I’ve written a bit before about my childhood, specifically about growing up toeing the line between being a tom boy or a girly girl. This idea, of fitting into one category or another, is something not foreign to people of this generation, as there tends to be a lot of pressure placed on individuals to solidify their identity into a few basic tags. Gender, sexuality, childhood, beliefs, and more are all expected to have simple one or two-word answers that fully encapsulate and allow for immediate understanding, not allowing someone to be more than the sum of their parts.
This is all to say that, growing up, I was not that into dolls. I had some Polly Pockets as a young kid, a Disney Princess here and there, some stray Barbie dolls, and one notable doll that I actually kept and displayed for a while. I spent a lot of my childhood playing with cars and stuffed animals, but never dolls. Those seemed too girly to me and I never understood the appeal.
Fast forward to 2022. I became friends with a girl named Ava when she started dating one of my high school friends. She had a collection of dolls unlike any I had ever seen. Shelves were filled with colorful, fashionable, modern dolls. They had colored hair, large earrings, beautiful make-up, and clothes I could see myself wearing (or at least wishing I could!). These were Rainbow High Dolls.
There are two main collections of these dolls: Rainbow High and Shadow High. The two groups have different aesthetics, with Rainbows being more brightly colored, and the Shadows being more edgy or having a darker aesthetic. Regardless, both dolls were a part of her collection and got my interest. There were some that were monochrome, some with amazing curls, bold make-up, accessories and items. It was more than just a toy to play with; it was something to be displayed and admired.
Her collection of dolls made me think about collecting something of my own. Sure. I had a sizable collection of Zelda puzzles and books and pens, but nothing as large and bold as these dolls. I thought for a while about what I wanted to collect. Maybe Nendoroids of my favorite anime and video game characters? Maybe some Funko pops? What if I just collected some Manga? I had no idea where to start.
Fast forward a few more months. I still hadn’t started collecting anything significant. One summer morning, my roommate knocked on my door right after I had woken up. Still lying in bed, they entered, not knowing that the words they were about to say would kickstart something grand. They mentioned to me that they’ve been considering collecting Monster High Dolls. It hit me right then and there. I too wanted to collect Rainbow High dolls.
I got ready for the day and we raced to the local Fred Meyer, walking straight for the toy section. On that fateful June day, I picked out my very first doll in over 10 years. Her name is Daria Roselyn, and she was perfect.
Pink hair, wonderful curls, a chic jumpsuit and adorable shoes. I took her home, washed her hair, changed her outfit, and admired my new child. I excitedly told Ava about my new purchase, and she introduced me properly to the wonderful world of doll collecting. Just a bit later, she informed me of a doll, Ainsley Slater, who was on sale. She became doll number two. I ordered Ava a doll for her wedding present and purchased Victoria Whitman for myself. As a surprise present, Ava and another friend of ours mailed me four more dolls, two of which were repeats Ava had gotten in a box set. Within less than a month, I already had six dolls.
Fast forward to today. In one weekend I received four new dolls. One was a treat for myself after getting my first tattoo, two half off for a holiday deal, and one a Christmas present from a coworker. My collection has grown to 24 dolls in the span of just eight short months. I have a mix of both Rainbows and Shadows, some older and some newer, and plenty of colors and styles. I’ve installed shelves, arranged my room to accommodate for more, and I have lists saved and dolls I’m waiting to grab while on sale. What happened to make me gravitate so quickly to these dolls? What is it that makes them so alluring?
I’m not fully sure. Like I said, I was never big on dolls as a child. Part of that was general disinterest, but I attribute much of this distaste to my tomboyish personality I had adopted as a child. I spent more time running around in the dirt, climbing trees and riding bikes than I did with toys. And the toys I did play with were mostly stuffed animals and My Little Ponies. A large part is likely due to the relatability of getting to hate on dolls with friends. It was fun to poke fun at people who liked dolls and sing funny parodies of Aqua’s Barbie Girl with my cousins. As I got older I stopped playing with toys like most teenagers do. I had some Legos and stuffed animals and figurines here and there like most people, but certainly not dolls. So again we ask: why the change?
I think part of why I like these dolls so much is the fact that I didn’t play with them as a kid. Now they get to be new and fun and stylish. I didn’t participate in a lot of girly things like doing hair and dressing up when I was younger. I never had any interest in make-up until late high school, and I never thought too much about my appearance other than looking just fine. Now that dressing up and doing my hair and getting new make-up is exciting for me, it makes sense that these dolls would be, too.
It also could be that they look nice! Collecting as a kid isn’t terribly fun, but as an adult, it feels nice to have a lot of something that you can display, find more of, pose, rearrange, and dress up. It’s relaxing, adds some color to my room and my life, and each doll is a nice reward I can get myself after a hard week, at the end of the quarter, or during a holiday sale.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be fully aware of why I started collecting dolls. But I do know they look nice, they make me happy, and it’s something that has brought me closer to friends. It seemed a bit weird at first to be in my twenties and to have just started collecting dolls, but the longer I do it, the more I enjoy it. It’s become something normal and good for me. And even though my shelves are getting a little too full to keep collecting too many more, I can still make the most with what I have.