10 year anniversary family photos!!

That's right!  I have finally gotten off my duff and taken an updated family photo!  The last one I took was a couple of years ago and it had about 84 or 85 girls in it.  But I hadn't had the energy to do another recently until now.  With TODAY, June 22nd, being my 10th anniversary in the doll hobby, I just had to do something to commemorate the event. 

 

So let's check on the girls and see how they are doing before the big photo!

 

Hmm.... no one in the bedroom...

 

DSC_0266 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

The MDD Manor is vacant...

 

DSC_0267 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

And the doll room is a ghost town....

 

DSC_0268 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

Just where the heck is everyone??

 

"SURPRISE PAPA!"

 

 

 

 

DSC_0272 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

Ahhh, there you are!  You all got together without me!  What good girls!

 

DSC_0273 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

Actually, this took me almost 3 hours to set up and then almost 4 hours to put them all back in the rooms where they were.  😉  What a long day!  It takes time to move 112 dolls around....

 

Now for some closeups of the group!

 

DSC_0275 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0276 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0277 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0278 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0279 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0280 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0281 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0282 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0283 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0284 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0285 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

(My newest girl is in this photo, can you guess which one she is?  😉 )

DSC_0286 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0287 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

DSC_0288 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

 

Now one thing a lot of people always ask me is how do I maintain such a large family of girls.  It took me a while to set something up but I now have a system set up that ensures that not a single one of them gets forgotten or neglected.  First I made a master list of every girl ( or boy ) I own, in order of who got adopted first.

 

(Please enjoy some random crowd photos at angles as I explain my system. )

 

DSC_0289 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

Every night when I get home from work, I go to the list and see who is up for that day.  I go get her from the shelf and check her for any dirt or stains.  If she looks good then I change her clothing.  If she was in a dress, I go casual with shorts or pants this time.  I try to give them each a different look from what they had on before so they aren't stuck looking the same all the time.

 

DSC_0290 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

After that I brush their hair and take them with me into the living room or the computer room to sit in my lap.  They usually get about 3 to 3.5 hours with me all by themselves.  No sharing with sisters or anything.... just me and her for that night.  This system makes sure everyone gets equal time with me and I get to make sure they are all in good shape, dust free and looking their best.  So far this system has worked out really well for us all.

 

DSC_0292 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

And just above is the little stinker that started all of this.  😉  She was my very first doll and she is my favorite.  I love her to bits and will never let her go.  She and I will always be together.   

For those that don't know, Manami was adopted from someone I still talk to and consider a friend in the hobby.  I found her on the old website Figurefm.  It was run by Danny Choo and I was there for action figures from Japan.  I just happened to find Dollfie Dreams one time and instantly fell for them.  After lurking for almost a year, I decided to get my own DD and found Manami.  I adopted her and the rest is history. 

 

027 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

She has done so much for me over the last 10 years, it's really hard to go into it all.  But the main thing she has done for me is introduce me to a myriad of amazing people I now call friends.  She just makes it so easy to chat with people and have fun and be me.  She's allowed me to grow as a person, as a photographer and to understand who I am.  It sounds silly but it's true.  Without Manami, I wouldn't be me.

 

_DSC0264 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

So I'd like to thank all the people she has let me meet here.  I appreciate all the fun we have here and I enjoy sharing her and her sisters with you all.  I hope we can continue to do so for another 10 years.   

 

DSC_2038 by Billy  Bennett, on Flickr

 

Manami says "SEND COOKIES!"

 

 

😄

 

 

 

Billy

This is truly impressive! They FILL the room lol. I saw the sneak peak on Twitter and was just 😲😮 

Congrats on the hobby milestone, you have a wonder bunch there. 😁

 

Did you have any domino effect moments setting them up lol? Imagining like 30 of them knocking each other over if they happen to tip. 😆

Edited June 22, 2020 by TheWhiteRabbit

Wow, your doll family is larger than most dolls I see at a meetup, even the large twice-yearly meetups in my area! 🎉 That's so much work putting it all together! I'm glad the hobby has been so fulfilling for you!

Awesome, thanks for putting in the hard work for our amusement! 

Is the new girl the Queen's Blade Airi? I don't remember you having one before, but I could be wrong.

Wow so many dolls! if I had that many I feel like I would forget about a lot of them, I have 2 and sometimes I feel like I mess with one more than the other haha! 

I see you have some doll furniture like couches, where did you get those from? I need to order me some of my own:)

It seems like only yesterday we were all on figure.fm and I was reading your very first post about Minami, and I myself, as a young teen, was waiting in my very first girl. Back then you only had a few girls, enough to count on one hand... I remember back on the old dollfie dream forums when your old signature had a count of how many dolls you had, and I watched it gradually (or maybe rapidly) grow and grow until you just stopped keeping count for a while! You’ve always been so active in the dollfie dream community that I don’t think I could imagine it without you. It seems that every nook and cranny of the internet that has something to do with dollfie dreams is where I’ll always find your kind and silly comments. 
 

You are a lucky man to have so many lovely ladies to care for and we are all very lucky to have you too! Happy anniversary Billy- I consider it an anniversary of when this hobby was gifted with your positivity! Give your girls my love!

On 6/22/2020 at 7:22 PM, TheWhiteRabbit said:

This is truly impressive! They FILL the room lol. I saw the sneak peak on Twitter and was just 😲😮 

Congrats on the hobby milestone, you have a wonder bunch there. 😁

 

Did you have any domino effect moments setting them up lol? Imagining like 30 of them knocking each other over if they happen to tip. 😆

They pretty much do take up about half the room.  😉  Thank you very much!  Luckily I only had a couple down front take a dive due to kitty interference.  😄  Easily cleaned up tho!  I was amazed I didn't have any real domino catastrophes occur.  

 

On 6/22/2020 at 7:27 PM, milkytea said:

Wow, your doll family is larger than most dolls I see at a meetup, even the large twice-yearly meetups in my area! 🎉 That's so much work putting it all together! I'm glad the hobby has been so fulfilling for you!

Ha ha, yeah it's like I have a doll meet at my house every day!  😉  Thank you for the compliments!

 

On 6/22/2020 at 7:59 PM, Jezrah said:

Awesome, thanks for putting in the hard work for our amusement! 

Is the new girl the Queen's Blade Airi? I don't remember you having one before, but I could be wrong.

You are welcome and thanks so much!  And yes!  Airi is my newest adoption!  I really never thought I'd own one due to how rare she is but it seems someone in Nagoya took their entire DD collection to the Mandarake there and sold off.  She's basically brand new and was an excellent price compared to what I've seen her sell for in the past. 

 

On 6/22/2020 at 8:49 PM, Chiakisenpai said:

Wow so many dolls! if I had that many I feel like I would forget about a lot of them, I have 2 and sometimes I feel like I mess with one more than the other haha! 

I see you have some doll furniture like couches, where did you get those from? I need to order me some of my own:)

It's not too easy to keep up with them but my system I mentioned above does work really well for us.  The furniture comes from all over the place really.  One couch is from Volks USA, another was from a Goodwill store, some chairs were from a local small thrift shop and a few others I picked up at doll meets and flea markets.  A good source is pet beds for couches and teddy bear chairs.

 

On 6/22/2020 at 11:57 PM, takoninja said:

It seems like only yesterday we were all on figure.fm and I was reading your very first post about Minami, and I myself, as a young teen, was waiting in my very first girl. Back then you only had a few girls, enough to count on one hand... I remember back on the old dollfie dream forums when your old signature had a count of how many dolls you had, and I watched it gradually (or maybe rapidly) grow and grow until you just stopped keeping count for a while! You’ve always been so active in the dollfie dream community that I don’t think I could imagine it without you. It seems that every nook and cranny of the internet that has something to do with dollfie dreams is where I’ll always find your kind and silly comments. 
 

You are a lucky man to have so many lovely ladies to care for and we are all very lucky to have you too! Happy anniversary Billy- I consider it an anniversary of when this hobby was gifted with your positivity! Give your girls my love!

Thank you so so very much for your wonderful compliments!  That really means a lot to me!  

I really miss the golden days of FFM.  The group there was so close knit and fun!  I met many a cool person there and have managed to keep in touch with most of them over the years.  The forums have a good community too and lots of FFM people migrated here after it shut down.  

I'm flattered with your kind words.  I do know I'm all over the place and sometimes feel I bug the heck out of people but I always try to have fun and make sure others do too.  I'm glad you think the same!  I will tell all my girls that you said hello and wish them well!  Thanks again for the compliments!

 

 

Billy

Such an impressive setup! It's one to see all the dolls in different rooms spread up but when they're all gathered like that.... DAMN.

I'm proud to call you a friend and am happy Manami got you into dolls, that some of my other friends get me to buy Kana, and that all lead to us meeting. 🤗

Here's to ten more years with Manami!!! I'll send her more cookies~

I love family shots so much and you are certainly the master of those at this stage (did it take half a day to set this up and put them back?). I'd love to see pics of them all lounging on those chairs or in the manor as well one day.

I feel so happy that you have saved so many wonderful girls and give them so much love and care. They are blessed to have you in the hobby and I echo the sentiments of takoninja! I'm not highly active in the community but you've always been a great presence here. Here's to another 10 years!

On 6/24/2020 at 9:33 PM, kranberrijam said:

Such an impressive setup! It's one to see all the dolls in different rooms spread up but when they're all gathered like that.... DAMN.

I'm proud to call you a friend and am happy Manami got you into dolls, that some of my other friends get me to buy Kana, and that all lead to us meeting. 🤗

Here's to ten more years with Manami!!! I'll send her more cookies~

Thank you!  I'm with you there.... even tho I live with them, I only see them in groups in the rooms they stay in.  Having them all in one spot for once is pretty dang cool.  😉  

I really appreciate your compliments and I too am happy to call you one of my good friends!    The Charlotte group is just so much fun and I consider you all family.  And Manami prefers peanut butter cookies.  LOL

 

10 hours ago, Beani said:

I love family shots so much and you are certainly the master of those at this stage (did it take half a day to set this up and put them back?). I'd love to see pics of them all lounging on those chairs or in the manor as well one day.

I feel so happy that you have saved so many wonderful girls and give them so much love and care. They are blessed to have you in the hobby and I echo the sentiments of takoninja! I'm not highly active in the community but you've always been a great presence here. Here's to another 10 years!

Thank you about the photos!  It took about 2.5 to 3 hours to set them all up and about 4 hours to put them all back where they normally are so quite the day for me!  As for pics of them in their normal areas, check this thread on displays.  My girls are about a third of the way down the first page:

 

 

And thank you so much for the kind words!  That really means a lot to me.  I really love giving unwanted or broken dolls another run at haing a good "life" in a collection.  Rebuilding and repairing them is lots of fun to me and seeing the finished product really makes me smile.  And I'm glad it makes others smile too.    Again, thank you for the compliments, it really does make my day brighter.  😉

 

 

 

Wow, what an impressive doll family, they're all so lovely. Your system to spend time with them sounds like a really good way to never neglect any of them, I'm sure they appreciate it. It's wonderful that they bring you so much joy. 

I was pretty amazed when I saw the photos on Instagram. Wow, there's so many, and I feel like I have a lot! 😂 I'm glad to see that you take good care of them. They're all so beautiful as well. 

23 hours ago, Devonian said:

Wow, what an impressive doll family, they're all so lovely. Your system to spend time with them sounds like a really good way to never neglect any of them, I'm sure they appreciate it. It's wonderful that they bring you so much joy. 

Thanks so much!  I do my best to make sure no one gets ignored or forgotten because they're very important to me.  They bring me greay joy and happiness and help keep me sane.  😉

 

15 hours ago, Secrets said:

I was pretty amazed when I saw the photos on Instagram. Wow, there's so many, and I feel like I have a lot! 😂 I'm glad to see that you take good care of them. They're all so beautiful as well. 

Thank you very much!  It's a big group but I love them all and enjoy having them here.  I make sure to try and spoil them with attention and clothing as much as possible.  😄 

 

 

Billy

Getting them all together for a photo must have been something. I have 1/3 as many and it took me hours to do my group photo. 

20 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

Getting them all together for a photo must have been something. I have 1/3 as many and it took me hours to do my group photo. 

Yep, I set aside an entire day for it altho it didn't take all of that to do.  I spent about 3 hours setting them all up and then about 4 hours putting them all back where they were.  Between doing that I had lunch and took a break.  😉  

 

 

Billy

W O W !  

I'm stunned. STUNNED, I tell you! I'll have a more coherent reaction after I look at these more closely. Love your system, I may have to try that if my cats will allow it. 😸 Jealous little devils. 

And the pic of YOU! Mraowl. 

4 hours ago, charlieriley said:

W O W !  

I'm stunned. STUNNED, I tell you! I'll have a more coherent reaction after I look at these more closely. Love your system, I may have to try that if my cats will allow it. 😸 Jealous little devils. 

And the pic of YOU! Mraowl. 

Thank you very much!  I appreciate the kind words!  I have cats too and for the most part they leave me and the girls alone when they are in my lap or beside me on the couch.  😉  

 

 

Billy

1 hour ago, baldylox said:

Thank you very much!  I appreciate the kind words!  I have cats too and for the most part they leave me and the girls alone when they are in my lap or beside me on the couch.  😉  

 

 

Billy

My cats will push those dolls right onto the floor. Except for my tabby Jake. He's a bit of a doll perv. He's also a shoe perv. I can seldom find more than one shoe of a pair. 😸

I'm ofended because you don't own (or rather you're not owned by) a Kos-mos in your family!! Joke.

I've never seen a collection this size and I think it will be hard to find someone with sooo many girls. You definitely live in a doll house. Nice family!!

1 hour ago, Pit said:

I'm offended because you don't own (or rather you're not owned by) a Kos-mos in your family!! Joke.

I've never seen a collection this size and I think it will be hard to find someone with sooo many girls. You definitely live in a doll house. Nice family!!

Ha ha!  While I like KOSMOS I just don't have any real feelings towards her or a need to add her to my family.  😉    

There are others out there with bigger collections than mine for sure.  But you're right, I do kind of live in a doll house.  😄 

 

 

Billy

This isn't just a collection, it's an entire ARMY. 

All hail the Maid Brigade!

21 hours ago, Poofiemus said:

This isn't just a collection, it's an entire ARMY. 

All hail the Maid Brigade!

You are correct.  😄  I plan to take inventory soon on who has maid uniforms and who doesn't.  I think almost all the MDD sized girls have them but I know I'm short by a lot on the 60cm girls.  I hate to find out just HOW short I come up on them. 

 

 

 

 

Billy

Lovely family! I love all the cute maids!

14 hours ago, Jellie said:

Lovely family! I love all the cute maids!

Thank you very much!  I'm a sucker for the maids.  😉 

 

 

Billy

Love seeing other's doll families and collections. You have a beautiful bunch of girls!