Question for ALL. How did your collection develop/grow?

[TheHighlander]

I was replying to a poster on another forum, and was explaining the breadth of my collection. I went back and added some pictures and realized it was an interesting journey to take from collecting OOAK characters to 60cm Obitsu dolls. That got me thinking. We've all collected for a while now (well most of us), and those collections started somewhere and as we collected our tastes develop and we move on to different dolls.

So, how did your doll collection start and evolve? Are you still collecting the same dolls, or have you moved up, or down the scale? Has it surprised you, how your tastes have changed? How did you get started, and what drives your collector's urge? Where did your collection start and how has it changed over time? What's the fascination for you? Pictures?

Even though I am really into the large Obitsu dolls right now, it all started with a Silkie...

I started with Silkies (thanks to my wife Misheru) making a couple of character dolls for me using Lingerie #6 aka L6 as a base). I decided I liked L6 enough to have just L6 on her own too, then I was given a 15-inch resin fashion doll - R&D angel and I pretty much haven't looked back since.

I got some other 1/6 scale girls including ElectroPop Susie (another favorite). Then I got a couple of Tonner Sydneys, and then a DeeAnna. I stuck on the 15-17 inch range for a while and found the Cinderella face from Tonner along with the teen body, Lady Ozmopolitan, DeeAnna (of course), Prudence and Elowyne. My wife tends to collect the same sculpts as well, so our collection of each is a tad bit large. We also rescue R&D Angels and I won't admit how many of those we have, but that all started with R&D's Emma. Then I found I liked the much larger, 22-inch American Models.

After finding the largest Tonners, and liking their scale, I finally took the plunge and got my first Obitsu - Kira. Since then I have concentrated almost exclusively on the Obitsus. Now I have 8 - Kira, Mariko, Midori, Shion, Susie, Kyoko, Rio and Rina.

Over time I've gone from OOAK character dolls based on SilkStones to Obitsu 60cm dolls big enough to hug - I think I like them best of all now... . Quite a journey. How about you?

Of course with both Misheru and I collecting, we have managed to gain a few duplicates over time. Between us, Misheru and I have some doubles and triples. I think our most exotic triple is our triplets - three Parfum de Fleur DeeAnna's. They were a limited edition of either 25 or 50, and we somehow snared three of them - without even being at the convention she was available at. Of course we have a lot of Emma, Hiroko and Selina R&D Angels too. I think that R&D only made something like 1200 R&D angels in total and we have well over 50 of them by now. We even have a couple of the prototypes. Somehow it seems almost like a responsibility to the dolls to make sure that the under appreciated ones have a home. We try very much to be a dollieh sanctuary.

Here's a sampling of images from my collection.

Silkies (L6)




L6 & Ello-6 (Ellowyne OOAK'd to look like L6)


Some little Susies (ElectroPop Susie)...




Emma (R&D)


My first DeeAnna...


The triplets (3 x Parfum de Fleur)


A fun Peggy (Harcourt) & DeeAnna picture I made...


Golden Girls (2 DeeAnnas in gold)


Cinderella on a 15-inch Tonner Teen (wearing a Daisy and Willow outfit)
<img src="http://dolls.lowlander.net/assets/images/db_images/db_ahoy21.jpg[/img]

Ellowyne on a DeeAnna Denton body


Lady Ozmopolitan (also on a DeeAnna Denton Body - she now wears the Deluxe Wonderwomman outfit, I think she is better than the real Tonner Deluxe WW)



Prudences (these two are both wearing Willow and Daisy fashions)...



American Model - Belle Grande (aka Diana)...


Obitsu...(Mariko and Kira on show here - Gretel and Shiba on 60cm bodies)


MIdori (Gretel on 60cm body)


And of course, Shion (Megu on 50cm modified body).


My wife (posts here as Misheru) collects also, and has a huge number of silkstones that she's acquired over the years. We tend to collect similar dolls, oddly enough our tastes match when it comes to selecting face and body sculpts.

You can find more of these images at http://dolls.lowlander.net.

I like making pictures, feel free to browse that site of course, there are lots of other pictures. I have dozens more to put up when I get the time to edit them and make some new galleries.

I find it interesting to learn about other collectors and find out how they got started, why they collect, and how their collections have changed. Any answers are appreciated, as are any pictorial journeys.

[Iwa_Hoshi]

Well I dumped Barbie and started collecting action figures (3 to 6 inch from TMNT was core theme until all kinds of Street Fighter took over) and gashaphons. And it did seem that by the time I worked my Street Fighters action figures to 12 inch (sculpted hair) I got hit by a case of 'make them clothes' syndrome but it didn't go far until I got my first Obitsu (Obi-Chun) and 1/6 just kick in to over drive.

I have 16 1/6ers now. They are working hard to prevent me from getting new dolls by engaging in cosplay and challenging me to make more outfits for them. Its kinda funny that I stop buying gashaphons and various merchandise (except comics) after getting the dolls to pose like crazy for me.

The 1/6 ladies


And hanging out on JS and DS got me over my irrational fear of big BJDs (blame Domuya's creepy Dollmaster promotion setup when they were still had a shop in my country) and it made me want a big Obi of my own (Hazel, Freya and Yuubris are awesome). But it was only after I got feel the weight of a Dollfie Dream (Sasara and Yoko) in real life that I jump into the band wagon with a 50cm obi

Megu-Chun the 50cm Obi.


I just realised I haven't done a full theme shot lately

[DollyKim]

I grew up as a doll person and started on a one boy and one girl of everything for several now forgotten reasons but this got me my first pair Dolly and Heath, Volks Dollfie Plus and Neo Goh Guy. Next was Louis, I was on a Young Blades kick, then I fleshed out a story that brought home Bram, Brenna, Kirnan, Guivnu, and Dauphan mostly Volks and 1 1/2 Obitsus. Then it became a bit of "I don't have one of those" adding more Volks, Dorobo Joe, Busty and Bobby. For the longest time it was just them.

As for my first big doll, Shi Shi the Obitsu 60, was because I was afraid I'd break a resin. He was the only one for quite awhile.

With the resins it's been building Xavier's family so there's been somewhat of a plan. The twins don't count as they were photo contest prizes and tinies don't count either.

With the Littles, someone yelled that at me when I attended the Volks 2006 Halloween tea with an arm full, they had a rather controlled growth through 2007. Just Dad, Rian, Eloise, Peter, and House come to mind as arriving. What started the Little Encyclopedia was the realization I had a selection of Volks boys and skin tones and could answer people's questions about that. The posing part started with Peter and putting him in Spider-Man positions. Then came the question could the others do that. Mix in more of "I don't have one of those" and leaving dolls alone in dark places and it multiplies.

As for making heads the big kick in the pants came from wanting Robin Gibb for a Doll House story, and wanting Beatles and Julian around the same time. The heads feed the need for different bodies to match who they are.

I keep my website going because it answers a zillion questions and I feel good about making the dolls be useful for their keep. It doesn't cost much to host, only costs time to do the work, and I've learned to make web sites. All the dolls needing clothe that fit them made me learn how to draft patterns. The dolls in general have kept me alive because I survived a seizure induced traumatic brain injury when I was a teen and I needed to get better so I could play with them.

[TheHighlander]

I should have added that although I came to dolls later in life, I have always had some kind of doll/plushie around. when I was a kid I had the usual action figures, and I always had Teddy bears. My prized possession is a 40-odd year old bear I was given as a baby, so he's as old as me. He's always been played and displayed, and right now he's sitting on the lap of one of my Obitsu girls. You can see him in the picture of Mariko and Kira. Mariko is holding him. Of course, some would say that the fact that Mariko is holding him says that she is the 'favored' doll. They might be right.

[CloakedSchemer]

In short...I sold all of my bratz and barbies (over 400) to get Amir, my AoD Chen. And....he demanded companions. LOL

[landwhale]

Highlander: That is an amazing collection. Where do you store and keep your dolls?

As for my collection, I don't have a big one. I never owned a lot of dolls to begin with though I did have a number of stuffed animals. As for my adult collection, I just started seven months ago. I got one of the cheapest BJDs I could find just to see how they worked and then took a hiatus for about two months after which i discovered JunkySpot and Obitsus. The Obitsus exploded my collection since they are so much smaller and cheaper and fun to paint. Needless to say my BJD collection grew too. If I could afford it I would probably own a bunch of non BJDs too but for now I don't even have enough time to correctly take care of the dolliehs I do have at home.

[Misheru]

Hi landwhale - our "guest room" got turned into the doll room, though tons of ladies (including all of the 60cms) share the bedroom with us (to answer your question to Highlander).

I will try to post some of my collection in a day or so. I began with my original Barbies from childhood and then got back into Barbies several years ago with the Silkstones (I literally lost count of the Silkies..oh dear) & other Barbies, including the original *good* fashion fever line. Then I got a few 1/6 Volks & Obitsus, Susies, Momokos. Then came the RanD Angels and Tonners and Ellowynes. Then came the 60cm girls. Currently I have 8 Dollfie Dreams (of my own) with 2 more coming. I have 7 Obitsus and 1 resin 60cm. I have also gotten into anime figures. Oh, dear.

I still love all of my dolls, but the DDs and Obitsus currently have my attention. I need to go through some of my other dolls and have a dolly yard sale to fund a new big lady or two. O_O hee hee

[theodoric]

good question

as for me ... I can legitimately blame you women

my collection started in 2001 with "Bunny" a plushie bunny that was an easter present to me from a woman I shared a special relationship with ... then in 2002 I got "littlebear" as a present from her (a little 3" articulated teddy bear with a red heart sewn to him)
... in 2007 I got "Valentine" ... a valentine's day present from my girlfriend at the time
... I also got "Snowflake" in 2007 ... she is a little plastic white tiger (a kid's toy from a play set of some type) that was left outside under a bush in a luxury apartment complex I worked at during that summer ... I couldnt see throwing her in the trash, and she has been with me ever since
... "Yuri" is a Ty Beany Baby polar bear that came with the special edition DVD of "The Golden Compass" I bought
... "Cruso" ... is a little plushie Loch Ness monster that came with the special edition DVD of "The WaterHorse, Legend of the Deep" I bought

... by some time in late 2009 or early 2010 I had started getting interested in dolls in general ... then in summer or fall of 2010 I found the anime series Rozen Maiden on a sale rack in a video store ... watched it, and got fascinated by bjd's ... ended up ordering my Mio in March of this year ... and she got to me in early May

[richila]

It is fun to read eveyone's doll stories. I didn't have dolls as a child. A friend taught me to make cloth dolls shortly before my 50th birthday. I designed my own mermaid doll for my birthday present-she still hangs in a pocket on my bedpost. Next, I became fascinated with jointed cloth dolls and made 6 inch jointed cloth dolls for myself and my students. Looking for furnishings for my dolls, I discovered Hittys http://www.hittygirls.com/. I made a cloth Hitty and bought some artist Hittys. I also have carved some amazingly ugly dolls before I carved a pretty one. My preferred size to carve is 4 inches or less-Bitty Hittys. Joints stil fascinated me and I bought a Madame Alexander Wendykins for the joints. I recarved her face, stained her a golden brown, rewigged her and had my husband, the graphic artist, paint her face. I was pretty settled on wooden dolls, until my husband came back from a con talking about ABJDs. I looked them up and wasn't really interested until I saw Sleeping Elf's Coco (1/12). I ordered one in Dark Tan and started waiting. I lasted about a week and then ordered an in stock light tan Coco to take to my first doll meet at A-kon. My next two dolls were used from the DOA market place, a tiny-which made me realize I don't do child dolls and my dark tan RS Mei(1/4). Next was another in stock Sleeping Elf doll-my Mina(1/12) in chocolate. I knew it was all over when I discovered Planet Doll. To date-I own 5 PD Minis(1/6), 1 PD MSD and have PD heads on two other tiny boys. I also have a Lumelight Koit (1/6)and a Lumelight Lucas body with a PD Mini Dandy head. My favorite boy is my modded Orient Doll Tae, Girard and my favorite girl is his fiance, Shriara, my modded PD Mini Roseanne. Shriara is an original character who started out as minor character embodied in my SE Mina-but she took over my dolly universe and my doll stories. She needed to be bigger and was rebodied as a PD Mini Rosenne-after a lot of modification. I found that 1/6 mature resins are my favorite. I love the solid weight of them in my hands and the way they look in photographs. All of my resins are characters I have written about. My dolls are my artistic outlet. I love to make clothes and environments for them and best of all photostories.

[Evelien]

So much fun to read all your stories

When I was younger I owned a few 6" Pamela Love dolls, well, a few... I kept buying them until I was, I think, 17 or 18..? At some point I didn't play with them anymore, I just made clothes for them and stuff .

At the beginning of 2010 I started collecting them again. I found out that there was nothing to be found about these ladies online; searching for them you only ran into blow up dolls and such . Being the html lover that I am, I decided to start my own website. I got permission from Simba to use the Pamela Love name in my domain name and I registered Pamela-love.com. Now, a year and a half since then, I have over 100 Pamela dolls and I have made a handful of close online friends who love Pam, just like I do, on my own little forum connected to my website. It's small and quiet but the few members that it's got love it so much and that's what counts. I started organizing a monthly theme pictures contest with Pamela Love dolls as prizes, because I have collected SO many and my mostly Polish members can hardly get to them, so yeah .

But lately my dolly interest has expanded. At first I didn't want to admit that I liked dolls in general and not just Pams, but now that I'm writing this I can hardly believe I ever thought that, hahaha. I started out carefully by buying a Moxie Teen, Tristen, soon to be followed by a second Tristen and a Melrose. I loved the faces but not the bodies, so I started experimenting shrinking their heads in acetone and putting them on LIV bodies. So far it's been a successful experiment, but... at the moment I have so many doll things going on that I haven't finished it properly yet. I hope to have the time as soon as I have graduated from college, which should be - hurrah - on June 24th (please pray for me and cross your fingers and such because I am SO done with college lol, I want to get to work!).

Anyway, I found out about the possibility of making a Little Pullip hybrid on a small Obitsu body, which I did with my Johanna. Soon there should be two more. I also bought my little Nano Haruka Eiki and I have two more of those on the way as well, lol. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about the Ellowyne Wilde 'Moody Blues' that was a gift from an online doll friend of mine from the States . He even paid for the shipping to the Netherlands. She is gorgeous, I am so grateful and I feel guilty that I still haven't made her a proper outfit. Soon. Summer holidays.

But the biggest transition in my collection so far is the move to the bigger dolls. At first I thought I'd NEVER get an SD sized doll, and a few months ago I also thought I'd never spend more than $50 on a doll lol, but that ship has sailed. I've seen resins in real life at the Dolliverse convention last Sunday, and.. they're really not that big and intimidating at all..! Perhaps the fact that I'm a 6'3" tall girl myself helps

I don't think I'll ever switch to resin BJDs though, the sculpts are beautiful but I'd miss the Obitsu's posability too much. So, I have a second hand 60cm Obitsu Gretel on the way (she's been in Dutch customs for two days now, ooooh such a long wait haha!) and next on my wishlist is a Visuadoll Moegi (50cm Obitsu). But she may have to wait a while... Let's get my finances in order first