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Author Topic: What kind of doll collector are you?  (Read 7437 times)

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Offline Taxel

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What kind of doll collector are you?
« on: January 04, 2017, 10:38:28 PM »
Do you prefer overflowing shelves that fill your home or a modest collection of special favorites? Certain species, colors, materials, types, or time periods? Handmade OOAKs or mass produced? Specific hair colors or outfits? Are you loyal to certain companies/artists or do you prefer a bit of everything? Has your collecting style changed over time? Tell me all about it!


I've never been picky about sticking to certain brands, companies, or even styles. My first love as a doll collector was Pullips but I dove into Jun Planning Ai dolls, Dollcena, Blythe, Susie Sad Eyes, and Pullip pretty much all at once when I first got into dolls. For years I never so much as looked at a modern playline doll. Liv was pretty much the beginning of the end for me and for years I focused on modern playline dolls. The best part? I don't even like Pullips at all anymore! I think they're extremely overpriced and not at all worth it even though I once dreamed of completing a 20+ Pullip wishlist. As you could probably guess from that wishlist, I'm not big on teeny tiny collections :P

This year I decided to stop with modern playline for the most part because of the rampant quality issues and degradation. I find it hard to pay for dolls that are falling apart before they leave the factory when so many dolls from the 50s and earlier are still in amazing collecting condition today. There are a few brands I still actively collect, like Cutie Pops and the retro re-release Strawberry Shortcakes, and I may pick up a few randoms here and there but in general I'd rather buy vintage or high quality modern dolls now.

Until last year it was all about articulation for me. I wanted the best articulation, the most poseability, the prettiest joints, the most potential. Cutie Pops in '12-13 warmed me up to the idea of looks over articulation but I was still drooling over those prototypes with elbow joints. I planned for last year to be the year of Monster High but fell head first into American Girl instead. You can't really get much less jointed than that! I don't know what it is but I just find myself so enchanted with them. I can't get enough!

As far as specifics go, I don't really care all that much. I prefer to limit blondes to as few as possible but that's about it. I'd be happy to add any doll I love to my collection no matter who he or she is, even if they're blonde! However I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some obvious preferences. Redheads totally have my heart because they were almost completely nonexistent when I was a child. The variety of beautiful, natural redheads (and some of crazy "obviously dyed" shades) is just amazing! One day I'd love to have a shelf just for ginger dolls of all kinds.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2017, 09:33:11 PM by Taxel »
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Offline scarletjul

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2017, 09:24:57 PM »
Like ponies, I collect dolls that have a nostalgic factor in my life.  :)

I was really into Barbie and Disney princess dolls when I was younger, so I have large collections of both of these.  Most of them are no longer on display, but I have a large box of 80s and 90s Barbies.  Plus, I have a bunch of the Disney store exclusive 12 inch dolls and some of the older Mattel Disney dolls.  I also have a couple of the Disney animator dolls, because I'm a big Frozen fan.  :)

When I was younger, I really wanted an AG doll, so now I have three.  Rebecca was my first and I sort of lavish attention on her.  I also have a secondhand JLM girl (April Grace) that I picked up from the thrift store.  And I just got Samantha, which is the doll I always wanted as a little girl.  I buy them clothes whenever I can afford it, and I always get super excited if I can find AG clothes secondhand.

I also collect Cabbage Patch Kids and vintage Strawberry Shortcake, which are both leftovers from childhood.  :)

Never got into Bratz, MH, Ever After High or anything else, so far.  I mainly stick with lines that existed during my childhood.

   
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Offline mlly

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2017, 11:36:19 AM »
I got into dolls back in 2011 with Winx Club and Monster High. I didn't get too much into buying Winx as I only own a handful of dolls. I was REALLY into MH for a while but that eventually stopped when the reboot happened. Not to mention their quality had already been waning for a while. The very last MH dolls I bought were 2 characters from Great Scarrier Reef. I still love the MH dolls that I own but I'm pretty much 100% done with Monster High now.
I also love Novi Stars and own 11 dolls. I am really very lucky that I managed to get the rare ones I wanted. It is really too bad they were discontinued.

I also own a few other dolls from various different lines.

Currently I am into 90s-2000s Barbies, Bratz, and occasionally Project Mc2.

While I have favorite lines to buy, I don't hold any 'loyalty' to any brand or company. I just buy what I like but I also stick to playline only.
High-end collectors' stuff is a not an option for me.
« Last Edit: January 06, 2017, 11:43:24 AM by mlly »

Offline brightberry

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2017, 03:32:47 PM »
I tend to focus only on my favorites from all lines.  So I have a little of everything.   :P
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Offline Noxxbunny

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2017, 05:18:45 PM »
I'd say I mostly just collect whatever strikes my fancy at the time, but I'm mainly into anime styled dolls exclusively. Or ones that people would pass off as looking "too anime" for them even if they technically aren't lol. I also accidentally have a thing for dolls with blue eyes. Most of my dolls have them. Mainly because blue is my favorite color. I tend to put blue on everything...

I also only collect modern toys and dolls. Nostalgia has never really been a driving force for why I get anything. But I will agree that modern playline doll quality hasn't been the best lately, so I've been sticking to my vinyl BJDs in the past year. Since they're much more expensive, I prefer quality over quantity these days. I don't strive to have a wall of dolls or anything. I feel like I'd get overwhelmed with that many to maintain. Just a few is good with me. Or if I do get a lot, I want them to be over larger amounts of time.

Offline princessluna11706

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2017, 09:59:56 PM »
I'm not a huge doll collector but I do collect some Barbies, Sailor Moon and Disney dolls :)
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Offline Aienhime

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2017, 03:19:01 AM »
I had a phase when I first atarted collecting dolls that I got a lot of different kinds. In 2 years I got Pullip & family, MH and BJD's. But it overwhelmed me, I guess. Because I had so much there was nothing I could focus on and I got burned out. So after a few years I tossed my MH's and sold 2 of my BJD's and now I'm focussing on Pullip only. It made me a lot calmer and allowed me to enjoy my dolls a lot more.

Doesn't mean I don't appreciate other dolls: I love seeing those Disney animator dolls and I love photos of gorgeous BJD's, but I can appreciate them from a distance and don't need to own them anymore :)

Offline EnaRocketQueen

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2017, 04:41:30 AM »
I don't really collect dolls any more. I love my EAH collection, but because of the declining quality in the new ones being released, I don't buy them now. Other doll lines haven't really appealed to me in the same way as EAH did, but I'm on the look out for one I might like. I mainly just collect ponies

Offline nessa16

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #8 on: January 07, 2017, 08:13:52 AM »
I wasn't much of a doll kid when I was little, until I started reading the AG books and pouring over old catalogs in our school library. When I was 9, I got Samantha. I loved changing her into different outfits from her stories and her accessories were to die for. I believe I have almost a complete collection of her except for the newest stuff. I stopped displaying her as I got older but still loved AG. I don't actively collect AG anymore but I did get Nellie, Felicity, Elizabeth, and Kirsten before they retired them. Now I am waiting until I have the space to display them.

AG was really the only fashion dolls I liked as a kid. I have some Barbies but didn't like playing with them much. I hated changing their clothes and how messy their hair got. I have picked up a couple Barbie things that I remembered seeing commercials for second hand like the Barbie Icecream Shop. I liked her accessories like a kitchen with sounds and a date set with wine bottle and ice bucket.  I always loved baby dolls and would love to get some of those that I had or wanted as a kid so nostalgia is a big driver for me. I collect Cherry Merry Muffin and Cupcake dolls because of this.

However, I did not consider myself a doll collector until MH. I started collecting in 2012 and have way over 100 dolls. I never thought it'd escalate that much but I just loved the monster themes, the clothes and the face-ups. I only collect those that I like. The reboot kinda is killing my attention so I have slowed down big time in buying MH but I really want the fashion packs. Trading out clothes is my favorite part of MH. I also collect EAH, Disney Descendants, and Disney Store dolls for fairytale "families" toa much smaller extent.
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Offline SummerSkye

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #9 on: January 07, 2017, 11:02:55 AM »
I love seeing pix of mixed doll collections if anyone wants to share! :)

Offline kCherry

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #10 on: January 07, 2017, 01:04:05 PM »
All of the above. All the dollies. Gimme.
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Offline karrie91

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #11 on: January 08, 2017, 01:36:03 PM »
Originally, I was only supposed to be collecting dolls that I had as a child. After my mom passed in March, I went through a really bad depression. I started thinking about my childhood and how much I loved some of my dolls so I started hitting ebay and buying some. Spice Girls, Britney Spears, Barbie.. that sort of thing. However, it since kind of turned to buying other play line dolls. I wasn't going to go down the Monster High rabbit hole, because I've been there before back in 2012-2014 and ended up selling due to a financial crisis in 2015. However, I couldn't resist some of those.

Mainly, I stick to play lines. I adore some of those BJDs I see other people have but I don't want to shell more than 30-40 dolls out for any doll. I am cheap. I like good deals. Unless it is a Project MC2 doll, I almost never pay full price. But I love these girls. They are my favorite line.

Right now, I guess you can say my main collection is Project MC2, Bratz, and Barbie. There are some others but the biggest three are those. I like the fashionistas for Barbie. Especially the diverse body type ones. Bratz are my guilty pleasure. I can't help myself when I see a nice one for a few dollars on ebay. I'll buy her and add to my collection. I am different about my Bratz then any other doll. They don't have to be complete with original clothes. If the doll is pretty and I like whatever outfit the owner put her in, she comes home with me and hangs out with my small (getting larger  :shocked:) group of bratz. I like the boys too because I can pose them together.

Now Project MC2 has to be complete. I don't really care about the projects/accessories but they have to have their clothes and be in pristine condition. These are my favorites. I hold them to a higher standard. They ALWAYS come out of the box. Some of my barbies, if they aren't fashionistas or newer ones, stay in the box. I love 90's barbies. But I don't debox. They stay in their pretty pink boxes for display only. Monster High's also come out. But I only have about 4 of those and I don't buy as often.

I collect random Disney dolls too. But I don't care for the Hasbro ones. Their heads are just.. odd.. lol.

Anyway, that's the kind of collector I am. Sorta all over the place.
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Offline lovesbabysquirmy

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #12 on: January 10, 2017, 11:29:45 AM »
I buy what I like but then I usually end up regretting it. One day I'd like to be able to have a dollhouse for both AG and Barbie...
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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #13 on: January 10, 2017, 01:32:58 PM »
I buy what I like but then I usually end up regretting it. One day I'd like to be able to have a dollhouse for both AG and Barbie...

I feel this. A lot of times I get buyers remorse after I buy a new doll or go on an ebay spree. It's like, I have to have them, but once they are on their way, I've already moved on to the next thing and don't really want the thing coming in the mail.  :blush:
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Offline lovesbabysquirmy

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Re: What kind of doll collector are you?
« Reply #14 on: January 10, 2017, 03:41:29 PM »
I buy what I like but then I usually end up regretting it. One day I'd like to be able to have a dollhouse for both AG and Barbie...

I feel this. A lot of times I get buyers remorse after I buy a new doll or go on an ebay spree. It's like, I have to have them, but once they are on their way, I've already moved on to the next thing and don't really want the thing coming in the mail.  :blush:

It is so frustrating!  One buys a toy to make them happy, that's the idea right?  Somehow "being happy because I own this toy now" never equally translates into "and I feel TOTALLY comfy about what I did to the credit card!"  I feel so much guilt and anger and frustration surrounding the stupid VISA when my husband and I look at the bill and this SCARY scary number, and all we have to show for it is well-fed bellies and SO MUCH PLASTIC CRAP Made in China.    And you can't recoup your costs on "collectible" plastic junk - I had to almost GIVE away my MH dolls when I sold them!  Despite all the purging on my collection, I still know that I paid far more for this stuff (secondhand even) than I ever have gotten back when I sell it on Kijiji.
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