China's Gen Z Shows Parental Love To Stuffed Toys, Celebrates Their Birthdays

A new trend in China is changing how some young women think about motherhood. Instead of raising real children, they are choosing what they call "painless motherhood" by caring for cotton dolls like their own babies. For many of them, these dolls bring comfort and happiness without the pressure of real parenting, reported the South China Morning Post.

This hobby has spread so widely that some women now celebrate their dolls' birthdays at hotpot restaurants, buy them expensive clothes, and even take them on outings.

This trend came to light in October 2023 when a woman brought her cotton dolls to the famous hotpot chain Haidilao. She posted a post online questioning whether the restaurant was discriminating against cotton doll owners.

In the post, she explained that she had requested a baby chair for her doll, but the staff were shocked and confused. She also wrote that even though Haidilao is known for its excellent service, the staff missed food orders that day, failed to refill water, and repeatedly refused to sing the doll's birthday song.

How The Doll Craze Started

This cotton doll craze is believed to date back to 2015. It began when fans of the Korean idol group EXO took a doll modeled on member Chen, also known as Kim Jong-dae, to a concert. This sparked a trend of fan-made idol dolls across Asia, gradually developing into a small but growing market in China.

By 2018, Cotton Dolls had fallen into two categories. "Attributed" dolls are those inspired by real people, such as celebrities or anime characters. "Non-attributed" dolls are those created from the designers' own imagination and are not linked to any real or fictional character.

Those in the doll community who purchase and care for these dolls affectionately call themselves "doll mums" or "mummies." While they wait for their ordered dolls, they joke that they are "pregnant" again.

Buying a simple doll is just the beginning. Many doll mums carefully choose clothes, apply makeup, style their hair with wigs, and even take videos or photos of their dolls. Some even take their dolls out for sunbathing and walks.