I recently heard about a new class of doll – the Masterpiece Dolls. They have been marketed to adults as a kind of collector’s item, and they are designed to be as realistic as possible. At first, I was a little taken aback; they look uncannily like real living people, and the thought of ‘owning’ a doll seemed a little creepy. But then I read more about the phenomenon, and realised that there’s a surprisingly long history of people buying and selling life-like dolls.
As it turns out, people have been drawn to life-like dolls since Ancient Egypt. But in more recent times, Masterpiece Dolls became especially popular in the early 2000s. To keep up with the growing demand, the industry started producing dolls with ever-increasing levels of realism. Many of these dolls are even designed with complex facial expressions to make them look like real people – and some even come with ‘upgradeable’ features like optional clothing and accessories.
Some of the more ‘high-end’ dolls are even designed as sexual objects. All of a sudden, the word ‘doll’ took on a whole new meaning. But as I looked more into it, I realised it was a surprisingly normal thing. People are notoriously drawn to things that are unusual and life-like, and the idea of being able to own a much sought-after, high-end sexual doll (or Masterpiece Doll) has an obvious allure.
At this point, I had to pause and ask myself what I thought about this phenomenon. Taking a step back to consider the broader implications, it’s no surprise that there’s been so much debate surrounding the ‘doll sex’ phenomenon. On one side of the argument, people worry that the dolls make it too easy for people to indulge in whatever fetish they desire without any consequences. On the other side, people view it as a harmless way to fulfill sexual desires without causing harm to others. No matter which side of the debate I come down on, I can understand why people might find this intriguing.
From here, my curiosity started to pique. I was intrigued by how these dolls were made, who was behind them and how they had become such an accepted part of society so quickly. I did some more research and dug deeper into the debates and opinions surrounding the development of sex dolls.
It turns out that the manufacturers of these dolls are a highly secretive bunch. Creating life-like dolls with complex facial features is expensive and time-consuming. And it’s not just the physical cost – the immaculate attention to detail and the sheer number of steps involved in creating a ‘perfect’ doll require a surprisingly large team of dedicated craftsman, technicians and engineers.
The controversy around these kinds of dolls is nothing new. Back in the 1960s, when these kinds of dolls were first invented, the idea of a life-like, sex toy caused an uproar. But a few decades later, there seems to be an acceptance – even a demand – for ever increasing levels of realism in the sex doll industry.
This all got me thinking – what even defines a ‘masterpiece doll’? Is it just a term used to describe high-end, life-like, sex toys? Or is there something more to it than that? Is it a reflection of society’s changing attitudes towards sex toys and what we consider ‘acceptable’ behaviour?
After some more research, I found that, in a sense, the term ‘masterpiece dolls’ is something of a misnomer. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not actually the dolls that are masterpieces – it’s the design process behind them. The attention to detail and the sophistication of the technology involved in the creation of these dolls speaks volumes about the amount of effort and artistry put into this kind of project.
There are lots of other interesting things to learn about the world of sex dolls and what makes a ‘masterpiece’ in this industry. For example, I discovered that the arms and legs of the dolls are created using a process called Rapid Prototyping, a type of 3D printing used to quickly create intricate and highly detailed pieces.
In addition to the complex technology involved in the creation of these dolls, I also found out that a huge amount of work goes into crafting the perfect face. Manufacturers spend an astonishing amount of time trying to achieve precise measurements when it comes to the creation of facial expressions – and in many cases, a technique called “pore carving” is even used to create lifelike skin textures.
Finally, vibrators I discovered that making a sex doll is far more a labour of love than an exercise in perversion. Workers in the sex doll industry often spend months – and sometimes even years – designing and creating these dolls. After learning about the endless hours of craftsmanship that goes into creating a single master piece doll, it’s no wonder they are so hard to come by.