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You may have already seen this..but just in case you haven't, tonight, here in the UK on Channel 4 is a programme called 'My Fake Baby' it's about the re-born dolls we see at fairs all the time and is about what motivates people to buy them. I reckon it will be interesting..even if I just get to find out what makes people want to walk around with a newborn look-a-like in a pram cooing over it like it's a real baby!!
YorkshireThanks Jen will have to watch this one - I've always wondered the attraction. I went to a bear and doll fair in October and was quite happy to pass all the reborn dolls however my friend picked one up cooing at it and asked me to have a look - I can honestly say (and I'm sorry if I offend anyone) that it freaked me out alittle and left me cold. Give me something furry to cuddle any day!
Hugs Ali x
Yes, I am curious to see this programme too. Although, knowing Channel Four, I hope they don't turn it into a freak show... I remember something on tv about bear collecting once - I think the programme was about obsessions, and the collector bit was sandwiched between a Wiccan and a tatooed lady!
Hugs,
Christine
he he he - I saw this one and was curious!! Although I have admit that I own a couple of 'lifelike' dolls :redface: . One of them I bought whilst I was still quite young and had saved up for over a year, and the other one of them is superb - completely hand sculpted out of clay from scratch - to me he is a work of art, not a substitute baby!!! I have to admit to being guilty of cooing over these 'babies' at shows, although I have also laughed at the people who walk around with them in a pram (sorry - didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings). Should be an interesting programme, although I hope Channel 4 isn't TOO mean!!!!
I know what you mean, Christine, I remember not so long ago Channel 4 did a special on the world of hairdressing competitions which were big my interest when I started out hairdressing..of course they picked out the freakiest, dimmest, worst possible examples of hairdressing, showing the craft as a bunch of stereotypical dim-witted has-beens and no-hopers in back-street salons with zero talent and inflated egos...when in fact it's quite the opposite.
As somebody who has a genuine interest in dolls I am very intrigued..not that I would want to own one but I am fascinated.
So I hope it won't be a freak show too...but in all likelihood..it probably will be.
Back Road BearsAli, I'm with you.
Though the show might be interesting to watch out of curiosity's sake. I've heard stories... scary ones... about some of the women who are obsessed over the re-borns..... sickly, insanely obsessed.
Example: a woman is in the ladies room at a doll show trying to breast feed her new born DOLL!!! 
Just hear-say but from a pretty reliable source. So though you think the show may not portray the reality of collecting or of the obsession with re-borns...... don't be surprised at what they might say!
I'll stick with my bears! 
OMG ,Daphne..... that's too ugh!!! I actually do appreciate the work that goes into these sculptures..because some are absolutely fantastic...so real...but kind of strange all the same. However, I take my hat off to those who have the skill to create such detail...I know I could learn something!!
Posts: 1,836Daphne, yep...I was thinking of that very story myself.
I just watched the clip for the show (I googled the shows title to find it). I guess anything in life can be turned into an obsession of sorts, and some can take those into delusions even (pretend feeding a doll in public being an example).
The art of creating these dolls and the skill set is amazing! But I can't imagine the extreme side of it all.
The clip showed the artist taking her dolls out with her to sell....that's a smart gal!! Hmmm...maybe some bears need to visit the local shops with me 
Maybe a little bear peeking out of one of those ultra cool doggie handbags??? hmmmm...
here's the clip too:
http://www.channel4.com/video/my-fake-baby/index.html
:hug:
~Chrissi
Country BearsOh I'm going to try to watch this too. I was once at a bear and doll show at the NEC and saw a lady walking around with hers, telling it off saying 'Just you wait 'til your father gets home!!' At first I wondered who she was talking to, but when I saw a few other collectors acting in similar ways towards their dolls, it clicked!! Bless 'em!!
Aside from that I think the dolls are amazing works of art, such a lot of work goes into them, they are awesome creations, don't think I'd have the patience!! 
I do admire them though. 
Bear Paws by RoxanneWow!Those dolls are amazing :clap: :clap: I would love to learn how to do a re-born doll.
But I felt a little uneasy watching the woman crying over the baby. Clearly she must have had some traumatic experience with her own child. Very sad... :hug:
Laurie Lou BearsI wanted to watch this tonight.I hoped that it would be a lot about the people that made the dolls and the skills need to make them but looking at the title and seeing the preview it looks more about the people that own or want to own one of these dolls.I love to watch programmes on art etc but they are few and far between.
Laurie :hug:
puca bearsI have a friend who makes these dolls - she is unbelievably good, but like most of you, I find these "babies" a bit creepy.
And CHRISSI - yes walking round with a bear peeking out of your shoulder bag can lead to success........ a few years back I was sightseeing, and came across a bear shop - wandered in...........and over the next year or so, sold over 30 bears to the shop!!!!!!
huggies
Maria
Wow, they are amazing... not really my thing though... I find them a little creepy to be honest but I can appreciate the work that goes into making them.
Bear Hugs!
Melanie
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsWhen these babies are well done they are quite lifelike and beautiful. But one of the techniques that creators of reborn baby dolls use is a blue or purple dye to give the babies their motled skin. (I have done some reading on this because I thought it would help me paint my polymer clay sculpts) If this is poorly done or over done the result is a baby that looks realistic---and dead! 
Now that is a creepy thing to see. I saw some reborns for the first time in person at a doll show in August and quite a few had this unfortunate coloring.
Tami..I have seen this too..and several had a grimacing face ,too, which was quite disconcerting with that purplish pallor...not much like a bouncing baby!!
Woodbury Park Bearsthese dolls are beautiful when they are done properly and i think of them as works of art a couple of years ago i was at a bear show in Sydney and there was a woman there who was carrying around her bear in one of those harness things you carry babies in the front of you. She talked to him and held him up to other bears to have a conversation with them. She made everybody in that room smile (in a nice way). personally I have great conversations with my bears but only in the privacy of home.
Raewyn
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy Bearspersonally I have great conversations with my bears but only in the privacy of home.
Raewyn
Me too! I was just saying to a friend how much I really liked the movie Miss Potter because the way she talked to the animals she drew reminded me of me--talking to my bears!
Deedle BearsWow, I just watched the clip from above, not sure quite how I feel about them just yet. as a work of art they are just amazing, as for the emotions that appears to go along with them. I supoose it is a similar feeling to looking at and holding an amazing bear that you just fell in love with. I remeber the 1st bear I ever fell in love with and to this day I wish I had bought it but at the time the price was way out of my ball park... stills is. But I do remeber the feeling I got from the bear. I just did not want to put it down.
thank you for sharing, very interesting!
Duff
Apple Dumpling DesignsThis is interesting to me because I actually own several reborn dolls...a couple which I purchased from highly regarded reborn doll artists. They are intermingled in with my bears on shelves or in doll cradles that my dad had made for my daughter which she no longer wanted. I've actually been thinking of selling most of them...need bear supplies.
Having admitted this now...I would no more take one of them to a doll show and carry it around like a real baby or push it around in a pram then I would dye my hair bright orange. I've always loved dolls of all sorts and so wish I had some of my dolls from when I was a child. I'm just amazed that they can take a blank doll canvas and make them look almost real. I'm sure some of the doll collectors would think some of us bear folks are equally as nuts the way we talk to and about our bears.
Posts: 1,836bearylovely wrote:personally I have great conversations with my bears but only in the privacy of home.
Raewyn
Me too! I was just saying to a friend how much I really liked the movie Miss Potter because the way she talked to the animals she drew reminded me of me--talking to my bears!
Double me too Tami...that is my utmost favorite movie in the studio, in fact I just watched it again 2 nights ago. It's a movie that totally inspires to keep trying while believing in yourself.
I do notice the "personalities" of the bears I'm creating and whilst creating I will find myself talking to them like "well, you need a bit more shading don't you" or "what dress do you think we should try". But I'm not about to sit a bear down in a park and have a game of fetch with it, just like I wouldn't treat a doll like a human child. Like Shantell I can completely admire the art, the work and the amazingly life like details of the reborn dolls...to see them is unreal. It's a woman carrying it at her shoulder like an infant and acting as though it's a live being that makes me wonder. And I think a lot of folks do think we're nuts!! 
I've grown to like the looks I get when telling strangers what I do. Surprised, confused, frightened deer in headlights..what look will it be today :crackup:
:hug:
~Chrissi
bears by beesley TMI cannot believe people treat these dolls like real babies!
Please do not think for one minute I could be offended by the above comments. I had no idea people did this with these babies.
Garnet and I started a second business last year called Beesley's Little Peanut Factory.
We created these timely little babies. The average baby takes about 50-60 hours of painting and hand rooting of hair, eyebrows and eyelashes.
Our youngest Son Darcy did not like them as he said it gave him the creeps!
We created them with love and joy and for doll lovers to collect.
They were great fun to do and I quite enjoyed it, but the work involved became to much for us and took us away from our bears.
Here is a rather poor picture of one called SOPHIA LYNN
Hugs Louise
I know that a lot of time and work goes into making these reborns - but I just find them not to my liking at all and they give me the creeps - don't want to tread on toes but that's how I feel about them - give me a teddy bear any day! I did watch the clip and couldn't believe how people were taken in by them.
A friend of mine made her first one a couple of weeks back, sent me a picture - she did a good job considering she has never made one before.
Hugs Lyn 
Back Road BearsThere is nothing wrong, IMO, in talking to, playing with and being amused by bears and dolls. This contributes to the sadness we sometimes feel when we sell one of our bears.... because in talking to it we've sort of made it alive, given it a personality, etc. and formed a relationship with it.... just as we did as children. That's all part of the good ol' healthy fun of it.
It's those who seem to loose their grip on reality over the whole thing that I just don't get!
Louise, I can honestly say that she is beautiful. It's those "just born" blueish, slimmy looking things that gross me out. (can you tell I was a teenager in the 80s with that term! LOL!) Guess it's a good thing I can never have babies, huh??!!
:crackup:
Tami Eveslage Original Teddy BearsLouise, Sophia Lynne is beautiful!!! Great work!
Little Bear GuyNo offense to anyone but I have to agree with everyone else, they just creep me out big time. When Steve did IDEX in Orlando last yr he talked about the dolls and especially the reborns and how spooky they were. He did see a lady walking around the show with the head of the doll inside of her blouse with a blanket over it so it looked like she was attempting to breast feed the doll. He just couldn't believe it, some of these people they do go to far and they do treat them like a real baby. I can appreciate the work that goes into them and Louise your doll is beautiful.
There is an artist that lives not far from us who does miniature dolls, they look very much like the reborns but they are only 2-3" big. Her dolls I love and they don't creep me out because they are miniatures and because they are not life size then they don't come across as being a real baby.
Beautiful work on the dolls but not something I would want to have around me. I'll stick to my furry critters .
big hugs
Shane
