Valley of the Reborn Dolls

Betsie-Westy don't have shit on Baby Wesley

So, I was surfing the Net and came across a blog post about something called reborn dolls. At first I thought, "Oh god, now they have Cabbage Patch Kids for born-again Christians."

But the truth is actually much, much scarier.

These are not the people who are doll nuts, the kind who buy $1100 dolls on QVC and have birthday parties for them.

These are people who buy regular dolls at Toys R Us or Wal-Mart and then customize them with paint, human hair, glass eyes (the kind someone who has an eye poked out would use), all this shit...and then sell these 'babies' on eBay for like 300 bucks. They'll even use make-up to create the appearance of colic or diaper rash.

They're creepily obsessed with these dolls and talk about them like they're real kids. There are entire Web communities devoted to reborn or Berenguer dolls, as they're sometimes referred to. The most fucked-up part is that some of these people give these dolls to families who have lost their real child to illness or accident--embellishing the doll with unique traits or marks.

Here's a description of one of the dolls from a seller on eBay:

Baby Wesley came to our house as a Berenguer play doll. He was taken gently apart and given a very warm bubble bath. Then set in the sun to dry so he then could have his special color wash. We then pink blushed him in all the right places & gave him barely there freckles so he could look like a real baby boy. I painted his nails and white tipped them, opened his nose so he now can breathe. I placed a strong earth magnet inside his head so he now can use his paci.

Baby Wesley has light-brown wispy eyelashes and a very soft curly Kemper wig. He had his first hair cut. Baby Wesley was reborn on May 13th, 2005. I will also include a Reborn Birth Certificate for you to personalize. He weighs 4 lbs 1oz and is 19 inches in length. Baby Wesley will come in his diaper, a onesie, a mint green sleeper with two bibs, 2 soft blankies, his paci, and 2 warming hats. He will bring along his bottle with pretend formula and his favorite stuffed animal.

Wesley is no longer a child's play toy. Please understand I do not offer refunds, so if you need more pictures, please ask. If you have more questions please ask and I will answer as quickly as possible. Baby Wesley is waiting to be adopted by his new mommy & daddy. So please adopt this very cute lil' red-headed, freckled baby boy. Before babies walk, they step right into your heart. God Bless

Has our society's obsession with having children come to this? I think I have new-found respect for people who treat their pets like they're their children.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go take three consecutive showers.