Treat dolls like children, friend, or simply just as an inanimate object?

Well I treat my own doll as if they are both my child, and my friend depending in the situation or who I'm talking to. If I talk about him to my friends or other people who are open minded about it I call my doll "my child". And I treat him as such. Whenever me and my doll is alone I treat him like a friend and I talk to him. (Totally not crazy. ) I do believe they are alive somehow, just like how plants are alive somehow as well.
For not so open minded people I just had to treat them as lifeless things. The last thing I want is people misunderstanding the hobby.

It irks me when people treat them as inanimate objects, but I don't hold it against them. What I mean is you do you, bud.

 

It helps me work through homework problems by talking them through, so I tend to discuss them at my doll. It makes me feel slightly less crazy than shouting about logic at a wall or a microwave or a lamp (my alternative options). So, I guess that's more like a friend or a roommate than anything else.

I mean, I've also been known to carry on conversations with my paintings--at least, the ones that are of people. Talking to a landscape or a still life is too weird, even for me.

 

Inanimate objects to me. I don't talk to them or staring at them for a long time. They are more like decorations for me. I also respect other people's opinion about dolls have souls. Everyone has his or her own feeling about it.

 

My dolls are more like inanimate objects, especially now since I have very little time for them! They do have original characters that have developed over time, I think about their story and backgrounds almost daily (especially when a new OC starts developing!)

 

Just like an inanimate objects to me.

 

Probably more like a child than anything else. I tend to talk to them, explain things, find things for them to do, and check to make sure they are okay and happy!

 

I treat my dolls like companions, they go to Drs appointments or on various errands with me. It can be a real comfort!

 

More like a prized possession. Although it sounds a little nutty, I do have affection for them. Like if I scratch one...I feel really bad, like I hurt a friend...so its a mixed feeling.

 

I think I treat them like people that deserve respect, care, admiration. I think it's due to the head canon built regarding their character, but I don't take them anywhere with me. So far, my Delf girls are in their boxes (as I currently lack a safer, better place to display them), but when they're out I offer gentleness in handling them, even so much as taking consideration of their modesty, if that's how I pictured their character to be concerned with.
It's an interesting psychology, worth further introspection!

 

I think of them as art. Not as friends or children. Looking at them does make me happy but they are just inanimate objects.

 

For the most part, I treat my dolls like the art pieces they are. That being said, though, I find my dolls to be very comforting when suffering attacks of anxiety. I tend to hold them or redress them, or just brush their hair and that seems to have a calming effect on me. I love looking at them; they make me smile. And I suppose in a way, they are 'alive' to me, in a way, in that they are representative of these characters that are so close to my heart.

I can't say that I really talk to my dolls, however I talk to myself all the time so I dunno. XD

 

I treat them as people. I fully acknowledge it's really just beautiful sculpture with no real soul and only the personality I project on to it based on my interactions with it. I would not treat it like a living person, but I think it's fun to pretend and tend to only affiliate myself (as real life doll friends) with others who do as well. Luckily my RL doll friends are all exactly like this too so they understand. But I don't shame anyone for having one stance or another. I think if you were to invest yourself solely in the doll at the expense of human interaction (if you formerly did have human interaction) that's a subject for discussion and intervention but otherwise, so long as we acknowledge it's just pretend, I find it to be the most enjoyable way to appreciate these dolls. I collect other dolls too that I do not treat in the same fashion as BJDs.
But yes, to summarize, I treat them as valued friends. I speak to them often just as I do my cat or my dog really.

 

I rarely talk to my dolls. We seem to have telepathy. I am more of their God who takes care of them and watched their relationships grow. I have 6 adults in pairs now and they adore each other; can barely keep their hands off each other. This was such a surprise to me. They all have different personalities. I try to be true to their styles and not let anyone not look fresh and energized, so I'm always trying new wigs and eyes and clothes. Often I pick a favorite and leave them in that for a while.I try not to favor one over another and they all shine. They all have careers and priorities. I also have 3 adopted children and it"s a blast to find miniature toys for them. If I don't attend to them for a week or two, it delights me even more to fool with them again. I love taking pictures of them together or in groups of two and always search for props. I'm definitely their Alpha doll but the grown ups are independent of me mostly.

 

I treat them as inanimate objects but I still think that each of them has a certain personality. It' s weird to describe. It' s kinda how paintings can have certain vibes, my dolls also show their personalities like that.
But I definitely don' t think of them as people, just as art.

 

This is a really great question. It really gave me some thought. I didn't realize how hard it is to define how I think of my dolls. I don't see them as have any emotion and fully see them as objects, but it doesn't feel the same with them as with other objects. I have an emotional bond with them on some small level that is certainly different than any other object. Almost like a child with a security blanket, or favorite stuff animal they have to sleep with every night (not that I sleep with my dolls).

I have several little dogs, and think of them as family, not as high up as children, but still family rather than pets. I think maybe the bjd are right below observational pet level for me, whereas my dogs are family level. I wouldn't ever put them above any living creature as that feels wrong, but I am more attached to them than I ever thought I could be towards an inanimate object. It's hard not get oddly attached when they need so much care, and you spend so much time with them. They kind of become part of your identity.

 

They are inanimate pieces of art to me. Dolls are aesthetically pleasing and nice to admire, but I could never see myself treating them as anything more than what they are.

 

I see the characters behind them as people but I know the doll's are just shells.

 

I treat them like valuable artwork, take pictures of them, and admire them. I don't talk to them, and I don't take them anywhere. Most of mine are limited and cost a decent chunk of change, so they are safer at home. They are very special and I do imagine how they would think and act if they were real for fun. To me, they are the same as the rare and custom plush I collect; I cuddle them gently from time to time, but I wouldn't take an $800 plush on a roadtrip or sleep with it every night. I'm a collector at heart and like everything to be as new as possible.

 

Definitely an inanimate object but a craft/art work to be enjoyed and admired. I love them and enjoy playing dress up with them, but they don't have any sentimental value to me. Perhaps when I was younger they were more sentimental because it connected me with my friends at the time, it was the thing that my friends and I really enjoyed and was a tool to bond. But now they're just things.

 

lol Never really thought about it. I don't see them as living things, but I don't really see them as art projects, either. Maybe more like well-loved toys? Very expensive well-loved toys.

I do find myself talking to them, though, when I'm handling any of them. When changing their clothes or wigs, I ask their opinion. "What do you think? This looks good?" Or if one of them gets knocked over or something, "Gah! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" and checking them over for potential injury. I guess perhaps this carries over from my childhood when I used to always talk to my dolls as if they were sentient beings.

I dunno, if it ever did come to one of them answering BACK, though ... I think that'd probably be a good time to call in a priest or something.

 

I treated them as my companion. All of them have very detailed characters. I can guess what they would say in a certain situation. They all have their own preferences of clothes and what they like or dislike. I talked to them a lot. And, they never stay inside the box. if I have to stay elsewhere for more than 2 weeks, I always bring one of them with me.

 

I give them names and I pay for their stuffs, but to me, they are just inanimate objects.
Also I treat BJD as an object of art.
Especially BJDs are valuable to me and I think they have something very special.

 

An inanimate object of art. I love her and think she's adorable. I like trying different looks and wigs, and am enjoying the hobby, but I give real affection to my dogs.

 

I'm stupidly sentimental and also rather tactile, so I tend to form emotional attachments to anything I handle on a regular basis. I also personify and talk to inanimate objects - I apologize to a chair if I run into it, I cajole a computer into working faster, and I greet portraits on the wall at work, just as a few examples. A lot of my association with physical objects has to do with memories - childhood toys, books I have reread many times, pieces of furniture made by my grandfather. A different copy of a book isn't quite the same to me even though the story it tells is identical. These objects are not alive, necessarily, but they have a positive presence in my life and in my imagination.

I'm new to owning dolls, and I wouldn't call them children or friends, but they do have their own characters and a physical presence that goes a bit beyond my other material possessions (probably because of their humanoid appearance, but largely because I enjoy imagining them that way even though I know they aren't "alive"). Heh, they even inspired me to clean up my apartment because I felt bad having them "live" among so much clutter, so they've been a good influence so far. ^_^ "Art objects" might best encompass them since they inspire and enhance creativity, and art can be said to have a spirit or a life of its own.

 

To me, they are something like really expensive teddy bear plushies. I call them my sons but I do know they are inanimate objects and I don't give them personalities. But just talking and playing with them helps me to de-stress, also they can keep secrets really well haha

 

Inanimate objects. Maybe also a friend. But definitely not a child... Yet. :3

 

More inanimate objects for me. I tend to leave them on shelves and occasionally pose them Like a really expensive painting that can be moved around the house.

 

A companion and an inspiration.

I often find myself holding Ethan in some way, or sitting him alongside the laptop. To keep him in view.

And then, tonight, I put him in a trenchcoat that I originally bought about 4yrs ago for Alex and it fits Ethan better. Alex has a broader torso. It's also helped inspire a scene, for the story that Ethan existed in before the doll version came along, and I bought the doll to hopefully assist in 'unlocking' scenes and traits that I struggled to uncover beforehand. Turns out it was a good move. I can put him in outfits and find inspiration for extra scenes. Same will probably apply to his girlfriend when she comes home next year.

 

While I am in love with the characters I have created and my dolls are physical representations of them, they are definitely just objects to me. I forget about them for months at a time if I am not updating their looks or taking them with me to shows. I only have a a few dolls though, so they remain out on display and aren't boxed and put away.

 

They are beloved inanimate objects. I adore them but as much as for example my dad loves his motorcycles .

 

My dolls are a bit like expensive stuffed toys. I love to hold them, especially when I'm just de-stressing after work and need to feel like I have some company. I don't really talk to them, but I like to position them as if they're accompanying me around the house. My tiny also accompanies me to work but I don't take xir out to play with, just knowing I have "company" is enough. I feel like they have presence and a lot of character, which makes them "feel like company" even though I'm certainly not expecting them to talk to me or be alive.

OTOH, I talk extensively to my pets and they also don't talk back (in human language)

 

I can only think "inanimate object". I adore my dolls but I can leave them alone for weeks at a time without a second thought. I couldn't do that to a person or pet I cared about.

 

I guess I do treat them like friends/family. I talk to them a little bit sometimes but not much. I don' talk to my figures but I do a little to my dolls. I guess maybe it's a little odd? It started when someone gave me a porcelain doll that looked like me. They said it was haunted and freaked them out but she looked like me and I thought she was cute. I figured if it was haunted talking to it nicely and treating it good would be good. So far nothing has happened but I still talk to her and my bjd's nicely when I'm changing and posing them and stuff.

 

I just noticed that I like to pose them in their custom dollhouse and leave them for a week or two (a luxury compared to the hundreds of orchids, perennial plants, houseplants, finches, and puppy that need constant care) and then return to marvel and delight over the great poses and clothes I left them in. I have 6 adults and three children with a baby on the way...

 

I'm a mix between friend and inanimate object, in that I love holding and grooming them but can also leave them be for months with no second thought. I guess they're more like roommates, I care about them and we share the same space but they can take care of themselves

 

Definitely an inanimate object but one that takes me to another world for a short time and makes me happy looking at it. It's great to use my imagination for a little while as well since there's not much room for imagination in my job.

 

They are like my kids, i dress them, talk to them and say good nite! But i dont have any back stories for them, even tho i love them alot i never think too much about it .

 

for me I'd say they are like a piece of art, something to put on display because I think it's cute! but as an artist myself it's also something i can get crafty and creative with. also, I don't have children and I don't really want any so I justify spending money on doll stuff since I don't have real children to spend money on lol.

 

I only have a floating head at the moment but I already regard them as a little friend/companion and I know when they have a body they'll sit by me and hang out all the time because they are a great comfort for me especially in terms of my anxiety. And I don't mind what others think about their dolls, whether they have them as display objects or the same as me it's whatever they want to do

 

For me my dolls are both art but also friends...Almost like talking to a loved one who has passed on. Sometimes I just need to talk to someone and not have them talk back. And I get a nice calming effect from a certain doll I have where as the other makes me feel more confident when I need it. The each have their own personality :-) Then again, I also talk to my plants
@littleraeven I agree with you about the comfort during anxiety.

 

My dolls are freeloaders who live in my house rent-free, don’t do anything useful, and still expect me to buy them clothes and other luxuries.

 

In the first for me dolls are inanimate objects, but... why I can`t tell with them?) And to care, and to think like about friend. Also I can to leave a doll on the shelf. Because this is a thing. Which needs care (cleaning clothes, changing wig, correction make-up etc.) and I don`t want to damage this frequent movement.
About talking... Sometimes all we talk with different things ( for example during long download Internet page or when we are waiting for a phone call). Usually this situations are not considered abnormal.
Generally, I successfully combine the attitude as to things and as a friend and I`m happy!

 

I see my dolls mostly as friends, I'll sometimes talk to them while I'm making them wigs or clothes. I also start to feel really bad if I don't bring them out to sit with me after some time.
But I think about their characters in my head all the time, so it's kind of like they're with all the time. So I guess you could say that my characters are my real friends, and the dolls are their physical shells that I can dress up and hang out with.

 

I treat my dolls like inanimate objects. More specifically, I think of them as 3D photographs of dear friends. I may talk to their characters aloud because they are ‘imaginary friends’, but I don’t talk to the dolls themselves. I like having them near so that when I look at them I am fondly reminded of stories and interactions in the past, like a photo from last year’s summer vacation. The positive feelings may elicit an occasional little hug or pat on the head, but that is for my benefit, not theirs. I don’t feel bad if I have to leave them unacknowledged for a few days at a time, because the people they represent aren’t them.

So... inanimate objects that elicit a strong sentimental response. I don’t know much about brain science but I would love to know what lights up in mine when I see them.

 

I feel like I treat my dolls as I do my stuffed animals. Like yea, they're inanimate objects but I love them and they have a lot emotional value to me. They're important and irreplaceable, even if if the replacement was identical.

 

My dolls are a family. When I got my tiny baby this week, I could feel the love between them. It was so weird. I couldn’t tell whether these melty feelings were theirs or mine. They are the family no one really has. They totally love and support each other, mixed racially, friend and blood relatives, no conflicts, all treated respectfully and with love. That must be my idea of fantasy.

 

I've had this story that I created almost 10 years ago when I was just 8 (crazy how long these characters have stuck around) and although the details have changed the general characters haven't. Once I discovered BJD's I knew that this was one way that I could "bring them" to "life".
So with that in mind, my dolls are both pieces of me and like family to me too

 

I see my characters as family, in a way, and my dolls the same way. Like, for instance, if you had family coming over to your house, you would clean it up nice and make sure you had the stuff for them to stay over, right? I'm the same way right now with my boys, wanting to clean so my room is nice and tidy and they've got my dresser top to occupy. I'm wanting to go through some old fabric and clothes no one wears around here anymore and make them beds and pajamas and blankets. I'm finding them little gifts like mini plushies and figurines to give them. I want their welcome home to be warm and as perfect as possible!

 

@MonochromeNocturne That is lovely!
I have a dollhouse which sometimes gets full of their toys and clothes. I always clear away the excess, straighten up the furniture and rugs, make the beds tidy, Then I set up the dolls having fun together in their rooms. It always cheers me up a few days later to see them in the poses I left them in. I used to pose them so my partner might notice and get a kick out of them but I mostly use the room where they are so now, I do it mostly for my own pleasure.

 

@Mahgiep Aww, it sounds like your dollies are very well taken care of! And I can understand being cheered up by the dolls, the thought of doing box openings of my Sera and Jean and getting to see them for the first time in person makes me all bubbly!

 

My dolls are all kid ages (in my mind) so yes I think of them as children. Some of them have little tantrums sometimes. So fun to imagine little scenarios for them.

 

Inanimate object. But I still talk to them and play with them!

 

I treat my girl like my child. When ever I get more dolls, I'd probably treat them like children as well.

 

I treat bjds like my other art projects... So I guess like inanimate objects, but ones that have been imbued with enough passion that they almost become something a little bit more. A lot of the time I go back to my old paintings or illustrations just to look at them, but the nice thing about dolls and sculptures is that I can actually pick them up and turn them over in my hands. There's something special about their dimensionality, I think.

For dolls I haven't painted (all off-topic dolls like LDDs) they are absolutely inanimate objects/display pieces. I like to look at them for inspiration.

 

Totally agree! To me, dolls are more like art projects & I care for them as such~ But there's also the element of character creation that I adore. I think the dolls/characters are special, but I don't particularly see them as children. ^^

 

I wouldn't say I treat them like friends but I definitely don't just treat them like objects, my dolls are very special to me and they mean a lot to me and I love to care for them, to me they are just art in its most beautiful form and that's why they're not only objects to me

 

Inanimate... friends?
They are my characters, I love them.
But I know they are objects. Beautiful objects and I respect them.

 

My doll, and stuffed animals are all treated like friends

 

My dolls are "my boys" - I don't think of them as my children but I am very emotionally attached to them, talk to them and fuss over them. I know they are just inanimate objects at the end of the day but I can't help feeling that giving something a name and character kind of gives it a "soul". I do keep up a "they are just dolls" front around non dolly people though - I don't want to come off as crazy, I'm just enjoying my hobby in a way that brings me happiness.

 

I treat them mixed. Before i dress/undress them i take of their heads, just because all my dols are elves and with that ears it is impossible to get some clothes on. It is simply more practical, also to protect the face up or prevent clothes from get stuck to earrings. But when they come together i talk to them, cuddle them every now and then and kiss them too.

Pfew..... my confession is out.....