Why do adults collect
dolls? We have read several articles on this very subject and agree with many points "Not Just for Little Girls: Doll Collecting A Grown-Up Hobby" written by JoAnn Jacobsen-Wells several years back.
Listed below are her major points in the above-mentioned article sprinkled with some of our commentary:
1. At first doll collecting was just a fad. It has evolved into a love and the love turned into a true doll collector. That would be defined as the person who buys a doll because she loves it, wants it, and enjoys it.
2. Many doll collectors look at dolls as "works of art" only buying limited editions or OOAK (one of a kind) creations. This can therefore lend itself to be an expensive hobby but the happiness doll collecting brings is much more satisfying than the money spent to buy the doll.
3. "I appreciate my husband, as he doesn't understand my love of dolls, but he allows me to indulge. That is how his Dad was as well. He understood it only because he knew that we loved it."
4. Each collectible doll has some sort of sentimental value, and each represents a cherished moment.
5. Each person who collects dolls does it for a personal reason. For some it fills the void in their lives. The dolls are comforting when the children and grandchildren are gone. Some doll collectors remember the smell of a new doll at Christmas and want to recapture that smell because it triggers the memory of a good experience in the past.
6. Others collect dolls because it just plain makes them happy. Dolls don't talk back, they don't require changing diapers or food, and they definitely do not require anything but me looking at them and smiling.
7. Some doll collectors claim that doll collecting is less expensive than seeing a psychiatrist. Some women have reported that doll collecting helps her deal with her depression. Another woman has reported that collecting dolls fills the void that she feels when she thinks of her deceased son.
Whatever the reason collectors continue to add dolls to their collections, it is a wonderful and endearing hobby.
Quote of the Day - "A light heart lives long." - William Shakespeare
