Doll lovers and collectors alike have recently been looking for a doll that appears to more closely resemble an actual young human. In fact, a new market that calls for the making of "reborn" dolls has become quite popular for those who like to acquire different types of dolls. Most seasoned doll collectors have become bored with the dolls that are usually sold in stores. It's these people that are now embracing the artistic endeavor of producing dolls that could be mistaken for humans (or almost!)

The reborn dolls market has really boomed in the last five or so years thanks to the wider adoption of certain artistic techniques that allow the dolls to be enhanced and made to be more realistic. Much of the reborn doll craze can be attributed to the berenguer and preemie dolls that have been sold for years, which have lifelike attributes and other realistic expressions and shapes that resemble human babies.

Typically, reborn dolls are formed through an intensive process which strips the doll of its artificial appearance, which creates a more realistic doll. It usually beings by disassembling the doll and removing the paint that is applied by the production company. After the paint is stripped, a plastic shell remains, which can then be changed as it is needed.

A lot of methods are used while making reborn dolls to make them look more realistic. To make the skin color of the doll look natural a purple color is added to the inside of the plastic parts. This process adds color tones beneath the plastic. After that the outside of the doll is painted with many different skin colored paints. To make the doll look even more lifelike they even go as far to use other techniques and styles to add skin lines and blemishes.

Reborn dolls will then have real human hair or soft human-like faux hair added for the hair and eyelashes, often by hand and strand by strand, to help create the human look. This can take dozens of hours. Once the hair is completed, the doll is put back together again. At this point softer fillings and other items, like sound boxes to create the illusion of breathing, or a heartbeat, may be added to make the completed doll seem even more life-like.

For the people who would like to create one of reborn dolls by themselves, there are kits designed to let the buyer make one without too much effort. Those who truly desire one, however, will buy one no matter the cost, even if it is several hundred dollars. The new trend is to give these dolls to brand new mothers as a memento of their child's birth.

Creating more realistic child dolls is a growing trend among collectors and hobbyists. The challenge involves making the dolls resemble real human children. The term given to this practice is called Reborn Doll Kits. This new market is exciting for long time crafters, who have grown tired of the more typical and far less realistic dolls that have been on the market for years and years. The Berenguer and Preemie Dolls that have sold for years can be credited partially for the craze brought on by Reborn Dolls, as they began the trend of lifelike qualities and expressions that make them reminiscent of a real human baby.