You Know You're a BJD Dork When...

When I go to look up just one specific piece of bjd info on Google in the morning and before you know it I'm still down the bjd rabbit hole at supper time.

 

I do this all the time. Mine is when I realize that my fiance (who I've been with for almost 3 years now) is scared of dolls, but I have SO MANY dolls in various states of assembly, disassembly, dressed, undressed, and bits and bobs all over the house that he's been desensitized to them. And that I talk to them enough that he's gotten to where he thinks it's perfectly normal now too.

 

omg... so my husband and I had the silliest very topical conversation a night ago or so....

He's like, "What if I stole your glasses and tried to be you for the day?" And I'm like, "Well, what are you gonna do first thing in the morning when you go to my computer and try to get started on my dolly work?"

He thinks about it for just a half moment and says: "Okay so hear me out: I log on your computer, I go to Den of Angels, I say 'Hello, Good Morning, I am Harucasting!' and then I talk to everyone. .... And then I go to your sewing machine and I start making some doll clothes....."

I say, "What size are you going to make them? Minifee size?"

Him: ".....Yes."

I laughed a lot. He's like, "Heyyyy I know at least one buzzword! I could make it for a day!"

I think he's an honorary BJD dork.

 

Usually at night, I tend to watch movies that my partner, (who goes to bed relatively early) would not be interested in. Action movies, mostly.

But since I've had a bit of an influx of new dolls over the last year or so, I've been splitting my time between watching streaming movies and perusing DoA and different doll sites looking for wigs and eyes.

Oops.

Ryu

 

When ninety-nine percent of your cell phone's capacity is taken up by pictures and videos of your BJDs.

 

Honorary BJD dork award for my husband. I picked up a new wig for Ethan and was fiddling with it last night. When I got it looking just so, I took a few photos of him and put my phone down and we settled in for our Monday Time Team episode: The Claws of Axos. Halfway through the story, Ethan falls over.

Hubby looks over at Ethan and says, “he just can’t hold his liquor like he used to” then turns his attention back to the Third Doctor.

 

Everywhere you go you look for things that will work as bjd props.

 

Strolling the local dollar store, just browsing through the aisles:
"That one, that's tiny-sized. This should be MSD sized. Why can't I find a SD-sized (insert object here)..."

 

When your favorite topic of conversation is photo-projects with your dolls.

 

When random measurements are tied to doll measurements in your head (5.5cm? THAT'S A MINIFEE FOOT LENGTH. The table's 60 cm high? OH YES IT IS AN SD.)

 

When you think of the different types of poses dolls can do and you compare them to your own flexibility (Doll can do the splits? I can't for the life of me. Doll can do advanced yoga poses like holding their leg above their head? The most "advanced" I can do is the "tree pose".)

~ Or ~

Looking through doll furniture at a thrift shop or in a toy aisle and wondering if it's to scale with the dolls you have at home.

 

When you meet a new person, and think "gosh, they look so familiar, where have I seen them before??"... and then you realize they resemble a certain sculpt

 

I'm definitely guilty of looking at people clothes and thinking "I should get this for the doll".

 

When you become so immersed in the story of your dolls that you end up arranging a wedding for them.

 

You play NYT Strands and all you can find are sculpt names

 

When you go to any store and try to find things for your dolls and not yourself XD

 

When your dolls celebrate more holidays than you do
BJD Samhain 2024 - magic by Arengil Tajedinápravá, on Flickr

 

When $45 is too much for shoes for yourself but you'll drop that on doll shoes immediately.

 

I was at my college’s makerspace making some doll clothes, and there were 2 other people there making Barbie clothes for a fashion class. We were chatting a little and they asked if I made my guys outfit, and I said I had except the wig. Then I got surprised that they were surprised that his hair was a wig…

I think my doll norms have been totally skewed by getting a Bjd…

 

going to the toy section of the store and looking at the dolls, and explaining to my fiance about the nuances of dolls that have joints vs ball joints vs no joints

 

I recently had a dream about receiving a doll haha, that's how I know I've reached obsession levels! Another thing that makes me feel extra dorky about it is I can't help showing my roommates and partner new dolls when they come in, I just love the oohs and awws they get and that I'm not the only one basking in their beauty

 

I do this to my mom!! I used to inbox my dolls in my room, where no one could see them but me, because I didn’t think anyone would “get” my hobby. Now dolls get unboxed in the living room, where everyone present in the house will have to watch me, and enjoy them. I had my dad fascinated at my discussion of how I was modding a doll I just got in, because he does not get dolls, but he gets power tools. Mom thinks the dolls are incredibly cool (probably bc they are) but she usually only crochets for my smaller ladies, so she thinks my 54cm feeple60’s are big. Meanwhile I own a 79 cm behemoth.

 

@Chameleon Ah I am not brave enough to show my family. My mother is a seamstress and worked specifically on bomboniere, so she's all about tulle and tiny lace. She'd have a lot of fun sewing for dolls, but at the same time I know she wouldn't be enthusiastic at all about the hobby. It's a pity.

 

Ah it's so nice that your mom is able to get involved in her own artsy way! My roommates have already offered up some crafts for my dolls and the fact that one of my mature tinies fits in Barbie clothes helps a lot in the crochet department, since there are so many patterns out there! I love being able to share this hobby in real life as well, obviously there's the community online but it's always more fun when you aren't just alone opening a box in silence XD My partner even knew what ball jointed dolls were before he ever saw mine, and I was so relieved I wouldn't have to hide them or do an introduction to the hobby! I wish I felt comfortable sharing them with my parents, but I don't want their judgements on my financial choices is all..... That's their tendency despite me being completely financially independent

 

oh yeah!! The one thing my parents absolutely do not know is the cost of my dolls. They know that they’re a price that they would not like, because they’ve asked if I want dolls for Christmas, and I had to explain that most of my dolls are not within our $300 CAD Christmas budget. My average doll is probably 500-600 USD, with one outlier at $200 USD, and one outlier at 1200 USD. That, they must never know.

 

Yeah I've always been private about my finances and what I spend on stuff, even with having a few friends who understand the hobby I never discuss what I spend just because...... it's a lot

 

True story: This was back when Junkie Spot had a lot of dolls.

I had gotten a Mystic Kids Eli, but as I was working on my webcomic I realized that he needed a brother. I had been looking at Mystic Kids Mandel for a few months, but hadn't gotten him yet. I asked myself, why didn't I get this doll? 'Elijah' definitely needs his brother 'Noah' for the story. I have the money, I should go get the doll. I really needed this character for multiple scenes.

I go to Junkie Spot, but the doll is sold out. I feel a little sad that someone bought the doll, because he was the perfect brother. I go over to pick up Elijah so he can help me find a doll that will work for his brother Noah. Guess who is setting next to him? Um, yep, I was the person that had bought the doll. I swear, I didn't even remember buying him! I have picture of his box opening even .

I don't remember taking the pictures or dressing him, or any of this of this, But, I have him.

 

I created a whole ass excel spreadsheet detailing every single doll I own and have owned… including date of purchase, where I bought it, how much I paid, and if I sold it to whom Ive sold it and what for and it also calculates how much my collection is worth.

 

My obsession has reached the point where it's no longer just one spreadsheet, but a database / workspace in Airtable.
I have all the data about the models separately, including price, copies of all CoA, information about modifications..., another table is dedicated to doll characters, another table is a tool for my BJD photo projects...
And we'd rather not talk about KanbanFlow for my doll prop production at all.

 

not-doll friend made the typo "soom" instead of "soon" in our dnd server and even though I knew what they meant, my brain still had a record scratch moment of "huh? dolls? here?" I don't even own any soom dolls xD

 

When I can recognize a face or model of the doll, then I go and think, yep, I am a doll nerd.

 

!!!! Love that!!!! Might steal that… actually…
I only have a notebook that I keep everything in apart from my excel sheet

 

My dolls dress nicer than me and when I go out shopping I always look for stuff for them before looking for me XD

"Oh this is perfect for *insert doll here* I think I'll get it for them. I can survive off of ramen!"

I also have an excel spreadsheet with all my dolls names, companies, mold, year I got them, eye size, height, and wig size. I started this because I have WAY too many dolls and my bestie doesn't know the specs like I do. So I made one for her too XD

 

I think I can be called a dork. I have all my BJD OCs profiles written in Word, I know their birthdays and zodiac signs. Every time I'm in a shop like Flying Tiger or TEDi I'm looking for miniatures I can use as doll props. And I often convert prices of items to dolls/doll clothes. Like $50 for Labubu? - no way! I can buy a decent BJD dress for the price.

 

Always being on the look out for miniature items that would pair up with ur dolls that you end up stashing away and not using anyways

 

I don't know how to make an excel sheet, but I have a notepad page on my phone as well as a actual notebook that I keep all the vital statistics on My Crew in. The physical notebook gives me the excuse to use my fountain pens. So I guess that counts.

Ryu

 

I... made a spread sheet when I commited into buy my first doll that had every doll I'm interested in, their heights and dimensions for imaginary hybriding, the resin they're available in, whether I'd have to get them through a dealer or second hand (since a few are from discontinued makers) and the average prices I've seen them for so I know what to save u.u;;
I also have sheets with budget information
And... a private server full of links that I use like a pinboard for each of my actual and potential dolls aesthetic xD

 

When I bought the perfume, I also bought a miniature.