Paper short abstract:

Reborn dolls are hyperrealistic, resembling babies. Women owners often interact with them as real babies. Reborns evoke strong reactions, positive and negative. This first large-scale study of reborn ownership explores reasons for ownership and owners' accounts of reactions to them and their dolls.

Paper long abstract:

Reborn dolls are individually handmade to represent a human baby as realistically as possible. The term 'reborn' reflects the conceptualisation of the doll as a real baby, brought to life, reborn from a doll. Reborns are primarily owned by adult women. Although some owners simply collect the dolls, others interact with them, sometimes mothering them as if they were real babies, cuddling them, feeding them and taking them out in public. Reborn dolls evoke strong reactions, both positive and negative. Negative reactions are expressed both to the dolls and to the women who own them. The dolls' hyperrealism is highly valued by their owners, yet the same realistic attributes often elicit revulsion and abjection in others. However, reborn dolls have been the subject of little academic research. In this paper, we present findings from the first large-scale survey of reborn doll owners. Drawing on both quantitative and qualitative data from an online questionnaire completed by over 500 owners, we examine their reasons for ownership and the ways they interact with their dolls. Reasons include to build a collection, to provide comfort, and to fill a gap. We also explore why reborn dolls divide opinion so strongly by examining reborn doll owners' perceptions of the benefits of ownership and how others react to their dolls and to them. Results are discussed in terms of the uncanny valley, the self, social norms and identity. We conclude by discussing questions raised by the phenomenon of adult women playing with reborn dolls.