The creation of realistic child dolls is a burgeoning trend among hobbyists and collectors. The greatest challenge of the process is retaining the greatest degree of similarity possible to real human children. The creativity and hard work necessary to produce the lifelike figures has been dubbed “creating reborn dolls”. For hobbyists and crafters grown fatigued of traditional doll making, this is an exciting new market that moves away from typical practices, techniques, and technology.
The discovery of new artistic techniques allowing realistic enhancements to be made to the dolls has resulted in a booming market for the reborn dolls, with substantial growth taking place in the past five years. The Berenguer and Preemie dolls previously on the market were the first of their kind to closely resemble human babies in their realistic expressions, body shapes, materials used on the outer surfaces of the doll, and other lifelike attributes. The Berenguer and Preemie dolls were truly the forerunners of the current lifelike ones. A more realistic doll may be created through a laborious process to eliminate the artificial appearance of the doll. (continued below)
First the original doll is disassembled, and the surface paint is stripped in order to expose the molded plastic shell that forms the doll’s body. This step provides the basis on which to form a realistic doll. Adding a purple colored paint to the outer layer of plastic creates a realistic undertone to the skin, after which varied skin tones of paint are applied. If only one shade of paint were to be applied, it would not accurately represent the many tones that create the appearance of human flesh tones. To further recreate the variation and individuality found in the skin of human children, still other tones are used to create blemishes and lines. Finishing touches to the doll may include time consuming processes such as trand-by-strand application of real human hair to the scalps of the dolls to create a more realistic appearance. Eyelashes made of faux human hair may also be painstakingly applied to the dolls. Final reassembling of the doll may include adding lifelike fillers to the body or integrating accessories such as sound boxes (imitating the sound of breathing or heartbeat) with the body filler.
Hobbyists may purchase a reborn doll kit that will allow the purchaser to create their own reborn with less effort. Most people who desire a reborn doll are willing to spend upwards of a few hundred dollars to obtain one. Reborn dolls creating the condition of a child after birth have become popular with new mothers, as they can serve as a thoughtful gift and treasured memento. The challenge of creating dolls that resemble real human children is a growing trend among collectors and hobbyists, a practice referred to as Reborn Doll Kits. Crafters grown tired of less realistic dolls that have been on the market for a long time are excited at the prospect of a new market. The current trend of lifelike qualities and expressions possessed by Reborn Dolls is partially due to the Berenguer and Preemie dolls which have been available for years.
