Woman makes dolls with birth defects to celebrate inclusivity

By Katie Pearson via SWNS

Meet the woman making reborn dolls with birth defects who refuses to listen to trolls
branding them ''monsters.''

Chelsea Pierce, 40, designs dolls with unique "congenital identifiers" like birthmarks
or scars.

The mom-of-two spends between five and 10 hours a day hand painting the designs
– with some dolls taking up to a week to finish.

Reborn dolls are hyper-realistic dolls hand-painted by an artist to resemble a newborn infant.

After posting her creations online, Chelsea received criticism from trolls who
said she has "ruined" the doll by adding the birth defects.

But she is passionate about educating others with her work by celebrating the
differences in people.

The doll artist confessed her husband Josh, 44, who works in IT, isn’t a fan of the life-like dolls and asks her to keep them in the cupboard.

But her family - including two children, Allie, 15, and Jack, 12 - are very supportive and
help take photos to sell the dolls, which fetch up to $1,200 each.

The dolls' defects include ones with birthmarks, scars from surgery and large moles.

Chelsea has even designed dolls as gifts for influencers with congenital identifiers including a little girl called Winry - who was born with a large mole birthmark, called a
CNM.

Chelsea, a business owner, from Atlanta, Ga., said: “I've had nasty comments
saying ‘who would want a child like that?’

“But I think it’s so important we celebrate these unique qualities.

“It helps children understand that it’s not only OK to be different but it's also beautiful.”

Growing up Chelsea always had a love for dolls and enjoyed painting as a pastime.

She went on to study English literature with child psychology - pairing her course
with art therapy.

When Chelsea found out about reborn dolls in 2015, she decided to combine her
passions and began designing her own in 2018 and set up her company Pumpkin Sparkles.

She said: “As a child in foster care, I didn’t have many toys that were mine.

“But I had a doll I absolutely adored – she was always so special to me.

''Learning to paint the dolls was hard, the first one I painted looked terrible!

“But with lots of practice I realized I could make a living from it.”

Chelsea was “inspired” to design the dolls with birth defects after knowing a girl at
school with a port wine birthmark on her face.

Each doll, which she buys blank from another supplier, takes up to a week to
complete including painting and ‘rooting’ each individual hair strand into the head.

She said: “I always thought that girl at school was so beautiful - I wish I had told her.

“The hair is a painstaking process, but it creates the best hyperrealist look.

“I try and make sure each birthmark or scar looks different and unique.

“No two babies are the same so neither are the dolls.”

Even though Chelsea loves each doll she makes, her family don’t get quite as attached to them as she does.

She said: “Josh really isn’t a fan – he finds them too freaky.

“Especially the ones that have their eyes open.

“My children don’t have the same obsession with dolls that I did at that age either.

“But they’re all so supportive and love to help me take photos for social media.”

Chelsea doesn’t keep any of the dolls – she sells them from $700 and up to $1,200.

She has also designed some as gifts for online influencers, who celebrate their own
birth defects.

She said: “Some people are branded 'crazy' for having reborn dolls.

“But that's not true.

"They're serving an important purpose and filling a whole for people.

“I do sometimes get attached and I’ve held onto a few longer than I should have.

"But I see it like fostering a kitten and the goal is to find them a loving home.

“If I can help just one person feel seen and represented, then I’ll be pleased that my
work is making a difference."