Creepy and costly: ‘Angel doll’ mania is sweeping superstitious Thailand

A craze in Thailand for pampering life-like dolls to bring good fortune doesn’t seem to have done the trick for some vendors, who on Tuesday were raided by police on charges of tax avoidance.

Known in Thai as “luuk thep” (child angels), the pricey dolls, which can cost up to US$600, were first popularised by celebrities who claimed dressing up and feeding the dolls had brought them professional success.

The doll-mania might seem creepy but it has since taken off across deeply superstitious Thailand, with adults bringing the figures to Buddhist ceremonies, restaurants and even on planes, where they have reportedly been issued seats and served mid-flight refreshments.

But after Thailand’s police chief warned this week the fad was going too far, officers on Tuesday confiscated more than 100 dolls and arrested three vendors in Bangkok for allegedly failing to pay import taxes.

“Mostly they imported [the dolls] from China,” Colonel Kriangsak Kanrayawattanajaroen, deputy commander of the Economic Crime Suppression Bureau, said.

He added that the vendors had avoided paying more than 100,000 baht (HK$21,434).