where's the "wannabe collector?" as in, the person who loves watching doll content on youtube and looking at doll pictures on instagram, and is looking at doll websites fantasizing about putting together outfits and buying new dolls, but is too broke to afford to actually own any of these dolls? cuz that's me lol.
The type I am is: Childhood collector... you start your collection with your childhood toys and get back the ones missing and continue adding new ones based in your childhood ones nyo!
I´m definitely number 20! When I bought the very first Barbie doll for my niece a had to bought one for my self with an excuse that she will need more outfits and I will sew them for her. Now I have 60+ Barbies, 6 Tonner´s dolls, 6 Paola Reinas and 2 BJDs and I have no idea how was that happened! I don´t even remember I would ever give any of my sewn doll outfits to my niece! I´ve found myself in dolls collecting as it is a perfect mix of all my hobbies. Fashion designing and sewing, painting, miniature making, knitting, 3D printing, woodworking... everything well combined in one package.
My collection is very eclectic. I only own 3 BJD dolls from Iplehouse. I love their beauty! The rest of my collection is comprised of Barbie and Hot Toys with some childhood dolls in the mix (Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman for example). I think my collecting style is a mix of several types of collector. I love the hunt for that special doll or character, but I also find changing their outfits to be a relaxing experience. I love photographing them, but have not tried outside yet, hehehe. And finally, I am the how did I get here collector. It all started with one doll that was given as a gift. Now there are displays all over my house. No a single regret!
Honestly, I'm kind of in another category: In My DNA. My grandma was a lifelong collector and hobbyist doll and doll clothing maker, my dad made wooden toys, and I have been making wood miniatures, doll clothes and cloth dolls myself for years. I've also been curating a collection of handmade dolls, antique dolls, fashion dolls and BJDs for basically my whole life. Toymaking and doll collecting are just a part of the family culture. In terms of BJDs specifically, I'm a Monty Python and Miniature Collector. Started with a few 1/12 scale blind boxes (only if there wasn't an option I didn't like, so it's all good surprises). Now I'm on the hunt for the perfect 1/18 or 1/16 doll to inhabit the dioramas my husband and I make.
I'm a beauty guru crow lol maybe also a smidge of a cheerleader collector as well. or rather, i buy whatever i think is cute but i also like supporting artists. this was such a cute vid!
My collector type is "I only like boy dolls" *proceeds to exclusively get girl dolls* XD. I do have one boy and two undefined gremlings, that I cherish dearly, but yeah, that didn't go so well XD. Fun video and idea!
I'm definitely the Storyteller. Sometimes I pass up on gorgeous dolls or amazing sales on cool dolls (or dolls I think I should want), all because I can't fit them into the ecosystem of my collection. My dolls have intricate backstories and layers of relationships to each other. (I write stories, too, but that's separate characters that live in my head only.) This was a great video! Very fun! I hope you'll be making a follow-up some day in the future, just because it's so interesting.
Absolutely love these list type videos! As for me, I feel like I'm sort of a mix between a Storyteller, a Crow and a bit of the Therapist. My small collection started as me literally wanting to shell characters out of my story, but then it somehow evolved into "Ohh. I love this one, I need it! And now that I have the doll, let's create a character for it" kind of thing. I also view my dolls not as objects necessarily, but more like a group of beloved pets? Even though I'm not very good with customisation, it brings me immense joy to paint the dolls to what I envision them as (ummm there might be another type coming into the mix here? Hmmmm...) and the bonding process of it all (a new doll js a new friend, sort of?) is probably the best part of the hobby for me. ... honestly not sure if this even makes sense, especially in my poor English. But anyways, thank you for making this video and making me wonder about this! 😁
I am a bewildered crow (ooh shinies! and where did this come from?!). I started with MH because they were near the Lego. Then I found doll photography forums - and that led to a different doll, then to a doll shop with even more different kinds of dolls. Add a splash of the diorama with follows into that Cory is the storyteller - ALL his dolls have their own names, personalities and backstories - even if he doesn't share all of them with anyone but me.
I think I'm type 21: The indecisive. You love so many different bjds that you can never decide so you never actually end up buying any. But if you had like $10k to buy dolls, you'd spend it all immediately and you know exactly which dolls you'd buy. I have a list of at least a dozen dolls and I've been trying to decide on one for like 3 months now. If only I had money to buy more than one. 😥
Would like to hear your story. I don't see myself as a collector but as a Hobbiest. Thanks for sharing. Have fun and keep the sparkles on. Lovies Yetta💕
I feel like I am a bunch of types mixed together. Although, overall, I'm definitely also a "How did I get here?" I bought 1 Calico Critter Persian cat doll. I did not plan on buying any others. But I ended up buying a bunch of Calico Critters, and then a house for them. Once there was no more room for more in that house, I bought one Rainbow High doll. Then, I ended up buying a bunch of them. Then, there was no more room for them on the shelf where I'm keeping them. Then, I bought one Monster High Cleo doll, which lead to a bunch of different Cleo dolls (and also a couple of non-related Egyptian themed dolls). I love anything Ancient Egypt, and intended to only collect Egyptian ones then, but ended up also buying an assortment of other Monster High characters. I also bought a small group of Barbies, just because I thought they were the most beautiful ones. Now I'm basically out of room for those, as well. I also love to dress all of my dolls, do their hair, and take photos, and I want to make houses for them all, but haven't figured that out yet due to lack of space & money. So, I don't know which type I would be. A lot of them. 😄 Being out of space, I've been thinking about going mini in the future, but I haven't actually done that yet.
I am a mix of a lot of these. I make stories with original characters that I write stories about and use the dolls to visualize it a bit. I photograph. I head swap dolls because I love articulation in my dolls. I restore , reroot and repaint dolls, if necessary. I collect mainly Barbie and Integrity toys dolls but also have a decent collection of Minifee BJDs and Azone dolls and even Dollfie dream type dolls like Imomo. My clothing collection is huge, clothes and furniture are the main reason that I prefer 1/6 scale, since I can create rooms more easily and I like my dolls to be able to share clothes. My guilty pleasure is that after being an immigrant teen mom,working two jobs while in University, I now fully enjoy spending on my hobbies and clothes are absolutely something I go all out for. I personally only wear black and sadly there aren’t many dolls out there in my style, so I create that myself. I recently really got better at making more diverse outfits though with colors. I collected with my older daughter since she was about four. She’s almost 16 now and still into doll collecting. Together we have a big Monster high doll collection that we have moved countries twice with. She also really got me into RH and SH dolls. Our baby girl is almost two now and one of her first words was Barbie, so she’ll probably join us in our hobbies. We have collected very nice furniture and props, accessories over the years for our 1/6 scale dolls and now I am looking into buying a nice kitchen for that size from an Etsy shop, so we can take better pictures. Styling, repainting and photographing our dolls is definitely a stress relief and my happy place. My dream is to have a realistic 1/6 scale dollhouse that looks basically like the intricate 1/12 scale dollhouses but in fashion doll size. It will need to be a custom house, most likely, since Barbie size houses almost always have super tiny rooms that don’t fit more furniture than one bed, for example. I am still searching for my grail doll. We have mini me dolls of our daughters, my husband but not of me. I have a ridiculous collection of dolls that I hoped would fit my mini me at this point but while super pretty, none fit me. I am not great at repainting, so that’s my big weakness in doll collecting. I need a Smokey eye but not raccoon eyeshadow, dark lipstick and ash blonde hair, grey eyes and pale olive skin, wich doesn’t even exist sadly in dolls. Being German and Guatemalan mixed makes it hard to find a mini me, as my skin changes color a lot with seasons. Some day I’ll find her….
I don't really have many dolls because of life and money. however, I have a big list of dolls I dream of having when things get better. And it is also my dream to make my own one day. Normally for me, if it speaks to my soul I must have it lol. I don't know that's something I always say. So I guess I'm a crow collector but also a bit of miniature collector as well and Frankenstein collector. A lot of times I will see a doll and I’m like omg the head is so cute but I hate the body .Or the body is just not for me and I just wish to pop the head off if I had the doll and put it on a better doll lol or something I wish to change.
I am a "Crow did I get here, with a bad memory." I never planned to collect dolls I just wanted a Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy pony. I started getting monster high then watched videos, then somewhere I was like I want a smartdoll, five smartdolls later I was like I NEED that Y'shtola from Volks and it has just spiraled from there, I still need a sexy anime cyborg doll (as opposed to the scary cyborg) so I need a smartdoll cortex 2 when it come out, and I need a Alisaie from Volks, and a Pear shaped Smartdoll, and a Kitty Jolie... you get the idea.
I started this doll journey as a “How did I get here” with buying 1 doll then, 1 year later I had over 300 dolls XD. Then I became a Cheerleader with a need to have complete collections of dolls. After this I started a de-cluttering process and I asked myself “why do I collect?” I think I am a Crow with a little bit of Beauty Guru. I don’t make clothes or face painting, but I do restyles and use a lot of extra props for all dolls I I think they are worth saving from being removed from my collection. Thank you for this cute video
I think I’m a crow collector lol, nothing makes sense together, I just like cool stuff! Or maybe I’m a cheerleader collector. I only have dolls from 4 artists and I follow and admire all their work! (You are one of them!)
I see a little of myself in almost all these types so much so that it'd be way easier to pinpoint what collecting styles don't apply to me. Maybe I'd call myself a jack-of-all-trades, hand-in-every-pie, or I-am-the-whole-nine-yards collector? But I also started getting into the bjd hobby recently, 1-2 years ago, so I expect my style/preferences will become more defined, change, and/or develop over time. Anyways, if you enjoy geeky, personal ramblings, read on (it's a lot): What I can say for sure is that I landed in the bjd hobby due to my obsession with old school lolita fashion (it varies, but typically lolita fashion enthusiasts define "old school" as styling and pieces dating around the 90s [or earlier] to about 2007). As it turns out, bjd collecting and lolita fashion are historically adjacent hobbies and have remained strongly so to this day. Not only has Volks produced collaborations with lolita brands, such as Baby the Stars Shine Bright, but there are a significant number of old school street snaps wherein lolita wearers are holding and/or twinning with a bjd. These images captivated me, leading me to purchase my first bjd, a secondhand Volks msd sculpt from the early 2000s. I bought her knowing she would have mellowing and limited posing as far as bjds go, but her face attracted me, and I wanted something that felt like a part of old school lolita history. I'm very excited to clean her up, do her face up, make/buy clothes, twin with her, and maybe even make a room box. Like many bjd collectors, I thought she would be my only bjd, but as soon as I got her, I had ideas of what kind of background and personality she'd have and what kind of setting she'd live in; eventually, I wanted her to have a companion or two as per the story I was envisioning. I'm now looking into dolls that would fulfill or come close to the vision I have for these characters (and their respective [alt] fashion styles). If I were to name one, I guess the "historian" type resonates with me the most currently. I'm an artist/sculptor myself as well as an anthropologist, all of which I attribute to my more recent fascination with the engineering of bjds and even the "evolution" of bjd face sculpts. For example, I became aware of Gentaro Araki's Unoa sculpts due to his history with Volks, and I think Unoa faceplates would be especially suitable for gyaru face ups (another of my fashion interests), but what truly made me want an Unoa was their faceplate, eye, and detachable ear/horn mechanism, which I found to be especially fascinating (even though I hear they can be finicky).
I’m a Monster High and LPS collector.. I prefer hunting for my collection at antique/thrift stores or regular retail. I have my wishlists and grails but I’m content with being unable to get them. I have gotten lucky on occasion but it’s all apart of the hobby
I think I started as a How did I get here collector starting last year with The Little Mermaid live action doll and in a blink of an eye, I had the whole collection of mermaid dolls merchandise, so now I'm developing towards something between a Theme and Crow collector haha mermaids ftw
Very interesting. I don't fit in one category, I think I'm a crow photographer, plus my special interest in history reflects in my dolls and dollhouses. And I see most of my dolls as models who show my handmade outfits (clothes, footwear, wigs and accessories).
i would say i am no. 20 who becomes "the brand loyalist". i buy my first doll (a Ken doll) after my therapist told me to get a comfort doll, about a month after that i decided to get another Ken who looks like me as a mini me so my first Ken can have a friend, and then after that i just started to get more Kens and Barbies and two months later, i have 60+ dolls... i was like, how did i get in here? but decided to keep collecting more Barbies and just Barbies.
I actually started off with buying anime figurines, but lately the yen has gotten so expensive it became cheaper to buy dolls than action figures in my country. I mainly collect G3 monster high, mermaze mermaids, Disney store dolls and 1/12 scale Chinese blindbox BJDs. I guess I'm a crow but also a bit of a repainter/customizer bc often I'm unsatisfied with how a doll's face looks and I use my art skills to make it fit my preference
I'm a Crow I think, and a comfort collector. I'm a hairstylist, so a very visual person who loves to admire them. I have play line, some vintage and some artist dolls (including yours... the latest being Penelope ❤) I get fixated on a certain collection, say Blythe, for a while, purchase way too many and go on to the next shiny thing 🤣... This requires sales to enable my next collection. I always keep my faves from each collection or artist. I choose some for redressing and photos and love a travel doll. I'm a multi layered collector 😂
Such a fun video. I def fit into many categories, and I feel like I've changed over time. I started out as a fashion person, and loving just the customization, faceups, clothes, styling. I love the size and scale of fashion dolls, but I moved more into the story teller. I often buy dolls when I like the aesthetic, but mostly I'll have a character in mind and try to find a doll to fit the character. I enjoy photography, but I'm not very good at it. I want to have elaborate sets, but have no space. I've recently become super interested in the engineering aspect, and have mod plans for a new doll coming in. I definitely use by dolls to relax and enjoy myself, and I love living inside their little fantasy world for a while...and I just found my grail doll after 5 years of waiting, and def stalked a profile with the dolls for 5 years! HAHAHA
What a fun video! I'm mostly a crow. i started collecting so I would have a model to try costume designs on but it spiralled from there 😂 I prefer dolls I can sew for, but other dolls sneak in too. I'm not a prolific sewist, but I really enjoy making clothes when I can. I have everything from 1/3 scale bjds to tiny Dawn dolls. My oldest dolls are from the 1940s, they were my mom's and she gave them to me when I was a kid. My newest doll just came onto the market.
I think I might be both 15 and 20, but my videos might show otherwise, I might be a bit of a crow too, I started collecting because I never saw a Ken with long hair so I nervously bought one feeling like it was wrong for me to buy it, then I felt bad for Ken being nothing more than an accessory to barbie so I thought I should support him by buying him Cuz he was always on sale but then I noticed other boys in other lines where always on sale so I started with other lines and now I have a channel completely dedicated to the boys... Well that and other collections, I think they are pretty, my goal is to one day have 2 BJDs
I am a combination of 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, and 20. Lol I mostly think of a character, original usually but I also have a Kylo Ren doll so yeah. Then I search for a doll sculpt that fits their features, and a body that poses well and that I can afford.
I commenting at number 10 not realizing you were going to 20! Gosh I see myself in so many of these collector types. I’m a cheerleader and doll therapist collector too! 😮😂 This was a very fun topic.
I live in a very small apartment and am the breadwinner so I don't own many dolls. Because of this, I'm a 1) Aesthetic Collector, 6) Storyteller, 17) Theme Collector in that I have 2 universes/stories and my dolls only belong to either of those (even though I love sooooo many dolls and would love to own them all!). I have 2x 1/6 sized dolls that are both big-head lil girls who on adventures I go to, like cafés or in parks, and I have 2x 1/3 dolls who have this priest dad - adopted daughter thing. I'd also say 7) Photographer, 11) Fashion Model, 15) Doll Therapist works even though I don't have amazing sets and equipment, I just enjoy taking photos of my doll and dressing them up. Brings me great comfort.
I am a Frankenstein 😅 I’m indecisive but I’m also an artist so I get dolls with less thought when I know I’m gonna have an artistic process with a doll. I started customising last month & now I just ordered a bunch of parts so I can cut & mash them 2gether. I have whole mockup drawings of faceups, hairstyles, outfits. I definitely played sims games [the digital dolls] so I can character customise. I’m also just a starting international doll enjoyer so I’m a little bit crow & little bit cheerleader cuz I like & only have access 2 big brand stuff. I get cheap Kens, mlps, etc., I like. I search & deliberate on collecting Bratzillaz bc they’re my favourite.
I'm definitely a Storyteller collector. I do a little bit of both already having a character in mind when I buy a doll or making a character when I get it. Some of my favorite characters I've created started as dolls and ended up turning into either D&D or LARP characters. I remember back in the day when I first started collecting a lot of TH-cam creators we're storytellers
Hi there. This is my first time visiting your channel. It was really fun and interesting! I think I am a bit of a crow and possibly a doll doctor in training. I am also a treasure hunter! So fun. Thank you for your video. 😄
I’d say from this list I’d be The Crow and The Beauty Guru, though also a sub category of The Beauty Guru I guess since I also customize dolls of specific characters I like from shows, books, games etc that I like and not just my own characters and designs.
I fit in the last category, I started with collecting celebrity Barbie dolls, and for about 15 to 20 years I only had about 15 dolls, then during the pandemic, for some strange reason I accumulated over 300 dolls, this year I found BJDs, that slowed me down quite a bit. I also collect to take pictures and make clothes. I am hoping that its not just BJDs that you are referring to, but to all doll collectors, I'm slightly eclectic with my dolls and they all mean a lot to me. Just thought I would chime in, have a great day
I was thinking I was just The Crow with a smidge of The Storyteller (I like to take a while to name my dolls and figure out their vibes after I've gotten them, but I often get distracted and don't get around to it XD), but then I got to #20 and yup. Hi. I went from 0 to double digit dolls in a few months. My secret? ADHD, Autism, impulsive spending and no control over myself or my budget. 😂
I never looked into why..i collect Barbies..the Barbies are only princesses ,Dolls of the world or 90s..for nostalgia or fairytale style..they must have Pink,purple or pastel coloured dresses in order to be on display.
i'm a proud mom of 3 dolls now :D i mainly buy secondhand because of the pricing and fastness, and i really like the SD bodies. I have been looking around for a telesthesia and dragon doll when suddenly someone in a facebook group wanted to sell theirs and it's the perfect size and the perfect face i was looking for ;-; so i had to tag him immediately. i also have a recast, bought secondhand, because i do think he deserves the second chance, so my vaughn now sits on my desk while i made him handmade crochet tank tops and make him cosplay different characters :D. i do not support people actively buying recasts, but i do think they deserve the same second chance. my only MSD doll is my Ringdoll yumeo, which is basically my fashion model because he has TONS of clothes i made or buy or given by my doll collector friend. i do think i'm more of a beauty guru-fashionista doll collector, since my vaughn has frequent faceup changes as i'm learning how to do it better and hopefully can do comissions soon!
Definitely somewhere in between the revolving door collector and fashion model! thank you for emphasizing that buying dolls and selling them isn't always because of impulsive spending!! There's been a lot of dolls I love aesthetically, but if I find they aren't as fun to play with (articulation, body material, etc.) I feel the need to pass them along to someone who will give them more attention than I will!
Ok. So I am 100% #20. My daughter got into LOLs and then the OMG dolls came out. I fell in love with their clever Easter egg cultural references that were clearly directed at adults: like the Bowey doll or the Rosie Riveter doll - we bought a gazilion, then Rainbow High - my daughter grew out of it but I kept going. Added Monster high G1 to the ranks and now here I am with hundreds of dolls later and in only a few years - (I did buy someone’s 60+ collection of like new monster high dolls). Then I discovered Smart Doll - I didn’t even know 1/3 scale dolls existed and fell hard. So yeah, definitely feels like I went from zero to hundreds. I want to enter a new category: the downsizer - I feel too overwhelmed by my collection to enjoy them properly so my goal is to sell/give away most and keep my favs. I then see myself moving into a mix of category fashionista (sewing/styling) my dolls and photographer.
I'm a guy who is more on buying second hand, but if I want a new one, I'll buy that. I only buy the bootleg Monster High (the articulated made by China) for customizing my OC's (original characters). I don't buy every collection, mostly the ones that I actually love, from action figures to dolls. I try my best to double or triple think, if I want it and if I have budget for it. I have to be realistic in my spending and space.
I love the Monty Python reference, you look too young to know! lol By the way, thanks for this video! #20, aren't we all in this category, how did I end up with 100 bjds??? lol
What would you call someone who collects both cloth, polymer clay, and plastic dolls, most of which the person has either made themselves or redone in some way? What type of collector would collect dolls only to redo or make them?
i'm also curious, because this is what i am! i'm not usually interested in doll collecting for the sake of the specific sculpt or doll, but rather because of what i can imagine i could make with them.
im a brand loyalist, But also a how did i get here. I found an american girl doll at the thrift (i used to have one as a kid but another kid destroyed it) so the nostalgia made me buy it. now i have 11 or 12 and counting 💀
these types are pretty doll general, not just BJDs! I think this is more about collecting behaviour/patterns than the actual dolls themselves. I didnt have "vinyl collector" or "bjd collector" either!
where's the "wannabe collector?" as in, the person who loves watching doll content on youtube and looking at doll pictures on instagram, and is looking at doll websites fantasizing about putting together outfits and buying new dolls, but is too broke to afford to actually own any of these dolls? cuz that's me lol.
Me too!
OOOU add it to the list!!!
The type I am is: Childhood collector... you start your collection with your childhood toys and get back the ones missing and continue adding new ones based in your childhood ones nyo!
NEW TYPE UNLOCKED
I´m definitely number 20! When I bought the very first Barbie doll for my niece a had to bought one for my self with an excuse that she will need more outfits and I will sew them for her. Now I have 60+ Barbies, 6 Tonner´s dolls, 6 Paola Reinas and 2 BJDs and I have no idea how was that happened!
I don´t even remember I would ever give any of my sewn doll outfits to my niece!
I´ve found myself in dolls collecting as it is a perfect mix of all my hobbies. Fashion
designing and sewing, painting, miniature making, knitting, 3D printing, woodworking... everything well combined in one package.
Thank you for sharing! Thats super interesting!
My collection is very eclectic. I only own 3 BJD dolls from Iplehouse. I love their beauty! The rest of my collection is comprised of Barbie and Hot Toys with some childhood dolls in the mix (Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman for example). I think my collecting style is a mix of several types of collector. I love the hunt for that special doll or character, but I also find changing their outfits to be a relaxing experience. I love photographing them, but have not tried outside yet, hehehe. And finally, I am the how did I get here collector. It all started with one doll that was given as a gift. Now there are displays all over my house. No a single regret!
Thank you for sharing!
Honestly, I'm kind of in another category: In My DNA. My grandma was a lifelong collector and hobbyist doll and doll clothing maker, my dad made wooden toys, and I have been making wood miniatures, doll clothes and cloth dolls myself for years. I've also been curating a collection of handmade dolls, antique dolls, fashion dolls and BJDs for basically my whole life. Toymaking and doll collecting are just a part of the family culture.
In terms of BJDs specifically, I'm a Monty Python and Miniature Collector. Started with a few 1/12 scale blind boxes (only if there wasn't an option I didn't like, so it's all good surprises). Now I'm on the hunt for the perfect 1/18 or 1/16 doll to inhabit the dioramas my husband and I make.
That is awesome! Also Monty Python is a great collection omgosh!
I'm a beauty guru crow lol maybe also a smidge of a cheerleader collector as well. or rather, i buy whatever i think is cute but i also like supporting artists. this was such a cute vid!
Hi I'm a do therapists and the can't remember why I buy collector ...you have a beautiful collection
Thank you so much!
i am so many of these mixed together 😅
Thats a theme in the comments!
My collector type is "I only like boy dolls" *proceeds to exclusively get girl dolls* XD. I do have one boy and two undefined gremlings, that I cherish dearly, but yeah, that didn't go so well XD. Fun video and idea!
HAHA and ty!
I'm definitely the Storyteller. Sometimes I pass up on gorgeous dolls or amazing sales on cool dolls (or dolls I think I should want), all because I can't fit them into the ecosystem of my collection. My dolls have intricate backstories and layers of relationships to each other. (I write stories, too, but that's separate characters that live in my head only.)
This was a great video! Very fun! I hope you'll be making a follow-up some day in the future, just because it's so interesting.
OH that is so cool! And I may need to! Theres some bonus types in the comments here!
Absolutely love these list type videos! As for me, I feel like I'm sort of a mix between a Storyteller, a Crow and a bit of the Therapist. My small collection started as me literally wanting to shell characters out of my story, but then it somehow evolved into "Ohh. I love this one, I need it! And now that I have the doll, let's create a character for it" kind of thing. I also view my dolls not as objects necessarily, but more like a group of beloved pets? Even though I'm not very good with customisation, it brings me immense joy to paint the dolls to what I envision them as (ummm there might be another type coming into the mix here? Hmmmm...) and the bonding process of it all (a new doll js a new friend, sort of?) is probably the best part of the hobby for me.
... honestly not sure if this even makes sense, especially in my poor English. But anyways, thank you for making this video and making me wonder about this! 😁
Yay! This was so fun to make, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I am a bewildered crow (ooh shinies! and where did this come from?!). I started with MH because they were near the Lego. Then I found doll photography forums - and that led to a different doll, then to a doll shop with even more different kinds of dolls. Add a splash of the diorama with follows into that Cory is the storyteller - ALL his dolls have their own names, personalities and backstories - even if he doesn't share all of them with anyone but me.
Haha that's actually awesome!
I think I'm type 21: The indecisive. You love so many different bjds that you can never decide so you never actually end up buying any. But if you had like $10k to buy dolls, you'd spend it all immediately and you know exactly which dolls you'd buy. I have a list of at least a dozen dolls and I've been trying to decide on one for like 3 months now. If only I had money to buy more than one. 😥
yesssss i feel this too!
Would like to hear your story. I don't see myself as a collector but as a Hobbiest. Thanks for sharing. Have fun and keep the sparkles on. Lovies Yetta💕
Ok thanks!
I feel like I am a bunch of types mixed together. Although, overall, I'm definitely also a "How did I get here?" I bought 1 Calico Critter Persian cat doll. I did not plan on buying any others. But I ended up buying a bunch of Calico Critters, and then a house for them. Once there was no more room for more in that house, I bought one Rainbow High doll. Then, I ended up buying a bunch of them. Then, there was no more room for them on the shelf where I'm keeping them. Then, I bought one Monster High Cleo doll, which lead to a bunch of different Cleo dolls (and also a couple of non-related Egyptian themed dolls). I love anything Ancient Egypt, and intended to only collect Egyptian ones then, but ended up also buying an assortment of other Monster High characters. I also bought a small group of Barbies, just because I thought they were the most beautiful ones. Now I'm basically out of room for those, as well. I also love to dress all of my dolls, do their hair, and take photos, and I want to make houses for them all, but haven't figured that out yet due to lack of space & money. So, I don't know which type I would be. A lot of them. 😄 Being out of space, I've been thinking about going mini in the future, but I haven't actually done that yet.
it seems a lot of folks fit into many categories!
I am a mix of a lot of these. I make stories with original characters that I write stories about and use the dolls to visualize it a bit. I photograph. I head swap dolls because I love articulation in my dolls. I restore , reroot and repaint dolls, if necessary. I collect mainly Barbie and Integrity toys dolls but also have a decent collection of Minifee BJDs and Azone dolls and even Dollfie dream type dolls like Imomo. My clothing collection is huge, clothes and furniture are the main reason that I prefer 1/6 scale, since I can create rooms more easily and I like my dolls to be able to share clothes. My guilty pleasure is that after being an immigrant teen mom,working two jobs while in University, I now fully enjoy spending on my hobbies and clothes are absolutely something I go all out for. I personally only wear black and sadly there aren’t many dolls out there in my style, so I create that myself. I recently really got better at making more diverse outfits though with colors.
I collected with my older daughter since she was about four. She’s almost 16 now and still into doll collecting. Together we have a big Monster high doll collection that we have moved countries twice with. She also really got me into RH and SH dolls. Our baby girl is almost two now and one of her first words was Barbie, so she’ll probably join us in our hobbies. We have collected very nice furniture and props, accessories over the years for our 1/6 scale dolls and now I am looking into buying a nice kitchen for that size from an Etsy shop, so we can take better pictures. Styling, repainting and photographing our dolls is definitely a stress relief and my happy place. My dream is to have a realistic 1/6 scale dollhouse that looks basically like the intricate 1/12 scale dollhouses but in fashion doll size. It will need to be a custom house, most likely, since Barbie size houses almost always have super tiny rooms that don’t fit more furniture than one bed, for example.
I am still searching for my grail doll. We have mini me dolls of our daughters, my husband but not of me. I have a ridiculous collection of dolls that I hoped would fit my mini me at this point but while super pretty, none fit me. I am not great at repainting, so that’s my big weakness in doll collecting. I need a Smokey eye but not raccoon eyeshadow, dark lipstick and ash blonde hair, grey eyes and pale olive skin, wich doesn’t even exist sadly in dolls. Being German and Guatemalan mixed makes it hard to find a mini me, as my skin changes color a lot with seasons. Some day I’ll find her….
it seems a lot of folks fit into many catagories! And I hope you find that doll!
I don't really have many dolls because of life and money. however, I have a big list of dolls I dream of having when things get better. And it is also my dream to make my own one day. Normally for me, if it speaks to my soul I must have it lol. I don't know that's something I always say. So I guess I'm a crow collector but also a bit of miniature collector as well and Frankenstein collector. A lot of times I will see a doll and I’m like omg the head is so cute but I hate the body .Or the body is just not for me and I just wish to pop the head off if I had the doll and put it on a better doll lol or something I wish to change.
another type maybe "the daydreamer"
I am a "Crow did I get here, with a bad memory." I never planned to collect dolls I just wanted a Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy pony. I started getting monster high then watched videos, then somewhere I was like I want a smartdoll, five smartdolls later I was like I NEED that Y'shtola from Volks and it has just spiraled from there, I still need a sexy anime cyborg doll (as opposed to the scary cyborg) so I need a smartdoll cortex 2 when it come out, and I need a Alisaie from Volks, and a Pear shaped Smartdoll, and a Kitty Jolie... you get the idea.
haha thats actually so interesting! Its so cool to hear all the ways people find the doll hobby!
I started this doll journey as a “How did I get here” with buying 1 doll then, 1 year later I had over 300 dolls XD. Then I became a Cheerleader with a need to have complete collections of dolls.
After this I started a de-cluttering process and I asked myself “why do I collect?”
I think I am a Crow with a little bit of Beauty Guru. I don’t make clothes or face painting, but I do restyles and use a lot of extra props for all dolls I I think they are worth saving from being removed from my collection.
Thank you for this cute video
Yay! Thanks for watching!
Fashion Model and The Photographer are me totally me.
ouuuu I need to improve my photo skills!
i had one doll last year, the same doll i had for years & now i have nearly 40 dolls, i def feel like #20!
OMG WOW!
Would love to hear more about your collection. In my house the dolls just seem to multiply when no one’s looking.
Haha i feel this in my soul.
I think I’m a crow collector lol, nothing makes sense together, I just like cool stuff! Or maybe I’m a cheerleader collector. I only have dolls from 4 artists and I follow and admire all their work! (You are one of them!)
yess haha! and same to you and your dolls! I love them!
I see a little of myself in almost all these types so much so that it'd be way easier to pinpoint what collecting styles don't apply to me. Maybe I'd call myself a jack-of-all-trades, hand-in-every-pie, or I-am-the-whole-nine-yards collector? But I also started getting into the bjd hobby recently, 1-2 years ago, so I expect my style/preferences will become more defined, change, and/or develop over time. Anyways, if you enjoy geeky, personal ramblings, read on (it's a lot):
What I can say for sure is that I landed in the bjd hobby due to my obsession with old school lolita fashion (it varies, but typically lolita fashion enthusiasts define "old school" as styling and pieces dating around the 90s [or earlier] to about 2007). As it turns out, bjd collecting and lolita fashion are historically adjacent hobbies and have remained strongly so to this day. Not only has Volks produced collaborations with lolita brands, such as Baby the Stars Shine Bright, but there are a significant number of old school street snaps wherein lolita wearers are holding and/or twinning with a bjd. These images captivated me, leading me to purchase my first bjd, a secondhand Volks msd sculpt from the early 2000s. I bought her knowing she would have mellowing and limited posing as far as bjds go, but her face attracted me, and I wanted something that felt like a part of old school lolita history. I'm very excited to clean her up, do her face up, make/buy clothes, twin with her, and maybe even make a room box.
Like many bjd collectors, I thought she would be my only bjd, but as soon as I got her, I had ideas of what kind of background and personality she'd have and what kind of setting she'd live in; eventually, I wanted her to have a companion or two as per the story I was envisioning. I'm now looking into dolls that would fulfill or come close to the vision I have for these characters (and their respective [alt] fashion styles).
If I were to name one, I guess the "historian" type resonates with me the most currently. I'm an artist/sculptor myself as well as an anthropologist, all of which I attribute to my more recent fascination with the engineering of bjds and even the "evolution" of bjd face sculpts. For example, I became aware of Gentaro Araki's Unoa sculpts due to his history with Volks, and I think Unoa faceplates would be especially suitable for gyaru face ups (another of my fashion interests), but what truly made me want an Unoa was their faceplate, eye, and detachable ear/horn mechanism, which I found to be especially fascinating (even though I hear they can be finicky).
it seems a lot of folks fit into many categories!
I’m a Monster High and LPS collector.. I prefer hunting for my collection at antique/thrift stores or regular retail. I have my wishlists and grails but I’m content with being unable to get them. I have gotten lucky on occasion but it’s all apart of the hobby
the hunt for treasure at the thrift is so fun!
I think I started as a How did I get here collector starting last year with The Little Mermaid live action doll and in a blink of an eye, I had the whole collection of mermaid dolls merchandise, so now I'm developing towards something between a Theme and Crow collector haha mermaids ftw
That's awesome!!!!!
Very interesting. I don't fit in one category, I think I'm a crow photographer, plus my special interest in history reflects in my dolls and dollhouses. And I see most of my dolls as models who show my handmade outfits (clothes, footwear, wigs and accessories).
it seems a lot of folks fit into many categories!
i would say i am no. 20 who becomes "the brand loyalist". i buy my first doll (a Ken doll) after my therapist told me to get a comfort doll, about a month after that i decided to get another Ken who looks like me as a mini me so my first Ken can have a friend, and then after that i just started to get more Kens and Barbies and two months later, i have 60+ dolls... i was like, how did i get in here? but decided to keep collecting more Barbies and just Barbies.
Thats amazing!!!
I actually started off with buying anime figurines, but lately the yen has gotten so expensive it became cheaper to buy dolls than action figures in my country. I mainly collect G3 monster high, mermaze mermaids, Disney store dolls and 1/12 scale Chinese blindbox BJDs. I guess I'm a crow but also a bit of a repainter/customizer bc often I'm unsatisfied with how a doll's face looks and I use my art skills to make it fit my preference
The blindbox bjds are super fun!
I'm a Crow I think, and a comfort collector. I'm a hairstylist, so a very visual person who loves to admire them. I have play line, some vintage and some artist dolls (including yours... the latest being Penelope ❤) I get fixated on a certain collection, say Blythe, for a while, purchase way too many and go on to the next shiny thing 🤣... This requires sales to enable my next collection. I always keep my faves from each collection or artist. I choose some for redressing and photos and love a travel doll. I'm a multi layered collector 😂
Crow is a popular type in these comments! Also I am so glad you love Penelope
Such a fun video. I def fit into many categories, and I feel like I've changed over time. I started out as a fashion person, and loving just the customization, faceups, clothes, styling. I love the size and scale of fashion dolls, but I moved more into the story teller. I often buy dolls when I like the aesthetic, but mostly I'll have a character in mind and try to find a doll to fit the character. I enjoy photography, but I'm not very good at it. I want to have elaborate sets, but have no space. I've recently become super interested in the engineering aspect, and have mod plans for a new doll coming in. I definitely use by dolls to relax and enjoy myself, and I love living inside their little fantasy world for a while...and I just found my grail doll after 5 years of waiting, and def stalked a profile with the dolls for 5 years! HAHAHA
Yay! I'm glad you liked the video, and yeah! it seems a lot of folks fit into many catagories!
I mainly like to collect dolls that are based on characters I already like. my current grail doll is the dollfie dream kagamine rin.
thats very cool!
@@TeenyTinkers thanks
What a fun video! I'm mostly a crow. i started collecting so I would have a model to try costume designs on but it spiralled from there 😂 I prefer dolls I can sew for, but other dolls sneak in too. I'm not a prolific sewist, but I really enjoy making clothes when I can. I have everything from 1/3 scale bjds to tiny Dawn dolls. My oldest dolls are from the 1940s, they were my mom's and she gave them to me when I was a kid. My newest doll just came onto the market.
That's really cool!
I think I might be both 15 and 20, but my videos might show otherwise, I might be a bit of a crow too, I started collecting because I never saw a Ken with long hair so I nervously bought one feeling like it was wrong for me to buy it, then I felt bad for Ken being nothing more than an accessory to barbie so I thought I should support him by buying him Cuz he was always on sale but then I noticed other boys in other lines where always on sale so I started with other lines and now I have a channel completely dedicated to the boys... Well that and other collections, I think they are pretty, my goal is to one day have 2 BJDs
OOOU I just subscribed so I can check out your videos!
@@TeenyTinkers oh thanks!
I am a combination of 6, 7, 8, 14, 15, and 20. Lol I mostly think of a character, original usually but I also have a Kylo Ren doll so yeah. Then I search for a doll sculpt that fits their features, and a body that poses well and that I can afford.
it seems a lot of folks fit into many categories!
I've always liked 'smaller' dolls...other than that, I'm eclectic, but *do* favor detail and 'intricacy'. 🎎
small dolls are so so cute
I commenting at number 10 not realizing you were going to 20! Gosh I see myself in so many of these collector types. I’m a cheerleader and doll therapist collector too! 😮😂 This was a very fun topic.
That is awesome! And yeah some of these videos are getting loooong
I live in a very small apartment and am the breadwinner so I don't own many dolls. Because of this, I'm a 1) Aesthetic Collector, 6) Storyteller, 17) Theme Collector in that I have 2 universes/stories and my dolls only belong to either of those (even though I love sooooo many dolls and would love to own them all!). I have 2x 1/6 sized dolls that are both big-head lil girls who on adventures I go to, like cafés or in parks, and I have 2x 1/3 dolls who have this priest dad - adopted daughter thing.
I'd also say 7) Photographer, 11) Fashion Model, 15) Doll Therapist works even though I don't have amazing sets and equipment, I just enjoy taking photos of my doll and dressing them up. Brings me great comfort.
it seems a lot of folks fit into many categories!
Really fun video! I’m a crow and a how did I get here collector. All those shinny things add up, ya know? ❤️
Yes they do
I am a Frankenstein 😅 I’m indecisive but I’m also an artist so I get dolls with less thought when I know I’m gonna have an artistic process with a doll. I started customising last month & now I just ordered a bunch of parts so I can cut & mash them 2gether. I have whole mockup drawings of faceups, hairstyles, outfits. I definitely played sims games [the digital dolls] so I can character customise.
I’m also just a starting international doll enjoyer so I’m a little bit crow & little bit cheerleader cuz I like & only have access 2 big brand stuff. I get cheap Kens, mlps, etc., I like. I search & deliberate on collecting Bratzillaz bc they’re my favourite.
Thats super cool!!!!
I'm definitely a Storyteller collector. I do a little bit of both already having a character in mind when I buy a doll or making a character when I get it. Some of my favorite characters I've created started as dolls and ended up turning into either D&D or LARP characters. I remember back in the day when I first started collecting a lot of TH-cam creators we're storytellers
That is awesome!
Hi there. This is my first time visiting your channel. It was really fun and interesting! I think I am a bit of a crow and possibly a doll doctor in training. I am also a treasure hunter! So fun. Thank you for your video. 😄
Thanks for watching! And welcome!
I’d say from this list I’d be The Crow and The Beauty Guru, though also a sub category of The Beauty Guru I guess since I also customize dolls of specific characters I like from shows, books, games etc that I like and not just my own characters and designs.
Yessss the crow is a popular type I'm seeing!
I fit in the last category, I started with collecting celebrity Barbie dolls, and for about 15 to 20 years I only had about 15 dolls, then during the pandemic, for some strange reason I accumulated over 300 dolls, this year I found BJDs, that slowed me down quite a bit. I also collect to take pictures and make clothes. I am hoping that its not just BJDs that you are referring to, but to all doll collectors, I'm slightly eclectic with my dolls and they all mean a lot to me. Just thought I would chime in, have a great day
THATS AWESOME! You have a great day too!
Yes please do a collection vid!
It seems I might have to!
I was thinking I was just The Crow with a smidge of The Storyteller (I like to take a while to name my dolls and figure out their vibes after I've gotten them, but I often get distracted and don't get around to it XD), but then I got to #20 and yup. Hi. I went from 0 to double digit dolls in a few months. My secret? ADHD, Autism, impulsive spending and no control over myself or my budget. 😂
I feel this in my soul
I'm definitely the crow 😅 I buy whatever catches my fancy. My collection is pretty eclectic.
Love that!
I never looked into why..i collect Barbies..the Barbies are only princesses ,Dolls of the world or 90s..for nostalgia or fairytale style..they must have Pink,purple or pastel coloured dresses in order to be on display.
that sounds adorable!
I am crow and doll doctor. I would add childhood dolls and chasing down my lost childhood dolls/toys too.
Yesssss
i'm a proud mom of 3 dolls now :D i mainly buy secondhand because of the pricing and fastness, and i really like the SD bodies. I have been looking around for a telesthesia and dragon doll when suddenly someone in a facebook group wanted to sell theirs and it's the perfect size and the perfect face i was looking for ;-; so i had to tag him immediately. i also have a recast, bought secondhand, because i do think he deserves the second chance, so my vaughn now sits on my desk while i made him handmade crochet tank tops and make him cosplay different characters :D. i do not support people actively buying recasts, but i do think they deserve the same second chance. my only MSD doll is my Ringdoll yumeo, which is basically my fashion model because he has TONS of clothes i made or buy or given by my doll collector friend. i do think i'm more of a beauty guru-fashionista doll collector, since my vaughn has frequent faceup changes as i'm learning how to do it better and hopefully can do comissions soon!
Thank you for sharing!
Definitely somewhere in between the revolving door collector and fashion model! thank you for emphasizing that buying dolls and selling them isn't always because of impulsive spending!! There's been a lot of dolls I love aesthetically, but if I find they aren't as fun to play with (articulation, body material, etc.) I feel the need to pass them along to someone who will give them more attention than I will!
haha yessss
Ok. So I am 100% #20. My daughter got into LOLs and then the OMG dolls came out. I fell in love with their clever Easter egg cultural references that were clearly directed at adults: like the Bowey doll or the Rosie Riveter doll - we bought a gazilion, then Rainbow High - my daughter grew out of it but I kept going. Added Monster high G1 to the ranks and now here I am with hundreds of dolls later and in only a few years - (I did buy someone’s 60+ collection of like new monster high dolls). Then I discovered Smart Doll - I didn’t even know 1/3 scale dolls existed and fell hard. So yeah, definitely feels like I went from zero to hundreds. I want to enter a new category: the downsizer - I feel too overwhelmed by my collection to enjoy them properly so my goal is to sell/give away most and keep my favs. I then see myself moving into a mix of category fashionista (sewing/styling) my dolls and photographer.
That’s actually awesome!!! And ohhh new category unlocked! We may need a part 2
I feel like I’m a combination of a lot of these 😅
I think a lot of us are!
I'm a guy who is more on buying second hand, but if I want a new one, I'll buy that. I only buy the bootleg Monster High (the articulated made by China) for customizing my OC's (original characters).
I don't buy every collection, mostly the ones that I actually love, from action figures to dolls.
I try my best to double or triple think, if I want it and if I have budget for it. I have to be realistic in my spending and space.
Thank you for sharing!
I love the Monty Python reference, you look too young to know! lol By the way, thanks for this video! #20, aren't we all in this category, how did I end up with 100 bjds??? lol
My parents introduced me but I’m 32! And haha I guess yeah we’re all #20 in some ways
What would you call someone who collects both cloth, polymer clay, and plastic dolls, most of which the person has either made themselves or redone in some way? What type of collector would collect dolls only to redo or make them?
i'm also curious, because this is what i am! i'm not usually interested in doll collecting for the sake of the specific sculpt or doll, but rather because of what i can imagine i could make with them.
Maybe a bit crow, a bit doll doctor, a bit frankenstien?
im a brand loyalist, But also a how did i get here. I found an american girl doll at the thrift (i used to have one as a kid but another kid destroyed it) so the nostalgia made me buy it. now i have 11 or 12 and counting 💀
That’s awesome!!!
Pls why did you start collecting
I just fell in love with ball jointed dolls! And I was really into knitting (still am!) so ended up knitting for dolls in 1/4 and 1/6!
So…. you’re not even going to include fashion doll collectors like Bratz and Barbies??
these types are pretty doll general, not just BJDs! I think this is more about collecting behaviour/patterns than the actual dolls themselves. I didnt have "vinyl collector" or "bjd collector" either!
Love this
❤️
I feel like im almost all of these
Ooou that’s super cool!