(Wall Street Journal) – Highly realistic baby dolls have become a global phenomenon, with collectors shelling out for luxury baby gear and doting on their ‘reborns’ as if they were human children

When I told a dollmaker that I’ve never seen someone carrying a reborn in New York, she smiled knowingly and said, “You have.”

Detractors find the dolls creepy, and some owners say they are taunted by families and online bullies. What these critics misunderstand, collectors say, is the therapeutic potential of the dolls. Women who have lost babies or experienced miscarriages are comforted by reborns. The dolls can also soothe women with post-traumatic stress disorder, Alzheimer’s, dementia and autism. Britney Spears, who said she had a miscarriage, has been seen carrying a doll. Some women are fanatic collectors, amassing dozens if not hundreds of dolls and posting online videos of diaper changes and trips to the park. Children and teens play with them. Hollywood snaps them up as stunt babies. (Read More)