Why are you into BJDs?

Aww, I'm so sorry to hear that - hugs to you, sweetie.

I have an unhappy history too of having family members joining a weird cult when I was 11, and I was banned from playing with dolls. I could keep them in a cupboard but not take them out and play with them. Basically the same as you, having to grow up too fast, too young.

So for me my dolls are my second childhood, or more accurately the fulfilment of my first childhood. I love making them the sort of pretty dresses and things I would have made my dolls if I'd been allowed to. It's the old saying, "better late than never."

 

For me, I really like the fact that you can customize them. I collect a lot of anime figures (almost 30 so far) and those never change (except for Nendoroids which I can swap face plates etc.). For me, anime has always been a big part of my life and it will continue to be a part of it because my husband also really likes it. I really love that I can collect anime-esque dolls and customize their clothing, wigs, etc. I am also looking into doing doll photography in the future as photography is something that my husband and I are both into, and I would love to use my dolls for that purpose.

 

Nothing specifically why, just because it was cute and able to customize how the faceup looks like and dressing them, taking pictures, making friends with same hobby online. It was just fun.

 

I really liked that I could customize them so that they're uniquely my own. I also like sewing, photographing, doing faceups. I've always been a creative person so I love having a hobby that allows me to use my other hobbies toward a project. It's nice too to have something to look forward to; it gives me goals to set for myself and accomplish.

 

I've just always really wanted one and they're really really cute. They're pretty good inspirations for creating OCs and stuff like that, and I really enjoy having them around me.

 

I like having tiny humans to customize.

 

I have a lot of different reasons but ones I can think of off the top of my head right now is: I always had a love of dolls when I was younger. I liked the way they looked and how cool it is that they all look so different from one to another just from changing small things like eyes, hair, heck even the face up itself. I liked how they made different sizes, so depending if you liked larger or smaller dolls, you don't have to worry because they have practically any size. How artistically inspiring and creative they are. They cater to a broad range of different arts: sewing and clothes,photography, character creation and writing stories, painting and detailing, making wigs and styling them, crafting and molding things such as eyes, wings, horns, different ears you name it. There's a lot of creativity going on there and its amazing. The pride of owning some dolls of my own finally after 9 long years when I didn't think that would happen what so ever and coming home from a rough/stressful day at work to be able to walk into my room to see them and just smile. Planning one day to bring one of my joys with me to the convention I go to every year and feel happy that I can look at the other doll owners now and feel 'man this is great, I'm gonna ask them where they got their doll's shirt from or if they made it, its really cute', instead of 'awww wow they're so pretty, I wish I could own one of those :c' . They are amazing, sometimes through very rough times, they kept me going, as cheesy as that might sound. Going through some really bad days of 'man, I'm not sure if this is gonna get better.', to looking at them and thinking, 'no, at least finish that skirt you were making'. To try the finished piece on one of the dolls and seeing it fit perfectly is a little spirit lifter, a small victory.

 

Honestly, I'm not sure. I was never really into dolls growing up but for some reason BJDs sparked my interest. I think it might be because of all the creative things you can do with them (make characters, clothes, faceups, ect.) And also the community of people making things for these dolls is amazing!

 

As many others have said, the ability to customize them. That, and tiny clothes. I freaking love miniatures.

 

I used to play with dolls when I was younger - bratz, barbies, random figures - and thought it was just really... fun to customize them and it helped engage my imagination so much. I could come up with little stories and fantasies featuring them for hours (usually it was lesbian vampire themed hahaha). I thought it was super engaging and enjoyable to pose them, interact, and just look at them.

BJD just seems like the natural creative step from that for adults. I see them as very special art objects as well. They're beautifully crafted and special - and now you can customize them even better than the dolls one had as a kid. I don't even have my first yet but I'm getting her super soon. The fact that I can make different eyes for her, buy clothes and make cute outfits, take awesome photos, to just pose and lightly "play" with her gives me a certain sense of joy. I wasn't always in this hobby - I'm actually pretty new and joined this year in a more active way. But I'm excited! As an artist it seems like there are endless creative possibilities in this hobby. I also have many artistic hobbies but this one will probably be the most relaxed for me (hopefully) and not super engrained with my other stuff etc.

 

I'm in to BJDs cause they look cool.

 

I like to use them as photography models and turn them into characters I design for stories

 

i'm being poisoned hard be my friend lol

 

It's creating the character. Or more like looking at the doll and seeing the character it can be. First time I saw the Resinsoul Mei, I knew the white one, the lilac one, and the gray one would be triplets. White would be the punk elf I've been wanting, gray is more into soft, romantic shades, and lilac will be into bohemian/grunge wear.

 

I'm not really sure. I guess it's because I've always liked dolls, and I collected them since I was a small child. Though when I was a child I had barbies/my scene, brats, porcelain dolls, liv dolls, and even monster high, but I've never had a bjd before I got Aida. Or maybe it's because I found the Volks bjd website when I was 10 and saw the Dollfie Dream Hatsune Miku, but like I said, I'm not really sure.

 

Why I like BJD/Dolls in general:

1) Dress-up. I love making outfits and looks for dolls.
2) Restringing. There is something very relaxing about restringing, it helps me stay grounded and focus on the task at hand. It's a fun little challenge.
3) BJD specific, I love that I can swap my eyes and wigs at anytime.
4) I get to meet people.
5) They look pretty

 

I have always collected different dolls and figurines, so I naturally gravitated towards bjds. From most regular dolls, bjds are more detailed, customizable, and often bigger in size. Ball jointed dolls comprise my largest collection at the moment.

 

I've always enjoyed collecting things in general and also have been really into Anime and art/crafts in general. Most recently I'm into customizing Monster High dolls and this seemed like the natural progression? I already have a lot of ideas on "who" my dolls are and the things I can make for them... All that is really exciting to me! ^^

 

For me, its the customization. Barbies bored me so much when I was a kid because they couldnt pose, and the clothes were so limited. I found BJDs back in november, and fell pretty fast. There are so many options for all aspects of the dolls, most of which you can make yourself. Im waiting on my first doll, but I already have a ton of ideas for her.

 

I personally like the designing of dolls the most and the excitemnt of making personalities for them. Sometimes I will see a doll I think is beautiful and I will just imagine the kind of story they could have. Naming is also my favorite, apart from deciding what kind of faceup they should have too. I love the freedom of design and how unique the same sculpts can look from the type of faceup they have.

 

1. I've always liked dolls: BJDs are the most beautiful dolls I've seen!
2. I've always like more mature dolls and male dolls: BJDs have more of that than other kinds of dolls. I love the variety--fantasy dolls, anthros, etc.
3. I love customizing things--making all aspects just as I want them--and being able to change things.
4. I love getting stuff to customize the dolls, and accessorize them. I just like getting all the extras!
5. All the items, clothing, eyes, wigs, faceups, props, shoes--they are all just so wonderful! Each a little gem! Tiny shoes and tiny buckles. Just LOVE.
6. I love creating characters and scenes, and can do that--and take photos! I don't shell my characters--I make new ones up with each doll.
7. I love sharing the hobby with others: I'm lucky and have many people I know who were already into BJDs or I met through BJDs.
8. I love doing things with BJDs and going to meetups and conventions--getting to travel and see places is an extra plus.
9. Pretty much everything about BJDs, I love! (there are downsides, too, but not as much as the pros!)

 

I got into it because they are completely customizable. I love all things artsy, and have done a lot from painting, pastel, photography and even tattooing. So it's another artistic outlet for me. I enjoy a good challenge and sewing has been the toughest. I've sewn for many years, but never on this small scale or created my own patterns, which I'm doing now. Ive gotten a lot better at it and there's nothing as rewarding as finishing a doll. I'm hooked.

 

I've always enjoyed art, and especially artifacts like figures and statues. I discovered BJD's just a few years back, and was instantly obsessed by their beautiful sculpts. To me this hobby is about the art of dolls, the beauty of each sculpt, and the wonders that a beautiful outfit will do the whole artifact. Later on I started to bring them outside into the beautiful scenery around here, for photographing, and it became awesome! I even made it into a Doll Magazine I just love to set up characters, and blend them into a situation in i beautiful setting, it's like a fairy tale. You can check out my pictures on Instagram

But I'm also a introvert, and have my issues, so the dolls are making me feel much better at home. they keep me Company, and I can talk to them, and love them in my own way.

 

Hmm...not sure exactly why I like BJDs. A friend introduced me to the hobby and I guess I kept thinking about it that I got into it. I do see my friend play with hers and so the constant exposure probably helped.
I've always liked dolls and playing dress up with them and creating stories with them. Used to play with Barbie dolls and dress up stuffed animals as a kid so BJDs are like a more grown up version of that.
I don't own a BJD yet but I know I'm most excited to play dress up with it since that's the biggest appeal to me.

 

Honestly dolls used to make me really uneasy, this definitely wasn't a love at first sight hobby.

I'm a big fan of Lolita and Mori fashions, and I make/sell costumes and different textile thing as well as other miscellaneous stuff. Turns out there's a MASSIVE overlap with the BJD community and the cosplay/Lolita communities, so I was seeing a lot of pictures and slowly started to get really curious.

After about a month of regularly searching for BJD photography I decided to actually look at dolls. When I found ResinSoul Mei I fell totally in love and my husband said it was meant to be and I should get her. So glad I did, looking forward to making her costumes for this renfest season and taking her with us!! There's almost certainly more dolls in my future.

 

1. Websites like Deviantart and Flickr is where I found the inspiration and admiration of bjd dolls. They have lots of fantastic mind-blowing and creative photos that put me into daydream mode. I lost count how many time I spent there marvel other people's bjd and photography skills.

2. Thankfully bjd comes in all sizes and are produced on orders. Unlike Barbies that are mass produced or available at Target or Kmart stores, bjds are produced in small numbers.

3. The 68-70cm are perfect size for me. Not too big that looks scary and not too small that looses the detail.

 

I've always liked dolls as a child so I guess when I discovered BJDs it was pretty natural for me to want one!

I got into drawing last year though and realised that they make great models and are really inspiring for me. And I love how customisable they are, with a change of eyes, hair and clothes they can become a whole new character!

 

The reason why I like BJD is for its customisation and the creativity I'm able to put into it. I enjoy arts and crafts so I'd like to design and create ideas for the dolls while it helps as a reference with its posing capabilities.

 

Hm, I guess because they can be fully customized. As I've been creating imaginary characters since I was a kid, realizing them helps me to develop my creativity and explore many new things. Not to mention, I got friends, from my local community and overseas.

 

Idk there is just something a bit fun and weeaboo-ish about having ABJDS. None of my dolls have japanese names but that's generally the thing that makes me love this hobby. ALL OF THE OTAKUS!!! The roleplaying and the photostories and Idk its just so fun. lol

 

My dolls are like 3d manga characters of my own creation.

 

I am into the bjd hobby because it includes so many mediums to use art wise. I can paint their face, make their wigs, sew and find little odds and ends to incorporate into my doll for stylistic purpose. The possibilities are endless!

 

I'm not sure if I can actually pinpoint the reason. I think dolls are beautiful and they make me so happy. I especially love tiny doll clothes and tiny doll accessories for some reason. I also love the creative outlet dolls give me which I haven't enjoyed through other mediums.

 

I like to sew clothes for them and craft things in general

 

They're like... the ultimate action figures. I can have resin versions of my tabletop RPG and MMO characters!

They're excellent photography models.

They're easier to sew for than I am.

And I flat-out just like tinkering around with them.

 

Uh... I dunno.

I think probably the variety and customisation. I always collected toys and liked action figures, but either they made one of a character or they didn’t, and I didn’t get on well with vinyl customisation. With BJDs, you really can create whatever you want. I’m not the best at mods, but just looking at some of what people have created shows that anything is possible.

I also like the realism. I can get awesome head sculpts and even create my own. I’ve always liked crafting, and so wig making, eye making, face-ups, learning to sew... all these things have been great fun to me. Before, a figure was bought off the shelf and was largely the same as the ones everyone else bought. BJDs are rarely even similar, even if they’re the same sculpt. They all take on a part of their owner.

 

Well, back when I first became interested in BJDs (back in 2009 or 2010), it was all about the characters and photography. However, I fell out of the hobby for a few years, and now that I'm back in, I find that my interest/focus has changed. Now, I view BJDs more as a way to use my other hobbies (crafting, painting, knitting) and make something beautiful that I can display (and photograph, yes, but it's not really important). I think it's cool to have a little piece of art that I've worked on and customized displayed in my house.

Of course, it helps that BJDs are insanely gorgeous to begin with, and posing them is really fun! And of course, I've always loved dolls from a young age. And miniature things. Miniature things are satisfying.

 

I think I've always had an extra soft spot for specific dolls. I loved making characters and being able to imagine stories for them growing up. I remember the first time I had ever seen a bjd was on DA. I was probably about 13-14 ish? It was an instant interest and even though at the time I couldn't have one I would still admire others and would work to get my own one day.

 

I think i started as i love beautiful dolls, reborns and also my own sculpts. Started as a kid knitting crocheting sewing embroidery so i can include all of this with my bjd doll.

 

I like being able to customize them the most. But also I just like having those little people around me

 

I love being able to work on them and find ways to improve their posability! A huge thrill for me is taking a doll apart and reassembling them-- when I was little I was really into those Zoid assembly kits and would spend hours assembling and reassembling my Zoids, so there's a similar joy in BJDs.
I also love the whole...putting a doll's look together and the crafty bits! C:

 

I think for me it's the combination of them being such beautiful pieces of art, but also being so customizable, and therefore it becomes a creative outlet.
I used to love action figures more so than dolls when I was younger, so I guess to me they're more like giant beautiful action figures lol.

 

I have always searched for ways to bring my fantasies into the real world. I love not just making up “something that happened” but breathing personality, preferences and quirks into a character until they feel truly alive. As a child I spent entire days acting out stories with my siblings and our Barbies or plush animals. It was very rare to get a new set piece, so we had to be creative; many of our props and clothing were handmade or modified bits of recycling and this and that scavenged from other toys. Every single doll we owned had a backstory and complex relationships with the rest of the townsfolk. If my little brother bit a doll’s nose off or broke her arm, we wove it into her story. BJDs were a natural progression from that universe and have offered a more sophisticated grown-up canvas to continue the creative playtime and escapism I enjoyed as a girl.

 

A lot of reasons, I think. From least to most important to me:

1) size
2) range of motion
3) aesthetics
4) emphasis on customization

While technically any doll can really be customized, it was something new for me to see a high-end doll actively being presented as something you should customize. Receiving a doll wasn't the end goal, it was actually the beginning! Owning a BJD meant utilizing your own creativity to really make the doll unique. It was enthralling even at the very beginning of the hobby's days to see how truly different the same sculpt could look in different hands. It really felt like a collaborative process, watching a doll maker send its fledgling art into the world and be reinterpreted by so many different people. That was just as hugely appealing to me then as it is now!

 

One thing that I really like about BJD is that my doll is the reflection of myself, I can try the style that I like with my doll, how I might look like, if I'm confident enough to step out of my comfort zone

 

I truly love the endless possibilities that each doll has. I enjoy sewing and crafting for them. Its also a learning experience, I've learned so much about sewing, photography and faceups. I hope everyone has as much fun as I do

 

I love BJD's for so many reasons. I've never been interested or collected other kind of dolls so, for me, BJD's are the dolls. One of the main reasons I love them is that they're my own characters come true. And they're not only in my mind but in the real world. I love touching them, playing with them and simply staring at them. I also think so much about their stories, personalities and relations, I write about them and I plan so many things for them. I can't even describe how I enjoy that process! I like changing their clothes and accesories, doing their face ups and taking pictures of them too

 

Hmm... *thinks intensely*
Before I knew what BJDs were, I was madly in love with figma and obitsus because they were so poseable, and even before then I made up all these intricate stories for my plushies. When I found about about BJDs, I was immediately in love and pored over them for hours on end, practically obsessed with them. I think my driving force was how "artsy" they were and the sheer possibilities those dolls held.

 

I am a doll collector and I like dolls in general. Becoming interested in BJDs was the next step in my evolution.

I don't see BJDs as different from other dolls except that they are poseable. I selected my BJD (I only have one so far) for the same reason I select all of my dolls: she was pretty and she could wear pretty clothes.

 

Initially, it was to provide myself with a worthwhile distraction, as my mum had recently [at that time] been admitted to hospital. When she was successfully discharged, we had moments of bonding over my first doll. So, even though I don't really interact with him now, I still don't want to move him on. Even if it means I could bring a doll of my dreams home.

I'm still in the hobby, eight years later, because... there's almost a sense of companionship in having the dolls around. There's something similar to owning a pet, in having the dolls around. Only, unlike pets, these companions won't leave until you send them off. There's a certain comfort in holding them sometimes. And, I adore the customisation possibilities. I love that I can take a blank, or bare doll with a face-up, and I can make them into my own Leon Kennedy or Chekov. Or a character of my own design. They can be a form of 3D fan-art or a physical representation of a character I have in mind for a story. I can try a hair colour on them, to see if it works. A hairstyle, or fashion style.

 

I've had my characters for decades; they're near and dear to me, and for a very long time I wanted a way to bring them into the "real world," so to speak. Plush dolls seemed too childish, I couldn't find the right base for kitbashing, and there weren't any playline dolls available that I could adequately style into what I was after (both options and my skills make that more possible now). I initially blew off BJDs because I didn't realize they were customizable, I just thought they were some trendy Lolita variant on porcelain dolls, but when I discovered that they were designed as more of a canvas than a complete package, that there was a variety of shapes and styles, and that there was a head that actually looked extremely close to one of my dearest characters, I was sunk. I started with a small group of my characters, that grew and spread and continues to grow, adding some favorite fandom characters, some new ones designed to fit dolls that fit perfectly into groups, and some that are just wonderful sculpts I wanted to own. But the true reason is because I can make the characters I want to make, and have them in a poseable, dressable, amazing 3D form.

 

I originally got my first doll to see for, then I got another to bond with a friend who was going through a hard time. But then they started to become companionship.

I have always been able to count the people I consider friends on one hand, not that I’ve wanted it that way, but have a hard time opening up. But the dolls are kind of a halfway step. They each have their own personalities and these days they fill in for human connections.
They also have started to open up a community between this and discord servers.

 

I became a doll collector when I became an empty nester. At the same time I started collecting doll furniture, 'I combined BJDs
and the furniture to make fun dioramas. I love making homes for my beautiful dolls. Of course each needs clothing so I make sure they have wardrobes for assorted occasions.

 

Dear Starlady, making dioramas sounds like fun. I like to watch the DIY videos. I don't really have the skills but it is fun to watch.

I am a doll collector also but I only have one BJD so far.

 

I like beautiful and cute things. I like dolls. I like art. BJDs are all of those things in one! I love dressing mine up and posing her cutely.

 

I have always loved dolls. I started collecting baby dolls in polymer clay, silicone and resin. I got my first BJD some time after and he was my one and only for years. I have more recently decided to add some more BJDs. I don't really know how or why that came about because I did stop buying dolls for a while. I guess I somehow I came across them again and decided they would be nice to add to my little collection of dolls. They are just so beautiful and delicate. I love that I can be more creative with them, make them furniture and display them in home settings.

 

I've always been obsessed with statuettes, figures, miniatures, and dollhouses, so BJDs were a natural love for me. I fully appreciate these kind of things as an art form, and I think the ability to paint, dress, style, and pose the dolls any way I want to is also a huge plus. I have a section of wall for figures and fashion dolls who are more for display like art pieces and once I get a better set up ready, I'd like to do the same for my BJDs. Having beautiful things displayed and taking photos of them makes me super happy!

 

For me, I have always loved dolls as my mother got me into them when I was a kid. However, I could never find ones that could represent what I wanted. Pretty as they were, they weren't what I needed as a whole. Don't get me wrong, I still love my other dolls but when I found BJDs I was a happy one. I can customize these however I see fit and can finally create characters and bring things to life.

 

one of the reasons why i'm into bjds is because customization and styles for these beautiful dolls are endless and i see my doll as a mini me and can express some fashion that i like that i'm not comfortable wearing outside the real world haha.

 

I have always liked dollhouses and miniatures. I loved playing with my dolls and imagining characters and making up stories for them. Now I get to imagine a character and see them come to life. If something doesn't work I can it change easily.
My main interest is writing so I like to write back stories and adventures for them. I think BJD allows you to really customize them and I love the poses that they can achieve compared to the dolls I grew up with. At least from photos online as I research as I haven't got one yet.