Doll-baby simulacra: Turning Dolls into Babies
Today's uncanny doll story comes from this English account. It's about a business in Tyneside, which carefully crafts dolls into lifelike baby simulacra for childless people. This is the only picture I could find - if it's a doll, it's very well done.
The article begins with a fine Gothic touch:
A bag of lifelike eyes hangs on the wall of the Scotts’ loft. Like something out of a horror film there are heads, legs and arms strewn across the benches and poking out of boxes.
There are packs of nappies piled on top of baby clothes and birth certificates surrounded by clumps of what looks like real hair.
That comes right away this story about multiple uncanny limbs. What's going on in Britain this season?
For its part, Google offers this chilling suggestion when I googled "Turning Dolls into Babies":
Did you mean: Turning Dollars into Babies ?
That's a genre waiting to happen: Google Gothic.
More Infocultishness about uncanny doubles in real life and pop culture, including more life doll stories: MyTwinn, toy soldiers mistaken for the real thing in Iraq, and hacked Elmo evil toys. See also: fear of a double Second Life, fetal doubles, a fine song, and doppelganger by proxy.
(thanks to Jesse Walker)
Uncanny Valley just got a little deeper.
Posted by: Gardner | September 19, 2007 at 13:11
boy, babies really are a fashion accessory.
Posted by: saramin | September 19, 2007 at 15:33
Ha! saramin.
The uncanny valley is well populated, Gardner.
Posted by: Bryan Alexander | September 19, 2007 at 17:56
There's a whole industry for incredibly lifelike baby dolls. It's called "reborning" Google yourself up "reborn baby doll" sometime, or heck, look on eBay.
Posted by: Andrea | September 22, 2007 at 11:23
Oh, thank you, Andrea. That's a whole world of uncanny dolls.
A new Infocult entry owes its very, ah, birth to you.
Posted by: Bryan Alexander | September 24, 2007 at 20:19
Glad to oblige. :)
Posted by: Andrea | September 24, 2007 at 21:57