For those with many dolls...

How do you do it? @_@ Asking since I've been honestly a bit overwhelmed at times having 5 DDs(3 hybrid and 2 full DDs) and 3 unrelated 1/6 dolls.

 

It used to be so easy to maintain 2 and spend time with them, but I'm having a harder time with that now. I'm still fairly new. My two year hobby anniversary is in November. So...I sort of had a first year and a half doll explosion in my home. The first 3 were intentional. I went 6 months before buying a head after my first. He got his body October of 2016. I bought my third body in January of 2017 and he got his head in March, I think. So I was managing 5-6 months between them at first...but then I got my MDD and DDS at the same time during May. The most recent two were sudden sorta literal "adoptions". Not planned at all. They ended up with me after someone left the hobby and we had an arrangement(At least the bodies did. The heads are mine lol.)

 

Now I'm actually gonna be buying a Kagamine Rin this month(My first Fullset DD!)...and I'm just over here thinking "How will I manage another?" Because I want to treat her nicely. And I know for sure I want Luka next year when she happens.

 

I like all of them too much to sell any, but space and time are both issues. Perhaps I feel a bit bad that I favor some over others. My first boy will always be my #1 attention hog, for example lol. But then I realize I haven't spent time with one of the others for like 2 weeks.

 

So when I see some with 10+ or even 20+, I wonder how you keep them all maintained and taken care of so well. I'm just curious how others juggle it and distribute their time and energy to their groups! Because I am so lost with even this many Do you keep a schedule or anything like that? Or do you just go with whoever you feel like hanging out with? Etc.

I have them take turns, sometimes in pairs. If I start neglecting one too bad, I may have to consider selling.

I know exactly how you feel. I remember distinctly feeling overwhelmed when my ninth BJD came home... and now I have 50.

 

Space and time are my issues too. I wish I had a room just for them. I feel a little guilty that I don't spend "quality time" with all of them all the time, but I do love having them around me, and I don't regret buying them. Truthfully I don't maintain them all that well, but it doesn't mean I love them any less. My first is my favorite too.

 

I made a list with a "top 25" and a "bottom 25", and realized I could get rid of half of them if I had to, or if I changed my mind and wanted to let them go. Only 2 DDs made the top 25, because so many of my resin BJDs are more beloved to me, and I didn't start buying DDs until 2012. I'm one of those people who develops characters for their dolls, and once I have done that, I find it pretty much impossible to sell them.

 

The unplanned ones... well, you just can't plan for them! Opportunities present themselves suddenly sometimes. I recently got a Volks full choice system for less than half her retail price, I couldn't pass that up! I think that when you first start acquiring dolls, you find it easier to buy more of them. Now that I have so many, I think very carefully about whether I really want to add a new one. I look at the ones I already have to make sure I don't already have a similar one, and if I don't love the new one as much, I can usually talk myself out of buying it. For example, I didn't buy Kirito because I like my DDH-05 boy Yasu more. So I believe your acquisitions are bound to slow down.

 

Linda S.

galatia9

Im lucky enough to have a whole room for my dolls, and a lot of floating heads :p but even if they had bodies id still have enough room for them.

 

I have chairs that the dd sit on, and a big desk prop display that some also chill in, the mdd have their own space too.

 

Some i spend more time with than others, mainly due to the ideas that are in my head for sewing or props, but i make sure to spend a bit of time with everyone, randomly.

 

I probably don't feel overwhelmed becuase they have their own room. If i had to keep them somewhere smaller, like a cabinet or a corner of a room, then it would be a different story :p

I don't "play" with my girls. They're simply on display, so it's not a matter of finding time or any such. Though I do occasionally change poses or adjust hair and such, mostly there's no effort or time involved.

 

I only have 16 DDs, so it's not like I need a dedicated doll room, though I would like a bit more display space for them. That'll happen eventually. If I had more space I'd just end up making more though, so I am procrastinating in order to save money, basically.

I usually have 7-8 hanging out on the desk in my office, out of those I have three, maybe four favorites that gets most of my attention but I do find myself rediscovering dolls when changing outfits every now and then and then they get added to the list of girls that gets some desk time while others will be placed somewhere else in the house. I probably should get around to selling some of them but deep down I don't really want to.

My current vinyl family has 17 members... I don't spend my time with all of them equally & their outfits aren't changed that often. When I do change outfits, it's usually when I buy new clothing and then changing one starts a chain reaction--- and usually means that a few others also get a change of clothes

 

I'm fortunate to have a spare room to keep them + my resin dolls in, so I don't feel overwhelmed by them all. I usually just keep my girls around my computer desk and swap them out whenever I feel the need to, however it's usually my favourites that get to stay nearby. If there's a meet up I try to strike a balance between girls who haven't been out and whoever was requested.

 

Don't feel bad about not spending your time evenly with them. I think the most important thing is whether or not you are still having fun and enjoying them.

Hm, I have 23, and basically ALL of them get at least a spring/summer and fall/winter outfit changeover, and then I take photos of all the new mix and matches I tried.

 

Theres always a few that get most of the play time, but I usually pat them all on the head at some time or another at least. Sometimes I'll randomly pick one to go outside for photos or take to a meet or something if they havent gotten any time with me in a while. But honestly I don't think about it too much, they all have their own favorite sister, so I dont really think of any of them as being lonely, unless they are sort of loners by their personality.

Since I moved to Japan I've gotten four DDs and two resins. Why is Japan important? Because I doubt I'd afford all these otherwise - the exchange rate and shipping costs are that bad. So I do find myself wondering how many I'd have if I didn't move here - or whether I'd even have any at all. It's been a blessing and a curse living here for the enabling it allows for this hobby and I'm pretty much in the same situation as you. I obviously want more, but what I have is already a lot (and there's the added dilemma of eventually having to ship everyone back)

I think you just need to take turns with them. This is easier for me cos my DDs are neatly divided, there's my OCs Bri and Mel, and the vocaloids Rin and Miku. They don't really tend to 'hang out' together that much so I usually only pay attention to one pair at a time. (Things will get more complicated once I have Luka and 9S I guess..I don't know if 9S will want to hang with his fellow robots or cling to Mel as the only other boy lol)

I get feeling bad about neglecting them sometimes - my poor pureneemo haven't done much lately - but they're still looking pretty on display.

 

By the way, I hope you love your Rin as much as I love mine, she's definitely worth every yen.

I envy those of you with doll rooms!

 

Even though the vast majority of my dolls are out of their boxes, I don't think of them as being on display. I think of them as sitting together with their friends. Their many, many friends. LOL! I enjoy doing photostories with my dolls. Though I haven't done one in a while, their stories are always progressing in my head, so I will get around to them eventually. My DDs have less defined characters than my resin BJDs (just because I've had the resin ones longer). I still have to figure out where the DDs fit in my doll world.

 

I probably should get around to selling some of them but deep down I don't really want to.

Neither do I!! I do handle some of mine way more than others. I sort of feel sorry for my Obitsu hybrid boys, as I don't tend to grab them nearly as often as I do Yasu or the girls.

 

When I do change outfits, it's usually when I buy new clothing and then changing one starts a chain reaction--- and usually means that a few others also get a change of clothes.

I like this snowball idea!!

 

Theres always a few that get most of the play time, but I usually pat them all on the head at some time or another at least. Sometimes I'll randomly pick one to go outside for photos or take to a meet or something if they havent gotten any time with me in a while.

I like to pat mine on the head too. Each one has a different quality or unique feature that I find appealing, so they are all special in one way or another. And I like to choose one who hasn't had much quality time with me when I go somewhere, or if I am shopping for something in particular for her or him.

 

By the way, I hope you love your Rin as much as I love mine, she's definitely worth every yen.

Your Rin is so sweet and cute, I am tempted to get one every time I see her. I wonder if she would help bring my poor Len out of his box?

 

Linda S.

galatia9

How do you do it? @_@ Asking since I've been honestly a bit overwhelmed at times having 5 DDs(3 hybrid and 2 full DDs) and 3 unrelated 1/6 dolls.

 

It takes some time, some will power and some serious love of this hobby and your girls. But it can be done!

 

It used to be so easy to maintain 2 and spend time with them, but I'm having a harder time with that now. I'm still fairly new. My two year hobby anniversary is in November. So...I sort of had a first year and a half doll explosion in my home. The first 3 were intentional. I went 6 months before buying a head after my first. He got his body October of 2016. I bought my third body in January of 2017 and he got his head in March, I think. So I was managing 5-6 months between them at first...but then I got my MDD and DDS at the same time during May. The most recent two were sudden sorta literal "adoptions". Not planned at all. They ended up with me after someone left the hobby and we had an arrangement.

 

August made 7 years for me and I still have problems keeping up with all of mine now. I'm the same as you tho, I sometimes get girls dropping into my lap out of nowhere. Totally unplanned but I'm unable to resist them and have to adopt. This year alone I've bought 8 girls with another one on the way by early October ( Moonlight Smartdoll ) and I'll be putting in a pre-order for the new Saber release. It's unending!

 

I like all of them too much to sell any, but space and time are both issues. Perhaps I feel a bit bad that I favor some over others. My first boy will always be my #1 attention hog, for example lol. But then I realize I haven't spent time with one of the others for like 2 weeks.

 

I get like this too. I got overwhelmed with the number of girls I have and I thought I was ignoring some more than others and it made me feel bad. But I couldn't sell any of them because I love them too much and would regret it if I did. My first girl Manami is still my number one girl and she gets more attention than any of the others. She also goes to more meets and outings than the others. And of course she gets more clothing and stuff too. So how do I divide up my time more equally so that the others don't feel left out or unloved? See below for the system I worked out.

 

So when I see some with 10+ or even 20+, I wonder how you keep them all maintained and taken care of so well. I'm just curious how others juggle it and distribute their time and energy to their groups! Because I am so lost with even this many Do you keep a schedule or anything like that? Or do you just go with whoever you feel like hanging out with? Etc.

 

Here's what I've done with my family of 53 girls. Yep, 53 of them now.

 

I made a list of all my girls and put down the date they arrived and in order of arrival. So not only does this give me a list of all of my girls, it lets me know the schedule I'm on to pay them attention and take care of them. Here's how it's done:

 

EVERY night I come home from work, I go into my bedroom to change clothes. Since all my DD sized girls are in my bedroom, The MDD sized ones are in my computer room ) they get a "Hello girls!" from me. If I have time, they all get head pats too. ( My girls love that. ) After I change, shower and eat supper, I go grab a girl. Who I grab depends on the schedule. Let's say I am starting fresh at number one..... the first girl I adopted. I go and get Manami and take her into the craft room since that's where I store all their clothing. I take off the outfit she has on and then check her for any stains or loose joints or dirt. If she needs cleaning then I clean her up. After that she gets a different outfit put on and then I brush her hair. This takes no more than about 10-15 minutes to do.

 

Afterwards, I take her into either the living room or the computer room to spend the rest of the night with me. If I watch TV, she sits next to me on the arm of the chair or couch. If I go online, she sits in my lap and watches me. She gets head pats when I think of it and I adjust her sitting position if I have to get up or move around any. Then, when I'm going to get ready for bed, she goes with me to the kitchen where I make lunch for the next day. After that she goes back into the bedroom to join her sisters where she was before. I finish getting ready for bed and as I turn out the lights, I tell them all "Good night girls!" And that's it.

 

I repeat this schedule EVERY DAY that I can. Of course, if I'm out of town or have to work really late then the schedule gets bumped back a day or two. But even then, I make sure to go back to where I left off so no one gets skipped or ignored and they all get the same amount of alone time with me. So I just continue down the list going from number 1 to number 2, number 3 etc. until I reach the end of the list and then I start all over again with number 1.

 

It took some planning to figure this out but once I implemented this schedule, it's worked out really well. I get to check all the girls for issues, change their clothes and spend time with them every day. It's the best way I know of to do this.

 

Smaller families would get more time sooner than mine does seeing as how it takes over a month and a half to rotate thru ALL of my girls. So if you only had 20 girls then you'd do one rotation in less than a month. I sometimes worry that this is too long of a wait for the girls to be back with me so I sometimes will have TWO girls with me on a day I'm home from work. Like today, I have my number 10 girl with me and she'll stay with me til around 4pm. Then I'll get number 11 and she'll spend the rest of the evening with me. Same for tomorrow since I'm off work. This speeds things up but still gives each girl her fair share of time with me.

 

I also keep a list of girls who have gone to meets or cons or photo shoots so that they get equal camera time too. Sometimes it's simple pics like for Instagram or Twitter or it's a big thing like a meet out of town at a park where I use my DSLR. Either way, I try to give each girl time at meets so other people see them and they get out of the house and away from their sisters for a bit.

 

I know all this sounds a bit crazy and possibly overboard but *to me* it makes perfect sense. I love ALL my girls and I try to do everything I can to spend as much time with each of them that I'm able to. So after many trials and errors, the above system is what works best for us all and I'd love others to use it too so their families can spread the love more evenly!

 

 

 

Billy

I have 8 girls at this point, and for most of them I had ideas for characters that would sort of be shelled into them. Maybe 2 or 3 have been 'deals I couldn't pass up' (Eiko in particular, also Hacchi) but I try hard to avoid that sort of thinking. I only buy or spend time on dolls that I intend to keep-- it would hurt me to get a doll, not bond with it and then sell it right away. I also try to avoid having multiples of the same sculpt, though if I ever come to a point where I own like 15+ dolls that may become an issue. I plan to slow down or stop when I've shelled all of these characters.

 

About half of my girls are modded somehow, and so I've kind of spent a lot of time on each one; one at a time. Hitomi is getting her entire body destained and needs a faceup. Hacchi's body is for the most part complete and functional, but needs a little fine-tuning. Mami's second mouth and Sayuri's horns are in progress. I need to carve/sculpt/sand Teke's ribs. I kind of alternate between all of these things as I'm able-- that way nobody gets left totally uncompleted. At the same time, those girls who I've 'finished' I'll plan new sewing projects for, style their hair, change their clothing... it's all kind of on a rotating schedule. There are definitely some I favor over others but as long as they're all clean, clothed, and cute, we're all happy

 

As far as space goes, they all sit on top of my 'entertainment console' -- just a long, low sitting, slim dresser where my TV and gaming systems are. Sometimes a few will make their way to my desk or craft supply cart.

There was another thread about a month back along the lines of the same question, and The Great Billy chimed in with what he does, and I liked it. He has a list of all his dolls and everyday he takes one or two and changes their outfits, checks for stains, and brushes their hair. Then they join him for his evening's activities. The next day he moves to the next one on his list. This way he can rotate through them all. I don't have as many, so I think I'm just going to buy until I get 7, then I can have one doll a day.

 

But in reality, my attention to them kind of goes in waves. Sometimes I'll spend time with them, and other times they may only get a pat on the head, really depends on what life is like.

 

EDIT: Whelp, while I stepped away, Billy answered. I'll just leave this here anyway.

(...)

I LOVE your method. And probably for someone outside the hobby it'd sound crazy, but to me it sounds like you really care for all your grils

 

Btw, when you said that you change her outfits every time its their turn I was amazed, then I realized that it meant that you change their outfits once a month xD

I LOVE your method. And probably for someone outside the hobby it'd sound crazy, but to me it sounds like you really care for all your girls

 

Thanks so much! I'm glad you think it's a good way to take care of them all.

 

Btw, when you said that you change her outfits every time its their turn I was amazed, then I realized that it meant that you change their outfits once a month xD

 

Hee hee, it averages out to be that each girl gets a change of clothing every 54 days as long as I don't miss any days. So it's actually closer to once every two months. And because of that, I have to make sure I don't put anything on them that can stain.

 

 

 

Billy

galatia9: Wow, 50! I could never imagine! Hopefully I'll never find myself needing to have a top 25 or bottom 25 myself...I would also think I would need a whole room at that point too! I guess I'm more of on the side of...I design characters? They have a look and basic backstory, but I guess I have no method so far as to what character gets to have a physical form and which don't The ones that are dolls are all new ones I made afterwards and yet my actual more developed characters probably won't ever be dolls. Not sure why, but it's never come to my mind to actually go for it.

 

I probably don't feel overwhelmed becuase they have their own room. If i had to keep them somewhere smaller, like a cabinet or a corner of a room, then it would be a different story :p

 

Bingo You(and a couple others) probably hit my problem right on the head.

 

Here's my corner setup(with empty space for Rin.) Won't have anywhere else until I move at some point, but even then, I'm going to a 1 bedroom that'll be 700 sq ft or less, so...Not sure if they'll ever be freed from a corner.

 

 

Now that I know that could be part of it...I wish I had more room too. I actually have been debating selling my TV(I never use it) so they can have the entire top of my entertainment center....

 

Ayuuya: Ah, so jealous of those with dedicated rooms! I really hope I can have a crafting/collection room one day, myself...But it is true, I do still have fun with them and they do make me happy, so I suppose that does count for a lot. If they didn't...it would sure be easy to sell them and get some space back lol!

 

Mahoro: Perhaps I still think of 3/5 of mine being lonely since I only have one "pair". Kaito won't seem so lonely with Rin around, but...then that leaves the other two and they don't have much in common lol. I feel like pairing them is a dangerous game for me to go for. Then I'll end up with 10+ for sure!

 

Torino: Yeah, the cost is typically why I do hybrid and non-fullset until now. @_@ I'm saving a couple yen by getting Rin from Mandarake and not from Volks directly(Good ol' "package damage" that isn't even noticeable in photos), but still a lot. Rin would be the third most expensive thing I own lol. Only behind my old laptop at its peak pricing and my mattress lol. But at least she holds value a lot better than the other two things...so there's that. Not that I'd want to sell her hopefully. It is reassuring to hear that she's worth it from other people because I really want to love her as much in person as I love the idea of getting her!

 

baldylox: Maybe your schedule is the way to go here! I also like it a lot. And with the amount I have...they could still get equal attention during the week...so I may try your method out and see if that makes me feel better about it! Maybe getting into a routine like that will make the time spent more manageable!

 

Thanks to everyone else too for the advice. I'll try mixing up what I've been doing and perhaps that'll help out. Especially after Rin gets here next month!

I know all this sounds a bit crazy and possibly overboard but *to me* it makes perfect sense.

Somehow this seems much less crazy than spending time analyzing statistics for fantasy sports.

Oh yeah, by the way...I have a lot of space to display these guys so long as I'm living here on my own (they've basically taken over the 'living room' of my apartment - usually Mel and Bri are hanging out on the dining table and Rin/Miku are hanging out on top of a box on the kotatsu(which doubles as a coffee table) in front of the TV. (the box is for them to sit on but I also just like to keep them off the surface of the kotatsu just in case - even though the top of the table still feels cool to the touch when the heater is turned on underneath, better safe than sorry (i'm worried about the heat accelerating staining or something). Meanwhile the two resins hang out in my bedroom away from the sunlight.

I usually have my desk draw open with a towel on it and since I spend the majority of my free time on my arse in front of the computer, I like to sit a doll there to be with me. Like Mellykins is doing here.

(although since SDC Renee got here, that's kinda his spot now...)

 

ANYWAY despite all this eventually I will have to move back home and until I get my own place again I'll only have my room in my mother's house, and probably less space than you do now. I don't know how long I'll be there (because I'm likely moving to Canberra or even Brisbane later), but I figured that during that period I would have to have most of them stored away in the closet and rotate who gets to be on display on my desk or whatever every week or so. I also plan to get a Detolf or some other glass cabinet to keep them safe in, because I have a cat who likes to investigate things with his mouth.

If you get to the 'too many' point while you still have limited space, you may have to do the same thing.

I look forward to maybe being able to put them around the kitchen and other areas someday...if the boyfriend doesn't mind it since I have to share the space though I do hope my next desk will make for a nice place for them to hang out after I leave here too...I actually don't have a "real" desk atm. I have one of the ones that fold onto the wall and I don't actually have a way to sit at it, so I tend to use it as a bedside table when it's not folded down...my room is 90% bed, so I'm a "work from bed with a lapdesk" person for everything I do at home basically lol. Since there's nowhere else to sit(either in-room or in the rest of the house. I don't hang out in other parts of the home.)

 

I also keep forgetting that because I'm still slowly prepping to move soon too...my closet is maxed out. Whoops. Couldn't store my crew in there even if I wanted to rotation. It's sort of packed with things I'm not taking with me at the moment. That's a new change, so I keep forgetting about that. I guess my brain sort of just thinks my stuff disappeared into thin air sometimes. Out of sight, out of mind a bit.

 

I wish I could do your desk drawer idea though! Sadly I have a desk lined up already and the drawer pulls out from the middle, so that would be very awkward. Hearing how some of you use your desks makes me excited about having one now. I haven't had a full desk since I was in elementary school, so it'll definitely be different for me to have one at home again.

I'm at 4 now, and that is my limit unless there's one that comes along that wows me. I mentioned to someone on FB that the only exceptions to my rule of 4 will be if I find perfect wigs, face or outfits or entire dolls for vocaloids gumi, luka or IA, and it looks like luka is coming as an official doll. While I have snow miku, she ended up as a custom and no longer miku, (who isn't my favorite vocaloid anyways)

 

The 4 I have are all my own characters that were features in stories/comics/tv show scripts that were always pet projects that never had time to fully materialize into something aside from projects to learn aspects of production planning or drawing work that lead into school and throughout school. It's hard to maintain that level of creativity once it becomes your day job, especially when you find other things to do.

 

As for caring for the 4, so far they move around the house every now and then keeping me company when I work or just to display. At some point I'm probably going to have a case built for them that is air tight and dust free for the times that they'll be left alone for a while.

I only have two girls atm but I do want more. It already kills me when i leave one in my room while I take the other to watch TV with or something. I can't imagine how hectic it will be if and when I get more. I just always want them to be by my side haha. Much respect to you that take care of their many girls n' boys!

I have 18 DDs plus two SDs, and an Azone 50. With the arrival of the IM@S preorders I will have 21 DD. I have 5 more older dolls I want to pickup after market eventually. I am getting the two new FATE preorders, and Kaede Takagaki will arrive on my doorstep one way or another.

 

The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

 

Usually I grab two of them, and take them to the living room after I get home. When I look at outfits in Volks news a specific girl usually comes to mind, and then she gets a new outfit. I try to make sure everyone is getting something new to wear over time.

 

I am planning at least one complete set of stage oufits for all my IM@S girls, but that is dependent on volks releasing a set that fits both the new DDP body, and the DDS/DD body. Hopefully they will eventually release Twinkle Star for the larger dolls sizes, and with a proper range of bust size options for SS - L.

 

When I buy wigs I tend to preserve a girls hair color as a part of her identity, but I give them new styles as often as I can. Wigs are pretty cheap, and its more an issue of buying enough of them to justify the shipping.

The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

 

I think you found your new signature, Wolf.

The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

 

I think you found your new signature, Wolf.

 

lol, and this is why Billy will never be a dealer too.

The difference between Dollfie Dreams and Heroin? Heroin is illegal, Dollfie Dreams probably should be.

 

I think you found your new signature, Wolf.

 

lol, and this is why Billy will never be a dealer too.

 

 

That is correct. A good dealer doesn't USE the products they sell. I'm too deep now to ever stop using.

 

 

Billy