I-Luv-Dolls recently did an interview, and is opening it up to have all her readers answer the questions too!
Here are my answers!
If you're interested in taking part, head on over to I-Luv-Dolls blog and grab the questions for yourself!... and please feel free to link to your responses here, I'd love to read them!
Go
HERE to join in the fun!
When did you start collecting dolls?
I started collecting dolls when I got into Ball Jointed Dolls about 10 years ago. If I'm going to be honest though, I started collecting as a child with my Barbies. I took excellent care of them, and kept all their pieces.
UNfortunately, my Barbies ALL met their demise at the hands of my little brother and his friend, when they decapitated them all in the basement before anyone knew what they were doing (they were very young, about 8). It really sucked to lose them all, but my parents made my brother pay me back what they were worth at current market value. He was paying me for a very long time.
What was your first purchase as a collector?
A Dream of Doll Yen. I bought him on the advice of a friend who said he was a good "starter" doll.
I HATED him.
I loved the dolls she had and was angry that she had me spend $150 on a starter doll, when her dolls cost $300 and were way more awesome. I'd rather start with something I like, rather than a less expensive "intro" doll, but I was too naive to know any better... and back then, $150 for a doll seemed like a lot of money.
Hah... hah... ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!
How many dolls do you own?
46: 4 Misaki, 1 FR Kyori, 2 Volks Dollfie Dreams, 1 Unoa Sist, 1 Unoa Light, 22 Pure Neemos, 1 Mamachapp, 1 Custom made Obitsu, 2 Dynamite Girls, 9 Barbie, 2 Monster High
What is your favorite doll and why?
OMG, are you trying to start a riot over here? I can't say that out loud!!! LOL!
And honestly, the truth is I kind of love my Unoa Light, Pure Neemos and Dollfie Dreams the best, but of the ones I have, I couldn't pick a favorite, I really love them all equally.
I have had ones I don't love as much, and those have been sold. I'm not really big on keeping around dolls that I'm only luke-warm about.
What doll or dolls are not your favorites and why?
Honestly, I've gotten rid of most all the ones that are not my favorites. Although, out of my current collection, my two least favorites are my Wonder Woman and Poison Ivy Barbies, because they have hideous bendy bodies. I'm sorry, but those elbow joints are just weird.
I can tell you some ones that I've gotten rid of that I kind of hated, though.
Bobobie resin dolls, they were AWFUL at posing. I've heard they've gotten better since I last owned one though.
What is the biggest challenge about collecting dolls?
Money. There is always more that I want than what I have in dollars to spend... so I have to budget carefully and make sure I'm not buying without thinking. That's really easy to do with the smaller dolls.
How do you display or store your dolls?
I have a shelving unit in my living room that they all sit on, as well as another shelving unit in the computer room that is being made into a dollhouse for them.
What I *really* want to do is build them a doll house... but I have no idea how to do that.
Have you ever been to a doll show?
Yes, a very small one, but it was fun and I found a lot of really great stuff there. I'd love to go to another.
When you travel, do you look for dolls?
Of course! I'm always on the lookout. Although admittedly, my favorite dolls are the Dollfie Dreams and the Pure Neemos, and the chances of me stumbling on one of those here is pretty much zero.
Because of the kinds of dolls I collect, I'm more on the lookout for doll STUFF rather than the dolls themselves.
What is your latest purchase?
Volks Dollfie Dream Rise
What doll is on your wish list now?
LOL, there are too many! I'm just going to include the link to my Pinterest "wishlist" board:
http://pinterest.com/littlebearries/wishlist/
Also, the Volks Dollfie Dream Dynamite White Skin Alna... I still want her, lol!
What do you wish you didn’t purchase?
Nothing, at the moment. I love all of my current dolls that I've purchased. If I don't like them, I sell them.
What is your favorite doll related item?
Oh wow... it's got to be Dollfie Dream shoes... those girls have AWESOME shoes... I wish I had shoes half as cool as theirs!!!
Here's a small sampling:
How often do you photograph your dolls and what doll is the most photographed and/or photogenic?
I usually photograph my dolls daily. They're all photogenic, it's kind of a requirement with me, but the one that gets photographed the most is Anna, my Lycce Pure Neemo. She goes Geocaching with me, and has many great adventures!
Do you talk to other collectors in person or just on the web?
In person and on the web. We have monthly or bi-monthly meetups where everyone gets together and chats about dolls... and then there are my online friends who I talk to regularly... plus one of my best friends is an avid doll collector (and got me into doll collecting in the first place) and we talk dolls all the time.
If you had the chance to speak to Mattel or other toy makers, what would you say?
PAY ATTENTION TO QUALITY, ya dorks! My Pure Neemos and Dollfie Dreams, both coming from Japan, have AMAZING quality. AMAZING! And also, amazing customer service. I think American doll companies could learn a lesson or two. I've seen some *really* shoddy work on Barbies lately.
What doll do you wish would be reissued?
The Toki Doki Barbie. I really did want her. I knew I shouldn't have dawdled. *sigh*
What two dolls would you combine and how would you want them
combined? (Muff style question)
Actually, for me, this has already been done with my Unoa Light! It combined the Unoa resin style doll with a 1/6th size made of vinyl! The doll is truly fantastic, modeled after the Unoa Zero body, and is the best posing 1/6th girl I have! I need to buy more of them!
