What do you get when you cross Barbie, Bladerunner, and a mannequin? Meet Realdoll, a high-tech, realistic love doll - the "Rolls Royce" of sex toys. Born of the Web and distributed by the pioneering creators of Virtual Valerie, Realdoll is trying to move away from the seamy world of blow-up dolls and make high-tech sex "companions" a vision of the future.
"A common response is, 'This is a very well-done prank,'" says Nick Black, special projects coordinator for Realdoll distributors Reactor. "We think Realdoll is something that catches people unaware - they weren't ready for the leap from vinyl doll to Hollywood prop."
Realdoll was originally conceived by special-effects artist and sculptor Matt McMullen as a life-size, posable sculpture. No surprise, however, that when he posted pictures of his creation on the Internet that those infamous netizen "perverts" pointed out its commercial potential.
"When I think of a love doll I think of something you hide in your closet. To me, this is art," says McMullen. "When I posted this on the Internet these people crawled out of the woodwork and started wanting to buy it as a love doll." When he was contacted by Reactor, the cyberporn pioneers responsible for the renowned Virtual Valerie cybersex CD-ROM, an official business was born. The company is run entirely off its ironic, light-hearted, and futuristic Web site, and is getting about an order a day - along with tons of email from confused netizens who think it's all a joke.
Cast from solid silicone with a hard skeleton, Realdoll (which comes with names like "Natasha" or "Stacy") is kind of a Make-Up Barbie for adults: you customize the details from head and body types, hair and skin colors, down to the color of her nail polish and pubic hair style. Except, of course, that this doll looks a lot more realistic - based on the pictures on the Web site, it's almost impossible to tell it's a doll. (A male doll is also in the works.)
Since it is a love doll, it includes orifices with a "suction effect," it's flexible, and the "skin" is pliant and retains heat. Models aren't light - they weigh in at 110 pounds, and as Black puts it, customers "are getting a real workout."
And all for the low, low price of US$4,000.
Black and McMullen attest to the joy of the customers who have purchased their plastic playmates - many of their customers are apparently disfigured, disabled, or have low social skills and use Realdolls to fill voids in their lives. But there have been those who criticized the toys simply because they are too lifelike.
"The old vinyl dolls have been easy to dismiss because they're laughable and pathetic, and then this comes out and there's a knee-jerk reaction," says Black. "People are telling us that with all the talk of cloning and genetic engineering, haven't we gone too far?"
Then again, others want to take the realism a step further. With their roots in "cybernetic" software and an eye toward animatronics, Reactor and McMullen are eager to see Realdoll become more interactive. Imagine, say, an animated Nina model using artificial intelligence, and could not only toss off some pillow talk but also learn her owner's sexual preferences and give a love squeeze or two. Apparently, others have had the same idea.
"We hope to see an electronic doll come out of this that will run some funny software," says Black. "We got a lot of roboticists emailing us and offering to help in exchange for a free doll. It's something straight out of Stepford Wives."
