Reborn Dolls Becoming Popular In Collectibles Scene
The creation of dolls that appear more realistic, lifelike, and more similar to a human child has become a current trend for collectors and hobbyists. Known as "reborn dolls," this trend is paving the way to a new market for hobbymakers and others involved in the collectable world. Being able to create lifelike dolls is consistently spreading throughout the community of craftspeople who have grown bored with the more traditionally-sold retail dolls.
The market for reborn dolls has absolutely exploded in the past five years, thanks to a widespread implementation of art techniques that allow for more realistic-looking dolls. The berenguer and preemie dolls that have sold for years can be credited partially for the craze brought on by reborn dolls, as they began the trend of lifelike qualities and expressions that make them reminiscent of a real human baby.
A doll can go through a process in which it is upgraded and, in a sense, reborn. This requires the disassembly of the doll. The doll is stripped from its artificial appearance and the paint is removed to reveal a plastic shell. If necessary, the shell can be altered. In the end, a doll can transform into a more appealing and realistic model.
Reborn dolls will then have a purple hue added to their insides, which will create color tones underneath the plastic. This enhances the realism of the doll's skin color. At that point, different skin tones are painted on the outside to add a true skin color, and other touches, such as skin lines, blemishes and other effects will help to make the doll appear more realistic.
Hair and eyelashes made out of real human hair or soft humanlike hair is used to give the reborn dolls lifelike features. Usually this process is done by hand and one strand at a time, this method can take many hours. After that the doll is then put back together with a softer under belly and filling. Sometimes they may add other extras to give the doll more aspects of a human being such as a hearbeat sound box to mimic a heart or breathing.
For the people who would like to create one of reborn dolls by themselves, there are kits designed to let the buyer make one without too much effort. Those who truly desire one, however, will buy one no matter the cost, even if it is several hundred dollars. The new trend is to give these dolls to brand new mothers as a memento of their child's birth.
The Berenguer and Preemie Dolls are partly to credit for the new trend in creating more lifelike dolls. Dolls can be taken apart to create Reborn Dolls which takes dozens of hours of work including painting the interior purple and using many shades of paint to create the same coloring as a human baby. Each strand of hair is added by hand and the doll is reassembled with softer filling. People are willing to pay as high as a few hundred dollars to have one made instead of making one from Reborn Doll Kits. New mothers are the typical recipients as a keepsake imitating their newborn child.
Published June 19th, 2008
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