How China's Gen Z Is Becoming Parents To Stuffed Toys

In China, a surprising new trend among young women is redefining what it means to experience “motherhood.” Rather than having real children, many Gen Z women are turning to cotton dolls as a form of “painless parenthood,” caring for the stuffed toys as if they were their own babies. According to the South China Morning Post, these dolls offer comfort and joy without the responsibilities or pressures of raising real children.The hobby has grown so popular that some women now celebrate their dolls’ birthdays at hotpot restaurants, splurge on designer outfits for them, and even take them along on outings. The trend gained widespread attention in October 2023 when a woman visited the famous hotpot chain Haidilao with her cotton dolls, the report

added. She shared an online post questioning whether the restaurant was discriminating against doll owners. In the post, she explained that she had requested a baby chair for her doll, but staff appeared confused and shocked. She added that despite Haidilao’s reputation for excellent service, the staff missed food orders, failed to refill water, and repeatedly refused to sing the doll’s birthday song.

The Beginning of the Doll CrazeExperts trace the cotton doll craze back to 2015, when fans of the Korean idol group EXO brought a doll modeled on member Chen (Kim Jong-dae) to a concert. This sparked a wave of fan-made idol dolls across Asia, eventually evolving into a small but growing market in China.By 2018, cotton dolls fell into two main types: “attributed” dolls, inspired by real people such as celebrities or anime characters, and “non-attributed” dolls, created entirely from the designer’s imagination.Members of this community affectionately call themselves “doll mums” or “mummies.” While waiting for new dolls to arrive, they often jokingly refer to themselves as being “pregnant” again.For many, buying a doll is just the beginning. Doll mums spend hours choosing outfits, styling wigs, applying miniature makeup, and capturing photos or videos of their dolls. Some even take their dolls outdoors for walks or sunbathing, treating them as cherished companions in everyday life.