New to the DD hobby

Finally got around to displaying my Miku, but I'm super paranoid about her falling down. My question is; should I display her without a stand? I have cats, but they are not allowed in my computer room where Miku and my other figures are displayed. It seems like i could prop her up against something, or jury-rig a stand until hers comes in. She seems so delicate that I would hate it if she fell down.

If you have animals and are concerned you might as well get a stand. You can find them locally for not a lot of money. It's a small investment for piece of mind.

http://www.joann.com/75in-doll-stand/2708220.html?mkwid=xU6Hwked|dc&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Shopping+-+Kids+%26+Teachers&CS_003=10131488&CS_010=

My own Miku took a tumble from table to carpeted floor earlier this week with no ill effects--DDs are sturdier than you might think.

 

I do recommend getting a stand though, because it does allow you some more posing freedom in the way of things like contraposto postures, etc., and can be a real load off your mind when you photograph her.

 

In the meantime, you can have her kneeling or sitting. Mine's been sitting perched on a mason jar (with another doll's head in it) for the past month. XD

I display most of my dolls standing leaning against the wall, and they almost never fall over ^^; If they have a wall to support them they are pretty sturdy, provided they are standing steady on both feet. I also have a few cheap stands I found at Michaels I use sometimes.

Yeah, if they're not leaning on anything, eventually the joints will bend enough due to gravity that they will fall over (unless you got her super-balanced).

I find it varies from Doll to Doll. My Saber Lily and Sakura Shinguji stand on their own as long as they are in pumps and not heels. The rest of my dolls the joints are too loose, and they tend to fall over randomly.

 

I highly recommend getting a stand because it makes a lot of things easier. Adjusting outfits and styling hair is much much easier if you aren't trying to balance the doll at the same time. I also live in Earthquake country, and feel much safer about leaving my dolls standing in their display case when they are secured on a nice sturdy stand.

 

I have had a doll fall about 5 feet during a photo shoot, and she was no worse for wear. I do worry if she fell and ended up on the floor while I wasn't around my cat would chew on her. He's a pica cat and as such eats odd things. Being a master troublemaker he would chew on her face and not something cheap like a hand.

 

I would think the big thing you would need to worry about from a fall is the neck breaking, and you can replace that with the coolcats neck joint.

 

I'd recommend a display case too, but I won't call it a must have. Pulaski furniture makes nice curio cases, but they are on the pricy side.

Cool thanks for all the advice. I went ahead and got a cheep stand at my local craft store and it seems to be working fine. I also cleared out some space in my Detolf Ikea cabinet for her until I get a Cool Cat stand. Had to sacrifice some figmas to display her, but it was worth it.

Yeah, a closed cabinet will help to keep dust off of her as well as keep the pets away. They aren't dust proof, but it certainly minimizes the amount of dust. Plus if you have cats then the air in your home is probably filled with cat hair, and it can get in the wigs.

stands are great... but have you considered also getting her a little chair? Or maybe chubby fluffy pillow to sit on for display

stands are great... but have you considered also getting her a little chair? Or maybe chubby fluffy pillow to sit on for display

 

A chair would be cool, but unfortunately my local craft store didn't have one her size. Might see if i can make a tiny pillow, thanks for the idea!

stands are great... but have you considered also getting her a little chair? Or maybe chubby fluffy pillow to sit on for display

 

A chair would be cool, but unfortunately my local craft store didn't have one her size. Might see if i can make a tiny pillow, thanks for the idea!

 

Don't forget the golden rule for DD props: repurpose! The chair and sofa I have for my girls were meant for 18 inch dolls like American Girl, etc. (and the sofa came cheap from a thrift store). MarqV has an epic sofa that was originally supposed to be a dog bed. Kymaera and several other people lucked out with a metal bench intended to be a plantstand, available at Hobby Lobby and several other craft stores. They can also sit on other things--I honestly wasn't kidding about the mason jar with the head in it, Miku really did sit on it for a month till I dragged her off to the local Highland Games. Before I got the sofa, Agatha often sat on my little desktop subwoofer.

 

Repurposing is great for other things, too. At the aforementioned highland games, I got a leather bracelet that works great as a DD belt, as well as a letter opener that makes a *perfect* sword. I got Homura a new gun for 50 cents out of one of those capsule toy machines. I and quite a few other people have gotten great props that were meant to be keychains--personally I've gotten a flashlight, a telescope, a harmonica, an ice cream sundae, and a Rubic's Cube that way.

 

Your display options get a lot more varied quite quickly if you keep an open mind!