Reborns, Not Newborns

This headline in a buy/shop Facebook ad stopped me in my tracks:

My Betsy

In search of reborn baby for sale.

I'm sure you're all much smarter than I, and you already know what the ad is about -- and it has nothing to do with purchasing a newly-baptized infant. It's about a baby doll - one that is very lifelike.

Maybe it's because this isn't anywhere near my radar screen -- I don't have a child who's begging for a reborn baby for Christmas. I'm not a doll collector. And, having experienced the live model many years ago, I don't feel the need for a plastic stand-in.

Still, I once was smitten with my dollies, so I understand the appeal. I decided I needed to know a little more. So I went to my friend, the Google, to investigate "reborn babies."

I immediately got 16,700,000 results.

I chose one of the top selling websites and clicked onward. There I found scores of dollies, made of what was described as GentleTouch™ vinyl. (If it's trademarked, it has to be good, right?)

The site boasts the dolls are so realistic, you won't be able to tell the difference between them and real babies. I'd argue that a real infant breathes and hollers and eats and poops, thus making it pretty obvious who's the real deal.

But I digress.

The amount of detail that goes into making these dolls is quite remarkable. Hair that is attached one strand at a time. Birthmarks, veins, eyelashes and fingernails are all part of the doll's DNA. In addition, the dolls are weighted with plastic beads and other filler to give them the right heft.

Fun Facts: The artists who make these dolls are called "reborners." And the process of making them is called "reborning." The industry has been around since the early 1990s.

Most of the dolls are Caucasian, although I did see some African American and Asian babies. And a Hawaiian girl.

The dolls are priced from under $100 to nearly $1,000. Many have been discounted for Black Friday.

Some are cute, some are creepy. Some have eyes that are permanently closed, which seems sad.

None of them will be coming to my house to stay.

If I need a dolly fix, I need only dig through the back of my closet and find my childhood companion, Betsy (no Wetsy). Although she will never be mistaken for the real thing, she'll always be my baby (doll).