Dollieh Sanctuary

I like my dolls and I like to dress them up and pose them and create stories and such but I don't tend to think of them as being "alive" like a lot of other people in the hobby seem to. They don't tell me things and I don't "bond" with them. I notice that this is common within the dolly community but I just can't think that way and so I feel a little like the odd one out. I am wondering if I am not the only one.

Short form: No.

Long form: They're plastic. I will go to great lengths to get the right LOOK for a particular character, but they only way you "bond" with a hunk of plastic is to get too much superglue on your hands.

Nope, you aren't alone in this. To me, they are little plastic dolls that represent fictional characters. Even though I try to give them a sort of "life" in stories and blogs, they aren't real people and it's just a creative writing endeavor.

Hmm. I obviously don't think they're actually alive (that's called schizophrenia), but they're more than just blobs of plastic to me, and I do bond with them, though I tend to become attached to inanimate objects. They really do seem to have their own unique little personalities to me.

Step away from the Superglue!!

I pretty much agree with you. In the short amount of time I've been interested in BJDs, I've gone through about 1/2 a dozen of them trying to find that "bond". I may have finally found one with my new boy, Noble, but then again - if he doesn't start posing right I'm liable to get frustrated enough to sell him, too. I'm hoping to "bond" with my SD, Dierdre - I'm getting tired of running through dolls!

If they're alive, they'll be doing their own stunts and dance routine. Granted they'll be a smart mouth bunch. If they do tell me things, then its very likely that my creative muse is at work filling up my idle brain time.

For me, my dolls are fun to play with (though I don't play in the sense of tea party play) since they represent 2D/3D characters from various media and are more posable than figurines. As for bonding, some dolls are just easier to work with and fit a certain concept better than others that you just happen to like them more (I had a tough time finding male doll who fit in). At this point, some of my dolls have faded into the background from a lack of projects.

Schizophrenia isn't the word you're looking for, animism is closer. I like the idea that a "doll spirt" ki/chi/qi can inhabit them, it's not alive but it is a form of energy you can focus upon. Some dolls have stronger ki than others, some people can sense it too, I've had people see it in Xavier and I've seen it dolls that are very loved.

There is no right or wrong way to love your dolls. As strong as some in my family are I still have many I don't really bond with. I'm just not quick to sell them off.

Well I think "Bonding" isn't a particularly accurate term but I can't really think of any single word that would work better.

I would say that for this hobby Bonding means: 1. Ownership of a doll that successful fulfils the anticipated pleasure of said ownership. 2. Personal enjoyment derived from playing with a doll.

Everyone has their own way of playing. Some may create a character that will interact with themselves while others will create a character that only interacts with other characters. Some like to create photo stories while others prefer fashion shoots. It can be an emotional or intellectual enjoyment. So on and so forth.

I don't think I bond with them the way some people do. They make me happy. I like playing with them, dressing them, and attempting to sew for them. I love how you can change a doll's look with a different pair of eyes or wig. Sometimes I will keep working with one until I think their look is just right.
I'm babbling. I don't think there is a wrong way to enjoy your dolls. Just as long as *you're* happy. That's all that matters.

This is just my personal opinion, and I know a lot of people view it as strange, but anyway...

Do I believe dolls have souls? Some of them, yes. Not all of them. Do I believe humans have souls? Again, some of them, yes, but not all of them.

What IS a soul? To some, it is an immortal "something" that only humans have. To some, it's basically animation and life, therefore all living beings have it. To me, it's a spark - it's a force of being, I suppose you could say. And I believe that some things - animate or inanimate - have it, and some do not.

I'm not just talking about really bad people, "soulless monsters". I mean everyday people you encounter on the street. Have you ever been near someone, and you simply feel nothing from them? Like they are merely there in body, simply existing, but with no "life"? To me, this equals no soul.

My dolls are my kids. And while they aren't all here in body yet, so to speak, I already feel them here. Their presence, if you will, is already with me. They talk to me (in my head)... and while I know they aren't real (ie: flesh & blood, and breathing), that doesn't mean they don't exist or have "souls"... because there is a force of being to each of them. So yes, I believe my dolls have souls. Even if the fact is that I instilled that into them and essentially *gave* them it.