Taking our DD into public... Like Disneyland for a event...

I have a question to everyone out there. Here's our plan...

 

My wife & I are (hopefully) planning on taking our daughter "Amora Yuri" with us to Disneyland on May 31st for a unofficial event called "Bats Day in the Fun Park"... or as everyone else calls it "GOTH DAY". It's a annual event that we all get into. ‪#‎batsday2014‬

 

This'll be the first time we'll be taking her out in public AND in a emo/punk goth-style outfit (no makeup) that we hope stands out for people to see.... BUT she will be the only Dollfie there....

 

Some people will take a stuffed goth toy or maybe a Monster High doll for fun, but we've never seen anyone take any kind of DD or SD dolls inside Disney during this or any other events.

 

My wife & I, along with well over 1000 others, dress up in Goth or Steampunk outfits during this event to enjoy the day. Disney has been great to work with our groups to make the day as fun as possible.

 

I'm sure we'll have fun like always, but there won't be other dollfie's there...

 

I'm not asking for others to be there, what I'm asking is how have you guys dealt with people who might stare at yourselves in a public place??? Especially if there's no other DD's, SD's or any kind of dolls around a place like Disneyland?? I'm sure this isn't a big deal to worry about, but we'll be the only ones bringing her with us.

 

Any help to the new guys would be great. Thanks

At the end of the day, people might look, the odd person may comment or ask a question or a kid may want to hold her or a person, but really, nobody cares if you're not bothering them or getting in the way. Excuse the crappy photos, but I took Kud to Euro Disney when I was there when there were lots of people around and nobody cared. (This was in front of the castle right before the evening show). So my advice to you is just enjoy whatever it is you like to do with your dolls, just dont get in other people's way and you'll have nothing to worry about.

 

Well ok, make sure you watch your surroundings. There are places I just wouldnt feel particularly safe stopping for photos and carrying a doll around. But I'm pretty sure Disneyland is not one of them; its just a general 'travelling with dolls' guideline.

 

As someone who takes their girls out in public regularly, I can tell you that for the most part nobody will bother you or give you grief about having a DD with you. ESPECIALLY if you're going to have her dressed up in a similar style to you and everyone else there. Altho I'm not in the gothic community at all, I'm willing to bet a leg that anyone there who sees you, your wife and your DD all dressed up alike will more often than not come up and ask what/who she is and how you got her. People who do cosplay and things like Lolita are VERY accepting of things like this.... I took my little MDD Kino to a Lolita Fashion Show recently and besides being the only guy there, I was also the only one with a doll. People asked me about her, said she was cute and were overall curious and pleasant.

 

I think you have nothing to fear other than worrying about losing track of her in a large area with lots of people around. Just keep her close to you and your wife and I think everything will be just fine. I've taken my girls to large conventions before and overall, they were accepted easily. And if anyone DOES have anything negative to say.... ignore them. I'm sure I've had my fair share of people thinking I'm a loony or a freak when they see me out with my girls for photo shoots and such but they've never said anything negative to my face. Almost 90% of the people who've approached me when I was outdoors in public spaces ask if I'm doing some sort of project or class for school. It's always easy to just say yes but most of the time I tell them photography is a hobby of mine and so are the girls. Having models that can hold poses indefinitely makes things much easier for my pics. And people seem to let it be at that.

 

Overall I think the general public won't give you much grief over having a DD with you, let alone a group of cosplayers/gothic/steampunk fans. Just watch out for packs of children wanting to hold your DD. Just say no! LOL

 

 

 

Billy

I've taken my girls to an incredibly crowded convention that was in too small a space for the population. Overall I'd agree with the above, generally people will leave you alone unless they're genuinely curious.

 

One thing I'll add, though, is to make sure nothung will fall off your girl while in a crowd. Things like shoes, hair accessories, and clip on ponytails can easily fall off and get stepped on. Make sure the shoes are nit slide on, it's better if they have ties or straps. When I took my Melty to a convention in her default outfit I attached a chin strap to her hat so it wouldn't go anywhere. And always be aware of the people around you so you can turn and have them bump you instead of your girl. Otherwise, have fun! You can sometimes find like minded people by having a DD out in public.

At the end of the day, people might look, the odd person may comment or ask a question or a kid may want to hold her or a person, but really, nobody cares if you're not bothering them or getting in the way. Excuse the crappy photos, but I took Kud to Euro Disney when I was there when there were lots of people around and nobody cared. (This was in front of the castle right before the evening show). So my advice to you is just enjoy whatever it is you like to do with your dolls, just dont get in other people's way and you'll have nothing to worry about.

 

If you took her to Euro Disney with no troubles, I'm sure we won't have any here in Anaheim either. I like the way you were able to take her pic in front of the castle. I'm hoping to do the same.

 

Thanks for the advice...

As someone who takes their girls out in public regularly, I can tell you that for the most part nobody will bother you or give you grief about having a DD with you. ESPECIALLY if you're going to have her dressed up in a similar style to you and everyone else there. Altho I'm not in the gothic community at all, I'm willing to bet a leg that anyone there who sees you, your wife and your DD all dressed up alike will more often than not come up and ask what/who she is and how you got her. People who do cosplay and things like Lolita are VERY accepting of things like this.... I took my little MDD Kino to a Lolita Fashion Show recently and besides being the only guy there, I was also the only one with a doll. People asked me about her, said she was cute and were overall curious and pleasant.

 

Your right.... The goth community will be happy, enamored and supportive of us bringing Amora with us. Being around all our friends and others of similar like will be fun like always. And I know there'll be plenty of "regular" people (we call them "normies" or "conformist"... lol ) there that day that will be curious about our look and style, especially our DD. I'm sure we'll be alright after reading everyone's comments here, I'm feeling at ease.

 

Thanks...

Last time I visited Disneyland I brought a DD with me, but ended up not taking her into the park. It was always crowded and busy everywhere, and I didn't want to lug her around for 6 hours just to take a few pics. But I did see several smaller dolls like Pullips and Blythe getting photos, so you certainly wouldn't be the only one with a doll

That sounds like an awesome event!

 

I've brought dolls to events before (Phoenix Matsuri, Phoenix Comicon), so I've got a couple tips.

 

--Only bring *one* girl at a time. You'll be carrying her with one hand, so you'll be really glad to have the other one free.

 

--Having a second person around who's doll-less but that you really trust is nice, if you can wrangle it. They can watch your girl when you use the restroom, have to rummage in your wallet, or otherwise need both hands.

 

--Use a short and/or straight wig. Long wigs will get tangled up when she rests up against your shoulder or chest, so short ones are way easier to deal with. Ponytails and twintails that don't clip in are not recommended for this same reason.

 

--Bring a small comb or toothbrush. If you have the option of wearing something with pockets, pick that so the comb's always on hand. If not, make sure it's in your backpack/handbag/camera bag.

 

--Make sure her shoes stay on really well, or even just bring her barefoot. I've lost half a pair before due to them being loose before, and it's probably still floating around downtown Phoenix somewhere.

 

Hope this helps, and have fun!

I've taken DDs to anime cons & RenFaire, just gonna echo some of the other posts ...

 

- the "omg, staring O_O" thing is no problem! People will look at the pretty doll, and small children may be fascinated... but most people aren't rude or anything

It also helps to have a short answer prepared to the usual "why?" questions. Like, literal one-liners answers! ... Most of general public likes to ask "whats with the doll?" or "why are you taking photos of the doll?", but in my experience most of 'em don't actually want to stand around and hear the full explanation. So mentally prepare something like "school project", "photography practice" one-liners

 

- the only people to trust with holding your girl for cute snaps (other than yourself & your partner of course) are park characters!

Its a weird thing to say... but you know how everyone likes to get grabby-hands

 

- try to strip down your girl's outfit if you can. Look over her and see if any parts of costume are unnecessary or will easily pop off/get lost & can be left at home instead.

I've carried Saber around wearing only half her armor, as she was on my arm so the hip plates were bleepbersome, the petticoat useless & boots wouldn't have been seen anyway

 

- have a bag! Either your girl's carrier bag or a small backpack you can always safely tuck her into. Now you can have food breaks or bathroom stops & not worry about dropping her off your lap, or her getting dirty... or I dunno... wet from outta nowhere rain

Don't bring extra hands (too easy to lose), but have a lil hairbrush (toothbrush?)

 

- if you are absolutely seriously gonna be doing location photos, either have someone with you hold up the doll at strategic locations while u snap away, or bring a small stand. Considering this is a crowded theme park... the former is the better idea