ANDREA Lee, a 50-year-old mother of four from Singapore, has garnered international acclaim for her incredibly lifelike dolls, which can sell for up to US$6,000 each (approx. RM27,936).
According to Channel News Asia, she has been passionate about painting since childhood, but had to put her artistic dreams on hold to focus on work and family.
However, in 2021, with her children grown, she attended a “reborn” doll workshop to reconnect with her creative aspirations.
Sharing her newfound skills online, she quickly attracted interest from collectors eager to purchase her dolls.
This led her to establish a website where she could sell her unique creations.
The “reborn” dolls, crafted from silicone or vinyl, are meticulously designed to replicate the look and feel of real babies.
The process begins with a sculptor creating the initial doll, which is then handed over to Andrea for painting.
She applies a base coat to ensure the paint’s longevity and “bakes” the doll in an oven to set the first layer.
The intricate painting process and hair implantation, which can take up to 40 hours for each strand, and it can take three to six weeks to perfect a lifelike skin tone.
Once the dolls are complete, she dresses them in baby clothes, photographs them and lists them for sale on her website, providing each doll with a special name and detailed information such as height and price.
She sells about 26 dolls a year, with buyers from around the world.
“To see how you can ... bring life to a doll through your art is very rewarding,” she told the Singapore news outlet.
One of her reborn doll collectors, Jessica Wu, shared: “Among all the sellers, her reborn dolls look the most natural, detailed and realistic.”
“Everything looks very real: (The doll’s) face is rosy, her skin looks like a real baby’s, and her nails.”
Andrea believes her dolls offer more than just aesthetic value; they provide emotional and therapeutic benefits.
She recalls shedding tears of joy, surprised by the comfort she felt while cradling her first reborn doll. It brought back memories of her days as a young mother, holding a newborn baby.
Many netizens shared mixed views on her Instagram page where she posts pictures of the dolls.
“Love your work, sooooo beautiful and detailed,” one netizen commented.
Another said, “The attention to detail is absolutely insane, beautifully done.”
“Wait so what’s the point of it, is there supposed to be a point or is it just a very realistic doll just because, just curious,” a third person commented.
