Frequently Asked Questions
What is it?
St. Louis is in the very center of the country. We’re the Gateway to the West! Home of the 1904 World’s Fair! And we’re hosting a BJD convention!
A fan convention is a place where people from various places and of various stripes can come together and enjoy their hobby with like-minded people. We geek out about dolls, learn new things, meet new people, and have lots of fun!
We, however, are so much more! We offer workshops to learn more about the care and design of your dolls - want to learn how to face-up your doll? Give it a manicure? Create your own doll? Perhaps you'd like to learn how to create and sew a corset for your doll using a sewing machine? Or make a wig? These are all things that we've offered at the convention previously, and we're just getting started!
What's a BJD?
A Ball Jointed Doll. For our purposes, any strung doll with ball joints “counts” as a BJD. It could be manufactured in Japan, China, Korea, the USA, or Mars. It could be vinyl, resin, or porcelain.
Dolly Playmates?
Say say oh, playmate
Come out and play with me
And bring your dollies three…
The Dolly Playmates is the name of a St. Louis-based doll club. We collect many kinds of dolls including BJDS. Primarily, we are people of all ages who PLAY with our dolls. We welcome anyone who loves dolls and plays with them. Some of us collect American Girl, or Barbie, or Monster High dolls. Some of us collect Tonner, Gene, or other Fashion dolls. Some of us collect vintage dolls or antique dolls. What we all have in common is a desire to get together with our playmates and play with our dolls!
Our committee and staff originally came from members of the Dolly Playmates group, but we're always interested in welcoming new people, too.
Is this the first year?
This will be our third year!
Any idea of attendance expected?
Last year's attendance was around 60 people. We're hoping for around 100 for our upcoming convention.
How long does the convention run?
In our second year we expanded to a three day convention. Based on what we did last year, here's an example of what the days might look like this year:
Friday
Registration will start at noon, with Opening Ceremonies at 1pm. Tea will be at about 3pm. We'll wrap up at the convention site around 6pm to have a Meet and Greet party at 7pm.
Saturday
Doors open for breakfast at 9am, with programming continuing at 10am. Lunch will be served around 1pm and the Grand Banquet will start around 6pm.
Sunday
We will be continuing our tradition of Field Trip Sunday, where we'll visit a local attraction for pictures and fun - we'll return to Jackman's Fabrics, then go to the Missouri Botanical Garden! . Our first year we went to the St. Louis Zoo, during our second we went to Jackman's Fabrics and the Butterfly House.
If I can't come, can I still help somehow?
We'd LOVE your help! Here's a couple of ideas:
Will there be WiFi at the convention site?
Although the site doesn't have internet access, we were able to arrange WiFi at our convention previous years and expect to do so again this year.
What does Security look like at the convention?
We take the safety and security of our guests, staff, and their dolls very seriously. How else can you have fun? Harrassment of any guests or staff is not tolerated, and will be dealt with fairly by members of the convention committee.
Many of our staff members have many years of experience as staff and committee members of large scale fan conventions. The vending room is staffed at all times, day and night, by our Vending staff. Con HQ is staffed during convention hours if you ever have questions or issues. The doors at our convention are automatically locked from the outside so no unauthorized personnel can enter. We also offer Dolly Babysitting, where you can keep your dolls and belongings you don't want to carry around with you at the convention safely set aside with a staff member.
St. Louis is in the very center of the country. We’re the Gateway to the West! Home of the 1904 World’s Fair! And we’re hosting a BJD convention!
A fan convention is a place where people from various places and of various stripes can come together and enjoy their hobby with like-minded people. We geek out about dolls, learn new things, meet new people, and have lots of fun!
We, however, are so much more! We offer workshops to learn more about the care and design of your dolls - want to learn how to face-up your doll? Give it a manicure? Create your own doll? Perhaps you'd like to learn how to create and sew a corset for your doll using a sewing machine? Or make a wig? These are all things that we've offered at the convention previously, and we're just getting started!
What's a BJD?
A Ball Jointed Doll. For our purposes, any strung doll with ball joints “counts” as a BJD. It could be manufactured in Japan, China, Korea, the USA, or Mars. It could be vinyl, resin, or porcelain.
Dolly Playmates?
Say say oh, playmate
Come out and play with me
And bring your dollies three…
The Dolly Playmates is the name of a St. Louis-based doll club. We collect many kinds of dolls including BJDS. Primarily, we are people of all ages who PLAY with our dolls. We welcome anyone who loves dolls and plays with them. Some of us collect American Girl, or Barbie, or Monster High dolls. Some of us collect Tonner, Gene, or other Fashion dolls. Some of us collect vintage dolls or antique dolls. What we all have in common is a desire to get together with our playmates and play with our dolls!
Our committee and staff originally came from members of the Dolly Playmates group, but we're always interested in welcoming new people, too.
Is this the first year?
This will be our third year!
Any idea of attendance expected?
Last year's attendance was around 60 people. We're hoping for around 100 for our upcoming convention.
How long does the convention run?
In our second year we expanded to a three day convention. Based on what we did last year, here's an example of what the days might look like this year:
Friday
Registration will start at noon, with Opening Ceremonies at 1pm. Tea will be at about 3pm. We'll wrap up at the convention site around 6pm to have a Meet and Greet party at 7pm.
Saturday
Doors open for breakfast at 9am, with programming continuing at 10am. Lunch will be served around 1pm and the Grand Banquet will start around 6pm.
Sunday
We will be continuing our tradition of Field Trip Sunday, where we'll visit a local attraction for pictures and fun - we'll return to Jackman's Fabrics, then go to the Missouri Botanical Garden! . Our first year we went to the St. Louis Zoo, during our second we went to Jackman's Fabrics and the Butterfly House.
If I can't come, can I still help somehow?
We'd LOVE your help! Here's a couple of ideas:
- We would love donations for our raffles, door prizes, and other goodies. Email either Jenny or Tricia for inquiries.
- See our Sponsorship page to place an ad in our program book.
- Help spread the word! Check out our links page to see where you can find us.
- If you can come to the convention and would like to volunteer, contact us at: volunteer@stlbjdcon.com
Will there be WiFi at the convention site?
Although the site doesn't have internet access, we were able to arrange WiFi at our convention previous years and expect to do so again this year.
What does Security look like at the convention?
We take the safety and security of our guests, staff, and their dolls very seriously. How else can you have fun? Harrassment of any guests or staff is not tolerated, and will be dealt with fairly by members of the convention committee.
Many of our staff members have many years of experience as staff and committee members of large scale fan conventions. The vending room is staffed at all times, day and night, by our Vending staff. Con HQ is staffed during convention hours if you ever have questions or issues. The doors at our convention are automatically locked from the outside so no unauthorized personnel can enter. We also offer Dolly Babysitting, where you can keep your dolls and belongings you don't want to carry around with you at the convention safely set aside with a staff member.