Reborn and Newborn Dolls: Stunning Artists' Creations or Dangerously Realistic?

Reborn dolls are not new but they are getting renewed attention lately in the wake of a reported attempt to rescue one from a locked car. The doll apparently looked so realistic it was mistaken for an actual baby. I noted this in an article and also gave some brief info about reborn babies and other strange dolls here.

For those who haven't heard the term before, reborn dolls are created from actual dolls which are then transformed to resemble real babies after the original dolls are disassembled and carefully reconstructed - right down to every single strand of hair on the doll's head and even the fingernails on those tiny hands. A look a the description and photos of actual reborn or newborn dolls on Ebay and doll collector sites could give you a jolt. It certainly did the first time I saw one on Ebay, years ago, and it certainly did the first time I saw one in person. When a skilled person reborns a dolls, it can take more than a first or even second glance to tell it apart from a real baby, especially when the doll is fitted with apparatus to make it appear to be breathing.

I first saw one online years ago but I didn't get a chance to see one in person till later. I was skeptical about how real they might look until then. I haven't been skeptical since then. If you'd like to see examples for yourself, check out some of the links in the related links section of this article or simply go to Ebay and look under reborn dolls or newborn dolls.

Did a reborn doll get mistaken for a real baby?

That is what some news reports have been saying, including the one I cited in my previous article as well as this one, noting that two of these dolls were reportedly "rescued" recently. In Australia, police reportedly shattered a car window to rescue one of these dolls, presumed to be unconscious. A similar incident also may have happened in the United States.