Anatomically correct 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. 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.

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. 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.^[9] Critics argue that because of the novelty of the dolls, children will act out sexually explicit acts with the dolls even if the child has not been sexually abused.^[9] 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.^[9]

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

References