When you think about dolls, you might imagine cute animal-style dolls that you often give to kids, or maybe you might imagine something like Barbie dolls, and if you’re into anime or games, you may think along the lines of action figures and collectibles. However, there is one niche type of doll that you might never imagine, and it is far from what most people expect. This Ohio woman recently experienced that shock firsthand when she was visiting a McDonald’s near her, and she encountered a couple of women holding babies, and at first nothing seemed out of the ordinary. However, after taking a second look, the Ohio woman realized that these babies seemed to be dolls, and that realization immediately changed the entire situation.
The dolls looked so realistic that it was deeply unnerving. One woman was holding her doll upright, and the doll appeared to be smiling, and its eyes looked almost lifelike. The second woman had her baby doll asleep, leaning gently on her arms, and the pose looked exactly like how a real infant would be held. If someone did not pay close enough attention, it would have been very easy to mistake these dolls for actual babies.
Curious and confused, the Ohio woman approached the two women and talked with them for a bit. The women themselves were open and calm and did not seem bothered at all by the attention. They even allowed their dolls to be recorded by the Ohio woman.
If you are unfamiliar with them, these dolls are known as reborn dolls. They are usually handmade art dolls that are designed to closely resemble human babies, and they are crafted with extreme attention to detail, and they are often painted by hand to mimic real skin tones. To make them even more realistic, these dolls are often dressed in real baby clothes, and sometimes given accessories like pacifiers, blankets, or baby bottles.
The existence of reborn dolls is not widely known, and because of that, it is understandable that many people, including the Ohio woman, were shocked by what they saw. For someone encountering them for the first time, the realism can be startling, and even unsettling, especially in a public place like a restaurant.
Reactions online were mixed once the video began circulating. “That is terrifying,” one user wrote. Another said, “I thought it was a real baby at first, wow.”
Some users criticized the women for having the dolls, calling the behavior unhealthy and strange. “I don’t understand how people believe this to be a healthy coping mechanism,” one commenter wrote. Another said, “Adopt, get a pet, volunteer, get a job at a daycare, babysit, foster children. This makes no sense.”
Others, however, defended the Ohio women, saying that as long as they were not hurting anyone, people should let them live their lives the way they wanted. “I’d rather a person have a doll than be irresponsible with a human baby,” another user said.
A handful of users even argued that, considering how lifelike the dolls were, they should be viewed as a form of art. “It’s no different than a man collecting baseball cards or playing video games, and it’s not hurting anyone, and these are called reborn dolls or therapy dolls, and they are a form of art,” one commenter wrote.
