In the Reborning subculture, collectors “adopt” hyper-realistic artificial babies–impeccably crafted from vinyl, glass, doe suede, and up to eighty layers of paint. The “parents” care for their dolls ...

It’s a sanctuary where people from all over the world make pregnancy announcements, trade advice on infant feeding and share ultrasound photos. Some meet for in-person playdates and mail each other ...

Two dozen lifelike babies lie nestled in a nursery in Traci Knoppe's home in Missouri. Except the cribs and bassinets aren't holding real babies. They're dolls. Jaime Beebe began bringing her dolls to ...

Kiersten is a mother not to human children but to dolls—specifically “reborn” dolls, a specialized class of hyperrealistic faux babies that inspire spooked curiosity in casual observers and fanatical ...

Kelli Maple tenderly sets her bundle of joy, Naomi, into a Nuna car seat and drives her to the mall. When they arrive, Maple, 23, places little Naomi, dressed in a onesie and hair bow, into a high-end ...

"You see a doll, I see a baby that I never got to hold,” a woman said after receiving criticism for having a reborn doll Lifelike dolls, known as reborn dolls, have been popular for two decades and ...

When a brand new 'reborn' baby - the hyper-realistic dolls that look and feel like a real newborn, is delivered to their 'parent', a ceremonious 'box opening' usually takes place. The dolls, often ...

To some, the dolls, known as reborn dolls, provide comfort, escape or just plain fun. But politicians across Brazil have tried to pass bills banning the dolls from public spaces. To some, the dolls, ...