Doll Babies

I wonder if this phenomenon of life-like baby dolls mimics the ever advancing technical world we live in today? Do you remember the first cell phones? The first VCR? The first computer? Now think back to the first baby doll you had...stiff bodies, usually molded plastic on the heads to mimic hair. Now there are dolls out there that actually make you believe you're holding a real infant. The material they use for the bodies feels like real skin and the hair feels soft as silk.




Reborn Dolls

Sometimes called newborn dolls or "fake babies," these dolls are carefully crafted to look amazingly realistic. It's been told that the women who made these dolls would carefully open up the noses so the dolls could breath better. If you are skeptical about how well a doll can imitate an actual living and breathing infant, consider this: there have been reports of dolls being rescued from locked cars in an attempt to save their "lives." There have been dolls fitted with special devices to simulate breathing.

The process of creating a reborn doll is referred to as 'reborning'. The technique of reborning has evolved over the past five years with heat set paints and oils being the most used amongst artists. Completed reborn dolls are popular among collectors, who buy them on eBay or from doll artists, called Reborners, who can create a doll to your specifications.


The Reborner Basic reborning methods:

The technique of reborning a play doll typically involves the following processes:

The doll is taken apart and factory paint is removed. In the last few years companies have also started releasing blank 'kits'. With these kits there is no factory paint, and the doll does not come assembled.

A purple color wash is applied to the inside of each vinyl part to give the appearance of realistic baby skin undertones. (This was commonly done until recently when it was found that the blue or purple has the tendency to bleed or seep through the vinyl, causing a 'bruised' appearance.)
The exterior is painted using various techniques to add to the appearance of translucent skin tones, with effects such as veins, blotching, and "milk-spots" to resemble the skin of a newborn baby.

Hair and eyelashes, usually fine mohair or human hair, are applied using rooting tools and felting needles strand by strand, which can take up to 30+ hours per head.

The original vinyl body is replaced with a soft stuffed and weighted body. The vinyl body can also be cut in half to create front and back 'plates' to add realism in photographing and displaying the dolls.

A magnet may be attached inside the mouth for attaching a magnetic pacifier. Additional enhancements may include a magnetically attached "umbilical cord", magnetic hair bow, a battery powered heartbeat simulator, breathing simulator, and heat packs. Once completed, the reborn doll is no longer suitable as a child's play doll. Watch the movie below.

So why have a real baby at all? They poop and cry and grow up and talk back and eventually leave you. Why not just sit home with your roomful of reborns that stay babies forever, and you'd never have to age or face reality.