Pediophobia

I actually think the fear of dolls dates back to the thought patterns developed at early childhood, not to horror movies about dolls. What got me into thinking so are the reactions of young children towards realistic looking dolls in general, not just BJDs (I worked with children of various ages for a couple of years four years ago and I'm also studying for a teacher's licence). Children are either fascinated by them or all out terrified by them. When talking with the children to find reasons for their reactions, the children - both those who liked and those who feared - said the dolls looked alive. The problem for them seemed to be they were unable to decide for certain wether or not the dolls were actually living miniature humans or just inanimate objects. Those who were more prone to shun away at moments of uncertainty were terrified by the dolls, those who had a tendensy for curiosity when facing new situations were fascinated by the dolls.

I believe that at least partially the reactions of adults rise from similar dispositions, since the primary reaction caused by the dolls is more a subconscious one, a "what if" reaction; "What if it isn't inanimate at all?" We are not that far from the panteistic ages yet to have completely lost that one tiny crumb of irrationality.

And besides, the themes of horror movies have to come from somewhere, now don't they? Usually from the subconscious fears we humans have. I wonder why there are so many movies of living dolls... *hinthinthint*

 

I think kids are scared of 'real' looking dolls because the eyes lack the fundimental 'spark' of life. Sure, they look like eyes... but they're blank and dead looking. That's very creepy.

 

Indeed, they look alive and yet not alive at all. That is the reason for their mixed reactions, ie. the confusion of wether or not they are alive. If there were the spark, they would be alive, if they were less "human like" the dead in the eyes would not be a problem at all since it would be thought of as an inanimate thing anyway. Thanks for pointing that out, I wasn't being completely clearly articulated in my previous post... (well, English isn't my native language so...)

 

I was at a theme park last week (Joypolis in Odaiba, for any Tokyoites out there ^^), and one of the attractions I bullied my friends into coming with me to was something called 'The Room of the Living Dolls' (here is a link - it's in Japanese, but you can see the featured 'living doll' and her mother in the poster) I was interested to see what it was going to be like, largely thanks to this thread. I shan't go into all the details, save that it was very scary in the psychologial way that Japanese horror movies excell at. The premise was that the mother was searching for various things (hair, eyes, heart of a 'volunteer' in the room) to bring her dead daughter back to life in the form of this living doll. Even before the attraction began for real, they were playing on the concept Sleepy doll described:

- at one point the doll shifted and tripped the attendant as she was explaining the story, causing her to fall heavily on the table. "What was that? Did she... move just now?" she said as she pushed this lifesize doll back into position slumped over in her chair.

I won't go into much more detail because it's irrelevant, suffice it to say that it was very effective at being scary for precisely the reasons that this thread has been detailing on why people find dolls disturbing. But I was quite interested in my own reaction: three months ago, I'd have found the whole thing quite horrifying. But now? I think actually having an extremely lifelike doll of my own has changed the way I look at them. Even during the attraction itself, I couldn't really see the doll as being inherently evil and wanting to harm anyone. Possibly because I can't think that way about my Ilú, and it transfers to other dolls?

Funnily enough, my friend who's seen the brat before turned to me as we came out and the very first thing that came out of her mouth was "You'd best make sure that your Ilú doesn't do anything like that tonight!" Obviously she sees him a little differently to the way I do

 

Intersting, Darren.

Spirit belief can be vey powerful, eh?

My neice is a bit afraid--I took Soraya to a family party and she didn't come near her--doesn't like the doll looking at her. Is she real?

Well, I must admit to a funny story that could have ended up badly. I was really into making porcelain dolls about 10 years ago and my little girl asked me if the one I was working on could talk. I picked her up, supplied the voice and said, "Hi Emily" and moved the doll around and posed her and kept up the chatter. Emily looked at me with huge eyes and kind of backed off a little bit. I thought oh no--now I've done it. She never asked if they were real. They were real enough to her--so she talked back and started to play with her. She's the only doll lover of my 3 girls. The oldest boy, now 18 appreciates them, but he's a collector type and likes very nice things in general. He understands even though he teases me a lot. "Another doll Mom?"

 

I don't like realistic looking dolls; they really bother me, I mean it's okay for others to own them and many are very cute or beautiful and I love looking at them, I just couldn't own one myself. My dolls each have a fantasy feature, such as cat or elf ears, cat or exhotic/odd coloured eyes, a fantasy hair colour, vampire teeth or slightly exhotic or exagerated make up or features. In other words, something that instantly puts them in the fantasy realm at a glance.

To a lot of people, their dolls represent their children, but not to me at all; I just can't do that and it really creaps me out when people do that. I am at the age where I am about to have my own chlidren and though I love my dolls so very much and I buy them lots of expensive clothes and wigs and eyes, but, they are not my children.

I think that that's where my own phobia lies; the fear of having my dolls look too much like real children, thus they have to be exhotic looking enough so that people know that they are not real in our reality, the minute that they see them.

 

This is an interesting point. There was actually a psychological study done (though not specifically with dolls) on the fear that people have as something becomes 'more human' looking. To be more clear, the closer to looking like a real human something is (when we know it is not, in fact, a human), it is within our nature to be very freaked out.

The study I am talking about brought up the movie Signs, with it's tall, lanky aliens, which were a far cry from the more stereotypical "little green men". You never got a clear picture of them, just that they were human like in shape and size, and thus, the psychological scare factor was there.

The same theory can be applied to dolls, and the hypothesis as such would be that: "The less human-like a doll is, the more comfortable people would be with it.". An elf, cat, vampire, etc would be more accepted than a more 'realistic' themed doll. While ABJD proportions are probably not 'spot on' in relations to humans, they are far moreso than say American Girl or Barbie.

Think

 

I just started reading this thread. I own a couple of victorian post-mortem photos of children that I bought when I was collecting some other antique photos, just because I glanced at them and they practically ripped my heart out - I literally could not breath. I never had such an immediate and powerful visceral reaction to a photo before. I thought they were very special photos.

I don't think I have ever been afraid of dolls, though I think marionettes are a bit creepy. I also don't think I am afraid of children having 3 younger sisters I helped take care of when they were little. But I do not have children (I have cats), and I have no patience for other people's unruly children, though I think well-behaved children are sweet.

I am not sure what is up with some strangers thinking some dolls look dead or or scary or look like voodoo dolls (unless they are faced-up goth with dark around the eyes). I would bet ones with light light blue eyes might remind them of the movie Children of the Damned. Maybe the eyes in general are too realistic for them.

Carolyn

 

I had to jump into this thread.

I do not have a fear of children nor any doll, but there are some I might find creepy, and infant children are so fragile but I can handle them. I do like children though when they become older and almost as small adults, especially at an age where they can seem very wise, lol (say 4-6 years). I am not good with talking to children, I talk to them as they are adults, cause I do not like to talk "down" to them and use simplified words or sentances. And the kids do actually like it I think and many kids like me, probably since I do not talk to them as they are stupid or something.

Anyways...I DO think the fear of dolls can come from the fear of them almost being alive, but then again aren't. And dolls coming to life has a long tradition. Especially japanese culture or other asian cultures. If you have played the game Fatal Frame II you know that the dolls come to life there and chase you. LOL, not for the fainthearted ones, do not play this game.
I think it's our own imagination that sets these feeling free. We KNOW they can not come to life, but we humans have vivid imaginations and they can cause our mind to go nuts. Like the fear of many things, it is our own mind that play tricks on us and makes us imagine things.

 

I went to a demonstration of the ASIMO robot, which is one of the most advanced humanoid robots in existence. Part of the reason it was being developed was to serve as a live-in assistant for disabled/eldery people. and they did talk at the presentation about conscientiously making ASIMO only 4 ft tall because that was the size people could 'relate' to, and while he has the same body build as a human, you'd never mistake him for an actual person at great distances. A lot of the robots they showed in the video presentation who did have features much closer to realistic people were kind of disconcerting to see.

So the people who are designing future 'companion robots' are aware of what you're talking about, and are conscientiously engineering them so they aren't too close in appearance to live humans.

Which means my dreams of my own hot male persocom will have to wait. *sigh*

 

Of course, when I read this topic title, I read "pedophilia," ... ...


I think the fear is partially caused by all the horrer movies involving dolls, but I think the main cause is that they're not alive, but some of them look so close to being alive that it might be freaky.
It's like a small person who never, ever moves, only sits, and stares, and watches you. (I've noticed very few BJD who are actually smiling. Most of them have a cold, serious look.)
On that note, there's another thread here somewhere mentioning a doll that does move, but it's probably because its elastic was too tight.

 

I'm very frightened by most porcelain dolls, and I think baby dolls and a lot of the newer American Girl-type dolls are creepy. I think it's the lifeless look they seem to have (for me), and the really blank stare of their eyes. I've always thought BJDs, on the other hand, looked incredibly alive. Maybe it's the expression they have - not that blank grin or stare that AGDs and porcelain dolls have.

Ferret has a couple of porcelain dolls (or maybe just one now...?), and I like them because she imbued them with personality ^^ They don't have the same lifeless gaze, especially since she changed their eyes. So I think for me it's the lifelessness factor.

Roo has various expressions depending on what mood I'm in and what mood I impose on him, and his eyes are very alive. The same goes for Boe. They don't scare me because I in essence 'created' them, and their facial features are much more lifelike and expressive than other doll types.

My father, on the other hand, is really freaked out by both Roo and Boe ^^; He doesn't like having them stare at him. So he's probably creeped out by them for the same reason I don't like porcelain dolls - to him, they have that unnerving lifeless stare.

 

This is really a great topic............

Personally i hate the type of dolls that are 'supposed' to look just like children. AND i especially hate the baby dolls that are 'reborn' and resemble babies so closely.
I have to say that they DO remind me of dead babies..........they are so still and so obviously devoid of life i can't see them any other way.

Real kids are not perfect, nor are real babies but the dolls ARE and we all know that there is absolutely no such thing as pefection when it comes to human beings, even the most handsome/beautiful ones.

BJD's or any doll that obviously looks like a doll don't bother me at all..........it's the realistic ones that are damned freaky and dead looking. urgh, imagine having a house full of reborn baby dolls, you would never have a decent nights sleep again!


Puppets, marionettes, mannequins don't bother me at all either - strange is'nt it?

 

I have no problem with dolls, (I think I may have posted here earlier, too. Sorry!) even though I may take a step back at times when first seeing certain ones, I pretty quickly establish that it's not real and move on.

What DOES get to me is anthropomorphic animals. I saw the Chronicles of Narnia a few days ago and was completely put off by the anthro animals, in particular the ox thing on the queen's side the wolves and the fox. It was like they took a human face and contorted it to be furry and just slightly animal like. Those little BJD dog and cat figures that one company is putting out give me the same reaction. Don't get me wrong, they're incredibly cool, but something about them just puts me off. It's funny, I'm a HUGE animal lover, but as soon as they start being less animal I can't handle them. I'm assuming it's the same primal reaction as some people have to dolls that something is just very wrong and so frightening.

Sorry if this is off topic. ^^

 

Thats how I feel!

 

RoFLMAO

 

I think it's a society thing. Like spiders. Most poeple are afraid of spiders not because they had a tramatic experiance, but because everyone is afraid of spiders. Most people arn't afraid of dolls because they've had a traumatic experiance, but because dolls are seen as a symbol of fear in society. Prehaps the question should be about how dolls became viewed like that, but generally it annoys me that people don't stop to think why they're afraid. I'm sure if a little rational thought went into it, they'd change their minds.

 

It's always the eyes that scare me... I had an American doll when I was little... saved up for her on my own and everything, so I was really looking forward to having her, but within a month, I wasn't touching her with a ten-foot-pole anymore.

She has really flat acrylic eyes, and being apparently masochistic, I kept staring at them wondering what was wrong and just freaked myself out. It also freaked me out that her eyes rolled in her head in such a way that if her eyelids were lowering, her actual irises did too. That was weird. XD

So I'm determined never to buy acrylic eyes for my dolls. I'm not sure if acrylic eyes for bjds are higher quality or not, but I don't want to take the chance and get scared again.

 

I read this thread a looong time ago when I was a lurker... just thought I would add my two cents now that I'm not.

Personally, I'm absolutely terrified of dolls. I have been almost my whole life. When I was younger, I was terrified to the point of being reduced to a little shivering ball curled up in a corner if a doll was brought near me. I'm still terrified to an extent... I don't do anything as drastic as that anymore, but when I see one, it does send a shudder through my spine and I have to look away.

When I was three, I had a "traumatic" experience with a doll, though. Looking back on it, it wasn't too traumatic... kinda funny... but it must have been enough to do something to my mind to make me scared to death of dolls for the rest of time. XD

After that incident, my mother had to remove any kind of doll that was in our house and send it to my grandmother's because I couldn't sleep at all. And then my grandmother would have to put them in the attic and lock it whenever I went over there. For years, I had increasingly violent dreams about dolls creeping into my room and hacking into my chest or something.

Whenever I went to a toy store, I would stand at the beginning of the doll aisle and just stare. It was like I was too afraid to move... I could always sense some sort of evil presence whenever standing there or even just walking by the aisle. That sixth sense was probably fueled by my own fear, I know... but it was so unsettling and real. My thoughts were that they looked so innocent and, therefore, were a perfect disguise for something sadistic and evil.

I ran across a picture of a BJD about two years ago and was thoroughly surprised that I didn't scream and run away from my computer. XD Something about them intrigued me, so I did more research on them and found that I actually liked these dolls and kinda wanted one. When I told my mom that I wanted to buy a doll, I think she stared at me like I was crazy for almost a full three minutes. Then I told her the price and more crazy staring was ensued. XD

After years of saving, two weeks ago I finally got my first BJD. From the moment I placed the order, I was nervous that once he was here, he might freak the hell out of me and give me countless nightmares. Especially considering he's based of a muse of mine that isn't the nicest, most peaceful man in the world. Quite the opposite. I was incredibly anxious for his arrival... to see if we would click or if he would scare me to the point of selling him.

It's quite obvious Rache and I clicked... or I wouldn't have kept him for these two weeks. XD I've surprised myself at how comfortable I am around him even though I sense a living presence with him. I think he has a spirit - call me crazy. And if he does, I know it's the spirit of my character and that he wouldn't do anything to harm me. While discussing this with someone in PMs, I told her that Rache is my hellish guardian of sorts. XD

BJD are the only dolls that I can stand to be around. At 17, I'm still terrified of anything other than a BJD.

And surprisingly, none of the horror movies about dolls have ever freaked me out. *giggles*

Okay, so maybe I added about forty cents. >_> *rambled*

 

When I was a child I was very afraid of porcelain dolls. I had a friend who had them on her bed, and I remember feeling that my legs wouldn't move as i stood in the doorframe. I refused to enter the room...

I was also scared (disgusted is probably a better word) of the plastic baby dolls that all my friends would cart around in prams. I got given one of those for christmas, :p it was banished to the bottom of the toybox and was never seen or heard from again. I think I resented them as being some kind of brainwashing for motherhood...

I'm interested in the idea of traumatic events being responsible for a phobia, I fell in a bush of spiders as a child and I have dreadful arachnophobia as a result. The spiders didn't get removed until we walked all the way home to put my clothes in the washing machine :P I still felt like i was covered in them for ages afterwards.

However, I can't recall any traumatic event regarding dolls. When I got older I grew out of my doll fear, though I still don't like to look at dolls that look too much like babies. Especially the ones that look like they've been frozen in a screaming/crying position.
I'm really scared of babies, when my aunt handed her baby to me to hold and i just froze. I was really mad at her for just assuming that because i was female I'd know what to do. Especially since my brother was sitting right next to me at the time, and he's totally comfortable about babies. Then he started to cry... u_u; scary baby.

Now i feel like a wierdo :P

I love BJDs because they don't look like babies, and they don't look frozen (that doesn't scare me, it just annoys me because its limited), I feel I can relate to their beauty and articulation as I like puppet animation, and it made me think twice about constructing models for that purpose. Arf, I can pretend thier educational :P