Early Reborns Made in Greece

Name: Early Reborns Made in Greece: Amiri Adam and Aaliyah (named by the curator)

Made by and When: In 2001, an independent doll artist in Athens, Greece reborn this pair of baby dolls made by Llorens of Spain.

Material: Vinyl, synthetic eyes, paint, mixed stuffing materials, synthetic hair fibers

Marks: (Heads) by Llorens®

Height: 18 inches

Weight: 4 lb., 7 oz. each

Hair, Eyes, Mouths, Extras: The boy has black, tightly curled hair. The girl originally had rooted black ponytails and molded hair in between. The molded hair is now filled in with rooted black curly hair for a “full head of hair” appearance. Each doll has inserted brown acrylic eyes and open mouths that expose pink rubber tongues. Blushed cheeks and manicured and pedicured fingernails and toenails enhance their lifelike appearance.

Clothes: Amiri Adam wears a blue and white romper with a blue pacifier attached to the romper, a matching hat, and blue and white socks. Aaliyah wears a pink and white romper, a matching hat, and pink and white socks. Both dolls have newborn identification bracelets that bear their names (Amiri Adam and Aaliyah) and their date of birth (29 August 2001).

Other: These dolls are early examples of reborn dolls, a term used to describe customized, life-size baby dolls designed to look and feel like real newborn babies. Reborn dolls typically start as basic, molded-hair, vinyl play dolls or doll kits. The customizer or reborn artist may choose to add rooted hair, eyelashes, cheek color, and materials to give weight to the bodies. The dolls’ nails and/or feet are usually manicured. The mouth and nostrils can be opened to give a “breather” appearance and to allow insertion of a bottle or a pacifier. Birth certificates, identification bracelets, toys, and extra clothing are usually provided by the artists. No two reborn dolls are exactly alike.

Gallery

Other Reborn Doll Installations

Meili

Early Reborn Dolls

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Published by DeeBeeGee

Doll collector, historian, co-founder of the first e-zine devoted to collecting black dolls; author of black-doll reference books, doll blogs, and doll magazine articles.

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