ART/REALITY/MENTAL HEALTH

Have you Ever Heard of Reborn Dolls

They are real baby look-a-like dolls created by talented artists

Tomorrow a friend and I are going to the Kansas Doll Show. Neither of us has ever been to any doll show before, but I know a lot about reborn dolls so as soon as I heard about this, I knew I had to go. I think it was twelve years ago when I decided to learn all I could about these dolls because as a little girl baby dolls were my favorites and the more realistic they looked, the better. I’m anxious to see how these dolls have expanded since then.

These dolls are called Reborns because an artist buys a plain vinyl sculpt of a baby, or a toddler and then using their artistic talents they turn it into what looks and feels like a real baby.

This is a good time to interject that I blame my love of baby dolls on my mother who repeatedly refused to give me a baby brother or sister because I knew back then that I loved babies and I wanted one, and because I didn’t like my older sister. 🤣 This was before I was six years old which was when she divorced my dad. Although I stopped playing with dolls around age 10, I still have my love for all things baby. This love includes real babies, dolls, baby clothes, cribs, etc. Our daughter always called me to go shopping with her after her son was born because she knows I’m in heaven when I’m in a baby store. What can I say, I love all pastel colors too.

I had just retired when I found these dolls online and by then I had ear-marked several thousands dollars to use as “my fun money” and I soon discovered a lot of it would end up going into this new hobby, if I decided to keep pursuing it. Mr. Allen was okay with my “doll craze” as he called it, but he also thought it was a bit creepy. Our daughter thought it was a LOT Creepy so she wouldn’t tell any of her friends what I was doing in my retirement. 🤣

To begin, I bought a finished reborn doll I found on an E-bay auction. When I opened the box I was struck by how realistic and adorable it was! It wasn’t long before I turned my full attention to learning how to make one.

I started by watching a lot of You Tubes videos on reborning dolls and that’s when I also learned there are classes offered around the country that teach women how to reborn dolls. However, none of them were close enough for me to attend. However, I didn’t let this deter me as I have the belief that I can do anything I put my mind to. And I always go full-on into anything I try.

The first step was to buy a doll kit and I soon realized this is not a craft for the faint hearted…Making one is a long tedious multi-step process and it starts when you’re staring at a blank doll kit that contains two arms and legs, and a separate head. The body of the dolls are cloth and they’re sold separately. They get stuffed with tiny glass beads which add weight to it so it feels like a real baby.

Next I bought a lot of specialized heat-set paints that had to be mixed in order to apply several layers of paint to achieve realistic looking skin. If you’ve ever really paid much attention to a baby’s skin you will see veins, blotches, possible birth marks, rashes, and discolorations — especially on newborns. Learning how to achieve all of this is what adds to a dolls realism. After painting a doll’s skin tone, the body has to be baked on a cookie sheet in a warm oven and then cooled before painting details like cheeks, dimples, and hair.

I wish I had a picture of the doll I made because a few years later I gave it to a local nursing home and before this I had gotten a new phone and the pics didn’t transfer to it. I’d read where these dolls comfort and soothe Alzheimer and dementia patients. Since I wasn’t into pretending it was a real baby, having these dolls wasn’t an interactive thing for me, but for many women it is.

My joy in the doll came from learning how to make it. I enjoyed mastering the various steps and I especially liked learning how to paint 3D hair on a head. Now that’s a tough art form that requires a lot of trial and error! I must admit I enjoyed shopping, too, for a few discounted outfits I’d put on the doll so I could pose it for pics using our DSL camera. Wow — The pics looked so real! It was fun showing them off to my girlfriends and hearing them exclaim how real it looked and how talented I was. That was enough for me. I tried making one more before I decided to give it up. It turned out to be a lark for me, but for many women it’s a satisfying hobby which can become very profitable. Some reborning artists have become renowned and can get up to $15K for just one of their dolls.

There is, or used to be, a lot of debate about whether having and making these dolls (which are always called babies) is a healthy hobby when they first came out. I understand the debate because I’m one of those that thinks there is something wrong with a woman who carries one around and tries to pass it off as a real baby. Fortunately it didn’t become an obsession for me as I never put mine in a stroller, a car seat or anything else, but many women do.

I’m reasonably sure Mr. Pam would have rushed me off to a therapist if I’d done any of that.

I tried to include a You Tube video into this story, but I wasn’t successful. I guess I’m not that techy after all, but feel free to go on line and search Reborn dolls. I promise what you will find will be educational!

So how do you feel about reborn dolls? Does this whole thing creep you out, or are you kind of drawn to it? If you found out someone you know is making these dolls, how would you react? I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments.

Thank you for reading and thoughtful writing everyone.