Dollieh Sanctuary

Okay, so I've had this rumbling around in my brain for a couple of weeks now and wanted to know if anyone else has felt and/or experienced the same thing: doll disappointment. I've spent a fair amount of money and invested probably a greater amount of time on creating specific characters in resin, only to feel like I've fallen far short of the mark.

Oh, I know why. I tend to find a doll that speaks to me that also tends to be more money than I have to spend at the moment. So, I go looking for a "reasonable facsimile" - close enough, but quite a bit less expensive. And the doll I end up with is usually well made without any real flaws (there have been a couple exceptions) and is a nice doll in and of itself. It just isn't the doll I originally wanted, because I've "settled".

So now here I am thinking of selling at least four of my dolls because they weren't really what I wanted. And I could probably get 2 of the dolls I do want from those funds (Iplehouse anyone?). And I think I'd be happy with that. I hope.

So, has anyone else taken a look at their dolls and realized that more than one of them weren't working out as planned? Or am I just odd?

Sure, it's happened to me a couple of times. Not that I was necessarily trying to make an exact character, but it was more that I really thought I wanted a doll, then I got it and realized it just wasn't what I had been hoping for. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

Settling is never good. If you want a specific doll then it is best to wait and buy that doll rather than get something different. I fell in love with the B&G Aurora, but didn't really have the money to buy one brand new. Then I got lucky and was able to purchase her second-hand. Another doll simply wouldn't have been her, so I didn't even consider not having her one day It was worth it.

Yes, I've experienced that... but it wasn't so much that I "settled" for a doll I didn't want, as I bought a doll and the character refused to be embodied in it. (I even had a character who refused two different bodies before I realized that the character was one I didn't really like very much and would never be a doll in my house even though she would complete her family...)

Or, in the case of Rosiel, I went against my first instinct (even after having already bought the head I originally decided to use for him!) and bought a different head... I ended up switching him back the first head and using the other one for Hobo Phoenix.

This is exactly why Taki hasn't come home yet. I'm willing to wait until Kiki-chan gets around to the MSD sized Sweet Dolls, because that will make a perfect Taki. Sure I could try getting something now... but I KNOW what she comes up with will be what I need. So I'll hold off... besides Momiji insists he needs more clothes (I don't know why, he has more than any one else in my collection... combined!!!!) and he thinks any money I have should go HIS way. ^_~

Oh, yes that's happened a few times. My Kestrel started out as a Minifee Lishe, but she was supposed to be the half-sister of my Dark Elf Soo, and also a half-elf. Well, I figured a Delf elf Lishe would be perfect, but no WAY was I spending $1000 + on one, so I "settled" for an Elfdoll Aurora to re-embody her. She was a gorgeous doll and I liked her ... but she just wasn't Kess. Kess had been a Lishe for so long that Aurora's more Asian and realistic features just didn't fit.

I probably would have kept her ... but then I got really lucky and found someone who was leaving the hobby was selling a 2006 elf Lishe for a REALLY good price. So I snapped her up. As for Aurora, I kept her for a little while but after switching Kess to "her" body, I didn't really do much with Aurora. I eventually sold her to someone whom I'm sure appreciated her much more.

The second time it happened was with my Shadow King. I'd been searching for AGES to find a sculpt, and when Souldoll released their Chiron centaur, I saw the centaur head on a human body and immediately thought THAT'S the Shadow King. His expression was perfect, and he just looked like I'd always pictured him to look in my head. Unfortunately, he was 70cm and I really didn't want another 70cm boy. So, I saw B&G released a gray elf in their Old World line, who makes a pretty good default. I'm pretty satisfied and have no plans to sell him, but I still sort of wish I'd caved and bought a gray skinned Chiron while he was still available, even if he was big. His face is still the perfect sculpt for the Shadow King.

The twins still haven't found their place then again they're the only dolls I never picked out for one reason or another. I've had the opposite thing where I've had a doll but no idea who they were, the PTEs come to mind, then they reveal themselves.

On the doll its self not fitting in I think of Lucifer, his character is Xavier's father but he's a totally different scale 40cm slender Tonner/Gene size, not small enough for a Little, not big enough to be a Dollzone mini. I haven't parted with him because he's still a handsome doll and doesn't take up much room, I'm also a bit more loyal to inanimate objects coming form a history of not having much as a child. I've parted with dolls who have released their spirit but they've all been store bought or ones I made myself.

With the heads and dolls I've made I definitely pick up on "not right" and have no problem parting with them. Ultimately dissatisfaction with something like a doll could be a reflection of dissatisfaction with something in yourself. I became a bit looser with the dolls and let them be and I've felt less stress about them. Just ask a few of the heads who have had multiple bodies searching for one that's just right.

No, not really. The only dolls I've ever sold were based on ex's characters and not mine. We were no longer in a relationship and I didn't feel like they should be sticking around as a reminder. For dolls I made to be my own characters, I've never had a problem with them. I spend a lot of time figuring out what dolls I want to be who and don't get them unless I'm sure of my choice so I don't really have that problem.
I know I'm pretty unusual when it comes to dolls though. I don't feel the need to bond. I don't get anything other than 1/4 scale resin dolls. It makes me spend a long time trying to find the right dolls. I'm sure many people relate to not being satisfied with dolls though! It's totally understandable.

Definitely. All of my Hujoos are in that category right now, as well as my RS Long. The Long is the only one I'm really torn about because I love his face but his body just isn't working anymore. I find myself more and more wishing I could trade the 70cm for a 60, probably female. I'm seriously debating selling him altogether and getting a smaller doll, but I feel like I should work with him more first. As for the Hujoos, there's no such feelings of uncertainty; the Wings are going as soon as I get them wiped clean, Berry gets a second chance and the Suve was given to kiddo months ago.

The only BJD I had that I let go was a Domuya Faye. I had fallen in love with Domuya, and in particular with the Azzizza ltd edition (which was the first one I saw in person - I love her face!!) I couldn't get the one I wanted, so I settled for close and on sale by Domuya. I loved her, but she didn't fit in well. Hazel seemed to resent her. I found a character for her, and she had a story arc of her own, with the demon side of my doll household. And then the Azzizza I loved became available. The only way to get the money for her was to sell the Faye. She went to a good home, as a first doll, and Shirah came to live with me. Settling doesn't work well, and in my case the Azzizza head was ltd, one of 10 ever in the world, and not available. In effect, she is a grail doll. I did miss the Faye, she was a lovely doll, but then my Sweet Dolls Alice arrived and took over the character!

I've cycled dolls out of my collection because they weren't fitting in properly. At one point I really wanted an MSD, ended up with two of them, sold both of them and re-bodied their characters. So, totally not odd to find that a doll doesn't quite fit in, and move them along. ^.~