# Lifelike Infant Dolls Michelle Barrow-Belisle's Clay Babies are Realistic By Allison Love | Published 2010-08-20 | Life-Stages Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/michelle-barrow-belisle References: [behance.net](http://www.behance.net/gallery/Baby-Just-Like-Me-Doll-Protoypes/606163) & [twitter](http://twitter.com/MicheleBelisle) These amazing [baby sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/shiyuan-xu) by Michelle Barrow-Belisle are eerily lifelike. The sculptures are made out of [polymer clay](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/playdoh-barbie) and cloth and look extremely similar to real-life babies. The babies have those scrunched-up baby looks, which make them even more realistic-looking. Michelle Barrow-Belisle definitely has got the baby look down pat. It must be pretty difficult to create something from scratch that resembles a human. She is one talented lady! **Implications** - North American consumers idealize infants as they associate them with hope and the future. Corporations looking to evoke a similar pathos from their customers may consider utilizing [images of infants and babies](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ai-baby-generator1) in their promotional campaigns. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 4.5/10 - Popularity: 58% | Activity: 70% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Life-Stages](https://www.trendhunter.com/life-stages) > [Babies](https://www.trendhunter.com/babies) ## Key Themes ### Key Themes Behind This Trend - **Realistic Baby Sculptures:** There is a trend towards creating hyper-realistic sculptures of babies using polymer clay and cloth, opening up opportunities for artists and toy manufacturers to create lifelike baby dolls. - **Infant Idealization:** Consumers in North America idealize infants, presenting an opportunity for marketers to use images of babies and pathos to evoke favorable emotions in their target audience. - **Human Replication in Art:** The trend of replicating humans in art using lifelike sculptures presents a unique opportunity for artists to push the boundaries of realism and blur the line between art and reality. ### Where This Applies - **Art:** Artists can capitalize on the trend of creating lifelike baby sculptures to create hyper-realistic works that challenge our perception of reality and push the boundaries of the medium. - **Toy Manufacturing:** Toy manufacturers can create hyper-realistic baby dolls for collectors or children, catering to a demand for lifelike playthings. - **Advertising:** Marketers can utilize images of babies and the association with hope and the future to evoke pathos in their target audience, creating emotional connections with their brand or product. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Collectable Sculptural Doll Collections](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/inedible-doll.md) - [Emotional Well-Being Dolls](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/heartfuls.md) - [Empowering Tween Dolls](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/bff-by-cry-babies.md) - [Humanized Baby Formulas](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/humanized-baby-formula.md) - [Anatomically Inspired Baby Bottles](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/emulait.md) - [Charitable Anniversary Dolls](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/waterbabies.md) - [Miniaturized Doll Carriers](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/doll-carrier.md) - [Cyclical Life-Themed Russian Dolls](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nesting-dolls-1.md) - [Flower-Scented Collectible Dolls](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cry-babies-magic-tears-happy-flowers.md)