Dollplay Ideas

[Greta]

Hi all!

I am currently embarking on a very large project (doll-related) which I'm not ready to announce yet, but which has to do with "dollplay." I'm sure you all know what dollplay means, and you probably know how to do it better than most people!

So I'm asking for some ideas and suggestions to help with my project. What is your favorite thing to do with your dolls? What do you do with them when you have a friend over? What do you do with them when you're by yourself? Do you sometimes feel like you've run out of ideas?

Let me know what you think!
:-)
Greta

[Melissa]

I can't wait to hear more about the project. It reminds me of a page I've wanted to add to my site of doll-play ideas (stuff like "have your doll bake a cake for a friend's birthday" or "start a blog for your doll." I'll get to that page eventually, lol.

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I don't really have any one favorite thing to do with my dolls. It really depends on my mood and stuff. I love to craft for my dolls (often pretending that they're the ones crafting); have them do homework/chores; put on town-wide events. I also love to style their hair, take photos of them and make videos with them. Then there's reading a book with them, watching a movie with them-which we do fairly often- or having them help me bake (those are considered non doll-town play). I like to have the best of both worlds. Most of the time they live in Star Valley but sometimes they don't.

Usually when I have a friend over, we do an event like the Block Party or Tree Lighting. Sometimes we'll just have the dolls hang out. We like to have them go to the Raspberry Flummery Cafe (or The Sparrow's Nest, if I'm sleeping over). Sometimes, we each pick a doll to stay with the other for awhile.

When I'm alone, I usually do any of the things from the first paragraph. Sometimes I set up scenes to take photos or do a photo shoot. Sometimes, I'll think of a video to make. I have the dolls sew/craft, write letters to each other, do homework, etc. If I'm really in the mood and have the time, I'll set up one of the school classes and have the dolls go to school. Or I'll set up a general store or cafe scene and have them go there. It can be a bit hard sometimes, when you don't have a lot of permanent doll buildings. I've also done big events, alone, too. There are pros and cons to putting on big events alone or with a friend. It's fun to have the interactions with a friend but I've found I usually don't get a lot of photos to make a photo story (we do usually get enough footage for Jess' web show). So sometimes I'll opt to do an event alone, if I want to put together a story or even just play it out a little at a time or something. If I don't have a lot of time or just don't feel like physically playing, I might just imagine what the dolls are doing.

There are times when I have "doll-play block" (like writer's block) and can't think of anything creative. If that happens, I usually try to think of something I could do with one of my dolls, no matter how small. I also have times when I want to play something out but just don't get around to it. For the past couple of years, I never got around to playing out the Winter Festival. I imagine the town still has it; I just didn't get to do anything for it.

All in all, I guess my play really depends on the day and what I feel like doing with my dolls.

[lizziedoll]

I'm excited to see your project, Greta!

Aside from making things for my dolls (e.g. dresses, furniture, miniature food etc.), I am making a story about all of them. Every time I play, I add a little bit to the story. Right now Lizzie is an orphan (Victorian era) who went to live with her older cousin, who decides to open a school for girls inside her home. That's as far as I've gotten so far, but once I add a few more dolls to my collection I'm planning to have them be the new students.

But it's also fun to do dollplay that isn't part of a big storyline -- just a short, fun scenario. Since it's just Lizzie and her cousin at the moment, I have had them make apple pies, decorate their house for fall, and adopt a puppy.

I do run out ideas a lot, and it is mostly because I don't have much doll-size furniture so all of their activities are confined to a bedroom or dining room, haha. Also, I don't know anyone else that likes dolls so I normally play alone, which can get kind of boring after awhile!

What would be really nice is if someone came up with a massive list of dollplay ideas!! Sometimes I need inspiration.