What single thing can you blame for getting you into BJDs?

And it's a pity that it just disapeared without warning (well the forum anyway, not the shop).

 

I blame my already existing love for dolls, but then my discovery of bjds just tipped it over the edge...also my love for my first bjd character, Aloy. My desire to have a doll of her is what initially got me into the hobby.

 

I was looking for images online I believe the search query I used at the time was "sculpture" or was it "realistic" because I was looking for a model and then I stumbled across a Dollshecraft David's sleeping face done by SDink and the rest is history :3

 

@PurpleCheeseStick ...

 

You're welcome.

 

:,( best worst mistake.

 

Your wallet, what? Nobody needs that.

Nobody.

Idk I got into bjds through Monster High and lolita fashion. Matching outfits with your doll and all that, and I knew a few MH collectors who also had bjds, so I just kinda got curious and whoops now I have another doll on the way--what has my life come to? It's glorious.

 

Someone on a discord I was on ordered a BJD based on one of her characters from a game, and I realized dolls were the perfect way to bring an OC to life. I was able to recreate an almost perfect likeness of my OC for my first doll and it was so exciting, I got happy every time I saw her!

 

My daughter

 

Anime Conventions.
The nail in the coffin was seeing CP/Luts elf ears.

 

Beautiful pictures of bjds! I first saw them on Deviantart and I was like "What are these beautiful angels?"

 

My fiancee got one. Thought it would be great to shell characters from our role plays. RiP wallet

 

Anime.

Everything happened because of anime. I never would have found out about BJDs without having found out about lolita fashion, and never would have found out about lolita fashion without having found out about anime. Everything all boils back down to having discovered anime as a displaced and lonely middle schooler.

 

A picture of a BJD on deviant art. I have no idea what doll it was, or who posted it, but it is to blame for this 10 year obsession.

 

I think I just graduated 8th grade when I saw Poisongirl Pullips on Flickr. I had somewhat of an income from youtube back in the day, and used it on Pullip Aquel, my first doll! Got my first bjd sometime in high school (YOSD). This year I finally got my first minifee and sd13, but I know my resin fam will grow much more in the future

 

I didn't really like dolls when I was a kid. I gave most of my Barbies away, but I kept three of them, as they were perfect for customization - to make my own Gotham City Sirens. I never finished that (Harley is somehow complete, Ivy is in a process, never really started the Catwoman...) - I started cosplaying and forgot about them.
I found a fandom which took over my life - Dragon Age. I fell in love with the characters, with the design... And it broke my heart to find out that there is next to none merch for these games. No figurines, no statuettes, not even Funko Pops. When I got a job in a toyshop, I was surprised that I kinda found I liked the Collectors' edition Barbies - and ended up buying couple of them. An idea sparked in my mind - when there is no merch, let's make my own! I started looking for Barbies to customize, but they didn't really offer the variety I needed. I started to look into customize action figures instead, but with the same results. I knew about BJDs - I liked the pictures of them, saw them regularly at conventions, got to know BJD owners from the same fandom... But never really considered the possibility.
However it changed when I met a girl who had her elvhen Inquisitor. I loves the idea, admired the dedication - she made him perfect. At that time I just admired the dolls, didn't even consider the possibility getting one myself, but it changed on next con.
I met her again - that time with an android doll from Detroit game. And that was when it happened - she needed to get her phone out of her pocket and from all the people around, she decided that I am the one trustworthy enough to let me hold her doll. And that was it - when I held him, something in my mind clicked. In a moment I changed from "nice thingey" to "omg, I need that".
Later when I browsed the options, I found out, that BJDs would be the ideal way to recreate the characters I always wanted to have.
So the money I was saving for diferent purpose bought the first part of my new project. Now I just have to wait for my first doll to arrive.

 

Honestly, Ringdoll absolutely stole my heart one day and ever since I couldn't stop.

 

I blame a friend I made in college. She introduced me to BJD and used to carry her first doll around with her. She also let me handle and pose him. I remember the moment I started really playing with him and fell in love. Then down the rabbit hole I went XD

 

My mother and grandmother.

My grandmother collected and even made porcelain dolls strung with elastic, and she gave me one of her favorites years ago. I still have that doll to this day.

My mom had been collecting dolls since before I was born. She gave me a lot of hers, mostly Barbies, but also some other plastic dolls. She's the one who actually introduced me to resin BJDs, as she loves looking at pictures of them online and some years ago she started showing me some pictures of them and I fell in love. She also gave me my first resin BJD a couple of years ago.

 

A friend of mine in HS followed a photographer who had one and I was mildly interested, but I really have to blame a friend I made in college! I said in passing that I liked the look of ABJD and she told me she had three, she used them to shell characters in her novel. We'd get coffee and write together every sunday and she'd always bring her dolls with her and I'd play with them. That was many years ago but it really was the catalyst to me finally deciding I was going to own one someday.

 

I’d say that Blythe dolls are a slippery slope.

 

Honestly I believe I was 10 and on Deviantart.com and happen to came across a user who owned some and instantly fell in love. But I didnt own one till I was 22. And they are still able to make my jaw drop

 

To be honest I have always loved dolls in general and have collected them on and off my whole life. When I was restoring a 1950's doll And was searching for a new wig I saw bids and was smitten. I started researching them for about 2 years before I finally got one.

 

I loved barbies and american girls growing up, and when i got older my mom and I obsessed over this japan brand of BJDs. As artists we were practically foaming at the mouth at how pretty and posable they were! For years I just watched at the side lines because we were frankly poor and I didn't have a job because I was in middle school. Now I'm older and have my own money so I've finally made the jump!

 

I had gone back to studying as a way to get a better job and stumbled upon a Littlefee and an Iplehouse Kid on Ravelry. I decided I owed myself a gift as I was making my life a misery out of necessity.
Then on receiving my first BJD, and after having to re-pass exams because my diplomas were deemed ''old'' by the school/professional association, I took the decision to buy a BJD for each/several exams I passed as a means to keep myself on track. I was pretty disillusioned by that time with the studies and the so-called ''added-value'' they were meant to give me.
Anyway, the ploy worked and I entered the hobby in a good frame of mind. I am now owner of about 12 BJDs of different sizes and they have helped me through lots of ill-health and related stresses.

 

I wanted one for years after being introduced to it by a friend and her bf.
After lending my sister money for her down payment (and getting it back ofc) I realized: hey! I actually have some money saved up and could realistically buy a doll!
I just placed an order for my first little (if you can consider msd “little”) lady last night , and considering how I tend to dive pretty deep into hobbies (the only thing I have just 1 of is my laptop and phone lol) I doubt there’ll be much of a gap until my next one!

 

I've always been into jointed/poseable toys like action figures and jointed barbies, but Rozen Maiden is what got me hooked on specifically ball jointed dolls~

 

I would say monster high dolls! They started my interest in jointed dolls when I was little, which quickly changed to me getting pullips which then got me into bjds. So I've been looking and interested in them since 2009 when I was only 9, and just this year I was finally able to order my first doll! She should be arriving soon

 

Instagram BJD posts.
I was addicted to finding BJD accounts for a while ahahaha.
Specifically lpslck and n47s lol. I just got hooked on how much personality and life their dolls have.

 

Anime, lol. Back in 2006/7 there was an article in an anime magazine. And then I started noticing a them at the conventions I was going to(usually just one or two collectors with a custom shelled anime character).
I'm not into anime anymore, but I still love bjd.

 

Ah yes, how it all began...it was Pullip dolls for me! Rosen Maiden really sealed the deal! The characters were sold as Pullip dolls that I adored!

 

Pretty much this. My best friend's older sister also had a couple of dolls from her time in Japan, in like 2005? So I've been aware of them for a long time, but tbh they were kept safely secure in her older sister's room, so I basically just got glances at them and never saw them up-close until I encountered photographs of them when browsing through Blythe-adjacent stuff.

 

I got really into dollightful's videos, and when she made her freya/freyer videos, i was smitten!

 

Livejournal. I was about thirteen or fourteen (If not younger) when I found a BJD community and saw all the pretty dolls. But I had no idea of how to get them until I was older. I didn't get my first BJD until I was 28!

 

My 4 year old daughter!! I was actually looking for doll clothes for her dolls and came across BJD and well, I ended up ordering dolls for myself and clothes for my dolls instead! Hahaha

 

I am very into lolita fashion, and I would see dolls at conventions and one of my best friends got really into BJDs – she showed me the basics, and I fell head over heels in love with Dream of Doll (press F)!

 

So, I learned about BJDs from watching dollightful's unboxing video of a MYou doll, and I was very interested! A BJD (especially one from MYou) was on my wishlist for a few years after that, but what made me really pull the trigger was looking at Doll Chateau Barbara. I just... fell in love with her. I have never seen a work of art more lovely, and ethereal, than DC Barbara. I started searching the internet EVERYWHERE for her, realized she was too expensive, and I started searching for Doll Chateau dolls on the second hand market. That's how I found Katurah, my DC Katherine, she was in my price range and I just had to have her! That is how I acquired my first BJD and took the plunge into this hobby!

 

My longtime obsession with The Sims games is the one thing that led me into the BJD hobby.

For the longest time, I had no computer, and thus no way to play The Sims in the manner I wanted to - specifically for storytelling - other than the hard to work with PS2 copy I had at the time. I fact, I didn't get my first laptop until 2017 (and I played The Sims, like I had intended )
I had been wanting to purchase a BJD for a while, because in my lusting over people's Sims stories and legacy challenges on Tumblr, I had come across a BJD (This was sometime around 2014). Then I found Den of Angels. Then I started looking at dolls but couldn't purchase any because I was a broke preteen

I'm in college now and I'm finally fulfilling my goal of purchasing one. I have a Resinsoul Song on the way!

 

For me it was probably browsing on my instagram explore page. I am big into cosplay and occasionally fursuits and I think I happened upon it from there. Didn't really know what they were so did some looking into them, fell in love and well... here I am now lol. I love the beauty and creativity of these!

 

I blame Instagram and Asella's Raspberry appearing there for reminding me that BJDs exist and that they're pretty cool. :P

 

I found out about bjds from Lolita fashion. In books and magazines I had they would often talk about “Super Dollfie”. On and off for years I thought about getting one but I could never find the right doll. Until one day someone I knew posted a picture of their Soom Humpty Dumpty and I googled Soom and I found the Idealian website.

 

Haute Doll magazine circa 2009

 

I can trace it back to my interest in Japanese art and culture. (I lived there for a year in 1991 when I was in my mid 30’s.) In 2006 the British Japanorama Series 2 episode 6 covered the growth of the SuperDollfie hobby. (I see this has been mentioned in other threads.) At the time, I admit I thought it was a bit mad! Adults playing with dolls! But I was also oddly fascinated. (Little did I know that I had begun the long fall down the rabbit hole!) I saw the hobby growing and developing and the sculpts becoming more realistic and more fantastical. I bought my first BJD in 2014 and haven’t looked back since!

 

Monster High youtubers!! I started watching dollightful and eventually ended up seeing more doll customizing/unboxing videos for BJDs and thought "huh... those are cool." I've worked on a few MH dolls in the past, but never fell into it as much as I have with BJDs.

 

My desire to be surrounded by all things beautiful. Haha I’m just joking.... or am I? On a serious note what actually got me into bjds was seeing one in an online art class. She was being used as a reference. Once I saw her I just knew I needed one. I love to draw and she would make a great addition in helping me learn how to draw heads and bodies proportionally. Bjds are also extremely gorgeous so I just fell in love and bought my first doll. Ever since then I’ve been addicted to them.

 

Maybe anime? Watching anime made me very interested in Japan and asian culture. I don't exactly remember how I first came to know about BJDs because I was probably 14 but I was probably browsing Internet for anime figurines and maybe came across a BJD website or pictures of BJDs. Then years later my cousin asked for a Pullip Doll which made me interested in Pullips and then I began my love for dolls.

 

When I was 10 I read "Japan Ai" by Aimee Major Steinberger, which launched my curiosity and interest in the dolls, but my family made fun of me for wanting them. Since then I've lived on the Volks, LUTS, and acbjd sites, but I haven't purchased a doll yet. Currently, I'm saving up for my first one at 22 years old. I never would have gotten into the hobby if it weren't for that book, I still own a copy.

 

Mine was a mixture of a roleplay site and DeviantArt. This was 12 or 13 years ago when dA was big, and my friends and I were big into online roleplay, so we had a few roleplay sites. In one of them I wanted to play a living doll, named Loki, so I went onto dA looking for a good image for him. That’s when I first saw BJD, and hooooooly cow that was a mighty big rabbit hole for me to fall into. I just instantly fell in love with these beautiful dolls and gorgeous photography people did with them. Got my first a couple years later (don’t have him anymore cause I went cheap with Mirodoll and didn’t like him as much as I thought I would), and have stayed in the rabbit hole ever since.
Part of me always wanted to make Loki into a BJD, since he’s what started it all, but I never did because the original image I used for his character was someone else’s BJD and that felt wrong, and now I don’t really remember anything about what he looked like other than dark hair and pale skin. Maybe I’ll redesign him someday and make him into a bjd, since I don’t remember the image I used for him it won’t feel like stealing.

 

Lati Yellow, I love other companies but a Lati Yellow was the first abjd I saw. It took time for me to get started in the hobby but seeing them in my early doll collecting days always kept abjd in my mind. Once I was satisfied with reclaiming my childhood with vintage dolls I never had I started looking for a new obsession and I was finally at a place in life to afford them.

 

I first found bjds because of jpop, but that was over ten years ago. Having grown up collecting porcelain dolls, I was captivated, but at the time it was something way out of my price range and I kinda just let the thought of ever owning one fall to the wayside. Then I moved to Japan on a secondment for work, and when I saw dolls in second hand stores, they were suddenly very much attainable given I no longer was a broke college student. A lot of research and subsequent wallet pain has ensued.

 

I blame Catsy, by Elfdoll. I think I would have eventually gotten into BJDs, but it was the lure of a tiny cat doll that kicked it off for me. And like potato chips, I couldn't stop at just one.

 

I went to Resin Rose back in 2018 as part of an outreach team for another con. I went because no one else volunteered. I'm all about re-examining my opinions. And honestly, that weekend was amazing. Everyone was so kind and open. Everyone was so accepting. I didn't touch anyone's dolls because I felt like it would be disrespectful but by the end of the weekend I was looking for a doll to buy.

 

One of my closest friends, lol. I don't know how she discovered them, but we were in middle school and she showed me and I was sold basically immediately. I didn't get a doll of my own until I was graduated from high school, though.

 

I think I saw one at an anime convention about 12 years ago, and then became obsessed with it. Found my grail doll (LUTS Ani) about a year later, and purchased it as my first doll, and it was my only purchased I made from my own wallet. I have two more dolls, but one was my wife's who gave it to me after she fell out of the hobby, and another was a gift.

...I'm back into the hobby now and already want another doll. funnily enough, I just want another LUTS Ani sculpt (but the romantic version), and in a tanned color. LUTS didn't offer that over a decade ago so now I'm excited about the prospect of owning one... assuming I can save the money while I'm trying to save to move to the UK, hahaha.

 

I cannot remember a one particular thing that got me into the hobby. I think it was the combination of me listening Japanese music and being interested in the Japanese street fashion. At some point I found Dream of Doll dolls (probably first Homme Ducan if I remember right) while I was searching something in Google and I was hooked. I started to look for more information and resources. This was probably around 2008 or 2009, I got my first doll around 2010. What got me back into the hobby last year (I was inactive for quite some years) was combination me wanting to start doing something artistic again, finding new interesting BJD companies/artists and boredom of being in quarantine all the time.

 

The one thing I blame for getting me into the hobby? Deviantart. More specifically seeing this doll all over the place way back in my early teens. I wanted one just like him SO BAD. He's still one of my favorite sculpts and I've accepted I'm never gonna get one like it but ugh. He's so handsome...his secondhand prices are insane for me though x-x;

 

I blame Bluoxyde for modifying Zaoll boys (8 years ago). If it weren't for them, I never would have fallen into the BJD trap. This great artist is guilty as charged.

 

I'll probably blame Pinterest and a friend for letting me fall into the BJD trap lol. I remember I used to look for references on Pinterest for my drawings and often found pics of these dolls, but never knew how they were called and wasn't so interested in them as I am right now. A couple of months ago, in a discord group that I have with some friends, one of them started sharing with us pictures of their grails (and dolls they owned) and even trades of those who were willing to pay them with heads, bodies or even full dolls for their art commissions! I was completely shocked and started dming them in private to ask a bunch of questions related to the hobby, so I said "this is it, I must save to get one!"

 

I loved Pullip dolls and used to watch youtube about Pullips all the time. Then one day I got recommended a video from Lorti and I fell in love with her dolls! The rest is history lol

 

I've always loved collecting dolls of any kind and one day on youtube I came across doll customizing and while watching a whole lot of these videos someone had a BJD they were working on and I knew I just had to have one for myself. If I remember correctly it was actually Dollightfuls' video of her Myou girl