the dead, the reborn and the never alive

From: The Gothic Tea Society

"The origins of memento mori photographs can be traced back nearly to the beginning of photography itself. During the nineteenth century, post-mortem portraits were used to acknowledge and mourn the death of a loved one, especially a baby or child. All social classes engaged in the practice, which became more widespread after the introduction of the daguerrotype in 1839. The subjects of the photos were generally arranged to appear as if peacefully asleep, all their earthly suffering ended. Displayed prominently in the household alongside other family photographs, the portraits helped heal grieving hearts by preserving some trace of the deceased." — The Gothic Tea Society
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From: bOING bOING

"[The doll] has 'BABY FAT' pellets as one of her key weighting ingredients. These new silicone based pellets make her even more realistic and add a whole new dimension to the feel of her body. The 'squish' factor is AWESOME!!"— bOING bOING

"Welcome to The Neverland Nursery! The nursery is a very special 
place because it is magical! Each time a new baby is born, on the
first evening of its arrival, when the nursery is all dark and the
babies are sleeping, the neverland fairies come to visit. They fly
over the newborn baby and lightly sprinkle it with their magical fairy dust... fairy dust that will transform the newborn into a baby forever! The baby then becomes a part of Neverland... 
where babies never grow up!" — Karen Whitmore (about her Reborn Dolls) The Neverland Nursery

From: Tokyo Times

"Davecat keeps a picture of his girlfriend in his wallet. She's pretty, with long black hair, an alluring mole under her left eye, and glossy red lipstick. Her sheer tank top shows off her full breasts and the hoop through her left nipple.[...]
     Because Real Dolls' silicone flesh holds heat well and becomes more pliable when body-temperature warm, Davecat toasts Sidore with an electric mattress pad all day. Aside from getting up for occasional photo shoots, she mostly stays in bed, lying on her side to keep her butt from getting flat and so she's spoonable. She also frequently wears an athletic bra to keep her 34D breasts from sagging."— Salon

"[The company] that makes these companions offer a lifelong after-service, and anticipate a time when the doll will outlive its owner. But for any unwanted dutch wives [In Japan (according to Wikipedia) sex dolls are known as "Dutch Wives" ('dattchi waifu' ) ], the company will discreetly take them back free of charge. And rather than just throw them away, twice a year it has a Buddhist memorial service, where the ‘souls’ of the dolls are consecrated."— Tokyo Times

WARNING: Some may find the content of the Tokyo Times article disturbing, inappropriate and abhorrent to North American sensibilities and mores.


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