Anatomically correct doll

An anatomically correct female doll from the second or third century CE
A modern anatomically correct male doll

An anatomically correct doll or anatomically precise doll is a doll with some of the primary and secondary sex characteristics of a human. In colloquial vernacular it usually refers to the genitals being depicted (after all, typical dolls are approximately anatomically correct with regard to most other parts of the anatomy). This can be for realism or educational purposes, as well as to satisfy inanimate fetishism. A very detailed type of anatomically correct doll may be used in questioning children who may have been sexually abused. The use of dolls as interview aids has been criticized, and the validity of information obtained this way has been contested.

Overview

Some children's baby dolls and potty training dolls are anatomically correct for educational purposes.[1] There are also dolls that are used as medical models, particularly in explaining medical procedures to child patients. These have a more detailed depiction of the human anatomy and may include features like removable internal organs.[2]

Some fashion dolls intended for adult collectors, for example the Sybarite,[3] and Madame Alexander dolls,[4] have a level of anatomical correctness beyond that of fashion dolls like Barbie which are intended as children's playthings. Other dolls which are customized and enjoyed by adults are sometimes anatomically correct, like reborn baby dolls and Asian ball-jointed dolls.

The dolls are also sometimes used by parents or teachers as sex education.

Sex dolls are sometimes also referred to as anatomically correct.[5][6][7]

Forensic use

A particular type of anatomically correct dolls are used in law enforcement and therapy. These dolls have detailed depictions of all the primary and secondary sexual characteristics of a human: "oral and anal openings, ears, tongues, nipples, and hands with individual fingers" for all and a "vagina, clitoris and breasts" for each of the women and a "penis and testicles" for each of the men, according to the product descriptions provided by a company that sells such dolls.[8]

These dolls are used during interviews with children who may have been sexually abused.[9] The dolls wear removable clothing, and the anatomically correct and similarly scaled body parts ensure that sexual activity can be simulated realistically.

While there are supporters of the use of anatomically correct dolls in questioning victims of sexual abuse/molestation, there are also critics of this practice.[10] Critics argue that because of the novelty of the dolls, children will act out sexually explicit maneuvers with the dolls even if the child has not been sexually abused.[10] Another criticism is that because the studies that compare the differences between how abused and non-abused children play with these dolls are conflicting (some studies suggest that sexually abused children play with anatomically correct dolls in a more sexually explicit manner than non-abused children, while other studies suggest that there is no correlation), it is impossible to interpret what is meant by how a child plays with these dolls.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Heather Corley. "Great Toddler Potty Training Products". About.com. About.com. Retrieved 28 November 2008. Examples are a great way to reinforce potty training concepts for toddlers. What better example than a doll that drinks water and then uses the potty, just like your toddler? The Emma (girl) and Paul (boy) potty training dolls from Corolle are anatomically correct and come with a refillable water bottle and a doll-sized potty chair.
  2. ↑ "If a Doll Wears an Eye Patch, I Can Too". New York Times. January 21, 1988. Retrieved 2008-11-26. With her son's experience in mind, Ms. Zayka, a former research chemist, designed an anatomically correct, life-size boy doll. She sewed it at home and donated it to the hospital to be used for children's demonstrations. The doll, which has changeable faces to suggest sadness and sleep, has cloth layers that attach with Velcro and that open, showing bones and organs.
  3. ↑ Denise Van Patten (8 May 2008). "Leaving Las Vegas With a Sybarite Doll". About.com. About.com. Retrieved 28 November 2008. Well, it wasn't long until we had quite a few people around us stealing looks at the Sybarite (her name was Blade, and she was brought nude and quite anatomically correct).
  4. ↑ Green, Penelope (February 27, 2000). "Meet Alex, a Today Woman . . . er, Doll". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-11-26. While he worked on that, I fumbled with Alex's pashmina accessory pack -- two inches of gray cashmere with fringe, accompanied by a gray silk crocheted bag no bigger than a thumbnail -- and tried not to stare at Alex's nipples, clearly visible through her fuzzy pink sweater.
  5. ↑ "Only For The Very Lonely". New York Times. September 14, 1997. Retrieved 2008-11-26. McMullen claims that his original intent was simply to create art -- a movable sculpture -- and share pictures of it on line, and that he went into business only after being flooded with E-mails asking if the dolls were anatomically correct and for sale. They are and they are.
  6. ↑ "Well, Hello, Dolly". Time. June 4, 2001. Archived from the original on 29 November 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-28. In his garage, he and his wife—whose hands and feet, but no other extremities, are models for the dolls—built their first anatomically correct girls.
  7. ↑ "High-End, Anatomically Correct RealDolls Get Exposure in New 'Lars' Film". Foxnews.com. October 17, 2007. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-28. Normally reserved for private play, these high-end, anatomically correct dolls are getting big-screen exposure with the recent release of "Lars and the Real Girl,"
  8. ↑ Migima manufacturer of anatomically correct dolls
  9. ↑ Cohn, D. S. (1991). "Anatomic doll play of preschoolers referred for sexual abuse and those not referred". Child Abuse & Neglect 15:455 – 466.; Everson & Boat, 1991; Jampole, L. & Weber, M. K. (1987). "An assessment of the behavior of sexually abused and nonabused children with anatomically correct dolls". Child Abuse & Neglect: 11 187 – 192.; Sivan, A., Schor, D., Koeppl, G., Noble, L. (1988). "Interaction of normal children with anatomic dolls". Child Abuse & Neglect, 12:295 – 304. Cited in Larsson, 2000, op. cit.
  10. 1 2 3 Ceci, Stephen J.; Maggie Bruck (1995). Jeopardy in the Courtroom: A Scientific Analysis of Children’s Testimony. p. 162. ISBN 1-55798-632-0.
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