The art of reborning started a couple decades ago when doll artists began creating lifelike vinyl dolls resembling real babies.
After police in Queensland, Australia smashed in a car window this summer to rescue an unconscious baby, and discovered it was instead a very lifelike doll, reborn babies have been the subject of several news stories.
What are Reborn Baby Dolls?
Reborn baby dolls are handcrafted dolls created from vinyl doll pieces. Doll artists then carefully reassemble, paint and pose the vinyl doll pieces to resemble living babies. These reborn babies, sometimes called unliving babies, are often weighted and have floppy heads to more closely feel like actual newborn infants.
The reborn dolls can be special ordered to replicate an actual baby. Recently technology has been included in some dolls that make the babies feel warm to the touch, or give them a realistic sounding heartbeat. Reborn baby creators charge hundreds of dollars per doll because of the unique, handcrafted nature of the collectibles. Just sewing the hair in, strand by strand, can take 20 to 30 hours.
Who Collects Reborn Dolls?
When reborn babies first became available, only a few doll collectors purchased them as additions to their doll collections. The realistic babies were considered a step above the handpainted porcelain dolls with which most collectors adorn their shelves and living rooms.
More recently, however, the desire for reborn babies has become a bit of a craze as the niche has expanded to include several other markets.
A reborn designer, featured on a Channel 4 documentary, was shown presenting a replicated doll to a woman who was grieving the loss of her grandson due to his recent move. A clip of the "My Fake Baby" documentary on YouTube shows her heart-wrenching reaction to seeing the special-made doll for the first time. She cuddles the baby and strokes his hair as she stated, "Nobody will be able to take him away this time, will they?".
Some women who purchase these reborns are childless women who want what one called, "the perfect baby". The joy of motherhood without the work? No diapers to change, childish demands or spit-up messes to clean. One woman admitted that with older children, "you don't get the attention anymore." and that, "being a new mom all the time is great!". The fun of a newborn who never grows up?
Why People Collect Reborn Dolls?
There are some concerns that people collecting these lifelike dolls might be displaying unhealthy behavior. In an interview on Richard and Judy, Professor Raj Persuad, consulting psychiatrist, speaks about why some women seem to have such a strong reaction to the reborns.
Professor Persuad says, "A mother, holding a newborn baby, has a hormone release called oxytocin." He explains that this strong hormone causes "overwhelming feelings of positivity" and wonders whether some of these women are recreating the positive experiences with these substitute babies.
Regardless of ones opinion on the reason, or health, of collecting these fake baby reborn dolls, the craftsmanship and artistry is undeniable.
The copyright of the article Reborn Baby Dolls Increase in Popularity in Collectibles is owned by Angela England. Permission to republish Reborn Baby Dolls Increase in Popularity in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
A doll made to look just like your child would be like looking a your dead
baby. This seems not altogether healthy to me. . .
Oct 3, 2008 6:32 PM
Guest :
These might be nice for a child, but at the price, that's not too
practical. For an adult, I agree that it's very creepy and not at all
healthy.
Oct 3, 2008 8:11 PM
Guest :
this is weird....
Oct 14, 2008 8:34 AM
Guest :
Pat Goodrick of Pat-a-Cake Babies I make these dolls in Cape Town and
it is definately the "New Generation Doll" and many girls between
7years to 14 years are getting them as presents and treat them as their
baby dolls. I have made 146 to date and not one ever was sold under
"creepy" circumstances so yes... the odd few people that see them
differently will always exist.
Oct 14, 2008 1:05 PM
Guest :
for people who love babies, their innocence and love to paint/create, its
like painting in 3D. There is nothing weird about that, anymore than trying
to make a painting look very much like the individual you are painting. I
think its gone to far for those who take them to the grocery store and on
walks in the stroller or use them as a real baby substitute. Everyone has a
hobby and its not fair to judge anyone for what they like to do... Have you
been to the museums lately and notice what is called art???
Oct 22, 2008 8:30 AM
Guest :
I do see the point of them creepy for some people, but I have recently
starting collecting them and although I dont carry them around and pretend
they are real, I do enjoy looking at them. They are just like collecting
porcelin dolls.
Nov 3, 2008 3:17 PM
Guest :
the baby looks so cute.
Nov 21, 2008 6:45 PM
Guest :
I think these dolls are so adorable and real looking. If you think it
is creepy than what are you doing looking at them? I would love to get
one of my children for when they grow up, but the price is to pricy so i
will settle for a cabbage patch kid they are also cute.
Dec 4, 2008 9:04 AM
Guest :
Wow! i love this idea i hope that i can buy one very soon. i cant wait
Dec 23, 2008 5:01 PM
Guest :
I'm 41 years old, and I don't see anything wrong with this. There is
nothing wrong with caring for and nurturing these dolls as if they were
real, either. I wouldn't take them anywhere, though. They could get lost or
stolen. Or, if you leave them in your car, the sun could damage them, or a
police officer could mistake it for the real thing and try to
"rescue" it. What I don't understand is why so many of these
vinyl dolls aren't anatomically correct. I mean, if you're going to add all
these realistic-looking newborn features to 100% vinyl or silicone-vinyl,
you might as well create anatomically correct girls and boys, too, and make
them 21" to 22" long.
Dec 27, 2008 2:47 PM
Guest :
I don't see anything wrong with this. Some people really love to take care
of babies. But raising a real baby is such a monumental task (plus they
get older), and in this day and age, most people don't trust each other
with their kids. So for someone with an extremely strong maternal instinct
and no baby--perhaps someone who can't have kids or whose kids are all
grown up--baby dolls are an outlet that gives some of the emotional
satisfaction of having a baby without all the complications.
Why
is it far more socially accepted to fulfill emotional needs with drugs,
casual sex, etc., than with a baby doll? Casual sex and drugs are far more
harmful to society, what with drug-related crimes and venereal diseases.
Jan 29, 2009 1:54 PM
Guest :
I love the Reborn babies and the artest who create these dolls have a lot
of talent.... : )
Jul 27, 2009 6:05 PM
Guest :
I think these reborn baby dolls are kind of cute, so I don't have a problem
with women who collect them and treat them like real infants at all. What
right do we have to tell someone they can't enjoy a hobby just because
others think it's creepy or wrong? We have the right to our own opinions,
but I think we should leave these women alone. They're not bothering
anyone.
Sep 11, 2009 9:32 AM
Guest :
I would like to comment about life-like dolls..I bought one that looked
just like my son as a newborn. I would even dress it in his clothes for
holidays. There was NOTHING creepy about it. Although it was through
another company..I got it as a way to remember my son and the night he was
born. The doll came with a hospital bracelet, a card with the same
information that was on the card put on my son's crib in the hospital, and
even felt real when you held it. There is NOTHING wrong with wanting to
keep the memory of your child being born or as a toddler.
Oct 2, 2008
