What am I doing?

**Nethilia** · March 7th, 2006, 05:14 AM

I've been getting and keeping dolls since I was old enough to know what they were, and I haven't stopped a bit! I now collect plushies, My Little Ponies, and anything girly. At least with toys I can play with them. I really wonder about people who collect stuff like spoons or beer cans or stuff like that. How boring! Dolls can be played with forever. I don't mind video games, I have fun with that. But most "adult" hobbies are boring.

When I was in about middle school, one of my mom's friends chastised her for letting me keep my dolls. My mom told her that better I play with baby dolls than boys and bring home real babies. My mom is the best!

[ March 07, 2006 01:15 AM: Message edited by: Nethilia ]

**TaffyCheerful** · March 7th, 2006, 06:13 AM

Last week, the guy in the next office stopped me in the hall and with a very serious look on his face said, "I've heard something very disturbing about you." I bite and say, "What is so disturbing?" He says, "You collect dolls?" So we go out to lunch and I explain to him that I both collect and sew clothes for my dolls. He was very distressed, as though there was some fracture in the structure of the universe...

To help him get over it, I brought Honey, one of my rewigged Berenguers, in the following day and Melon, a Gotz doll, the next. Honey was wearing a plaid kilt/yellow cardigan outfit, while Melon was wearing a green and white Inuyasha sailor outfit, both with kneesocks and saddle shoes.

Today I brought in Maddison, the black Gotz doll, wearing a white chiffon communion dress. On Wednesday I will be taking Penny Sue, my rewigged, rebodied and freckled Heidi Ott doll in wearing a gorgeous Chatty Cathy-length white embroidered and scalloped border eyelet communion dress and veil. One of the women in the office specifically asked to see several of them in their communion dresses.

Now, if a 60 year old male can bring dolls to the office, you should not feel ashamed of loving your dolls.

Taffy

**TaffyCheerful** · March 7th, 2006, 06:15 AM

Originally posted by allthingsag:
I am 61 years old and started collecting last May. I really don't play with my dolls but rather exhibit them. I get a smile when I go past one of the vignettes and see how cute they look.

I understand completely. Looking around the room and seeing all of their smiling faces is very comforting. If stressed, brushing out a doll's hair is wonderfully relaxing.

Taffy

**julliams** · March 7th, 2006, 10:55 AM

Think about all the things people raise their eyebrows about !!!!! Yep - well collecting dolls is really not that big a deal is it?

The only reason you are feeling this way is because you are not 100% confident in it yourself. I used to try to hide my passion but now I proudly tell anyone who will listen. Noone seems to care (but noone buys me dolls for Christmas either - grrrr)

Once you feel fine with it you won't care what other people think. It's your money and you should do what you want with it. The way I justify my dolly spending is that I only spend what I make on selling dolls. I started picking up items at garage sales and doing them up and selling them on ebay. It became a hobby and I ended up with too much stuff. Once in a while I had a big ticket item and over time I made enough to start buying my My Child collection. Now all my dolls are my "dolly dollars". When I sell something on ebay it is my money to buy dolls or things for my collection. This way it never eats into our mortgage or bills and it's all good. Hubby can never complain and I don't need to justify it to myself.

I started just collecting everything and anything I could get my hands on and later I became a bit of a "snob" and only wanted the best. I would look at one very expensive item and think "I could buy that if I sold a few of my collection that I don't really care for anymore".

Enjoy your dolls and if you find it isn't you anymore, let that be your decision, not your sisters, or your doctor, or anyone else.

Juliette

**brazilian_girl** · March 7th, 2006, 11:01 AM

Originally posted by Samanthasmom:
I cant tell you how many MEN I know still run out and buy the latest version of PlayStation, or GameCube, which by the way is about 300.00 for playstation and each game ranging from about 40.00-65.00 .. But that is okay , WHY???

It's not so ok... I love video games and have GameCube, Nintendo DS, Gameboy Advance, and the older versions... At my work I am the "strange" childish mother who loves dolls and video games. People used to laugh and asked me if I didn't have anything else to do... That I was losing my time playing games. When I was a teen I was very worried about being different, now I just laugh and say, "don't be jeaulous because I know how to have fun" (I say this in a joking way, not sounding offended).

I am what I am!!!! And I think life would be very boring without DVD, video games, books, internet and dolls, toys, the things I like.

Concerning the price of video games, every time I see someone saying on an article that AG dolls are expensive I remember the price of the video games, they are very expensive and they get obsolete, so they cost a lot more than AG dolls...

Here in Brazil men are obsessed with soccer (our "football") and don't talk about anything else. It's hard to find a man who likes movies, theater, books, etc.. It's ok (and expected) that a man should act like a child concerning sports but if this man plays video game, everybody roll their eyes saying he is childish... Boys play soccer and girls play with dolls, when we grow old, men play and watch soccer and women must take care only of real babies???? [img]mad.gif[/img]

These people who doesn't accept the difference, who try to be "normal", are the most dangerous, in my opinion!!!!!

**Martina's*Mommy** · March 7th, 2006, 11:34 AM

Well, my Grandma collected dolls and my mom and me started collecting porcelaine-dolls, when I was 8y/o or so, we even made a porcelaine-doll together.
My Grandma, may she rest in peace, would have loved my AG-dolls... [img]graemlins/cry_smile.gif[/img] She was one of those people, who would have ordered the entire collection, if she would have been aware of AG.
It's just in my genetic heritage to collect dolls and I'm pretty much confident about it. If someone haves a problem with that, I don't consider this to be my problem... [img]tongue.gif[/img]
I didn't get any comments so far. DH was a bit leery about it in the beginning, but he's starting to get "it", too. Plus, his only chance to get access to the computer in the evening is, when I play with the dolls... [img]wink.gif[/img] My mom simply loves our dolls and haves a blast sewing clothes for them.
I display the dolls in our living-room and DH's co-workers are used to them, too (cabdrivers). Nobody of them ever made a comment. If they'd make, I'd have a good answer about spending lots of $ in cars and electronical stuff, that will be outdated soon... [img]tongue.gif[/img]

**FelinaDoon** · March 7th, 2006, 12:25 PM

I am 35 and I have my own Molly. My 61 year old mother got Elizabeth for Christmas - Do I buy more for DD yes, but I love these too

**cami713** · March 7th, 2006, 02:02 PM

I cant tell you how many MEN I know still run out and buy the latest version of PlayStation, or GameCube, which by the way is about 300.00 for playstation and each game ranging from about 40.00-65.00 .. But that is okay , WHY???

I've responded to this kind of comment before, but I really don't think it's at ALL the same as collecting dolls.

They make video games for adults. There are so many games with AO (adults only 18+) M (mature), and T (teen) ratings. Yes, there are also plenty of E (everyone), and EC (early childhood) games. Video games are made for everyone, in that they make games targeted toward adults, as well as children.

Whereas dolls are, for the most part, made for children. Especially the play dolls of the AG variety. Yes, people make collector dolls aimed at adults, but PLAY DOLLS are made for little girls.

If a grown man were to sit down with his PS2 and start playing Barbie's Race and Ride or Mary-Kate and Ashley's Magical Mystery Mall, or ANY game rated EC or E, people WOULD think they were weird, and they'd get the same looks some people here do if they had a huge collection of EC rated games. However, since most of them are sitting down playing games that are created for people 17 (M) and up, or 18 and up (AO), most people wouldn't see a problem with it.

Now, if you're talking about spending vast amounts of money on a hobbie, then I can see comparing video games and dolls. However, Playstations aren't $300 [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img] . PS2's aren't even that much anymore (half that, actually, $150).

[ March 07, 2006 10:07 AM: Message edited by: cami713 ]

**moderator** · March 7th, 2006, 02:26 PM

Originally posted by cami713:
If a grown man were to sit down with his PS2 and start playing . . . ANY game rated EC or E, people WOULD think they were weird . . .

My brother is in his 30s and asked for "Super MonkeyBall" (ESRB Rating E/everyone) for Christmas. Our family was thrilled with this choice, and we all sat down to play it with him after he opened it. I don't think that men would be odd if they played E games like Super MonkeyBall.

The difference is that sometimes those games are less challenging, so they don't appeal to grown men. However, if the games are challenging and well-made, there's no reason they shouldn't appeal to all ages, and I wouldn't look down on men playing E-rated games.

Too many adults seem to think they can only watch television/play games/have hobbies within their recommended age bracket. "Oh, I'm over 17 now. I guess I better only watch R-rated movies and play teen-rated games." [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[ March 07, 2006 10:30 AM: Message edited by: Melissa ]