That Magic Feeling - Where Has It Gone?

[tuneful87]

Salli: the listing just described her hair as being yarn. I'm really excited about her, and she has such a model's fashion sense. I mean, hello, she was made for me! Hehe

[Salli]

Salli: the listing just described her hair as being yarn. I'm really excited about her, and she has such a model's fashion sense. I mean, hello, she was made for me! Hehe

The kinks in it makes me think it's embroidery floss that has been wrapped around a card, and it's absolutely brilliant! Yes, she is definitely Nefera-level awesome.


I've been thinking about this topic since I read it. What Mandy said about having collecting goals makes a lot of sense. I have specific goals with my ponies because there are just too many for me to say "I am going to have them ALL!!". I hadn't thought about that with Monster High dolls. I don't have that many (for now anyway) but I do feel compelled to buy them all... I wonder if I should keep a list like I do of my blind bags? Like, define my list then work on it slowly.

Also part of my being compelled to buy is 'the Gil Factor'. I remember when my local store had a bunch of him and I was like "I'm not that into him" (I don't think I had any MH dolls yet). And of course NOW I wish I had bought 4. I feel like I HAVE to buy or else I'll deeply regret it.

[PandaBerryInSpace]

It's embroidery floss. I know this because I have the exact same embroidery floss, and I have used it on ponies before. It's not like the thread you put into an embroidery machine, though, it's thicker and yarn like. Just don't brush it -- if you do, all the threads will come undone,  and it won't have that same yarn look to it.

[saply]

You know what, I also think it could be that we haven't seen any new leaked pics in a long time And we know what to expect for quite a while... some new hints/surprises would be magic for me, too!

I was actually thinking about this the other day. I think the excitement around mh has died down as a result. There was a rapid fire succession of new stuff and then the mh news stopped. It feels like months since anything new has been found. I think that's a major factor.

Been going through this with ponies too. *shakes fist at Hasbro*

I stopped collecting ponies for that reason Too many new brushables being made, yet scrapped in favour of more Mane 6 releases. I'm looking at you, unicorn flower fillies!

On a fun note, I just saw the girl below and had to buy her. Isn't she cute? And such good fashion sense too. Her name is Eyevette. I mean, come on, that's pretty bloody brilliant, right? (credit goes to seller for the name!)

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She looks awesome, tuney! The three-eyed ghoul is one of my favorite CAMs ^_^

[Flaileigh]

To keep myself sane, I jump around between my hobbies. That way I don't get burnt out. I found that I enjoy the hunt, rather than the having... With store bought dolls, I consider them more or less hunting trophy's, while the more expensive dolls I buy because I've fallen for them and developed a personal character connection. (Like... OMG! That sculpt would be perfect for one of my original characters from 15+ years ago!) 

Original, meaningful characters out trump pre-made commercial dolls any day. It helps a LOT to stave off the "Bleh, dolls/mlps/etc" feeling.

[Yurusumaji]

i have ponies (focus on g1's and 4's), monster high (really just trying to go after the ones i really like, which is TOUGH let me tell you!), Pullips (mostly Taeyangs), and glass stuff and some times my interest wanes in one and picks up in another but i cycle through em all and try to not let myself get overwhelmed with any one thing lol

This is me. If I stick to the same collection too long, I feel smothered by it and want to move on. MH has had a really terrible start for me too, but having a collection I can interact with is a major plus.

I like to change it up. One month I'll get some Pokémon, another month it's MLP, next month it's manga/anime, next month is webcomic prints, next month it's art prints, some months I'll get a little bit of everything. If you focus too directly on that one thing, it'll burn you out. I'm like that with MLP right now. I just felt overwhelmed, so I'm taking a short break. I also like to just go down in my Hobby Room and look at everything. I like to remember how I got into them, why I fell in love with them in the first place, recall memories of how I found each one and how excited I was. I like to just bask in their glow, enjoy their company and the memories attached to them.

I think that when we're here with other collectors it can feel like a competition. We want to have the most, the prettiest, the best customs. We don't want to fall behind. This wears on us and it can ruin the joy we get from these things. It kills the magic because we forget why we, personally, love them. So sometimes I'll go into my room and I'll brush a pony's hair or take out one of my Pokémon plush and give it a hug. I'll play my Japanese music box and just swim in the joy these things bring me and I'll strive to remember why I love these things and why I brought them into my life. It helps light that spark again. For me, anyway.

[Icecrystalline]

I know that feeling- I suddenly lost my excitement with G1s. I mean, I still love them, and I'll always have a love for them, but I just don't get the excitement from them anymore. All my 135 girls and boys are now safely packed in the loft, away from harm. I decided they took up too much room in my bedroom, since I wasn't so excited at seeing them everyday.... I don't even watch auctions for them anymore- Monster High collecting and pony collecting when you get £4.80 an hour in a busy cafe/restaurant working in sweaty conditions, it just isn't worth paying out for two collections!

I haven't lost my love for my MH yet, I love all of mine, I think it's because I don't ever want to get every single release of Monster High, I only buy ones that my heart becomes really set on; I've been collecting for, what, 5 months? Maybe even less! Thing is, my heart has to be really, really set on something before I buy it, because I don't ever want to waste money. I had my heart set on the boys from day one- Holt, Gil, Deuce.... I got Gil from the help of Bewilderness, and just bought Deuce from SwordPony, I still have to find Holt, but I wanted Gil and Deuce for 5-6 months before I actually bought them, I needed that much time to assure myself and check with myself that I definitely wanted them.

I think that helps, that's just my piece of cake anyway! x

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Yep, this happens when I just BUY BUY BUY BUY. 

Remember what Spock said," Sometimes having a thing is not as pleasant as wanting a thing." 

You can totally enjoy looking at other people's items and get that aesthetic pleasure WITHOUT purchasing one for yourself.    For example, I *love* Pukunui's photos but I am unlikely to ever buy those dolls and duplicate their surroundings.  I am completely satisfied with checking out those photos and going, "Ooooh pretty" when I need a pick-me-up.  I don't need to have those dolls on a shelf or in-hand. 

I've gone through this with MLP, Bratz, LoTR, various Disney characters, American Girl... 

A good way to stave this off is to create goals for yourself, like bonding and signature outfits and coming up with personalities for each doll.  Know that you can ALWAYS turn to the secondhand market and purchase these items should you decide you have to own them at a later date.  It's not like they vanish from existence if your local store shelves are empty.  :-p  They won't even disappear from the secondhand market after the MH line ends officially. 

The instant gratification is just that, but finding reasons to COLLECT; you need to learn what about collecting these dolls really lights up your life.  Maybe it's finding commissioners on Etsy to make them clothing, maybe it's setting up all the stuff for ANTM, maybe it's because vampire dolls with pink lipstick match the rest of your home decor, hahaha.   

Best of luck! 

[ZennaBug]

I think it's normal to lose that excitement.  Especially as you get more and more dolls/ponies/etc.  It's why all of my collections are small.  When I start losing the spark, I slow down and only collect the special ones.  Having the gap in between purchases (I haven't bought a pony in MONTHS due to finances) makes their arrival more exciting.  At least for me.

Remember what Spock said," Sometimes having a thing is not as pleasant as wanting a thing."   

That is a fantastic quote!  Spock!

[Bj-Lydia]

Well, I've been collecting MH dolls since 2010 October, but I still have that magical feeling. Probably because I only get 1 doll/month? Sometimes I get more though, but still, that's the usual 

[aellos]

Don't worry, I've done it too. I've turned myself to other dolls for now.
I think I got pooped out after that hype where the dolls kept releasing a bunch in one month.

Now I have my eyes on a BJD I reaaaaly want.

[tuneful87]

I think once Wydona Spider is released, that magic feeling will return in full measure!

[SweetScoops]

Same with me. I collected G1's like crazy and had a somewhat big collection. The love died and today I have about 20 left. I find something else to go after, but I see it as my collection-style to change I usually get a collection, find something else, sells of my collection to found my new addiction and moves on. As long as nobody gets hurt I can do this how many times I want ^__^
Don't stress yourself about it too much It's collecting, not the end of the world <3

[crimsondeity]

MH is honestly the first collection/obsession to stick with me with no real "breaks" in my interest. There are things, like Pokemon, that come and go. I'll either really be involved in the community and play all the time, or I practically forget it for months. Then there are things like MLP, which were a flash in the pan. Other than some ponies for other people, I haven't bought a G1 off of Ebay since I started collecting MH two years ago. The last time I bought a G4 was over a year ago. I'll probably end up selling off my MLP collection in the near future.

For whatever reason, MH has just totally captured my attention. I may go silent for a week or so, but I stay fairly active in the community. I have a few people I've become really close to via the community, and chat with them regularly about all sorts of things. I always make a point to get the latest dolls and fashions, only slowing down when there's a "grown-up" thing my money needs to go to (be it a larger bill, or maybe just doing something with friends).

I spent a lot of time hemming and hawing before I started collecting MH; I'd only been collecting ponies for a few months, and already I was getting bored. I didn't want to start investing in something else only to lose interest. But I found myself constantly sneaking back to the Dollhouse to read the MH forum (back when it took 4-6 months to get to 100 pages!). I started following a couple other forums with MH threads. I told myself that I'd only get Lagoona, and maybe the Deuce/Cleo set (because I loved his design). Of course, once I decided to make the jump, I couldn't find Lagoona anywhere, and even the double pack was hard to find. When I saw Lala on the shelf at Target, I made the decision to just get her. Then I'd have an even number of dolls. The double pack and Frankie soon followed. When I found Lagoona, Clawdeen was on the shelf next to her. I just decided to suck it up and have a "complete" set of six.

Fast-forward two years, and I still get a thrill when I see a new doll on the shelf. Occasionally I'll lose a little interest in my current collection; but I pull out a few to re-dress, or re-do their hair. Maybe shift sets between shelves, and re-pose my signatures. There's not the same "new" feeling anymore, but for me, it's still fun and magical. I hate to use this comparison, because it makes me sound like a crazy shut-in; but this line has had the evolution of a relationship for me. There was the hesitation, the giving in, the wild thrill of newness and excitement. Now it's evened out a bit, but I still love MH.

[Heliodor]

I find that this happens if I have too many items in a collection. Keeping the collection very small and intimate keeps it special for me. I don't forget what I have, etc.