EXPLAINING TERMS IN BUYING A REBORN DOLL

Types of Reborn Dolls

Lately, there has been a bit of confusion about what is a reborn doll and what is not. Sellers tend to list their dolls in the wrong sections or do not realize they are claiming something that it is not. Let's explore some terms you may find in the listings for reborn dolls.
Most reborn dolls are made from vinyl which is also known as pvc. It is plastic. In the beginning of reborn doll making, people would purchase cheaper play dolls from the local discount or toy store, strip off all its paint, hair, and take it off its body and repaint it, reapply the hair and put it on another body with weighting inside to resemble a real baby. Most reborn dolls today are made from kits that individual sculptors create and have produced into vinyl for the sole purpose of selling to the reborn doll artist. These kits are just the plain vinyl pieces without paint, hair or body. The reborn doll artist then paints, applies hair, and puts it on a new body with weighting inside to make it feel more like a real baby. These kits are very expensive for the reborn doll artist to purchase, with most ranging about $110 each just for the plain vinyl pieces. One of the reasons this cost is so high is because manufacturing vinyl is cheaper the more that is produced in a single run. Since most doll collectors want limited edition dolls for uniqueness, the sculptors tend to keep their production sizes smaller so it costs more money.

A lot of doll kits are considered limited editions or LE. This tells the collector how many kits were made worldwide and will never be reproduced. A certificate of authenticity usually accompanies the doll, but not all sculptors make certificates of authenticity(CoA).

Prototypes are the first few kits that are produced. These are sent back to the sculptor prior to the edition being run to ensure that all is in order for the edition to run. The sculptor will then send the kits onto select artists to have made for examples of what the kit can look like when done. Prototypes will have their own special CoA and it is not considered to be part of the edition.

Open edition kits are not limited in the number of copies made and CoA is usually not present with this type of kit.

Retired editions are kits that were originally open edition kits that are no longer being produced.

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What is a prototype?
When a sculptor sends their doll to a manufacturer, the manufacturer makes the mold and pours a few examples of the parts. These are sent back to the sculptor to make sure its good to produce. The sculptor then sends it to an artist they respect to have it made so other artists can see what the kit can look like once completed. These are usually under 4 and are usually made and released prior to the kit being completed. A true prototype will have its own special type of certificate of authenticity different from the rest of the edition marking it as a prototype.






Vinyl vs silicone vs silicone vinyl

Now that we know how the kits are produced, let's explore the materials they may be produced into.
Ninety percent of the kits will be made from vinyl. So far, we only know of two countries that will produce these vinyl pieces for individuals, China and Germany. German produced kits are slightly more expensive since they pay their workers far more than China does, but they tend to generally have a better quality to the pour.

Both countries make different types of vinyl doll kits. Your vinyl may be fairly hard or very soft, depending on the amount of plasticizers used.

About 9% of kits are made from silicone. Silicone is a rubber and not a plastic. Currently, there are two types of silicone used in pouring dolls. The first is called Tin Silicone, which is a one step silicone production. The other type is called Platinum Silicone, which is a two part pour. Platinum silicone is the most common type to be used by an individual artist. It can be much softer than tin silicone but too soft can mean easy tearing. It can also be as hard as tin silicone, which is still a lot softer than vinyl. Silicone can be poured soft or firm, depending on the shore hardness of the silicone. Silicone dolls are predominantly made by individual sculptors and independent silicone pourers. There are a few reborn artists that also paint, apply hair and assemble silicone dolls. The silicone is not made in a large factory like vinyl dolls are made in and the cost of silicone is extremely expensive making these one of the most expensive types of dolls you can get. Silicone must be painted with silicone for it to cure properly.

About .5% of the dolls made are made from resin. Resin is a form of acrylic or plastic but is very hard to the touch. It is expensive to pour resin because its very dangerous and only a handful of people will produce resin, although, it is possible to have resin poured in China, Korea and certain parts of Japan, as well.

The other .5% of dolls made are called One of a kind, or OOAK for short. These dolls are typically made in polymer clay by a sculptor, who then paints and applies hair, adds to a body and such. Polymer is very hard but not as hard as resin but you can be sure there will only be one doll made exactly like it because it is not sent to a manufacturer at all.

If you noticed, the above totals 100%. But what about silicone vinyl dolls? There is no such thing. Silicone and vinyl cannot be combined to make anything silicone vinyl. If someone is claiming that a doll is made from silicone vinyl, they are actually made from vinyl with more plasticizers added to make it softer.


Hair
Other terms you may have seen in listings are rooted, micro-rooted, painted, wigged, or applied hair. These are terms to describe how the hair has been applied. Painted and wigged hair is self explanatory. Rooted hair is usually Angora mohair or Suri alpaca fibers inserted into the vinyl or silicone with a special type of needle. Reborn artists call them rooting needles, but they are actually felting needles. These needles are very slim and have barbs on them that catch the fibers as it is inserted into the vinyl or silicone. Some needles are forked, which doesn't have a barb but has a groove in the tip in which to push the fiber into the head. Micro-rooted hair is the same as rooted hair except that the artist took the extra time and patience to be certain of only inserting 1-2 fibers at a time into the vinyl or silicone head, producing a much softer and neater appearance, rather than the plugs that regular rooting can cause. The finest fiber for doll application is Suri alpaca, then kid mohair, young adult and finally adult mohair. Some dolls are rooted with human hair, but human hair is much thicker and courser than the other mentioned fibers.

Applied hair is usually found on OOAK dolls because the polymer clay doll is very hard so the hair is actually glued onto the head.

Eyes
Some dolls have open eyes. The most common and least expensive type of eye used in reborn dolls are acrylic eyes. Some eyes are solid glass and some are mouth blown glass. The mouth blown glass eyes are very expensive and very delicate and can shatter easily. Some eyes are oval, half round or full round. As a collector, you won't notice the difference of this because most of the eye is inside the doll and not where you can see it.


Body
Most reborn dolls are on soft bodies. Some are on vinyl bodies but these are not as cuddly as the soft bodies. Doe, deer or craft suede is the most common material used to make soft bodies. Some are jointed, some are not, some are for full limbs(up to the shoulder arms or up to the hip legs) some are for 3/4 limbs(just above elbow and knee) and some are for 1/4 limbs(just above wrists and ankles). Most of the jointed bodies are used on dolls that have 3/4 or 1/4 limbs but some are used for full limbs, also. The joints make the shoulders and hips turn and rotate easier.

Inside the doll is mostly poly fill or cotton fiber. They are stuffed as you would stuff a teddy bear. To create the realistic weight, most people use glass beads. The glass beads are not the same type of beads you would make a necklace from, but are actually tiny little glass balls that are used mostly in sand blasting. Some people use poly pellets which is little plastic pieces and some use steel shot or BBs. The glass beads and steel shot are usually contained in little hand sewn pouches, nylon stockings or vinyl gloves. Latex should never be used in a doll as the vinyl can break the latex down into a horrible mess. The doll should never be filled with anything that is organic as this can cause mold and other health hazards.

Another item that may be in your doll is a magnet or a few. Magnets help to hold hair bows on the head or a pacifier onto the mouth. These are very strong and must have caution used around people with pacemakers and electronic equipment.


Paint
There are different types of paint artists use to paint their dolls. Genesis heat set paints(GHSP) is a polymer paint that must use heat to cure it properly. Another type of paint some artists use is acrylic. The acrylic paints are the highest artist grade and not craft grade and is usually sealed to help the cured paint stay on the vinyl. Something new going around is something they are calling pigment powders. These powders are made for the cosmetic industry and personally, I've never tried them so I cannot tell you if they are a more permanent type of coloring used such as GHSP or not.
Why is my doll so heavy?
When an artist weights a doll, not all consider what type of weight it is. A live baby weighing 7 lbs 4 oz is not as heavy as a doll weighing 7 lbs 4 oz because the doll's weight is dead weight.
Pre-made or custom made?
The majority of dolls on eBay are pre-made dolls, meaning the artist has already made the doll and has photographed the doll you will receive should you win the bid or buy It Now. The doll is as it is and you should not ask for any customization of the doll.

Some artists are advertising Custom made dolls. A custom doll is the best way for you to get what you want and only what you want in a reborn doll but it has its risks on eBay. First, consider the time it will take to make the doll. Will you still be protected under the buyer protection service or will it take too long to make? Also, you must be certain that the artist shows you a lot of examples of their own work. A lot of people lately are using other artist's photographs to advertise their custom dolls. Know the quality of doll you are likely to receive to reduce disappointment.



Its not just a doll, its a piece of art.
Because reborn dolls are not mass produced such as Ashton Drake dolls or other large doll companies, your doll will not look like any other artist's dolls of the same kit. That makes the doll you are receiving unique. Also, because your doll is made by an individual artist, it takes a lot of time and work. Some dolls can take up to 6 weeks to make and a lot of care and time goes into making these keepsakes. If any artist claims they can make a doll in a day or even a week, be wary. Chances are, the quality of the doll you receive from someone who makes it faster than one who doesn't may be severely inferior.



What is a prototype?

When a sculptor sends their doll to a manufacturer, the manufacturer makes the mold and pours a few examples of the parts. These are sent back to the sculptor to make sure its good to produce. The sculptor then sends it to an artist they respect to have it made so other artists can see what the kit can look like once completed. These are usually under 4 and are usually made and released prior to the kit being completed. A true prototype will have its own special type of certificate of authenticity different from the rest of the edition marking it as a prototype.

By BLUEFAIRYBABIES