Your dolls after your death...

Well never really thought about it deeply, but what'd want (plan) for them is, to end up in best scenario case to be loved by my family (daughter etc.) keep them as a reminder of me and then go on their journey until infinity. I want them to last long and be there as a heirloom tbh.

In the worse scenario case, if they'd be sold. I'd haunt them and scared the Sh*t out of the people who take them in if, they miss treat my babies LOL.

But no jokes now, if my family decide to sell them then so be it. Although i'd rather prefer to burry them with me.

 

Great topic - I'm older than almost anyone here, I think - 71 this week - and even though I'm relatively healthy and don't expect to die soon, I desperately need to downsize because I have an obsessively over-large collection that overwhelms me and will absolutely overwhelm my husband and children - who know nothing about dolls and could care less. If I'd thought about these things 30 years ago, which I did not, I would have kept far better records. That's one of the reasons I have been and will be posting questions here - I mixed and matched heads and bodies and rarely wrote it down, so frequently I need help identifying what is what (not to mention recognizing faces - I think I have that disease that impairs facial recognition. I'm terrible at it.) I don't think I own any recasts, since I usually bought directly from companies or reputable dealers, but it would be a challenge matching up certificates to the right doll because they're not in English and that's all I can read. And although I don't remember discarding any boxes, some have vanished over the years - it's really going to be a terrible mess. I think I'm the only one likely to come close to unraveling it by poring through my files, asking people on this board questions etc. Bottom line, my plan is to sell as many as I possibly can so no one else has to deal with it. It's not about the money, it's the need to re-home the dolls. I'm that way about everything, even books. I want them to go to somebody who wants them, not end up in a recycling bin. Too much emotion invested in inanimate objects - but especially dolls, particularly BJDs. I don't like thinking about this but it's a necessity - and a great topic - because I figure even if I work tirelessly at getting rid of my stuff, it's a 10 year project (minimum) - so I'd better not get hit by a bus tomorrow.

 

@SKYWHYS You've summed up exactly how I feel. I'm 65 and not only do I have the BJDs but I have many other types of dolls too, not to mention dolls houses (seventeen at the last count), model farms and stables and so on. I have kept a spreadsheet of the BJDs for many years, so that's a help, but I need to up my game.

I've started a folder on my laptop called Departure Zone and left it in the centre of my desktop where my family are sure to see it. (And backed it up to my portable hard drive and magneted a note to the fridge!). In that folder I've begun with a photo list of my most treasured items for them to choose which they'd like to keep in memory of me. Next I made a Bequest List of what I would like to gift to my friends in the doll world, including their contact info. That bit is great, you can have all the fun of being generous without actually having to part with anything.

Now I'm on with the long term task of getting each doll into the original outfit and box, locating the certificate and giving it a label. Then logging it all on databases with all info, photos and current location in the house and the recommended place to try selling it. I'm not ready to sell anything yet but at least if I get this finished it will make the job easier for my daughters and be a little earner for them.

So yeah, I need to avoid those buses for a good while too.

 

I have a chronic health condition so I have thought about this extensively. Although I do not have any dolls in my possession currently (fingers crossed that I will soon… I am shopping about) I can answer this with some relevance as I do have other collections that are worth a significant amount.

In my house is a black safe with a key. The safe is fire/water proof and only a select few people have the key… people who I know are responsible and have my and my family’s best interests at heart. The safe contains all important documents needed for someone to take over responsibility for my affairs and life in case something was to ever happen to me both timely and untimely. So it contains anything from car & motorcycle paperwork all the way to birth certificates down to a living will and even pass codes into the computer and all social media, emails and forums that I have maintained online presence in over the years to notify whomever needs to be notified and so that eventually they could close the accounts.

Inside that safe is also a section dedicated to each of our relevant hobbies and or collections that have physical items for them for all adults in the home.

In each hobbies section it contains certificates of authenticity, original paperwork if we have them, names/contact information of any person(s) who have been willed the item, purchase information and or purchase agreements for documentations sake, list of identifiable features with pictures detailing the front/back/sides of said item, list of accessories or relevant parts (such as in the case of my violin for example: what case/string brand I had been using/bow go with it), year/make/model of item and a list of special instructions for care after my departure (like don’t leave in sunlight or make sure you place humidifier in guitar sound hole in winter to prevent damage) and a list of the original price, places that the item can be sold for the most value (in case the item is to be sold or the person who is willed the item does not want it) and a list of places to start the process of finding the item’s current value if necessary.

I update the information as needed: so if an item yellows with age I put that and update the pictures on the page that has pictures, if I repaint/customize an item I put that information along with original color and pictures of both if possible (unless purchased painted a color different from original), if damage occurs I list that and how to prevent further damage etc.

If the item is sold, I remove the paperwork that did not go with the item and shred it as I do with all sensitive information that comes into my home that I no longer need.

If something happens and I am incapacitated or deceased my partner knows what to do and the select few who have a key to the safe. They are aware that they can keep whatever they wish and that they can sell what they wish when they are ready unless the item has been listed in the living will as willed to someone specifically. My daughter is still a child. When she turns 18 and if I am still around (probably will be but you never know) I will update the information accordingly. As of right now any items I have willed to her will be given to her when she is at an age to be able to care for them (right now at 7 she is not). She will receive a key to the safe when she is 18 or if at 18 we determine she is not responsible to access the documents, we will wait until we can determine that she can handle the information the safe contains in an adult like manner (personally I was not responsible at 18).

Eventually I would like to digitally backup all documents however right now this is what we do. I hope this helps in some way!

 

I have already said that the day I die I want specific things, maybe I am very demanding but if I die young at least I hope that these decisions are respected by my family and friends.

I told my family and my boyfriend what I want to happen with all my bjds, I have been living with my boyfriend for 6 years and I told him that the day I die I want him to give all my dolls to my best friend

I know that with her they will be happy and that she will give them love, I also told her that my dolls will be hers but she doesn't have to keep them, if she wants to sell them that's fine, if they make her happy and she wants them that's fine too, she will have the right to decide what to do with them as if it were me.

 

WOW @GothPonyDoll! I'm impressed

At (a very young) 60, I'm not quite at the age where I need to really plan out who gets what, but I'm getting there.

Also, with the pandemic still around, even though I'm vaxxed and boosted, death is something that should be planned for. It would be one less thing for my partner and family to worry about should I get hit by that bus.

I've decided that this year, I'm going to start doing End-of-life planning. Right now, with only 27 dolls and one on the way, I'm definitely not rich, but I'd like to know should something happen to me, My Crew will be taken care of, along with anything else I have that may be of value. Like I mentioned in this post, I have grandkids. By pre-planning what to do with all the stuff I collect, My partner, my kid and grandkids will all know what to do with it all.

I should do something similar to what you have done, @GothPonyDoll, a safe with everything of importance in it so that my family knows what to do with my BJDs and anything else I have that may be worth something.

I do have a notebook with all of my BJDs' info in it, as well as their pics on flickr, so that's a start. I think its time I print out pics of each of my dolls and attach them to the detail page I have in that notebook for each doll.

So much to do to plan "for the inevitable."

Ryu

 

This isn't something I've thought about since I haven't been collecting long but I don't really have anyone to give them to as there isn't anyone I know nearby that's in the BJD hobby. It's kinda unsettling to think about them being junked or broken or just thrown away but I feel that way for all of my fandom merch.

 

I've thought about it for some time now. I have attachment issues with some of the things I own so it really worries me to think what will happen with all those things I have loved so much when I'm not here.
My husband and I do not wish to have kids so there would be no one to inherit our things. We have already collected a bunch of things in our still short lives (I'm 30 this year and he's 35) like books, comics, dolls, legos... and I'm sure our collections are far from complete, with new things being released every year.
We've sometimes talked about selling everything when we become older so we can gather money to travel and spend our last years in a nursing home, being properly taken care of but that seems so far away I'm not truly convinced.
At least, it is very relieving to see that I'm not the only one worried about this issue.

 

First, I am extremely sorry for all of the no doubt incredibly stressful things you and your family have gone through as a result of the accident, and I am glad to hear that he ended up alright!
For me personally, I don't care much what happens to anything in my care that isn't alive (i.e. pets), but that varies pretty drastically from person to person. If I were to have the chance to write a will beforehand, I'd likely give them to my sibling, who is also into the hobby.

 

I feel the same as @rollcakes, I really don't care what happens to them after I die. I feel the same with my body too. I'll be dead so I it doesn't really matter to me lmao

 

I used to want to be buried with my dolls when I was younger.

Since I have changed my mind I actually had to ask my SO what he would do with my dolls if I died and he said he would ask my bestie if she would want them, which is surprisingly smart!

Both of them know that they are expensive so they know not to just toss them (at least I hope so!), but my bestie might also just want to keep them as she also collects dolls.

I don't have and can't have children (don't even want them so no need to feel sorry for me), so theres no one to inherit my things, which is why it falls to my SO or best friend.

If they were to pass before me it would fall to my siblings to deal with my stuff and I have no idea what they would do... Maybe I need to write a will after all .

 

Honestly? They'd probably go to my mother who'd sell them on Facebook. They're not my biggest concern when it comes to me dying.

 

Honestly I dont care much. Because Id be dead
If they are sold I hope my family will value them well atleast so they can enjoy the money

 

I know my family would take care of my collections with care, so what happens after I die doesn't concern me too much. I would want my collections to go to people who would appreciate them, and both my sisters like my dolls so I know they would take care of them. Honestly I would be more worried about letting my family know how much I care about them, if I were to die prematurely. I’ve only had one brush with death (my own fault) and Ive realized that while I love my things they aren’t what’s really important to me.

 

Do you wonder what happens with your dolls once you pass on? Any one have plans for them? I do wonder this sometimes, and I'm worried about them getting trashed. It's the fate of all things, but I wonder if there are anyways to keep them around for a little longer. Of course, I would be dead so I would no longer be able to care, but there the worries still remain as I am alive, if I even have one by then. What do you plan on doing with them?

Also wondering if there's any museum/specialty locations that they can be sent to for something. I guess something like a museum where they have those dioramas and if a doll can be used in those.

 

I don't really think or plan about such things but I imagine if I kicked the bucket my husband would send them off to my dollfriends I don't care whether they keep or sell them, it's enough that they would stay within the community and be loved by their new owners Cause I'd like to haunt one of them and I don't want to just collect dust

 

I think about it a lot realistically if it's important to you, you should probably make a will. Never too young to think about death!
You know, if I had money, I guess lots of money because there are definitely other things I would do first.. it would be cool to start a doll museum for dolls left behind so to speak. Maybe I could market it as a spooky attraction. I'm a bit weird and all, but I think there is something tender about a doll after the owner has gone. It would be nice to leave one as they were, in memory.
As for myself I think provided there was anyone left in my daily life who knew or cared about me at all (fingers crossed) they would understand not to junk them. Now, whether they would have the spoons to actually deal with it, can't exactly be predicted.
I would want my dolls to go on to find more adventures though, or at least be with people I knew in life/online who liked them. I'd probably want to leave one of my cat's favorite behind for my cat to sit on because he sure does love them.
I would hope, in the event I didn't have a detailed and specific doll-for-doll will, that my loved one would ring up those I knew in the hobby still and ask them to start picking. I have at least a friend or two I have already asked if they are interested when it happens. Otherwise, pretty much as I was in life, I would hope they would go to where they are needed, budget collectors or if donated, to a charity where maybe the sale could help a good cause. Some charity shops fund animal shelters, various outreach programs, or homeless shelters as a few examples.
Sometimes I think about the "you can't take it with you" thing ... And wonder if I would be buried with one. It would be kind of an homage to the idea of having your important things with you for the afterlife (which I don't exactly believe there is...) But it seems sad to condemn any of my dolls to death with me

 

(Prefacing this with something not doll-related but important: It's never too early to talk to your family and loved ones about death, especially in regards to advanced directives, because accidents can always happen! The last thing anyone wants is to not know if they're making the right decision by their family member who might be in the ICU and unable to tell them what they want. That's why it's good to have these conversations now! If you live in the US, I recommend looking into the Order of the Good Death. Their website has a bunch of information on end-of-life planning, what to do if you don't want your legal family involved in your end-of-life care or burial, what costs will look like if you or your family member is fat, confronting fear and anxieties about death, eco-friendly burial options, and more. They also have green burial info for people in Canada or the UK. It's a good resource, so check it out if you can.)

Anyway, for me, I don't have virtually any friends in the doll hobby I could give my dolls to so in the event of my death, I want to at the very least leave my family resources for selling the dolls on ebay to help with my funeral costs. Barring that, I like to imagine my dolls showing up in a thrift shop and having someone stumble across the hobby and finding a new passion, so maybe I'll have them donated. That's the kind of impact I want to leave on this world.

 

I put them in my will. They can be sold or kept, however they like. I’ve put notes on the bottom of their stands noting what doll it is and if it has a box and so on. But, I know it’s going to be a hassle no matter what.

 

I feel like there's another thread on here exactly about this same topic, but I could be just déjà vu-ing again (old-fart here!).

I talk about death all the time; I talk about it so much, people who know me IRL probably think I am a huger weirdo than I already am. I have plenty of young extended family members that are into anime, 1:6 action figures, dolls, ect. I have already received plenty of people requesting me to leave a lot of those things I collect for them to inherit, in my will. I know it's probably morbid for a lot of people, but you never know when you'll kick the bucket. I have always lived with the knowledge that life is borrowed, but you don't get to decide (most of the time) when you'll have to give it back. I do have a will for my material possessions, and whatever little I cash I might have in the bank. I feel more comfortable knowing my "trash" won't end-up in a landfill, if I just up and die tomorrow. Then those who receive my material possessions after my passing, will do the same and pass it along to whomever in my extended family is there to keep them going for our next of kin to do the same etc, forever and ever. lol! (;

 

In my heart of hearts, I’d want my partner or family to keep them to remember me by, but none of them are doll collectors, so realistically I’d like them to sell them to BJD hobbyists so that they may be loved again, and my loved ones can put what they make from it towards my final expenses.

 

My daughter was in hobby, daughter in law is in hobby and I hope granddaughter one day wants to be into it more. So they all know the value of the dolls and whichever ones they don't want will go to friends.

 

I’ve made an excel document for all of my collection, not just bjd, it has all of the information needed to sell them. Each doll has an id number or letter on a small jewelry charm inside their head for bjd and on the wrist or ankle of the others. The boxes are also labeled with the id. BJD without boxes have been assigned appropriately sized decorative boxes to hold all of their items. The document also has instructions on how to prepare bjd for sale. I also label all boxes of clothing and accessories so they know which doll type and size they go to.

My daughter likes dolls and can keep whatever she wants but the rest can be sold. To make it easy I’ve told my family to use an auction service, it will take a lot off of what they make but so does ebay, and it’s a lot of work to sell them individually. Ultimately they will do whatever they want with them and I don’t have any hang ups about my material things when I’m gone, I just made the spreadsheet to make it easier for them if they sell them or send to auction.

Another thread about this topic /threads/your-dolls-after-your-death.766468/

 

if I know my time is coming (advancing age, sickness) I will try to sell them. I'm not having any kids so everyone around me is going to be around my age, probably. I wouldn't have anyone to will them to. If I die suddenly in an accident... I guess I don't care? I should leave a speadsheet for my spouse so they can sell them if they want.

 

My family is informed of values of my dolls. Plus they also see what people pay me to do for their dolls so they can tell how it could cost for doll alone. I probably leave some info on how and where they can sell my dolls when I pass in written form. I hope that help my family financially even a little bit

 

In an ideal world, I'd have had time to line up something for the gang myself. If not, I suspect they'll just end up being sold off. My family members know that even my most out-of-fashion Old School dolls still have at least some marginal value, and that there are a few others who are worth a fair bit more. They also know that they can check my records to find out what each sculpt is and which set of paperwork goes with which doll, and that this web site is a good resource, too. Given the size of my gang, though, I don't envy the person who gets stuck with the task of liquidating it.

That said, if I actually had my way, I'd love to just donate the entire lot... all of the dolls, all their "stuff", the whole nine yards... to some museum's toy collection when I get to the point of being too old to maintain or enjoy them anymore. Just as a range of examples of their doll type, I think they would make a fun display. The complication is actually FINDING the right place to give them to, and then arranging the eventual donation.

 

Legally, everything I own goes to my husband. But we've talked deeply about our plans when one of us does inevitably go first. He gets to pick whatever dolls of mine he'd like to keep (which would most likely just be Amir, my first and Harriet, my plus size goth girl) and then he gives everything else doll related to my sister, who is in the hobby and knows what everything is, the value, how to contact my hobby friends and how to sell within the community. She gets to go through my massive collection and decide what to keep, then do whatever she wants with the rest of it. I'd like for my hobby friends and role play partners to at least get one of my dolls, if they'd like to have one, but really, if my sister decides to just sell them all, that's up to her. Regardless of who gets them, I have a good feeling they'll still move along in the hobby to someone who will appreciate them, whether that's family or friend who preserves my character, or stranger who gives them new life.

 

Mine will be going to my godchildren to keep or sell as they wish. They all (except, possibly, the youngest) are aware of how expensive the dolls are. Hopefully there will still be enough of my doll friends around to guide them through how to dispose of them if they don't want to keep them.

This is the reason I really should catalogue them properly, but I never seem to get around to it.

Teddy

 

I hope I live long enough to fully enjoy them. Otherwise my family will keep my Holy Grail Popovy and the other one(s) go to my friend.

 

My Real Puki SoSo (Thad) goes to my house mate. Everything else doll related goes to my niece. She's the one who got me into the hobby. She can keep or sell them as she chooses. I know they'll go to people who will appreciate them.

 

I hope my husband would do as I told him and either keep my dolls as a memorial of me or sell them to fellow hobbyists. He doesn't know what part or outift goes with which doll if his life depended on it, so I have left him a list of my trusted hobbyist friends and told him he could contact one and request them for help sorting and selling the dolls, and in return he could reward their help with either free dolls or cash.

Of course when I'm dead, I won't have much feelings one way or another, but I swear I'll still roll around in my grave if my husband donates any of my dolls to his or my non-doll folk family members who don't know their value.

I have a will, but for tax reason it doesn't mention the dolls, just "all my property" as a single lump. (Here, a heir pays inheritance tax based on the property value, and the tax officials will receive a copy of the will to help assess that value. Hence, in some situations like if all the property goes to a single heir, it makes sense to not list individual property on the will. If you don't, the tax officials will never know it existed. So your heir can just take your valuables and not pay tax, saves them a few grands at the best.)

 

I used to worry about this but not anymore. It doesn't matter what happens in this world when I pass away, but I'm trying to sell my dolls now because I don't have the time for them anymore. It's better if they go to someone who can care for them. So you can sell them to someone who collects them because it's not the same to give them to family or to people who don't know about them.

 

I have some accumulations, they will not be enough for the funeral, but they can help pay them. Selling dolls will pay them completely. But I would like my dolls and some other things to put in the coffin with me. But if my relatives decide to sell them, I can no longer do anything.

 

I was recently left a BJD by a collector friend who passed away. She had specified it in her will, and it's a wonderful memory of her. So I guess if you want to make sure your dolls go where you want them to, make a will.

 

I had a friend who, in 2007, unexpectedly passed in a car accident. She was also a BJD collector and her family reached out to her close friends and offered each of us one of her dolls. I still have him, though due to his age (he's a Luts Dreaming El in their old white skin tone) he lives in his box now to try to reduce the chances of yellowing.

But back on topic - I don't have a will. I probably should just in case, but if I were to pass away unexpectedly there is one particular person I would give all my dolls and doll things to. If she wanted to sell or give them away, that's her call. I won't be here for it to matter anymore. More than wanting them to be cared for or safe, I'd want to have a plan for what happens to my belongings (all of them) so that I am not a burden to my significant other and family.

 

I told my partner/ husband he could sell them, or give them to someone who would want them when I passed on.
He said he rather keep them, because they're sentimental.
My child who is 5yrs, said that she would want to keep them too, because, they're like friends.

 

There's too much stuff to worry about in life to consider worrying about death stuff too

 

This gets on my mind often lately. Part of why I only want a few dolls is that I don't expect to live long due to declining health. I doubt any wishes would be honored by my relatives, so I'm afraid I've already damned any dolls I take in to be thrown away or a similar unhappy ending. Frankly I feel guilty about it, and sometimes I think I shouldn't have started to begin with. I have other valuable things but I don't care where those go, they're just things. And then I have a cat and she's aging, but she's not too old and that's a major worry I have because it's likely that she'll end up on the street if I'm gone too soon.

 

I...I don't even have MOST of my dolls, yet. Any advice?

 

I care that when I am gone to not leave back my son without help or care , that he will be respected cared and loved and that nobody will take away from him anything that makes him happy, that he will have the happiest life possible,that is the only think I worry after my death as about the dolls I don't care I suppose the expensive ones will be sold and the rest donated or tossed if in bad condition but I don't care about that at all. It's not like I m going to need them.

 

That's what I've been thinking as well - there is a doll museum near me and their collection doesn't have any dollfies so I'd love my small collection to go to them for display. Then again, I've been thinking of contacting them in my lifetime as well and offering maybe a doll I no longer want in my hands or helping them acquire something as they have quite a bit of Japanese/Asian dolls already.

Thankfully, I have a very supportive partner so I'm thinking of compiling a document for them of what to do/where to sell/what's the worth of my dolls/tools/instruments should I pass away unexpectedly. I don't want to burden them with it too much as when I'm dead I won't care but I also don't want them to feel completely lost with the stuff or have to spend time looking for price quotes or places to list them in. Dying/funerals are way too expensive for being an inevitable part of life so if I can help with the costs in any way, i'd like to make it easy.

I don't have a lot of close friends but if any one of them or my family wants to keep anything as a memory, it's probably nice to keep a list of what's tossable and what has a lot of myself been put into. In any case, I try to be mindful not to accumulate too many physical items because I know how taxing cleaning this all up was from my grandparents and I guess it's also never too early to make a will to make sure nobody gets overburdened by... stuff.

 

I frankly don’t care, and I mean this in the happiest and most positive way possible. I’ve collected these dolls for myself, as a way to tell my stories and create characters to my heart’s content…and as a way to focus all my creative talents within a single collection. And what an amazing ride it’s been! I love it and I’ve already gotten so much out of it. The dolls have absolutely done exactly what they were meant to do, so I don’t worry about anything beyond that. I’ve raised thoughtful and caring human beings who can decide what to do whenever the time comes. Until then, I’ll just happily continue to enjoy my collection.

 

This is exactly what a Living Trust is for. I highly recommend looking into it and consider setting one up.

 

I’m very open with my parents and they know exactly how much my dolls are worth. I’m in touch with a lovely hobbyist who helped me with Nebo, and in the case of my death or no longer wanting him, he is to be offered to her first as a donation. Rafeyah… I’m not sure. She’s definitely an acquired taste, but I would care far more about them both going to someone who would love them dearly and feel grateful to have them, regardless of who.

 

I answered this before but wanted to add I honestly don’t care what my family does with them but I have catalogued them and made a way for my family to identify each doll so they can sell them or send them to auction with as much information as possible.

 

I would definitely leave behind a list of the dolls official names, manufacturer, and their worth. I'm quite protective of my stuff - doubly so with dolls - so I hope my family would give/sell them to someone who likes dolls after my death... I don't want them to be trashed.

It would be cute for one of them to be passed down as a family heirloom. I wonder how yellow its resin would be after 200 years.

 

I've thought about this more times that I would like to admit... I would like my 2 nieces keep them for themselves, but I already kno my tastes are kinda creepy so I guess they will end up selling them.

 

Tis the season to ask what creepy things are they looking out for, this year.
Now, let's get some dollies, I mean, candy!

 

Now that menopause hit I have a plan as I am getting older the collection will be less and less and when I am older I will have already got rid of my collections because I don't want to add stress to my son after I am not here I want him to inherit house and money not a lot of stuff he can't deal with or are overwhelming for him. I'm not that old yet so can have a doll decade in front of me if I am healthy but after that everything should go that is my plan.