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Agence France-Presse

Gabi Matos looks the quintessential doting mum as she changes Ravi’s nappy, cooing reassuringly as he stares up at her.
But this Brazilian “newborn” does not seem to mind having his nappy changed. In fact, he has no real emotions whatsoever.
Ravi is a hyperrealistic doll with an eerie resemblance to an actual infant.
Some of the so-called “reborn” dolls cry, suck dummies, pee, and have nails, eyelashes and veins.
But what really sets them apart from traditional dolls with waxy, smooth complexion is their puckered features and blotchy skin.
Blink and you could mistake the bundle in the stroller in Rio de Janeiro for the real thing.



Demand for these replica babies, which first emerged in the United States in the early 1990s, targeting adults chiefly, has rocketed in the South American country in recent years.
“I always loved babies and dolls, from a very young age. When I discovered these art models I fell in love,” said Ravi’s 21-year-old “mum”.
Made with silicone or vinyl, the price tag for these bundles of joy can run to thousands of dollars.



Matos, who lives in the southeastern Brazilian city of Campinas, received her first “reborn” – so-called because the first editions were traditional dolls modified by artists to look more lifelike – aged nine.
Her collection now runs to 22 and looking after her tiny charges is a full-time job, which she enacts daily for her 1.3 million YouTube followers.
But in the past few weeks, the admiring comments on her posts have become interspersed with attacks.
“People say I should be admitted to a psychiatric hospital because they believe that we treat them (the dolls) as if they were real children, which is not the case,” she said. “It’s sad.”



The dolls tottered into the public debate in April when a group of collectors held a gathering in a park in Sao Paulo.
Footage of the event went viral, along with a separate video of a reborn “birth”, in which an influencer extracts a dishevelled doll from a fluid-filled bag passing for an amniotic sac and then clamps a make-believe umbilical cord.
Social media erupted with posts either condemning the would-be mothers’ behaviour as deranged or dismissing it as a harmless hobby.
“Let these people raise reborn babies. If they procreate, it will be much worse!” actress Luana Piovani wrote on Instagram, in a post that was viewed thousands of times.
Alana Generoso, a long-time reborn baby collector, who now owns her own doll store, insists that her customers are perfectly sound of mind.
Here, you’re not buying an ordinary doll, you’re buying a dream
Alana Generoso, reborn baby doll collector and vendor
“Many children come to the store, as well as adults that lead normal lives,” the 46-year-old mother of real four-year-old triplets said.
Alana Babys Maternity Hospital in Campinas is designed to look like an authentic maternity ward.
Before handing over a doll to its new owner, employees in white coats take it from an incubator, weigh it, place it in a stroller and present the proud “parent” with a birth certificate.
“Here, you’re not buying an ordinary doll, you’re buying a dream,” Generoso argued.
“Are there cases of people looking after the dolls as if they were real babies? Yes, but they’re not a majority.”


The debate in Brazil has reverberated all the way up to Congress.
Some legislators are calling for “reborn” mums to receive psychological help, but others call for people who, it is alleged, use their “babies” to jump the queue for public services to be punished.
Last week, a legislator made clear which camp he was in when he brought his reborn “granddaughter” to parliament.
Playing with dolls is “not a sin”, Manoel Isidorio, an evangelical pastor, argued.


For psychologist Viviane Cunha, collecting dolls is a hobby that is only categorised as a disorder when it causes “social, emotional or economic harm”.
“If, for example, the person skips work because ‘the baby has a fever’, and believes it to be true, then he or she needs professional help,” she said.
Cunha linked the reborn fever to a global loneliness epidemic, which the World Health Organization has tied to social distancing during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Male hobbies are normalised, but women cannot take care of their dolls without people thinking we are sick.
Gabi Matos, reborn baby doll collector
“I think the doll comes from a search for an emotional bond or connection,” Cunha said.
Matos argues that criticism of the dolls is sexist.
“Male hobbies like video games, flying kites, playing football are normalised. No one says that they are too old to do these things, but women cannot take care of their dolls without people thinking we are sick.”


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Offbeat

Reborn doll craze for lifelike babies in Brazil stirs emotions, sparks debate in Congress

Brazilian shopkeeper Alana Generoso bottle-feeds a reborn baby doll at her store Alana Babys Maternity in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Photo: AFP

Brazilian YouTuber Gabi Matos holds a reborn baby doll from her collection in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. The hyperrealistic dolls have unleashed a media, social and even legislative storm in Brazil. Photo: AFP

Brazilian YouTuber Gabi Matos lifts a reborn baby doll from her collection in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, Brazil. Photo: AFP

The hyperrealistic baby dolls featuring details such as nails, eyelashes, veins, folds and spots on the body have stirred debate in Brazil recently. Photo: AFP

The fingers of a reborn baby doll at the store Alana Babys Maternity in Campinas, Brazil. Handmade from silicone or vinyl, the dolls, which can cost thousands of US dollars, show an astonishing level of detail: veins, tears, saliva. Photo: AFP

A store employee arranges a reborn baby doll in an incubator at the store Alana Babys Maternity in Campinas, Brazil. Photo: AFP

Brazilian shopkeeper Alana Generoso (left) bathes a reborn baby doll at her store Alana Babys Maternity in Campinas, Brazil. Photo: AFP

The face of a reborn baby doll at the store Alana Babys Maternity in Campinas, Brazil. Photo: AFP

Reborn baby dolls displayed at the store Alana Babys Maternity in Campinas, Brazil. Photo: AFP

A woman and children view reborn baby dolls on display at Alana Babys Maternity in Campinas, Brazil. Photo: AFP

Brazilian shopkeeper Alana Generoso holds the hand a reborn baby doll at her store Alana Babys Maternity. Photo: AFP

Brazilian shopkeeper Alana Generoso grabs the cheeks of a reborn baby doll at her store. Photo: AFP

The head of a reborn baby doll at Generoso’s store in Campinas, Brazil. Photo: AFP

Parts of a reborn baby doll inside a production machine at the store Cecilia Reborn Maternity in Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Photo: AFP

Parts of a reborn baby doll at the store Cecilia Reborn Maternity in Duque de Caxias, Brazil. Photo: AFP

Mother-son bond strengthened by 700km walk on Spain’s Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route

Tobias Schlegl walked the Camino de Santiago with his 73-year-old mother, Sieglinde. Photo: X/@Tobias Schlegl

Tobias Schlegl’s relationship with his mother, though warm, lacked depth – until they set out together to walk a historic pilgrimage route through northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela. Photo: X/Tobias Schlegl

The cover of Schlegl’s book on the journey he took with his mother. Photo: X/Tobias Schlegl

Schlegl says he chose not to prepare too much before setting off. Photo: X/@Tobias Schlegl

Silicone baby props for film and TV made by Paris studio so realistic you do a double take

A trio of baby props made for cinema and television productions by Cinebaby in Paris, France. Photo: AFP

A mould for baby prop arms created by Cinebaby. Photo: AFP

The mould of a baby’s head, the second step in the creation of baby props for cinema and television productions. Photo: AFP

The head and legs of a baby prop. Founded in 2008, Cinebaby is a studio specialised in making ultra-realistic props of infants for film and television productions. Photo: AFP

The arm of a premature baby prop. Photo: AFP

An employee works on the eyelid of a baby prop. Photo: AFP

Justine Ray Le Solliec poses with baby props made for cinema and television. Photo: AFP

A prop baby’s head, legs and arms after being painted. Photo: AFP

A prop of a premature baby. Photo: AFP

The head of a prop baby. Photo: AFP

Jellycat and Squishmallows purchases by millennials, Gen Z are boosting soft toy market

Social media content creator Carter Kench with his collection of Squishmallows in Los Angeles, California. The soft toy industry’s most important consumers are millennials and Gen Z. Photo: Getty Images

Labubu figures displayed at a Popmart in Jakarta, Indonesia. The rabbit creature has a hold over people well into their thirties in Asia. Photo: Shutterstock

Women buying soft toys from a roadside store in Kolkata, India. Photo: Getty Images

Labubu, Molly toys put spotlight on Hong Kong culture in Shenzhen festival

Kenny Wong is the creator of one of the country’s bestselling IP characters, Molly. Photo: Edmond So

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Jessica Leung is the third-generation owner of Red A. Photo: Edmond So

Pucky the artist poses for a picture with Pucky, her creation. Photo: Edmond So

Camel CEO Raymond Leung says the company is looking into hiring a marketing team to promote the brand. Photo: Edmond So

Lifestyle

Family & Relationships

Eerily lifelike babies called reborn dolls recently went viral in Brazil, leading some to question their collectors’ mental health


Eerily lifelike babies called reborn dolls recently went viral in Brazil, leading some to question their collectors’ mental health.


Brazil

Mental health

Reborn doll craze for lifelike babies in Brazil stirs emotions, sparks debate in Congress

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Eerily lifelike babies called reborn dolls recently went viral in Brazil, leading some to question their collectors’ mental health

Eerily lifelike babies called reborn dolls recently went viral in Brazil, leading some to question their collectors’ mental health