You can now “adopt” these lifelike silicone baby dolls that could cost up to Rs 1 lakh

Raising a child is a rite of passage for many families. The early years of parenthood are considered the hardest, but the benefits of having a new family member far outweigh the long nights, diaper changes, and teething hassles. Maria Trigg has found the answer, which has earned her internet fame. The Florida woman, who goes by the name Mama Coley on social media, has created a business that provides the same love and cuddling as a newborn, without the messiness of potty training and burping sessions. Mama Coley is the CEO of a business called Dreamshire, which makes lifelike silicone dolls.

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In an exclusive interview, Koli spoke about learning the art of doll making at a young age. First, she learned to make dolls out of clay and later, started making dolls out of paper and cloth. However, the almost human-like looking dolls made out of silicone changed the game for her. In 2010, she became the creator of ‘Reborns’, a term used to describe hyper-realistic dolls that look like babies. Apart from looks, Reborns are made to resemble human babies right down to their weight, nails and hair texture.

Mama details the many steps she takes to create her reborn; from hand sculpting to molding, adding hair and painting on features. Her final touches include diapers and a new outfit for the doll. The tedious process of creating each doll can take several months and cost thousands of dollars. The purchase of a reborn is called ‘adoption’ and although this is the same term used for human babies, adopting a reborn is definitely a shorter, quicker and more straightforward process than actual adoption.

After teaching herself the skills needed to make silicone dolls from YouTube, Mama began selling her dolls in 2020. She said the price of her smaller silicone dolls starts at $45 (roughly Rs. 4,000) and the larger ones can go up to $1,500 (roughly Rs. 1,25,000).

Many question what the purpose of creating and keeping such reborns is, but its clientele is quite diverse. Mama said that although they are dolls, they are too fragile to be used as toys and mainly attract doll collectors. However, she also said that the purchase of reborns is helping many people in their healing journey if they have suffered a miscarriage, lost a child or even struggled with mental health disorders.

Who would have thought that the world of lifelike dolls could be so fascinating?

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