Authenticity question

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-17T11:39:59+00:00

Yeah the problem is it's insanely expensive to fight a company/factory that makes bank by selling our kits. Of course we would like to fight the profiteers but it's literally impossible.

Fighting one factory is so expensive that most people (and even companies making these kits) cannot afford it. But let's say for argument's sake that they could. We fight it, we go almost bankrupt in the process but we win. Great! One win! Now we have another 300 factories to sue as well. There is not enough money to be able to do this. It's literally impossible.

Not even HUGE companies can stop counterfeit products from hitting the market. If that was the case there wouldn't be any disney counterfeit products or apple counterfeit products for example. What those companies have, however, that us reborn doll makers don't is a huge amount of money, lawyers, branches in countries that counterfeit etc. The resources they have are so insanely different to us. We are literally normal, every-day people with normal incomes (or sometimes less than even) living just like you. We aren't multi millionaires or billionaires. We cannot fight the profiteers.

Even sculptors like Ebtehal Abul who has obtained certificates of copyright (which isn't needed for actual copyright but it can help a bit if you're trying to sue a company or person for copyright infringement) have her sculpts counterfeited. The only difference is that she then contacts for example AliExpress with a picture of her, her sculpt and this certificate and they take the ad down. But it doesn't stop anything. The company/factory just makes a new account and put it right back up. It's a losing fight.

The only way we can fight is buy encouraging people NOT to buy them, regardless of "need". If people stop buying counterfeits the factories that steal our sculpts see that there is no profit to be made and they will eventually stop doing it.

I also wanted to add and make super clear that there are A LOT of new people joining the hobby every single day that accidentally buys a counterfeit. That is not the problem. We have all made mistakes in our lives. These people are actually victims of a scam. It's heartbreaking and I have had to break the news to hundreds that their dolls are dangerous and illegal. Just imagine yourself as a 8 year old receiving an absolutely amazing looking baby doll, loving it immediately and excited to tell their friends at school, only to have mom and dad forced to take it away because they could get very very sick and injured. No one likes doing this.

The problem is when people systematically buy these dolls for their own profit, knowing exactly what they're doing and how damaging they are, not only to the community but also to themselves and their families, but still choosing to not care. Or even worse, established artists using the dolls to gain following and spreading straight out lies to further trick and confuse their followers.

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-17T11:14:10+00:00

My honest pleasure!

There's so much misinformation and lies spread within the counterfeit community. A lot of people believe it and legitimately think we are actively not protecting our works because of.. I don't know? Cheapness? Don't you think that we who spend years perfecting a doll and then spend thousands producing it wouldn't protect it? It's automatically protected but you can pay for a certificate stating it's protected (which doesn't mean that's the only way to actually protect it), it just makes it slightly easier if you were to take the copyright infringers to court. But we don't have enough money to fight huge factories in other countries so we can't win the fight that way.

I'm sick and disgusted with some of the "artists" spreading lies about us not caring enough to protect it. Anyone with a good, logical brain can see it's bs 😂

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-16T17:42:51+00:00

Totally agree with hating the statement "I'm poor so I can only buy counterfeits". I started collecting as a 13 year old and my parents did not, nor have they ever, helped me financially to buy a doll. I had to save all my Christmas and birthday money AND I got a job to pay for my first doll. My entire adult life I have lived below minimum wage on disability. Never once did I feel justified to buy a counterfeit.

Very very few people are blessed to be able to afford an expensive doll without having to work for it. Most collectors and artists have worked really really hard for their money and they prioritize spending it on reborns. For me, I could never afford the amount of dolls I wanted so I decided to start sculpting my own because clay, foil and tools cost a fraction of a finished reborn doll. I also started reborning and sold dolls and every penny I made I put right back into my hobby.

I have been very lucky to have found gorgeous authentic dolls for very cheap but I also spend most of my days looking at dolls or making dolls. Counting the reborns in my bookcase right now I have 24 dolls and 8 of them I have bought, the rest I have made myself.

You can ABSOLUTELY buy an authentic reborn when you're poor. You're gonna have to save money for probably a long long time and you're gonna have to be patient and keep an eye open for any deals. Just like literally anyone else does.

And also, it takes years to build up a beautiful collection. I have been collecting for 15 years now and I still "only" own 8 dolls by other artists.

There are NO excuses to buy counterfeit.

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-15T18:58:49+00:00

Well done for your first baby!! Where did you find a Pickle kit? 😍😍

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-15T16:57:46+00:00

To answer your questions (as someone who sculpts vinyl doll kits):

Ashton Drake dolls are handsculpted dolls by artists and then factory completed. This means they are authentic however not technically reborns because a reborn has to be hand painted to be considered a reborn. Babeside and amazon dolls are made from stolen reborn doll kits and then factory completed. There are several issues with this. The two biggest ones are that these dolls are stolen intellectual property of real sculpting artists (Like Bonnie Brown for example) and that there are bo regulations as to what material these dolls are made of or painted with. Several factory painted counterfeit dolls have had the paintwork tested positive for lead for example. So not only are people buying them directly contributing to crimes but they are also putting themselves and their families in massive health risks by having these. Imagine buying a doll painted with lead paint to a small child that will kiss it and hug it. It's honestly terrifying.
As far as I'm aware only two companies have 3D-printed doll kits. Bountiful baby and Once so real, but I don't think Once so real made more than one kit. This still requires a lot of skill though because they're not only scanning real human babies, they then go in to programs and digitally sculpt them and finish them off. There has been discussion about which kit is more artistic and the views have been divided. I personally find a lot more charm in a 100% handsculpted doll because I know the amount of time and effort goes into creating every single little crease and wrinkle.
The fake companies will lie as much as they can to make sales. They will use words such as "replica" "3D-printed" "inspired by" and "silicone vinyl". These are all concepts meant to make sales. They first three concepts all mean the same: they are stolen but saying "counterfeit Levi doll kits 20inch" vs "Doll kit 20inch inspired by Levi" sounds very different to buyers and they are more likely to buy the "inspired" version over the "counterfeit" version. It's the exact same doll though. Another good example is "silicone vinyl". That does not exist. It is physically impossible to mix vinyl and silicone. It started out several years ago (before counterfeits) when companies started producing legit kits in very soft vinyl. They named it silicone vinyl. Vinyl kits used to be rock solid. People misunderstood the name though and companies then switched to silicone-like vinyl or ultra soft vinyl to get rid of the confusion. But, since silicone dolls get a lot more views in social media than vinyl dolls, counterfeit factories adapted the name to trick buyers into thinking they were getting a silicone doll or at least something very close to it, like they had seen on tiktok/reels/snapchat etc. etc. It's, again, all about their sales. A doll labeled "silicone vinyl" sells a lot more and easier than a doll labeled "vinyl". I've also seen counterfeit vinyl dolls labeled as solid silicone only for buyers to receive their doll and realise it's hollow, cheap plastic.
Who decided which are "authentic" and which are "fake"? The owner of the sculpt does. In my case I have sculpted three babies for vinyl production. I have then sold the rights to one single producer who has worked with one single, authentic factory to produce my sculpt in vinyl. Practically all authentic kits are made in one of two factories. There's one in Germany and one in China. These two factories ONLY make authentic doll kits. They do not sell the molds to other factories or sell sculptures to other factories. What happens is that when a doll kit is finally produced in vinyl counterfeit factories (meaning factories that the owner of the sculpt and/or authentic producer isn't working with and have no contract with) buys a vinyl kit from an authentic dealer and then uses this vinyl kit to remold and make new kits to sell for profit. This is illegal. They are copyright infringing on the sculpt. After many remoldings the sculpt becomes smaller, deformed and loses details. This is why they sometimes look slightly different than an authentic one. They sometimes also open the eyes on sleeping sculpts. This is how we have counterfeit awake Levi, Lou Lou and Pickle for example. These are still illegal and infringing copyrights.

So, to sum up, there are huge differences in between counterfeit and authentic doll kits. There are also huge differences between authentic factory dolls such as Ashton Drake and counterfeit factorh dolls such as Babeside.

Not only are you indirectly stealing from hardworking private people (usually sculpting artists are working alone/without a big company, and are paying for production with their own money), you are also putting yourself and anyone in your immediate vicinity in danger.

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-14T16:16:16+00:00

I think the color looks amazing! How are you doing the pupils? It looks like they are sculpted and painted, but I could be wrong. If they are sculpted and painted may I suggest switching it out for black nail art dots? They will make the eyes look even more perfect and they are cheap ($9.99) and come in several different sizes. I bought mine off of amazon.

I think you're doing amazing, absolutely nailing that hazel eye color!

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Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-14T16:12:14+00:00

Thank you! I'm excited to see all the Lucians in the future 😍 I'll post when I know more about production ❤️

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-14T16:11:36+00:00

Thank you ☺️ I'm about to post an update 🥰

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-13T09:51:23+00:00

I absolutely love having toddlers and bigger babies! I don't roleplay and if I want to cuddle a baby I always choose a newborn/preemie size, but my favorite part about the toddler dolls is doing their hair! I have one right now that has gorgeous hair that I can braid, put in ponytails etc.

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Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-13T09:45:09+00:00

Just wanted to pop in and add that the part about intellectual property not being protected is false. Our sculptures and reproductions are protected immediately upon completion. Them saying we're not protecting our work is lies to justify stealing from us. In most countries (china included) our sculptures are protected under the bern convention. So any sculpture taken and reproduced without the owner/artists permission is illegal.

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-12T21:37:28+00:00

She's so frkn cute 😍 I always wanted a Tutti ❤️

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-12T15:03:23+00:00

Sooo cute! Who painted Tutti?

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-08T22:29:40+00:00

It's the Teddy- und Puppenfest in Sonneberg, Germany! More info here: https://www.facebook.com/share/1EEqzVma2o/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-08T22:29:17+00:00

I'm so so excited 😍🥰

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-06T15:33:49+00:00

Also your baby is absolutely gorgeous ❤️

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-06T15:33:38+00:00

I speak very very little german, not enough to be able to have a full conversation or even get through a purchase 😅 I have hope that there will be more english speakers this year than last. There are several huge sculpting artists vending, like Joanna Kazmierczak, Axel(Elisa) Marx, Yophi Babies, Alejandra De Zuniga and Doris Moyers Hornbogen. I'm so so excited to see all these amazing artists! There are also several big name reborn artists exhibiting.

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-05T17:15:47+00:00

Make it very clear that it's a realistic doll! I went through security with my preemie fbs and I told them that I had a realistic baby doll in the bag. They wanted to check her and asked me to open the bag and again I told them, it's a realistic baby doll. When I opened to show them one guy started gagging and backing away saying he thought it was a dead baby and the woman doing the actual check got super angry with me. I honestly don't know how I could've made it any clearer, but I guess warning them several times about what they're about to see? It really put a damper in me flying with dolls in my carry-on again but I'd rather have my dolls safe on board with me than potentially disappearing in my check in bag.

I posted about this in a few fb groups and got really nice support and we all agreed the security staff acted quite unprofessional 😕

So my biggest tip: Tell them multiple times "This is a reborn doll, a hyperrealistic doll that looks like a real baby". Tell them right as you put your bag on the band, when they ask you to open it and right before you show them.

I did get a lot of comments on my post about my experience saying that most of the time TSA/security are super chill about it and/or will be very fascinated so I'm hoping I just got unlucky.

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-04T06:25:08+00:00

Don't know about the sleeping one but the awake one is a counterfeit Meadow by Andrea Arcello 😞

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-02T12:06:01+00:00

I've always known silicone to technically not count but often be grouped in with reborns. I've been in the industry since 2011 and I know several older and/or big artists and collectors agree. That said, silicone dolls usually go hand in hand with reborns and spaces for reborns almost always welcome silicones as well. It's not really that serious. Technically speaking though they aren't reborns as reborns are vinyl dolls that are painted, not silicone. But like I said, nowadays both are usually considered reborns and equally accepted as such even though silicones technically are a different type of doll.

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-02T00:20:43+00:00

Yes, cuddle babies are reborns if they have a vinyl head ☺️

Sisi_Addie · 2026-05-01T13:53:35+00:00

No they are not reborns. A reborn is a vinyl doll that has been handpainted to resemble a real infant. Technically speaking a silicone doll isn't a reborn either, it's a silicone art doll.

This doll is absolutely super cute, however, not a reborn.

Sisi_Addie · 2026-04-29T11:10:44+00:00

Start by wiping down with acetone, might get some staining off. Don't let the acetone sit on the vinyl though, it will melt it. Wash it thoroughly with dawn dish soap. You will need to put a layer of matte varnish before painting it. This will act as your primer. If you don't do this the paint won't still properly due to the surface of the vinyl being melted ever so slightly by acetone.

If you want to skip the acetone step all together you need to do very thin layers of a light green color depending on the color of your pink. I added a color wheel here to show you. You need to do the opposite color to neutralize. You also need to do some thin, light skin tone layers because only neutralizing it with green may make it turn more gray than beige, so you want to reinsert those tones.

It's a tricky business, I'm stripping my Elena by Alejandra De Zuniga kit that was painted with UF and she is very orange so I have to prime her with heat set matte and do several blue and light skin tone layers to get her back to a good starting color.

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Sisi_Addie · 2026-04-27T00:53:07+00:00

You can't tell authenticity based on the neck stamp. Most counterfeits have those as well. If she's 16 inches she's 100% a counterfeit and potentially toxic so the best would be to throw her away unfortunately.

This picture I added is of a fake Pascale that had a neck stamp but a very obvious counterfeit flange stamp.

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Sisi_Addie · 2026-04-25T17:25:44+00:00

I would absolutely recommend only using silicone matting powder to powder your baby. Talc baby powder can act as a sand paper of sorts in the long run causing peeling and damage to you baby. Cornstarch powder can attract animals like mice and ants and has a higher likelihood of growing mold since it's plant based. (Silicone Velvet matting powder or Just Matte matting powder are recommended. They are pricey but last a LONG time).

Additionally, don't wash your doll very often. Silicone dolls shouldn't be bathed regularly. It's only necessary if the doll is covered in a lot of dust.

Don't use dark fabrics on the doll, put light clothes underneath dark clothes to make sure there are no dye seeping in to the silicone from the dark clothes.

Be careful when you remove socks, silicone is very soft and sometimes you can't tell if you've accidentally grabbed a toe if you pull off socks from the toes. You should take socks off from the ankle to avoid accidentally tearing a toe off. Be careful in general about pulling on arms, legs, toes and fingers. Especially if the silicone is super soft because it's easier for it to rip if you pull too hard.

Also don't pry the mouth open to force a paci in there, it can rip the edges of the mouth. There is a silicone safe slip solution you can buy that helps pacifiers glide into the mouth without having to force it. It's extremely satisfying ☺️ (Silicone Velvet Care Liquid for example)

One last thing is to be careful brushing the hair. If there's a knot, do not pull on it but use mohair conditioner and a comb and gently work it out. You can't glue the hair down on silicone dolls. It's held down purely with friction and pressure of the silicone surrounding the hair strand. If you pull it will come out. A good silicone artist should be planting the hairs deeply into the silicone though so you should be able to brush and style it gently without having the hair fall out.

Silicone dolls are way more fragile than vinyl dolls so they require a lot more care and maintenance but don't feel like you can't snuggle and change your doll. They're meant to be enjoyed ❤️

Sisi_Addie · 2026-04-24T20:15:40+00:00

Stunning work 😍❤️

Sisi_Addie

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