A reborn doll is a hand made art doll that resembles a human infant with as much realism as possible. The process of creating a reborn doll is referred to as reborning and the doll artists are referred to as reborners. Reborn dolls may be created from a blank kit or from a manufactured doll and are also known as lifelike dolls or reborn baby dolls.
The hobby of creating reborn baby dolls began in the early 1990s when doll enthusiasts wanted more realistic dolls. Since then, an industry and community surrounding reborn dolls has emerged. Reborn dolls are primarily purchased online but can be available at fairs. Depending on craftsmanship, they range in price from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars.
Reborning involves numerous time-consuming steps. The most basic form of the process involves taking a vinyl doll, adding multiple hand painted layers of paint, and adding other physical features to the doll. Artists can pick different brands to best suit the doll they wish to create. Consumers can also buy reborn doll kits that include the doll parts and supplies for creating their own reborn.Kinsey, Mindy. "A Reborning Rookie". Doll Reader Magazine. Jun/Jul2009, Vol. 37 Issue 5, p66-66. Retrieved 2009-07-25 Making a doll from a kit is called newborning and allows artists to omit some steps in the fabrication process. Many supplies are needed for both external and internal modifications of reborns to make the doll seem more realistic.
Some consumers of reborn dolls use them to cope with their grief over a lost child (a memory reborn), or as a portrait doll of a grown child. Others collect reborns as they would regular dolls. These dolls are sometimes played with as if they are an infant. Critics debate the impact of reborn dolls—some see them as harmful, while others believe they aid grieving, though cultural taboos make the practice controversial. Because of their realistic appearance, reborn dolls have occasionally been mistaken for real babies and "rescued" from parked cars after being reported to the police by passers-by.
History The art of making reborn dolls began in the United States in the 1990s. Reborning follows a long tradition of collectors, artists, and manufacturers restoring and enhancing dolls in order to portray more realism. The internet has allowed doll artists and collectors to create an online society focused on reborn dolls. In 2002, the first reborn was offered on eBay.Montcombroux, Vieve. "Simply Irresistible: What is that elusive quality that makes reborns so hard to resist?". Doll Reader Magazine. June/July 2008. Retrieved 2009-07-17 This has expanded the reborn market allowing artists to open online stores which function figuratively as nurseries. The niche market for the dolls began with doll collectors who admired the superior lifelike accuracy of the doll. The market quickly reached those who wanted to use the doll as an emotional outlet, either to mother or for therapeutic purposes. Mass media coverage has helped to develop the phenomenon in other countries. Reborning enjoys popularity in United States, Canada and Brazil. Doll manufacturers have also taken advantage of the trend and sell supplies, tools, and accessories catering to reborn followers. This has allowed reborners to invent new techniques causing the dolls to become increasingly realistic over time. Magazines, books, organizations, and conventions dedicated to reborn dolls have been started as a result of this popularity.
Fabrication Reborns are either silicone or vinyl dolls, created by reborn artists. The appearance of the doll depends on the creator; however, certain reborn artists allow customers to customize their doll, usually using a photograph to replicate a particular infant.
Reborning Any type of vinyl doll can be used for reborning. Dolls vary by size, shape, and materials, making some more desirable or popular than others. According to Doll Reader Magazine, Berenguer Babies, Zapf, Lee Middleton, Apple Valley, and Secrist Dolls are doll companies that make dolls which are easy to transform into reborns.Titterton, Kevin."Baby Reborn". Doll Reader Magazine. Nov2005, Vol. 33 Issue 9, p48-51. Retrieved 2009-07-25 Kathryn Peck of Doll Reader Magazine explains that with JC Toys Berenguer Babies, it is because the dolls already resemble human babies in their expressions, body shapes, surface materials, and other lifelike attributes.Peck, Kathryn. "Something for Everyone". Doll Reader Magazine. Jun/Jul2008, Vol. 36 Issue 5, p44-48.
Kits A reborn can be created from a blank kit as opposed to reborning a whole manufactured doll. Manufacturers have reacted to the growing trend of artists transforming dolls by hiring reborn artists to become doll sculptors and design doll molds and kits."Ashton Drake Galleries: Realism Rules". Doll Reader Magazine. Feb 2007.Vol. 35 Issue 2, p38-41. Retrieved 2009-07-22
When reborning from a kit, the first several steps of the process are completed by reborn sculpt artists and doll manufacturers. The kit comes as a disassembled blank baby doll ready to be reborned, and select supplies. Other supplies not provided in the kit can be purchased separately.
Supplies Starter kits are equipped with basic reborning necessities such as limbs, faces, heads, paint brushes, eyelashes, acrylic/glass eyes, weighting pellets, "heat set" or air dry paints, cloth bodies, cable ties, nose drill bits, fake tears, thinning shears, cosmetic foam wedges, cotton dipped applicators, and glue."Secrist Doll Company:Fulfilling a Dream". Doll Reader Magazine. Feb2008, Vol. 36 Issue 2, p112-113. Retrieved 2009-07-26 These supplies may be purchased separately from a variety of retailers. The nose drill bits are used for creating and perfecting the nostrils of the doll. Acetone or a paint thinner medium is needed for removing the factory paint from the doll.Holper, Jeanine M."Hair Rooting Basics: Repairing a Vinyl Reborn Head". Doll Reader Magazine. Mar/Apr2008, Vol. 36 Issue 3, p20-20. Retrieved 2009-07-22 Hair is an optional choice to add to a doll. Fine mohair, human hair, or wigs are usually used, but it is found in a variety of types. Rooting tools are utilized for this process and are available in numerous sizes 20, 36, 38, 40, and 42. The smaller the number the thicker the needle which will grab more hair and leave a bigger hole in the head of the doll.Holper, Jeanine M. "Reborn Hair Rootig Basics: Let's Talk Needles". Doll Reader Magazine. Nov2007, Vol. 35 Issue 9, p19-19. Retrieved 2009-07-24 Eyes for a reborn doll are offered in a variety of brands and sizes.
Process
The technique of reborning a play doll typically involves a number of steps. To begin, the doll is taken apart and factory paint is removed. Then a blue color wash may be applied to give the appearance of realistic baby skin undertones. For dolls with an awake appearance eyes must be replaced. The outer layer of the vinyl doll is given its skin tone by adding dozens of layers of different paint tones to build up and achieve a realistic human skin effect. If heat set paints are used, the doll parts must be heat set by baking them inside an oven or by using a heatgun after each layer of paint is applied. Lighter skin tone dolls can take 15 to 30 layers. The effects of the blue color wash combined with the outside layers of paint creates the appearance of veins, and layers of paint done with special sponges give the doll its newborn mottled look. Manicured nails and opening of the nose holes are other details that are added during this process.
There are air dry paints now available to reborn artists, sold under several brand names. Many feel that repeated baking of vinyl can cause it to break down over time. In addition, there are fumes and chemicals released during the heating process.
The next step is to apply hair. The hair can be done in one of three ways: painting, wigging, or rooting. When rooting, the hair is added by hand with a rooting needle, micro-rooting is usually 1–4 hair strands per plug. When each hair is added individually strand by strand with only one hair per plug this is called mono-rooting. This can take up to 30 or more hours per head. Once the hair is finished, the original vinyl body is weighted with a soft stuffed body filled with pellets/fine glass beads/fiberfill.The weight corresponds with its age to achieve a realistic effect. Various additions also can be added to give the doll an even more lifelike appearance. Reborns heads are often weighted, so that owners have to support the head like one would a real newborn. Purchasers can have magnets attached inside the mouth or head for attaching a pacifier or hair bows. Electronic devices that mimic a heartbeat or make the chest rise and fall to simulate breathing are common.Shimo, Alexandra."It's not a doll. It's a baby". Maclean's. 7 April 2008. Vol. 121 Issue 13, pp. 48–49. Retrieved 2009-07-16 Reborns can come with an umbilical cord, baby fat, heat packs to make the reborn warm to the touch, or voice boxes that mimic infant sounds. For preemie dolls, they may come in incubators with a breathing apparatus attached to their nose.
Collecting Institutions have developed to aid reborn hobbyists with collecting by providing information, products, and social networking. These institutions include magazines, and associations and organizations which sponsor conferences and conventions. Collectors and artists have described their reasons for purchasing and/or creating reborn dolls as varying from a love of dolls to a passion for art.April 2008 and May/June 2008 issues of Lifelike Dolls Magazine
Purchasing Reborn dolls are handmade art made by artists and can not be factory produced. They are usually found online and can be purchased through the artists' online stores (often termed nurseries), through artists' personal or doll/nursery pages on Facebook where you can see all their previous work for assurity or through many Facebook groups and pages and at numerous doll conventions/fairs. Incomplete crafting "kits" to create original reborns can also be purchased from various online stores. There is a large price range depending on the quality of the doll, the sculpt used and the experience of the artist; they can sell anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.
There are many factors to look for when purchasing a reborn.Kohlscheen, Cindy. "10 Questions to Ask when Purchasing a Reborn Doll". Doll Reader Magazine. June/July 2006. Retrieved 2009-07-14 If the complexion is too dark this is called a blue baby, and indicates it was dyed excessively or uses colored sand for weight that could have seeped into the vinyl. The type of material used to weight the reborn should be considered because some materials do not react well with vinyl and will cause it to deteriorate. The doll should not be shiny. This indicates the doll was washed with acetone before painting, which prevents the color from correctly sticking to the doll's surface. It may also be caused by the type of paint used to color the doll. This is corrected with a special matte varnish. The parts used are important, as original parts may be replaced. The replacement parts must be appropriately proportioned with the doll and made of quality material. At times having the original body retains the doll's value either because it was made to fit that specific doll, or the artist left a signature mark. Eye brand, size, fitting, and alignment should be closely examined as well. Another feature to observe is the type of paint used for coloring and whether the doll is realistic in its details such as veins and newborn imperfections. The type of hair and technique used in applying the hair may determine the quality. Some artists open the nose, the holes should be correctly shaped, and the nails should be properly manicured.
Associations and organizations