Reborn doll craze: cute or creepy?

[BatmansWife]

That's actually the title of is this article (if you go to the hompage there's a poll to vote "cute" or "creepy"). I saw it on the Today Show this morning. I didn't realize this is a "craze". :blink:

 

I kind of understand what the ladies mean about wanting to love a baby and be mothering and nurturing. But......wouldn't it kind of feel......I don't know...empty? The one lady brings her Reborn doll, strapped in its carseat, everywhere around town. I know that *they* don't feel that they are in any way acting strange.....but I think most other people do. I know for a fact if I was toting a Reborn doll around to the grocery store, library, my Zumba class, etc.....people would think I was nuts. My little girl would love one. But......me?? I don't get it.

 

I remember when my inlaws used to set up at flea markets....there was always a Reborn doll vendor. The dolls were kinda neat to look at. Buuttt.....this?? I don't know. I guess for me, I vote creepy.

 

What do you think?

 

And, no offense to anyone who has Reborn dolls and treats them as their real baby.

Edited April 2, 2012 by ~AprilMay~

[lexi]

Creepy! I do not get it at all.

If someone wants to tote a baby doll around town then they should lend me a hand and help out with the real thing! I have 4 littles and would love the help! ;)

[HappyCrazyMama]

If you collect dolls, ok, maybe. To carry it around like a real child??? Creepy, weird, and sad.:confused:

[ashfern]

This isn't a new craze though. I remember hearing about this when my oldest was an infant.

[QuirkyKapers]

My mom got one of these. My daughter has it now. It is kinda creepy and amazing how life like it looks. It actually smells like a baby too. My mom used to like to just sit and hold the doll. I guess it did something for her.

[DarlaS]

What do you think?

 

And, no offense to anyone who has Reborn dolls and treats them as their real baby.

 

 

Creepy. I don't get it at all. I was thrilled when my kids could carry themselves around. I have had no troubles finding other things to do with my hands and other things to carry.

 

If I saw an adult with a baby that was not moving, breathing or crying, I would probably freak out a little. My first thought would NOT be that it was probably a doll. :thumbdown:

 

I think people who carry them around in public might want to get some help. I stopped taking my dolls out in public when I was a preschooler.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

creepy.....I've seen a couple of "MY STRANGE ADDICTION" like shows on cable about women who do that or do the same with stuffed animals or regular baby dolls.....creeps me out....

[stripe]

Creepy! I do not get it at all.

If someone wants to tote a baby doll around town then they should lend me a hand and help out with the real thing! I have 4 littles and would love the help! ;)

 

I agree, but I feel the same way about dogs wearing jewelry, carried everywhere. I think dolls are all of the cute with none of the hassle. Make it poop and scream at 2 am and see who buys one.

 

And why bother with a carseat? I'd be holding my doll in my lap, like my grandma did!

[Terri NS]

My youngest DD was interested in them a few years ago- I thought the craze was over haha. For her it was an art project that developed into a little business. She made some very good $ doing custom dolls, especially since she was 12 at the time. Her customers were mainly older ladies, but she did have one lady buy 3 in replicas of each of her children as toys for them, and one young mom had one done as a memorial to a lost child. The detail and reality of making the dolls has led into her interest of becoming a surgeon. She still has a cupboard full of supplies, doll pieces and paints and was mentioning that she was going to box them up and sell. I'll have to tell her there is another trend on it, so now would be a good time!

[RoughCollie]

If I saw someone carrying a doll like that around in public, and treating it like a real baby, I'd think it was Very Creepy.

 

If it's in a display case with other collectibles, not so much. Although, since it is not animated, it would remind me of a corpse. I guess I am Very Creepy, too! :D

[BatmansWife]

My youngest DD was interested in them a few years ago- I thought the craze was over haha. For her it was an art project that developed into a little business. She made some very good $ doing custom dolls, especially since she was 12 at the time. Her customers were mainly older ladies, but she did have one lady buy 3 in replicas of each of her children as toys for them, and one young mom had one done as a memorial to a lost child. The detail and reality of making the dolls has led into her interest of becoming a surgeon. She still has a cupboard full of supplies, doll pieces and paints and was mentioning that she was going to box them up and sell. I'll have to tell her there is another trend on it, so now would be a good time!

 

Maybe instead of selling her supplies she should start up her little business again.

[stripe]

My youngest DD was interested in them a few years ago- I thought the craze was over haha. For her it was an art project that developed into a little business. She made some very good $ doing custom dolls, especially since she was 12 at the time. Her customers were mainly older ladies, but she did have one lady buy 3 in replicas of each of her children as toys for them, and one young mom had one done as a memorial to a lost child. The detail and reality of making the dolls has led into her interest of becoming a surgeon. She still has a cupboard full of supplies, doll pieces and paints and was mentioning that she was going to box them up and sell. I'll have to tell her there is another trend on it, so now would be a good time!

 

I've seen some really interesting things on TV at different times about people who make prosthetic eye balls, breasts, and now these more complex hands.

[Gentlemommy]

It's a little weird. And I feel kind of sad for the women who do it...

We once saw a whole group (5-6) of women at Disney with these dolls. They had them in strollers and were shopping for them. My 3 year old kept screaming, "Mom!!! Look!!! They brought their dollys to Disney!!" and my 6 year old kept asking (loudly!:001_huh:) why they were treating the dolls like babies?! I kept trying to get the kids to another spot, but they were utterly fascinated lol.

These women were holding the 'babies' and showing them things and talking to them. It was very bizarre and kind of scary. :001_huh:

[Julie Smith]

It's a little weird. And I feel kind of sad for the women who do it...

We once saw a whole group (5-6) of women at Disney with these dolls. They had them in strollers and were shopping for them. My 3 year old kept screaming, "Mom!!! Look!!! They brought their dollys to Disney!!" and my 6 year old kept asking (loudly!:001_huh:) why they were treating the dolls like babies?! I kept trying to get the kids to another spot, but they were utterly fascinated lol.

These women were holding the 'babies' and showing them things and talking to them. It was very bizarre and kind of scary. :001_huh:

 

The only time I heard of something like this was in the book, "Children of Men" where for whatever reason the human race was unable to have any more kids - so lots? some? or the woman got dolls to help deal with it.

[SKL]

I could see having one as part of a decoration or something. To pretend it was a real baby - as an adult - no. Honestly, I think that is more of an attention-getting ploy than anything else. Stemming from immaturity or some emotional problem.

[happyWImom]

What???? This is totally new to me! (Not the dolls; I've seen them-the fact that adults are buying them!!)

 

I get the longing for a baby-I've got it myself. But I can't imagine a lifeless doll helping me. If it gets too bad, I will get a kitten or a puppy.

[Lilymax]

I would like to, someday, have reborn dolls made that look like each of my sons did around 6 months old.

 

But that is because I have a small doll collection and think that would be really cool...and also cool when I have grandchildren, to let them play with the doll that looks like their dad did as a baby.

 

But to carry it around town like that? Tooooo weird!!! NO way.

[KayT]

Oh my, I saw a woman this weekend at a very large flea market with one of these. I did a double take and when our eyes met it was such an embarassing moment! I am afraid I looked like this :eek:.

 

 

Well, I do think it's strange, but really I guess it's harmless. I have to say it sure beats all the poor dogs I saw strapped onto some persons chest with all four of their poor little legs sticking straight out stiff as a board!!! I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I felt for the dogs!

[Belacqua]

Creeeeeeeepy. That Platter o' Dollparts in the article was kind of horrifying.

 

This all reminds me of a soap opera storyline from the 1970s (Ryan's Hope, I think?); a woman had an emotional breakdown and started carrying a baby doll around with her. Having a doll collection isn't creepy, but treating a doll as a living baby is rather sad.

[Dmmetler]

I think it's a little strange. Having said that, I know that there were a few times after my son died that I'd find myself in the grocery store holding and rocking a bag of flour or in front of the TV holding the cat like it was a baby-and praying no one had noticed. It was like some sort of strange fugue state. According to the therapist who was facilitating the support group I was attending at the time, such behavior is common with women who are grieving the loss of a baby after an infant death, stillbirth, or giving up a baby for adoption. I think it stopped after a couple of months, though.

 

So maybe that's part of it? I could potentially see women who are infertile or who have chosen, rationally, not to have children or to have more children grieving and possibly grasping onto this behavior-although I think getting a doll is a little over the top. I recently found out that I'm highly unlikely to have another child, and even though I hadn't really planned to have another child, the fact that I've been told it isn't going to happen is sometimes leading to feelings similar to those I experienced after my son died-even though the "baby" was only hypothetical, at most.

Edited April 2, 2012 by dmmetler

[nmoira]

Way creepy, and more than a little sad.

[Catwoman]

I could see having one as part of a decoration or something. To pretend it was a real baby - as an adult - no. Honestly, I think that is more of an attention-getting ploy than anything else. Stemming from immaturity or some emotional problem.

 

I believe the technical term for that is, "nuts." :tongue_smilie:

 

I didn't realize the reborns are considered a craze; I remember when they first came out several years ago, and you could buy DVDs teaching you how to make them. I was sculpting quite a bit back then, so that's how I learned about the instructional DVDs... and I thought they were creepy then, too. :eek:

 

I know that some of the people who create the reborns are very talented artists, but a lot of the dolls end up looking more like they belong in a Chucky movie than cuddled in someone's arms. Demonic would be the word I'd use for some of them -- they have creepy eyes!

[Jenny in Florida]

This article wouldn't by any chance have been published yesterday (April 1), would it? That would make more sense than it being real.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Totally creepy! Those stores they used to have the mall creeped me out big time.

[nmoira]

This article wouldn't by any chance have been published yesterday (April 1), would it? That would make more sense than it being real.

One would hope, but it's real. I saw a documentary about few years ago about these. Couldn't wrap my head around it then, and am no closer now.

[Pamela H in Texas]

What gets ME is that this is such an old topic and coming back up. I looked into reborns when my big kids were itty bitty. Why the sudden fascination all these years later?

[Guest]

I think it's a little strange. Having said that, I know that there were a few times after my son died that I'd find myself in the grocery store holding and rocking a bag of flour or in front of the TV holding the cat like it was a baby-and praying no one had noticed. It was like some sort of strange fugue state. According to the therapist who was facilitating the support group I was attending at the time, such behavior is common with women who are grieving the loss of a baby after an infant death, stillbirth, or giving up a baby for adoption. I think it stopped after a couple of months, though.

 

So maybe that's part of it? I could potentially see women who are infertile or who have chosen, rationally, not to have children or to have more children grieving and possibly grasping onto this behavior-although I think getting a doll is a little over the top. I recently found out that I'm highly unlikely to have another child, and even though I hadn't really planned to have another child, the fact that I've been told it isn't going to happen is sometimes leading to feelings similar to those I experienced after my son died-even though the "baby" was only hypothetical, at most.

 

This is what I was thinking. I would not have minded having a doll like this when my baby died, although I am confident I would not have strapped it in a carseat and gone shopping with it in a sling.

 

I remember once when I was standing around with a group of ladies who all had babies they were standing up patting and rocking. As I was talking to them, I came to realize I was patting and rocking my glass of iced tea! :tongue_smilie: I think being robbed of the baby I was meant to have did not extinguish the "instinct" to behave in those ways.

[PrincessAriel]

I loved my dolls as a young girl and I have always loved babies....but that is just way too strange for me! Put them on display but don't treat them like human beings!

[Mimm]

Creeeeepy. I mean, cute, yeah, because it looks like a real baby, so it's as cute as a real baby is. But it's a doll. So it's creepy.

[bookfiend]

What I don't understand is if someone has time and resources to invest in a fake baby, why they don't go out and help REAL people. Volunteer somewhere! That is just messed up.

[sewingmama]

Well as someone who is a doll collector ...:tongue_smilie:

 

I don't have reborns but that's because the good ones are way out of my price range. The cheaper ones can be a bit scary.

 

I collect dolls because they are cute -but I stopped collecting after my kids were born - I get more then enough cute factor from them instead. ;)

 

As to the ladies who take their dolls out in public -most of them know their dolls are not real babies -they are not crazy :D A lot of them are just proud of their collections and like to show them off.

 

I would never take mine out in public in carseats or infant carriers or trips to Disney :001_huh: - even as a doll collector I thinks that is a little much. :lol:

 

However I see the ladies who do as just being overly maternal. Just so long as they know it is a doll then i don't consider them weird -maybe just a little over enthusuastic :D

 

I do know many ladies who do this sort of thing - most of them are just having fun with their dolls - it's just what floats their boat. Men play with cars whilst they are adults -why can't woman keep loving dolls?

 

But yeah - even as a doll collector myself - I find it a little weird taking them out in public -mine are stored away until I get proper display for them :D

[Catwoman]

Darn...I guess I have to return your xmas gift.

 

:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:

 

Well, this is awkward...

 

 

I'm sure the one you picked out for me isn't possessed by Satan. You probably picked out a really cute one. :tongue_smilie:

 

You saved the receipt, though, right? Not that I would return it or anything, but you should still probably give it to me... ummm... for insurance purposes...

[Mimm]

What I don't understand is if someone has time and resources to invest in a fake baby, why they don't go out and help REAL people. Volunteer somewhere! That is just messed up.

 

I hesitate to say that because you could say that about almost any activity or hobby. People say that type of thing about homeschooling moms. "If you have that much time and energy to spend on your child's education, why not volunteer at the school and improve things for all children?" I try not to make value judgments about people's hobbies at least in regards to how I think they should spend their time or money differently even though there are many hobbies I will never come close to understanding. :p

 

My issue with this particular hobby is that the dolls themselves are creeeeepy. ;)

[akmommy]

I think treating anything other than a real baby like a baby is creepy. I think the dolls themselves are cute but also a little unnerving. An adult who feels the need to treat an inanimate object or even a pet as a real child is someone who really needs some mental health help.

 

They could be a nice memorial to a lost infant, as long as that is all it is and not an effort to fill the hole the loss has left. I read an article not too long ago about how the female reborn dolls have become popular in China where female infants are often dicarded due to the 1 child law and the outdated emphasis on having sons.

[gardenmom5]

It was recently I was reading about a woman in the UK (living on their version of welfare) who takes her "reborn" everywhere. She buys baby things - including car seat, stroller, CRIB, etc. she even changes its diapers multiple times a day. Her 11yo daughter is embarassed to be seen with her mother or to talk about her. She is also rather neglected because of her mother's obsession to care for and spend money on, an inanimate object. I hope she is a more extreme example, because that women needs mental health intervention and her daughter needs to be taken care of properly.

[nertsmommy]

My SIL got into this and it always creeped me out when she brought them around. They look too real for my taste. They look like a real baby but they aren't breathing, kind of like they're dead. They really bother me.

[Robyn]

Creeeeeeeepy. That Platter o' Dollparts in the article was kind of horrifying.

 

 

:iagree:

My aunt was making and selling reborn dolls for awhile. I stopped by one day and saw a similar scene on her kitchen counter. It was...unsettling.

[Isabella]

I've only ever seen a demented old lady with a doll that she treated like a baby (it wasn't a reborn doll, though - just a normal doll). She lived in the aged care residential home where I used to visit another old lady I knew. The lady with dementia would be sitting with the doll cuddled to her, rocking it, burping it, patting it's back, talking to it, etc. It was very sweet to see that she got some comfort in her state in going back to mothering! :001_smile:

 

I can't imagine a 'normal' person doing this, however. I think there would have to be some underlying mental instability.:confused:

[Blueridge]

Totally creepy. I feel sorry for ladies who are doing this. Have they experienced loss? A lack of love? Sad.

[Terri NS]

:iagree:

My aunt was making and selling reborn dolls for awhile. I stopped by one day and saw a similar scene on her kitchen counter. It was...unsettling.

 

Unsettling is seeing a head in the oven to set the paint : )

 

As for creepy, -chacun son gout.

[momtokea]

My 14yo dd loves these and has made a few. She loves babies and wants to be a neonatal nurse practitioner. In her case, I don't think it's creepy. But real women taking them out and treating them like real babies is totally creepy.

 

As far as baking the parts in the oven, yeah it looks creepy. But is it creepy when toy doll parts are being made in a factory? These dolls are handmade, which makes each one really special. My dd studied a bit of anatomy to be able to paint these properly, such as where the veins should be lightly painted on, the exact colours of a newborn baby verses the colours of a 6 month old, how to do the hair and eyelashes for the different ages. Making them is actually quite an art.

 

I haven't voted because while I do think there is a creepy factor attached to them, I also think they are really cool. I guess I'll go vote 'other'.

[amselby81]

I have a friend who makes these dolls, and she posts the pictures on facebook. I think it's weird. I just don't get it. I think she posts them on facebook for advertisement purposes, but here lately she's been posting pictures of the babies with their outfits unbuttoned all the way down the front so you can see their genitalia. WHY?!?! To show how realistic their genitalia look???? Who cares? Even if I wanted to buy one, why would I care that their genitals look real? Diapers and clothing will be covering it up!

[Singingmom]

:iagree:

 

If you collect dolls, ok, maybe. To carry it around like a real child??? Creepy, weird, and sad.:confused:

[momtokea]

I have a friend who makes these dolls, and she posts the pictures on facebook. I think it's weird. I just don't get it. I think she posts them on facebook for advertisement purposes, but here lately she's been posting pictures of the babies with their outfits unbuttoned all the way down the front so you can see their genitalia. WHY?!?! To show how realistic their genitalia look???? Who cares? Even if I wanted to buy one, why would I care that their genitals look real? Diapers and clothing will be covering it up!

 

Oh yeah that is creepy. And i just wanted to add to my post above, my dd has never made or owned one with genitalia. When I say she studied anatomy I don't mean genitalia. She's very interested in babies, but not in a weird way. Just wanted to clarify, in case someone was thinking that:)

[Denisemomof4]

I voted creepy, BUT I don't think they would be creepy if they were for decoration like other dolls typically are. What makes them creepy is what the women often times do with them.:001_huh:

[IsabelC]

I think that the makers of these are extremely talented, but I don't really get the point of them. Any 'normal' activity you'd do with a doll does not require such a lifelike one. Otoh, having is very realistic may encourage weird/inappropriate uses. It's simpler and more comfortable all round if we can easily see in a glance whether something is a doll or a human, imho.

[Patches]

Creepy, and sad too.

[aggieamy]

:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:

 

Well, this is awkward...

 

 

I'm sure the one you picked out for me isn't possessed by Satan. You probably picked out a really cute one. :tongue_smilie:

 

You saved the receipt, though, right? Not that I would return it or anything, but you should still probably give it to me... ummm... for insurance purposes...

 

:lol::lol::lol:

 

On a more serious note though, I voted creepy. I'm infertile and DH and I have been trying to adopt for what seems like forever. Some days it's harder than others. I haven't taken to carrying around Little Librarian's baby dolls yet though. I am becoming a bit of a baby hoarder when I'm around other people's babies though. My cousin is so kind - she lets me hold her babies as long as I want and then tells me I'm such a help to give her a break. I've got good family.

[kitten18]

I have a friend who makes these dolls, and she posts the pictures on facebook. I think it's weird. I just don't get it. I think she posts them on facebook for advertisement purposes, but here lately she's been posting pictures of the babies with their outfits unbuttoned all the way down the front so you can see their genitalia. WHY?!?! To show how realistic their genitalia look???? Who cares? Even if I wanted to buy one, why would I care that their genitals look real? Diapers and clothing will be covering it up!

:001_huh: Ewwwww.

[Ecclecticmum]

I used to make re-born dolls about 4-5 years ago.

 

A lot of people purchase kits or blank dolls. I used berenger (sp? lol) dolls and other ones I came across.

 

The most gruesome parts were (cutting inside the back of the eye, and yanking out the eye/socket. lol, and when I had gotten to stage 3 or 4 baking, I am sure if people came in at that point it would of literally looking like I was roasting parts of a baby :lol:

 

One time I had parts cooling on the bench and the neighbour came in and let out a shriek, I had to calm her down explain to her and show her the parts weren't real LOL. (She was on the other side of the room so just saw various "parts" sticking out of the cloth

 

I gave up after DS was born, actually the last bit I did on a re-born was painting the veins, then I started having contractions, and left big blue blobs inside the arms :D lol, I acetone-d it to start again, but never got round to it. I gave away all my parts and bits.

 

Its was fun, but it was like my 3d felting, too many sharp and dangerous bits to be near the kids, and too much of a steady hand/concentration required.

 

The people who buy them...I don't know. I've made all sorts of dolls, sculptures, art etc, but I have always kept them or given them away as presents etc, I'd be no good at selling stuff that I have put my heart into making.

 

I've seen people collecting them like you would other things (so having them in a sort of setup in a glass cabinet) but anything else is just a bit too weird for me. But then again, we do make them to be as real as possible, I researched with each doll, based on its size, what sort of age it would be, and made the final product to that, I check weights, and duly weighted the doll in the appropriate places, so the simple fact is, we were making a doll for all intents and purposes was to be "as real as possible".

 

I just like making them, I don't know about anything else :lol: