They don’t breathe or wake you at 3 a.m., yet they power a US$ 10.4 billion market that grew in 2024. In the middle of this boom, hyper-realistic reborn dolls, treated like real children, get full layettes, “adoption” papers, and millions of TikTok views. Are they therapy or an escape from reality?
What is a reborn baby?
A reborn baby doll makes you look twice. Made of vinyl or silicone, it weighs a newborn and features hair-rooted strands, everything designed to seem ready to start breathing at any moment. The people who “deliver” these creations are the so-called storks, artisans who turned a 1990s hobby into a highly profitable niche. Some simple models cost only a few dollars, but premium pieces signed by viral artists can exceed US$ 10 K. One of the hottest names is Maria Trigg, who has 3.1 million followers on TikTok and shares videos of the entire process, including the dolls’ “births”.
Why do so many people get attached? Experts point to three reasons: therapy for grief and anxiety already used in mental health and geriatric clinics; demand for hyper-realistic toys that is pushing the doll market to grow by more than 5% a year; and digital performance, with diaper-change ASMR videos that rack up millions of views. With billions of plays, #reborn splits the internet: for some, it is a harmless hobby; for others, a sign of emotional dependence.
Who buys it?
The Reborn Baby Maternity Boutique in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, is a full-on cuteness showroom. The store sells hyper-realistic boys and girls starting at R$ 990, and you can pay extra for dolls that drink water and wet their diapers. In the same space, customers build a complete layette: onesies, blankets, pacifiers, bottles, diapers, bows, booties, even travel kits, all shipped anywhere in Brazil or overseas. Kids remain the core clientele, but the phenomenon is steadily attracting adults and even seniors.
Across the counter stands self-described reborn mom Riquiele Martins, 37, an esthetician in São Paulo and single mother to ten-year-old Isabela. Her fascination began in 2013, when she worked as a sales assistant at a children’s boutique in the JK Iguatemi mall that dressed dolls and kids in matching outfits. “Moms would go crazy at the window, they wanted the doll in a mini version of their daughters’ dresses. That’s when I realized those silicone babies were more than toys,” she recalls.
Today, she owns a single reborn, bought purely for the hobby. Instead of a crib, the doll sits on a shelf at home, and whenever the mood strikes, her daughter joins in, changing its outfit. “It’s like collecting anything else. You enjoy the aesthetics, you buy the clothes, but you know it isn’t a real baby.”
What mental health experts say
For psychologist Leila Tardivo, a professor at the University of São Paulo, there is a clear line between hobby and compulsion: “Collecting is one thing; turning the doll into a permanent substitute is another”. She adds that, in senior groups, a reborn can serve as a bridge for memory and conversation.
By contrast, therapist Carla Campos warns that when the doll starts to replace real relationships, the psychological risk rises: “In more vulnerable personalities, the line between fantasy and reality dissolves”. Clinical studies on doll therapy with dementia patients support controlled use: agitation levels dropped after the dolls were introduced, but constant professional supervision is required.
Not everyone buys the idea. The subreddit r/RebornDollCringe hosts thousands of posts mocking “pediatric consultations” and “first baths” staged with dolls. In Brazil, a video of influencer Yasmin Becker taking her reborn to the hospital for an “emergency visit” went viral and drew criticism about “clueless adults”.
If playing with dolls has always been part of childhood, why does the adult hyper-realistic version unsettle people? Perhaps because reborns stretch the line between affection, art, and commerce. For those who find genuine comfort in them, whether as therapy, a collectible, or a simple pastime, these babies are worth every cent.
For onlookers, the question remains: where does make-believe end and denial of reality begin? Ultimately, the meaning of these dolls may lie in the individual embrace, yet the debate they ignite about the human need for connection and the nature of reality continues.
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The article above was edited by Clarissa Palácio.
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