Balls and Walnuts
more than you ever wanted to know
This disturbs me.
Oh, you say, but it’s only doll shaped like a cute li’l miniature baby.
No, it’s not. It’s a doll shaped like a 14 centimeter-long premature infant. That’s an 18-week gestational age, not-quite-200 gram premature infant. According to the site I just linked, the survival of premies 21-weeks gestational age or younger is 0%. Zero. So the person in the ad is holding a doll shaped like an infant that has no chance whatsoever of living to see his first birthday.
The manufacturer, Ashton-Drake Galleries, calls their creations “Heavenly Handfuls” and “Tiny Miracles.” One of their dolls is the “God’s Greatest Gift Tiny Sleeping Baby Figurine.” I hear choir music.
Is it just me? Do you have to be a doctor to see in this “tiny miracle” a world of parental grief, the suffering of a truly helpless and hopeless infant, and medical costs that could easily bankrupt a family?
No, I’m not the only one. Follow that link (a blog entitled “A Little Pregnant”, circa 2005) to witness this cruel joke of a doll as well as the blogger’s photoshopped spoof. From A Little Pregnant’s comment thread,
You forgot to mention that the baby should come with realistic hardened skin patches and white scars on its cheeks, from the surgical tape used to hold the baby’s oxygen tubes (CPAP and canula) in place. And underneath the adorable cap–which should, of course, be a tube of stockinette pulled off a roll and tied with curling ribbon–there should be another IV bruise, from the head IV done after all the little arm and leg veins had bruised and collapsed.
EXACTLY. But I doubt the target audience, whoever they might be, would think of that.
It gets worse. Far, far worse. Another “artist” apparently creates lifelike dolls to memorialize deceased preemies. The doll is described as “reborn” and has been given what I suppose might be called a “rebirthdate.” The “artist” is proudly Pro-Life.
Reality check: here is a premature infant born at gestational age 27 weeks, weight 280 grams.
I’m suspicious that the Ashton-Drake people have a political agenda, but I can’t prove it; so, for the time being, I can’t make this a Pro-Life (hah! riiiight) vs. Pro-Choice issue.
It’s a simple matter of poor taste.
D.
This is beyond poor taste; this heads into severe psychopathology, or at least into the exploitation of profoundly damaged and grieving parents. Yep, pro-lifers trying to make a buck…
I can’t even go look at the links. I’m appalled.
My twins were born at 6 months gestation. They spent 8 weeks in NICU – and they cost us a quarter of a million dollars. We could never buy a house, get a loan, or save for their college. I can’t even think straight I’m so horrified. Preemies are miserable, tiny, frightened little creatures, in nearly constant pain, and in nearly constant stress. My boys had nightmares for ages, and required constant, ’round the clock care for years. I get close to tears when I think about it.
No baby deserves to start life with such a handicap, and no parents deserve such crippling medical fees. I think what Ashton Drake needs is a good dose of reality. Unfortunately, money-making schemes and reality hardly ever go together.
Oh, that is just wrong. I spent 6 months working in the newborn nursery as a nurse’s aide–I just cannot find that cute or appealing.
It does seem pro-life-agenda-ish, as in: “look how cute these preemies are.”
The Ashton-Drake stuff is that appalling, sickening degree of cloying that some people (ok, let’s be honest, it’s women) really love. You know these women: every family picture in a frame that says ‘joy’ or some damn thing, walls with painted butterflies and little statuettes of birds feeding their young and hummingbirds and over the mantle an eagle, wings outstretched, with the American flag curling across beneath him…
But that rebirthdate stuff… it made me ill.
I am thankful that I live in a country with sane medical care, where the week my son spent in the hospital didn’t cost twenty grand that we didn’t have. Sam, a quarter mill? That, too, makes me ill.
I think Sam and Dean say all that needs to be said in terms of a reaction to this latest Ashton-Drake offer. Having purchased coffee cups with old fashioned signs/food products on them (many years ago), I’m wondering if I should send them all back in protest.
Good. I’m not the only one who finds Ashton-Drake obscene.
And oh-by-the-way: “A Little Pregnant” is still an active blog. Julie knows how to write, and she doesn’t shy away from controversial positions. Her top-‘o-the-blog post (heh, add hyphens to my list of authorial sins) concerns a lesbian Australian couple who are suing their doctor because they wanted only one embryo implanted, and he implanted two. Julie finds fault in all concerned, including herself — oh, it’s a tour de force. I enjoyed it.
Living in the midwest like I do, and knowing several women who are pathologically into dolls, I honestly don’t think that the teeny palm babies represent preemies, but are, instead, yet another marketing line of doll mania. I really do believe that they’re supposed to be like regular babies, only miniaturized, because even the Doll Coven wouldn’t want poor little preemies.
My best friend’s aunt is a huge doll collector and her house is like a house of horrors, all those glass eyes everywhere, dead yet forever staring. It’s absofreaking creepy, on many levels. Lots of collectors go for ‘life sized’ dolls – even big enough to wear grade schooler sized clothing – and miniatures. There’s a HUGE market in miniatures.
I really think that’s all these dolls are. Minis marketed to the Doll Coven. It’s a collectors item, nothing more. I can see what you’re saying Doug, I really can, but I’m reasonably confident that the Aston Drake folks are just seeing potential $$$ from the doll collectors, not trying to replicate preemies. If you look at the pic of the assortment, they look like month old (ish) regular babies to me.
Shrug.
Still creepy, tho.
They DO have a preemie section – http://www.collectiblestoday.com/ct/store/ad/_Ashton-Drake+preemie/_prod/_/_/_/_/_/_Y
yup, you beat me to it. One of those preemies became the subject of A Little Pregnant’s devious photoshoppery.
Oh, yeah. As you may have seen on my blog, I got on the mailing list for collectiblestoday.com, as well as several other creepy Christian-oriented companies, after buying Mrs. Nator’s grandmother a Thomas Kinkade angel nightlight (Zod help me). The baby and preemie dolls are VERY popular, and, speaking as a former preemie who spent the fist week of my life in a hospital, disgusting. Considering how the baby doll and preemie doll collectibles are connected with the Christian-themed collectibles market, it seems quite clear that all of this is a manifestation of anti-abortion yahoos. “Oh, look at how adorable each one of these little Gifts of God is! If only you would give them enough love, they would survive! Why, really they are that cute right from the moment of conception!!!”
BTW, I may be wrong, but I think the term “reborn” when applied to dolls does not mean what you think it does. From what I’ve read, reborn dolls are dolls that start out as a generic base, and then are hand-painted and altered by “artists” to look more “realistic” and “cute”. (Is that enough ironic quotation marks for ya?)
This is absolutely a pro-life ploy and if it wasn’t concieved as such it will be used in that way. My ex-husband’s family is strongly pro-life and his father is Holiness preacher (I don’t like to use the word “Minister” for him because I think it is a title that must be earned. Anyone self-righteous enough can preach.) The messages I have heard delivered from the pulpit would turn all of your stomachs. Graphic descriptions of “partial birth” abortions that are meant to shock and horrify. The message this goulish little toy sends is “Oh look at this precious little gift from God that the abortionists want to slaughter!” Yep. Political. Or at the very least highly irresponsible, but I am going with political.
I know I dont post often, usually most wind up saying what I think so repeating it would be sadly melodramatic. This though bothers me a lot, having been a paramedic in the Chicago area for thirteen years,this is a large load of crap, I have held such preemies in my hands a few time and trust me it is not pretty! My heart goes out to any who have suffered this and I hope few buy into this fantasy vision.
On another note, I don’t bake but I would love a coooking challenge…LOL
TR
Thanks for your comments, everyone. Interesting scattering of opinions, but I’m delighted no one has argued in favor of these awful things.
TauRaven: a cooking challenge? Let me give it some thought.