‘I’m the doll lady’ – Woman uses handmade reborn doll collection to provide ‘safety’ and ‘comfort’ in face of anxiety

A reborn doll artist and collector has created lifelike babies and toddlers to act as a “safety measure” when she is out in public and to provide her with “comfort”.

Kara Metzger, 24, who lives with her parents, Allison, 59, and John, 60, in Long Island, New York, United States, began making her own reborn dolls in 2017 after receiving her first one on her 17th birthday.

Her dolls, which range in the ages they resemble from a newborn baby to a toddler of around two years old, have been meticulously hand-crafted by Kara, who uses specific heat-set paint, baby clothes from thrift shops and even human hair to bring her figures to life.

While many of her dolls are now stored away, she has eight adorable creations which she interacts with on a regular basis, each of which have their own first and middle names, accompany her on trips abroad and are the subject for her festive photoshoots around the holiday seasons, such as Christmas, Halloween and Easter.

The artist, who was officially diagnosed with anxiety when she was nine years old, feels her dolls have acted as a “crutch” and are a means of comforting her when she is in busy or stressful situations.

“I’m the doll lady,” Kara told PA Real Life.

“I’ve had dolls my whole life, it’s like I’ve grown up with them and I’ve always really enjoyed having a relationship with dolls.

“Going for a walk, it’s nice to have a stroller, it’s like a safety measure for me – it’s a very comforting and calming thing.”

Kara said she has been struggling with anxiety since she was three years old and she was officially diagnosed when she was nine.

“My mum knew what a panic attack was and I had my first one on my third birthday,” she said.

“I struggled a lot with it when I was growing up and that’s where having the dolls was always such a big crutch.

“It would be so calming and it would be an outlet to direct nervous energy.”

After having toy dolls throughout her childhood, Kara received her first reborn doll for her 17th birthday, which later prompted her to start making them.

“I had wanted one since I was about 11 but I was so scared of the judgment that I kept it quiet for a long time,” she said.

“I’ve always been very artistic and once I got my first doll, I thought ‘I can do this too’, so I started collecting all the stuff to make my own.”

Kara added it has been a “slow process” to build up her arsenal of supplies to create her dolls – which she said is cheaper than purchasing them from other sellers as “people can sell them for up to thousands of dollars”.

Making each one costs between £100 to £150 for the kit which contains the parts to create the doll, Kara said, and it takes her an average of four to seven days to pull everything together.

“I use a heat-set paint, a varnish and a specific oven to create them,” she said.

“The dolls themselves come as kits with the body parts and you can buy a cloth body to attach it all so they have limbs.

“You apply the paint layer by layer and bringing them to life is often a slow process.”

To give some of her dolls a more lifelike appearance, Kara has previously sewn in human hair which came from her sister and mother on occasion – but she now uses mohair.

“I used an old ponytail of my sister’s, which they were going to donate but they didn’t, so I had human hair to use,” she said.

“At one point, my mum was getting a haircut so she also gave me her ponytail for one of the dolls, which was hilarious.”

Since her first creation, Kara has expanded her collection to feature approximately 23 dolls and while some have been sold and some are stored away, she has eight dolls which she will interact with on a regular basis.

“I live really close to the beach and when I go for a walk, I’ll take a doll in the stroller,” she said.

“I have a lot of anxiety and I feel like if I’m pushing a stroller, everyone around me will be more careful.

“When I’m in a crowded situation and I’m carrying a doll, I feel like no one is going to bump into me and it brings me some comfort.”

Kara also takes a selection of her dolls on holiday with her.

“Travelling with the dolls comes in handy because it helps me be in those stressful situations and feel a lot more comfortable,” she said.

“Even if I don’t want to go into the fact they are dolls, no one is going to bump into a lady holding a baby.

“Sometimes someone will say ‘how old is your baby?’ and I’m like ‘it’s actually a doll’ – sometimes I’ll let people hold them.

“I’ve gone on four cruises and each time I took a different doll.”

Creating different memories with the dolls is something Kara also enjoys.

“Each one has a different vibe and a different story around it,” she said.

“I have different memories associated with each one – I’ve taken different ones on vacation, I took a few to a family reunion upstate, I’ve just gone to North Carolina and I took three dolls.”

Kara also does annual photoshoots with her dolls around the holidays, such as Easter, Halloween and Christmas, where she dresses them in festive outfits and uses props such as pumpkins and baubles – before sharing her creations on her Instagram page.

“I love to do the holiday shoots, especially around Christmas,” she said.

“Even if I don’t end up doing a whole fancy photoshoot, (the dolls) are always dressed up for the holidays.”

Kara said she will visit thrift shops to acquire clothing and accessories for the dolls but she aims to keep her spend to around 10 dollars (£7.80) a month.

“I’ve acquired some things from family members as children have outgrown certain things,” she said.

“I’ve spent a decent amount of money on them over the years and it’s not a cheap hobby to have, but I try to do it as cheap as possible.”

Kara acknowledges some people may have preconceived notions about her reborn dolls.

“It’s a common misconception in that people think I’m treating them like real babies and I think they drink and eat – of course they don’t, they have stuffing,” she said.

“People roleplay with them and like to pretend and that’s fine but most of the time, they’re for display.”

For her future plans with the dolls, Kara added: “I do it more for a hobby and I make them for me.

“If I could eventually start selling dolls that would be great because it’s such a passion of mine.

“But if it doesn’t go anywhere, I’m happy just having it be me and them.”