Dolls in public

[Tam I am]

Please let me know if this is already done. I just couldn't find anywhere to write about my experience today.

So, I carry an emotional support doll. Usually one too tiny to really notice, or a braided yarn doll that seems to be easy to overlook. I recently started going to a new to me dentist office, and the lady was kind of tickled at the first visit to realize I was carrying around a tiny little Disney Rapunzel from Kinder Surprise. Well today I was going in for three fillings, one of which is extensive enough that they were pretty well rebuilding the crown of the tooth (because an improperly finished metal filling busted it in the past, and the current metal filling was broken too). These means needle. And needle inside the face is cause for silent freakouts, so I brought the bigger Rapunzel from Mattel.

Both dentist and assistant were very aware of and delighted by the doll. The assistant cheerfully noticed her when she came to get me from the waiting room and worried I'd lost her when I came back from the bathroom with no doll in my hand (she was on the counter), and the dentist was worried that she'd get broken while I was tensed up during application of the needle (they fussed over me too, it wasn't just doll focus).

So this is a place for us to share stories about times when dolls were very favourably reacted to in public, especially when you're surprised by how happy someone was to see them.

[General-RADIX]

The closest I've gotten to "carrying dolls in public" is putting an otedama (Toei's answer to Tsum-Tsums) in my shirt pocket whenever I go out, since it helps with my anxiety. I've gotten some positive comments on them from taller people who can see them without me having to take them out.

(I'm too self-conscious to carry along anything bigger/more visible than that. :U)

[Kattriella]

I've taken a doll into the craft store once for the purpose of finding fabric. The cashier was confused, but the lady at the fabric counter was amused by the tiny humanoid I was carrying in my bag.

[DollyKim]

Before I needed a cane or walker I would take a doll out with me whenever I felt like it. And I will always have Xavier out on his birthday if I'm going out. Most trips with a doll now are to somewhere with fabric, especially if they need certain colors, and/or a toy section to get them something. I will get curious looks from all sorts of people, some have to take a second one, everyone has been cool about it.

One of the best experiences- THAT'S A DOLLZONE? From way way back in the day when it was a fad to call them ugly. Another memorable one is a toddler wanting to share their snack with one of the SD sized dolls. A person did tell me I had to "feed my baby" while I was carrying one of the 70cms until they realized it was a doll.
Only unpleasant experience was from an unpleasant person we pleasantly walked away from.
Common experience- Having a male doll in a suit and short haircut called "she".

I also have a toy T-Rex who occasionally travels for pictures. Don't be in peoples' way, don't go where you're not allowed, and you'll find plenty of people amused by the sight of a "silly dinosaur" trying to eat things.

For a pocket size I have a Cardinal Plushia (from the band Ghost) I can squeeze and fidget with. Being mostly red he attracts babies and toddlers who can't understand why he's sad.

[Tam I am]

I think I've had the she thing happen to a boy doll, but I think my boy might have been less noticeably boy than yours. Tiny Rapunzel gets the surprised and pleased comments when she's noticed, just like the little plushy in the pocket. The dental hygienist (yes, I went to the dentist two days in a row) had no idea she was in my hand today til I showed her after we'd already been chatting about HER doll collection for a moment (she has some squishies and a little crochet Pennywise there in her work room, and might be interested in buying one I make).

I'm kind of realizing that some of the happiest reactions that I've ever gotten to my dolls came from guys. There was the Aramean or something guy at the Korean novelty shop who got the lint shaver and shaved Comfort the braided yarn doll's legs for her so she'd look younger again, and the workman at a shop who noticed I was hugging a crochet doll with a vintage vinyl head and happily asked who she was because she kind of reminded him of a cartoon character. And the dentist yesterday, who was happily geeking about Tangled.

[Jobee]

I don't usually take my dolls outside, but I don't usually go outside save the grocery store and pharmacy.

I do make an effort to find local doll collector events and I will take my dolls to those. Usually there's a doll meetup at my annual anime convention, and I always take a couple dolls when going there. If I'm extra ambitious, I'll sew new cosplays for them before I go. It's always nice to be surrounded by like minded individuals.

There's an antique doll collectors group in my state, but I'm afraid my dolls are too new and they won't want me there, so I haven't reached out yet.

There's a modern doll collectors group in the next state over, but they just have a Discord and only meetup at the anime convention.

[DollyKim]

You're afraid you'll go to the collector group and come home with someone new, lol. It's also a great place to look for wigs and shoes.

I took Xavier, Dollzone MSD, to a pretty much antiques and Barbies show and no one had a problem with him. A couple people wanted to hold him and get a good look at him and found it interesting he's resin instead of porcelain. Doll people are doll people.

And I came home with my little replica bebe face lady.

[SetsunaKou]

We've taken our 72cm BJD anime boys out with us almost every Halloween to 'coordinate' with our costumes.

Everyone always loves them and wants to see them closer. I remember one particular Halloween in 2017, when we dressed as OFA Elsa and Anna, we went to a Japanese restaurant and the hostess there, when she saw my Hans BJD in my arms, said 'I love your date!'

It was really funny and such an ice breaker! I loved it!

[kenaiqueen]

I don't take mine out very often but I don't go out much anymore either. I do sometimes take them out in my yard for pictures.

I took one of my SmartDolls up to the Anchorage area a few years back and took her into Michaels to find her an appropriately-sized chair. I got stopped by a lady who was fascinated by the doll and asked a lot of questions in a nice way. I was happy to tell her all about SDs. On the way home a few days later, I took the doll out to take some pictures by the Kenai River since it was such an unusually pretty day and a lady hiking by with a group stopped briefly to tell me I had a really pretty baby.

I think both times the DH was embarrassed so that's probably the main reason I don't do it more often.

River by Kenai Queen, on Flickr

[Tam I am]

You guys just reminded me of the day I got a big jointed doll in the mail (I can't remember which one it was, now), and the lady postal worker brought the box right up to my apartment door, and then hesitated sheepishly when I gleefully thanked her for it. She was so relieved and grateful when I opened the box right in front of her and she got to see the doll. She'd been dying of curiosity to know what kind of doll came in a box like that. I don't think she'd ever seen anything but toy dolls before.