When the Dolls Come Marching In

Dolls from BJDC Austin 2008

Today Joy drives down to Austin to meet with friends before the BJDC-Austin 2010 begins. Yes, the dolls will come out this weekend to shine in all their finery ... and we're hoping that their human companions decide to adorn them with Sarah's beautiful clothing and Joy's jewelry. Mar will sell portable racks for the costumes ... All these preparations have made life a bit hectic, since the phone line went out on Friday. It turned out to be a minor wire that we could replace easily -- but the first wire that I used was bad, so we thought it was the actual hard-wiring into the house ... luckily, we have cell phones. One of the few times I was glad to have the technology handy. For me, it's usually a fight to keep the kids' attention focussed on class content ... and they tell me it's worse in college since students bring their laptops. Of course, in college, profs don't have to worry so much about their failure rates and graduation rates; students must take control of their learning ... which is why so many freshmen fail their first semester.

This year's theme is "Carnivale," so the dolls will display their best costumes ... About 100 collectors, plus vendors, will meet in Austin to share their favorite hobby -- and cash cow. If you think collecting antiques can become expensive, you haven't seen these dolls! Many have a wardrobe that matches -- and sometimes exceeds -- their owners. Colette has many more wigs than I do ... and looks good in all of them. As Mar says, the dolls will always look young and never gain weight ... Her fey and human court will display Lady Fayre's costumes, so our table will be quite crowded on Friday ... and we forgot a table. That's what happens when you don't make a list ahead of time. I'll include the TV trays. They may not be large, but they can add a little space behind the table so she can extend the display a little.

The dolls at the top of the page are Claudia and the Vampire Lestat, based on the movie -- the theme of the last convention. Most collectors in our region look forward to the convention since few stores carry BJDs ... Worse, since 2005, most of the doll shops in the Metroplex have closed or returned to online status. Some people enjoy shopping online, but a picture doesn't match the experience of seeing the doll in front of you ... Of course, the costs to maintain a brick & mortar store have risen astronomically -- I could go on, but everyone who enjoys a specialized hobby has experienced the frustration of the search for goods and services. Hence, the conventions -- and Animefest will be next month; it gives younger fans a taste of BJDs at the meet-and-greet sessions, although those often become a show-and-tell around the topic of "see the new doll in my collection." Maybe we'll send Mar as our delegate; she's got the Court to impress the resin snobs as well as the newbies. For more information about BJDC Austin, go to http://www.bjdctexas.com/


"We're fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance."
~Japanese Proverb

May all your dances be happy ones!