2025 was a very emotional year for me, and it's reflected in my doll purchases. I did some panic buying and some emotional buying. In the spring, I got 4 Shadow High dolls just because I thought it was the end of the world, but the world persisted. I bought Bilby and Stitches to stop myself from buying overpriced Kens on Ebay, then I broke down and bought Coby and Redd. Some things I regret, and I've donated those dolls to thrift shops. I got one of my lifetime grail dolls, Jem! I adore her, no regrets there. I worked on some older dolls, the Equestria Girls, and I'm proud of that, though I wish I finished! I hope to finish them later. And I binge bought every freaking Royale High doll in November and December. Will I regret that later? Maybe, but they were cheap, so it's okay.
So what's the plan for 2026?
1. Photograph and document old dolls. I did a stellar job documenting my new dolls this year, but I have a lot of old dolls that still need to be photographed and added to my database. Winx Club, Ever After High, Asian imported dolls, I have a lot that should be added to the database. It would be nice to have my database finished and completely up to date by next December.
2. Invest time and money into stands and wardrobes. In a perfect world, every doll would have a full wardrobe, at least something basic for each season, a few pairs of shoes, etc. Some of my dolls already have large wardrobes, like Sunny and Violet, and the two Barbies I bought over the summer. I will have a doll budget again each month starting with January, but I will try to target my purchases more towards clothes, shoes, and doll stands. Some of my dolls have stands already, but a lot more don't, and I'd like to have enough for all of them, especially if husband and I move to a new place where I might have room to actually display my dolls! I won't just be investing money into this though, I also need to invest time, hand-sewing my dolls clothes so it's exactly as I want it to be. However, before I can sew, I'll need to...
3. Draft patterns for dolls that don't have them yet. I've drafted patterns for about a third of my dolls, but I have a lot of patterns to go, and I can't sew for my dolls without drafting patterns first! So maybe this should be higher on the list...
4. I'm not going to say "no more new dolls" because every time I do that, I freak out and buy more dolls as if the world is ending. Instead, I'm gonna say, "Each time I consider a doll, I will ask myself if I want to draft patterns, sew them a full wardrobe and buy them a stand?" Maybe thinking about the intense workload will slow me down. Drafting patterns is hard work and let's be real, most doll lines don't have more shoes available, so not every doll can have a full wardrobe like I'm dreaming of.
Usually I have a social goal, but I'm not gonna bother. Most adults are too busy to have a social life, and getting random doll people to coordinate and congregate seems impossible. Besides, I'm a shut-in who doesn't like leaving my house. Why try to make IRL friends when I've bought so many little plastic friends who are just patiently waiting for my attention?
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