90% of my social time online due to disability for years now and this was one of the last bastions of interaction I have with other hobbyists. Or well, with people at all
I wish I wish I wasn't too disabled to be a Mod and help with the workload here but my ability to think is too variable to functionally help at things like this. If Dezarii sees all this and somehow moves to save the place I'd volunteer what time I had anyway if it could keep the lights on here.

I just can't believe this

 

New So many words that fail me at present. I echo the sentiments of posts prior to mine on the understanding of the situation and the mod's decisions. The efforts to keep DOA alive has been greatly appreciated. Many of the forums I have been a part of have succumbed to the flow of time and loss of activity. Honestly, I am grateful that DOA has lasted this long amidst so many that died. My only regrets, if the end of being able to post is near, is that it took many years to end up in a stable living situation where I finally have a workshop to continue customizing my dolls. The three I have left are extensive projects and I was looking forward to sharing them in their sculpt threads. I will miss being able to see all the unique visions and looks of variety all from one sculpt. Sure, social media has threads and posts where people can ask to share their own version of a specific sculpt, but it isn't the same as a forum. The conversations in social media fall away and get lost, aren't easily saved or archived and even Discord can get messy very quickly. What made DOA stand out for me was the home for the doll profiles and user galleries. Not only was there an online home for us, but our dolls as well. I will miss being able to flip through the beautiful photos of everyone's doll families. I know there is a thread with talks of planning an alternative if DOA ends up closing in August (five days after my birthday, too), I just hope someone will bring back the galleries and doll profiles in whatever they plan if we end up needing it. If this truly is the end: Thank you to DOA and the people who made it happen. Connecting me with information that was non-existent elsewhere at the time when I joined back in high school when I was saving up for my first BJD. Even in the later years as I was learning different modding techniques. DOA has been a treasure trove of tutorials and information that would not have been so easily obtained through more modern social media platforms. Thank you, everyone! The community here is what has made this place what it is. I hope if there is an alternative forum that is born from this if this ending comes, the DOA Phoenix, that our paths may intersect once more!

 

New I only joined a month or two ago. I got marketplace access literally yesterday. I don't know what to say, I'm heartbroken.

 

New I joined DoA in my teens and I'm in my 30s now. DoA has been a part of more than half of my life, and it's heartbreaking to see it go for such a reason.

Thank you to the mods for all your hard work, and I hope you're able to rest knowing we're all grateful to you all for keeping the lights on for so long.

 

New This is really disappointing to hear. As someone who does not use Facebook, Instagram, Flickr anything but this site..I’m going to lose my only source to this hobby. I’ve been here since I was in high school and owned and rehomed so many dolls. I loved giving dolls new homes and learning about new artist. I feel like losing this website will probably close a chapter to the hobby one way or another. 2026 got a little worse with this news..

 

New So sad. I'm here for 18 years. It's like loosing a lifelong friend. The hobby will never be the same again without this precious place.

 

New So very grateful to the mods for years of work on the community's behalf. As sad as the news is, I understand. I do hope new folks can step up as mods to save the site, or that some other route can be found. I've been on DOA since 2008, it's been part of my life for a long time! And more importantly, the information on the site simply does not exist anywhere else. Social media does not function as an archive in the same way a forum does. But of course, the time and money to make it run are a huge sacrifice, and if I don't step up myself, I can't complain about someone else stepping back after so many years of service. I wish the mods all the best.

I am on Instagram if anyone is looking for me as bronzephoenix117. Best of luck to all of you.

 

New I just checked my profile and I joined in June 2008! Interestingly, I would not get my first resin bjd until June 2025, about 17 years later. In between those times, my love of bjds just waited.... until I was in a better spot financially and health-wise. I've only been really using the forum for about a year, but I really have enjoyed it! I will be sad to see it go and I hope the owner comes back and transfers ownership before that happens. I appreciate the moderator's time and effort and I understand why they need to step back after so long.

I also really appreciate getting several month's notice for the site closing. Have a few more 'bucket list' things to do. Doll profiles, for one.

 

New It's with great sadness that I say goodbye to this forum.
I discovered so much about BJDs here, and avoided many mistakes related to recasting, which is so common. I've adopted some magnificent dolls and also found homes for them all over the world with complete confidence. I think buying secondhand dolls is going to become more complicated.
If I were more comfortable with English and adding photos, I might have been more involved here.
Thank you all for this place of passion; I hope to find another space among the multitude of social networks...

 

New I drop in and out on DoA, but have always seen it as a massive resource for when I'm looking up and documenting secondhand purchases. This is truly a massive loss to the community and I hope it can be archived in some way. People here have all been so lovely to talk to, and I thoroughly enjoyed the long, wonderful Project Journals. These were my favourites, especially the ones restoring old, yellowed, or otherwise damaged dolls.

 

New I learned about BJDs in college in the early '10s but I didn't get one until a few years later when I had adult money. I joined DoA at the same time i started searching for my first doll--shortly after graduating, moving overseas, and getting my first job and my first apartment--so for me it will always be a mile marker at the intersection of youthful interests and adult independence.

I've been more or less active here over the 10+ years since i signed up, but it's been like a lighthouse i always find my way back to. There's really no other site, subreddit, discord server, or social media platform that serves as such a hub for the hobby...

I hope the site owner can be reached, but in case they can't I think i too will try to finally complete doll profiles for my whole crew so they can be part of the time capsule...

 

New I joined in 2009, and it's hard to believe my account is nearly 17 years old. I remember just how much DoA helped me learn about the different companies of dolls at the time and how to properly maintain them. I made so many friends here and saw so many dolls rehomed over the years.

I don't really use it for socialization anymore, but there's just so much good, useful information that's just so hard to find anywhere else.

The doll profiles have been one of my favorite "recent" additions and really helpful when trying to see different customizations of different sculpts, or even finding new sculpts!

It breaks my heart to see this chapter of the community closing when this is one of the only sites I check every day. It's completely understandable why this has to happen because only two mods running a site this big is such an unfair and impossible ask, but I will hold out some hope that maybe, just maybe, everything will work out in the end.

But if it has to close, I will always carry the fond memories of this place in my heart.

 

New I've been a part of this forum since 2009. I'm pretty sure my friend had to invite me to join. I check this site everyday for news, interesting threads, new doll profiles, and replies to threads I already watch. I've made really good friends on here and I always told myself "one day we'll post photo stories like the REAL collectors do on DoA!"

I echo how much respect, love, and gratitude we all have for the moderators. They have done an amazing and unpaid job of keeping this space safe for everyone in the hobby.

I also hope the site owner can handover ownership. I also hope some of us step up to replace moderators who want to step away.

Regardless, I do hope the site can be archived to an extent even if we are to lose it. The wealth of knowledge here is too massive to lose without a fight.

 

New I joined in 2017, and I can’t believe it is almost 10 years! I learned so much about bjd from DoA, it will be hard for me to say goodbye to my old friend.

 

New This news is both heartbreaking and incredibly frustrating.

I signed up to DoA in 2009 not long after getting my first two dolls and it has been a haven for learning more about these dolls and getting to know other hobbyists. I learned a lot here and have continued to enjoy popping by to lurk and post, especially after I finally just gave up on Instagram (and social media in general). I still use Tumblr, but the doll community just isn’t what it used to be prior to the big move to IG back in the day, and blogging is such a different beast from forum posting.

On top of that, a few years back I took over the BJD Wiki on Fandom, and DoA has been my savior a number of times when looking for information on old companies, sculpts, events, and so on. I know you guys say the forum will still be searchable once it is closed, but how long will that last? I don’t know what the hosting situation is for the forum, so it is a genuine concern regarding how long it’ll realistically even be available to look through once it has been abandoned. Losing these forums for good would absolutely be detrimental for research.

The fact the owner has been MIA for years and apparently couldn’t be bothered to set up a back-up plan for y’all (or even just…handed the reins over to someone else that was more able and active) kind of makes me want to pull my hair out, to be perfectly honest. It’s hardly the first time I’ve seen this situation play out (and won’t be the last, I’m sure), but man…you’d think in a community where we have frequently seen whole companies poof from existence overnight, let alone pet projects and informational sites, older members would know the importance of contingencies and delegation (course this is just me assuming there weren’t already other back-ups that just fell through for one reason or another).

I genuinely hope Dezarii isn’t seriously ill (or worse), and will pop up to fix this issue, but with the way this year has been going in general, I won’t be getting my hopes up. I am seriously appreciative of all the work you guys have done to try and keep things going to the best of your ability, and whether things work out with the site or not, I wish you the best of luck in your futures.

 

New Don’t even have words to properly describe how I'm feeling. I have a Flickr, but other than that nothing else. For some folk like me who enjoy the older dolls, I'm worried it will be hard without a place like this to share the love of them…

 

New Well isn't this ironic. Announced on April 2, the 18th anniversary of ordering my first doll. The beginning and end, all on the same fateful day.

Spoiler: Amir, Then and Now

The first day he arrived, with no wig, default eyes and the shittiest faceup ever with liquid eyeliner, cheap Walmart craft paint and clear nail polish sealant, wearing a fabric scrap to hide his bald head, and a very crappy shirt I made from a baby onesie. And last night, with his Monique wig, nice eyes, good faceup and nice outfit.

Losing the forum is completely devastating to me, my heart is broken. Eighteen years in the hobby, almost half my life spent on this forum every day and so SO much I've grown in that time. I've met most of my closest friends here, traveled so many places I otherwise wouldn't have to meet people or go to meetups and conventions, so many dolls I never would have known existed without DoA, so many things I've learned to do properly from faceups to mods to sewing to photos to props and more. I spend time every single day on this forum for one thing or another. Since the tariff mess, it has been my safety net for finding affordable dolls I can receive reliably with no surprises. A place I can sell/trade my dolls to people who will love them. A safe place where bullying isn't tolerated, an escape from real life and a secure marketplace. A place where surely somebody can answer most any BJD question that ever arises. SO much knowledge from the new to the old, and so much community, bringing us all together regardless of location, culture, or any other differences because we all care about the hobby, the artists and the dolls!

There is nowhere else like DoA that is so organized, easy to find info, easy to find feedback threads, safe, and ONLY for doll people without random people insulting, stalking or lurking. Without ads everywhere, without an algorithm, without fees, without AI, without unrelated suggested posts, without "unpopular" posts being hidden, where our photos won't get stolen to be sold on cheap merch...it's all right here. And now....it won't be. I feel like there is no safe space for us left once it's gone.

I truly truly hope there is a way to prevent this, and have the forum turned over to someone else who is active, interested and capable, and able to recruit new mods. And if it's not possible...then I hope someone is able to start a new forum and carry it on. If I had the knowledge of building and supporting a forum, I'd do it myself, but sadly, I don't. If someone else does it, I'd definitely be willing to apply to help moderate it, as I'm sure many other devoted hobbyists would too.

I feel like I'm grieving the death of a loved one, in a way. I'm crushed, and will miss everything and everyone.

Love you all, and thank you to the mods and members for making this place such a special place in my life.

So long, and goodnight.

 

New It's devastating to hear that DOA is coming to an end. It has been such a valuable resource for so long

I'm going to miss going back and reading through all of the older threads, seeing all of the excitement for doll releases, and the community it used to be.

 

New I haven't been on here very long relative to how many years the site has been around, but it's been an invaluable resource (especially when all the dolls i want are so old ) and everyone here has been very nice. I'll miss it a lot.

 

New Is it possible that someone here knows who Dezarii is in real life - and could try
contacting her?? Or if she has passed (as so many original members have) maybe
contact her heirs and see if the forum could be handed off or sold or ??? Certainly
having only a username is of no value in trying to track a person down….

 

New I joined in 2010 after rediscovering bjds on deviant art, I spent hours on here, making photo stories and threads and seeing so much helpful info that year before getting my Feather in 2011. I bought Snow's head on the marketplace and I read so many stories and tips, this is a heartbreaking thing, and I truly believe bjds won't be the same without DOA. Thank you for all the memories, and friendships, and I hope things change one day. Its truly the end of an era i'll never forget the time of my life spent here

 

New DOA has always been so very helpful for me, being my first introduction to everything BJD. I lurked for a while before becoming a member in January 2019. I had so many questions and was able to find information, dolls, head sculpts and clothing I had been searching for. I understand that two Admins attempting to run this massive community would be daunting at best. Thank you to the Admins and Moderators who have helped me in the past when I needed information about something BJD or site related (and running this site!). I appreciate the sellers and buyers on this site as well as I always had the best interactions here. Wishing the best of everything to everyone.

 

New This is heartbreaking news to receive for sure. This was the perfect place for newbies to dip their toes into the hobby and grow into seasoned collectors. While this place had its issues, it was also a blessing for making new friends with this niche hobby. I'll be sad to see it go, but I do hope something good and new will come off this.

 

New I heard the sad news earlier today and spent some time contemplating what to say. I joined DoA in 2007, I've been vsiting this site daily for nearly 20 years! Although, I don't always post, I've always checked in for news, for photos, updates and to look back on old memories made. It's hard to believe coming here will no longer be possible after a certain point in time. I will miss it.

Thank you to the mods and members who have kept this place running for as long as possible.

 

New Wow. I’ve been collecting as long as DOA has been around! I mostly lurk these days but there are still a few favored threads I post in. So many good memories of the people I’ve met over the years, both online and real life. I really miss the doll meets we used to have in my area.

I hope someone will be able to step forward and save this forum. I get it, though. People move on, life happens, everything changes. Hopefully an alternative can be found,though.

I really will miss this place. I wish everyone the best.

 

New The thought of DoA “ending” is a strange one for me. My 40th birthday is around the bend and my life is seeming to finally settle as I set out into my “later years”. I joined in 2009, a broke single mom with a very different social circle than I have now (in doll world and in human world). The doll scene itself has changed a lot, too. I know there are a bunch of users here that still like the forum just the way it is, and that’s perfectly fine! There are also people like me who have been sad to see very popular and kind artists deemed off topic or even banned for technicalities. I’m not trying to whine or stir the pot, I promise I’m making a point eventually! I think at least a handful of us longtime users can attest to living through some drama from the date we joined DoA until now, and not just bjd drama! I definitely was not emotionally mature back then (it’s hard to be when you’re young and/or in survival mode), and if anyone happens to remember me saying anything abrasive in the doll scene just know that I think my old self is cringey too (she needed help lol!). I’ve also had real life drama affect my hobby scene, in the form of myself and other members having to block each other not only here but other platforms (sometimes boundaries are needed and that’s okay!). It’s just funny how this old doll hobby forum remained a hub for all of us, even people who can’t stand each other, or didn’t agree with all of the rules or moderation decisions, but still shared the love of dolls. I’m not smart enough to say something profound about it, but it’s somewhat poignant isn’t it? Anyway, my current happier calmer self wishes you all the best (yeah, even those folks, because you all played a part in helping my collection grow).
Farewell -Nico