Toy dolls have always been a favorite play toy for children, particularly young girls, for many years. However, in the early 1990s doll lovers wanted something more realistic than the types of dolls they were used to. Therefore, reborn baby dolls (sometimes called reborn dolls or reborn babies) were created to bring a more realistic looking doll into the marketplace, such as those featured below!
Toys: Reborn Doll
Making dolls more realistic required several additional steps and a more complicated manufacturing process. The International Reborn Doll Artists (IRDA) organization was formed to standardize the process and to educate the “reborners,” the artists behind the more realistic dolls.
The process of creating a reborn baby doll involved building more features and layers onto a vinyl doll. Any shape, size, and type of doll can be used to make a reborn doll. There are certain dolls that reborners prefer however. These dolls includes ones made by names such as Zapf, Apple Valley, Berenguer Babies, Lee Middleton, Ashton-Drake Galleries, and Secrist Dolls. These companies are preferred because their dolls have parts that more closely resemble actual body parts and shapes.
Reborn baby doll kits can be purchased with the basic equipment needed to start the process. These kits include arms, faces, legs, heads, eyelashes, bodies, cable ties, noses, foam wedges, glue, and other similar supplies.
People like to collect or own these dolls for several reasons. Many folks who have lost a young baby or a child who is still in the womb want to remember their child’s short life. However, the majority of owners are primarily doll collectors who simply appreciate and admire the increased life like quality that reborn dolls possess.
These types of reborn babies are sold in a lot of different arenas because it is such a niche market. The first reborn baby doll was sold on eBay but this is not the only place where reborn dolls are sold.
Other reborners sell their dolls on their own websites that are set up like nurseries and all the buyers to pick out whatever doll they want. The mass media (such as the videos included below) has helped spread this niche to several countries throughout the world.
Techniques have become more sophisticated in the reborning process. This has led to even more realistic looking dolls. In addition, the reborn doll phenomenon has also created other support materials. For example, books, organizations (other than IRDA), and conventions have been developed about reborn baby dolls.
Photo Credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14945397@N00/2232895656/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14945397@N00/2232895688/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/purplegothicqueen/5556022519/sizes/m/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/laisemma/1624321334/sizes/m/in/photostream/