The Strange World of Reborns

Reborns are life-like baby dolls that simulate newborns right down to the veins on the head, the blotchy skin and even the tube from the hospital. Companies like Cream Puff Babies and Reborn-Baby make each baby individually, often to order. And they all pretend that they're alive. Hence the birth dates and times, birth weights and names. Some offer heartbeat features and a magnetic dummy.

The women who buy these dolls—at $4000 a pop—consider themselves adoptive parents. As seen in this BBC documentary, they often have dedicated baby rooms in the house, with proper cribs and feeding times. They tip toe around the house so as not to wake them.

And if humans seem so last year, Cream Puff Babies also has a line of chimps, like Bindi here, on the left, who has been adopted and is living in Australia. Unlike actual chimps, Bindi can’t hurl his feces, ride a Segway or chew your face when he's older—he’s barely made a start on that banana. Go on, treat yourself!