Only two of a woman’s 57 children are genuinely human, according to her assertion.
Silvia Heszterenyiova, 43, from Sydney, has been discussing her love for reborn dolls, which she dresses, tucks in at night, and even takes on day outings to the beach.
Silvia’s real-life daughters, Veronika, 24, and Sofia, 20, gave her a’reborn’ doll, Isabella, for her 40th birthday, which sparked an uncommon desire to create a doll family – and her clan is still growing.
Silvia now has 54 other reborns, including ginger-haired Demi, who Silvia takes out for days at the beach on a regular basis, and super-cute Toby, whom Silvia takes on skateboarding adventures.
Some of her other dolls have been photographed playing the violin and piano – even busking on the street – and members of the’reborn’ family are always seen going out to eat.
Silvia, who owns a reborn nursery where she fixes and sells reborn dolls to other would-be reborn parents, sleeps with them on occasion, tucks them in at night, and takes them on special outings to the movies and the park.
She’s also created reborn dolls that are precise reproductions of human babies who have died after parents sought her for assistance in creating a reborn doll that would capture their departed infant’s features.
She stated, ‘I produced a special order for a mother whose premature baby had died.’ ‘He was born weighing only 740 grams (1 pound 6 ounces) and measuring 32 centimeters in length. ‘He was really adorable.’
Some of the females are costumed as Geishas, Japanese entertainers who also serve as hostesses, while others are dressed elegantly in Victorian-style gowns.
She has also developed an Aboriginal doll named Biralee as a reference to her home. Biralee is outfitted with an Aboriginal-style headdress, a nappy, and a blanket.
Each piece costs between £123 (AUS$200) and £300 (AUS$500), but Silvia has learned to stitch her own to save money.
Silvia, who has lost track of how much she has spent on the dolls over the years, added, ‘They are a delight.’ ‘I spend money on my reborns because other people spend money on items they like.’
She enjoys photographing her dolls in everyday poses and posting the photos to her different social media platforms, even developing an Instagram account for the ‘youngsters.’
‘People enjoy looking at them,’ she proudly stated. ‘I dress them for every event, including Christmas, Halloween, and birthdays,’ says the mother.
Silvia’s own ‘children’ include twins Kirsten and Katherine, who go on picnics together outside, and Arianna, whom Silvia has brought baby clothes shopping in public.
“I adore the fact that each baby is distinct and different from the others. They are a source of joy in my life.” Silvia Heszterenyiova, a reborn mother, remarked
She is not ashamed of her strange hobby and claims that the majority of people believe her burgeoning brood — which has grown by 18 since February – is real.
‘People come up to me and tell me how gorgeous my babies are,’ she explained. ‘Is she real?’ they ask. I look after them and take them on vacations. They’re all nicely taken care of. They’re fantastic.’
Her contagious obsession has even spread to her biological daughters, who have started their own collections.
In the interest of fairness, Silvia, who now has too many dolls to take them all out at once, alternates, treating different reborns at different times.
She has even painted and arranged a nursery for her ‘family’ at home, despite being single. ‘I’ve always adored dolls, and when Isabella arrived, I fell in love with reborns,’ she added.
‘I’ve always enjoyed art and crafts, and I knew I wanted to contribute to the creation of reborn dolls.’ It’s something I’m very passionate about.
‘What I adore about babies is that each one is distinct and different from the others.’ They are a source of joy in my life.’
