Reborn and Newborn Dolls: Stunning Artists' Creations or Dangerously Realistic?

Reborn dolls are not new but they are getting renewed attention lately in the wake of a reported attempt to rescue one from a locked car. The doll apparently looked so realistic it was mistaken for an actual baby. I noted this in an article and also gave some brief info about reborn babies and other strange dolls here.

For those who haven't heard the term before, reborn dolls are created from actual dolls which are then transformed to resemble real babies after the original dolls are disassembled and carefully reconstructed - right down to every single strand of hair on the doll's head and even the fingernails on those tiny hands. A look a the description and photos of actual reborn or newborn dolls on Ebay and doll collector sites could give you a jolt. It certainly did the first time I saw one on Ebay, years ago, and it certainly did the first time I saw one in person. When a skilled person reborns a dolls, it can take more than a first or even second glance to tell it apart from a real baby, especially when the doll is fitted with apparatus to make it appear to be breathing.

I first saw one online years ago but I didn't get a chance to see one in person till later. I was skeptical about how real they might look until then. I haven't been skeptical since then. If you'd like to see examples for yourself, check out some of the links in the related links section of this article or simply go to Ebay and look under reborn dolls or newborn dolls.

Did a reborn doll get mistaken for a real baby?

That is what some news reports have been saying, including the one I cited in my previous article as well as this one, noting that two of these dolls were reportedly "rescued" recently. In Australia, police reportedly shattered a car window to rescue one of these dolls, presumed to be unconscious. A similar incident also may have happened in the United States.

I can certainly believe this is possible. I've not only seen the websites of reborn doll artists but I've seen the dolls in person. Of course, anyone can doctor a photograph to make a doll look more realistic but there is no faking the real thing...and the real thing can look eerily lifelike. And that is where the problems start, particularly if the doll is in a locked car, perhaps a bit difficult to see clearly.

The pros and cons of reborn and newborn dolls

Let's face it - some people love dolls and some people hate them. That has been the case long before reborn dolls hit the scene. The theme of good dolls gone bad...or bad dolls turned to murderers....is nothing new. The horror film, Chucky, featured a murdering spirit in a doll's body, playing on the fear some people have of evil or deranged dolls. In other films, dolls come to life and are sweet, playful friends to children. Many children, traditionally female, grow up playing with Barbie dolls or Bratz or whatever the most popular doll happens to be.

Butt reborn dolls aren't your children's dolls. They are often sought by collectors and come at a very high price. The price alone can keep buyers from letting children play with them as well as the potential investment value. Sometimes they are called newborn dolls instead of reborn dolls. Both terms are part of the debate about these dolls as well as the controversy about why they are made, sold and collected.

If you want to see them for yourself, go over to ebay.com and search for them using words such as dolls, reborn dolls or newborn dolls. But don't say I didn't warn you. What you see may be surprising or even shocking. Some viewers find them repulsive.

Are they artistic creations or sad attempts to recreate the illusion of life?

That is the heart of the issue for many. Go to Ebay or a site selling Berenger dolls or DVDs which describe how to make them and you'll see the eerily realistic (some say gorgeously realistic) dolls which resemble real babies. Just as famous sculptures look amazingly lifelike, those who love and collect reborn dolls say they do the same - and that this is a good thing, even therapeutic and comforting. Others say it is a case of people trying to do what only God or nature should do, especially when dolls have chests which actually rise and fall...just like live, breathing babies.

Adding to the problem are the word and terms used to add a certain mystery and power to the whole process of buying one of these dolls In some cases, a person does not simply buy a reborn doll but actually adopts one. As an adoptive parent, I admit to having some issues with this but it seems that anything can be adopted these days so I'm not going to try to put too fine a point on that - except to note that adopting a doll is not the same as having a baby. Babies grow and change. Babies cry, have colic and don't always lie peacefully and serenely in a basket night and day. Babies need to be fed.

Reborn or newborn dolls are locked in time, although they may break down over time....but they'll never grow up

This is what draws some to them and is also what disturbs and repels others. Also, while some buy these dolls in order to own artists' creations, a certain percentage of the buyers are women who've had miscarriages. Statistics on this vary but some note that as many as 15 percent of those who buy reborn dolls may have lost a child to miscarriage. Not surprisingly, women who buy dolls to remind them of a baby lost to death or miscarriage may not be too eager to come forward. It can be too painful to discuss openly.

It isn't hard to find comments from them, however, whether on Ebay or other web sites where some confess to using cuddle therapy or even changing the diapers of their artificial babies in an attempt to remember the very real babies that are now gone. Depending on your stance, you'll find this moving or heartbreaking.

Reborn dolls often come with a high price tag attached to them

Although there have been reports of people donating reborn dolls to women who can't afford them, they are also sold for very high prices. On auctions sites, prices can vary widely, depending on the renown of the artist, but they have sold for over $1000 or even more. Because it can take hours to make a reborn doll, doll artists feel justified in charging these prices and the buyers of these dolls often rave with delight when they see them, according to some buyer comments on Berenger and Ebay and other doll collector sites. Of course, others say that vulnerable women are being price gouged (most of the grieving parents who buy them are female, judging from the names in the buyer comment boxes).

For doll collectors, reborn dolls create excitement about an evolving form of doll artistry

Dolls as works of very lifelike art are bringing a surge of excitement into some areas of the doll collecting world. They are put on display or proudly showed to visitors. And yes, with their little eyelashes, moving chests and even tiny little fingernails....they can be amazingly realistic. I have to admit they aren't for me. I find them a bit disconcerting. But some people find pleasure, joy and even comfort in owning reborn dolls, even as others look on in horror and repulsion. There is no question that it can take painstaking hours for committed doll artists to create a unique and very lifelike doll, even painting the faces and body to resemble human skin.

Sources:
1. Personal experience in seeing a reborn doll
2. Photos and descriptions on Ebay in the auction listings for reborn dolls at: www.ebay.com
3. www.associatedcontent.com/article/884877/kinky_or_cool_barbie_black_canary_comic.html
4. Scary Photos: Reborn Baby Dolls bring Rescue Effort, Fool Police, July 16, The National Ledger (Linda Johnson)