A mother obsessed with making real-life dolls, has spent tens on thousands of dollars on her 300-strong collection and has even used her son's hair to make one look as real as possible.
Marilyn Mansfield, 36, creates, sells and homes ultra realistic handmade dolls, which remarkably resemble real-life babies.
She cares for them like they are her own children - and can often be found walking the streets of New York with a slew of real babies in tow.
Marilyn said: “I loved walking with a stroller when my kids were little - they don’t fit in the strollers anymore, so I take out a doll.
“The dolls can be therapeutic - for some people it can be beneficial as long as you’re not losing touch with reality.
“I have been fascinated with dolls since as early as I can remember - when I was two-years-old I had a cookie monster doll and wouldn’t let it go.
“I got a doll called Real Baby when I was about 7 or 8, it looked realistic - not compared to my babies here.
“My instinct is to cuddle them, mother them, take care of them - that just comes natural for me.”
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Woman addicted to dolls
Marilyn’s doll collection takes up most of her home in Staten Island, which she shares with her husband Zoth, 40, son Damien, 10, and daughter Skylar, 15.
She makes them in her home, and has even used her son’s hair for one of her dolls.
Marilyn said: “One of my favorites is Davina Star - I rooted her hair with my son’s hair.
"We usually use goat hair for the babies, but I decided to use my son’s hair so she looks like more of the family.”
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Her husband fully supports her doll obsession, and the family always make room for new additions.
Zoth said: “This is my life and has been for over ten years now - living babies surrounding me in my bedroom and every room of the house.
“I help care for them, I help make and sell them - it’s part of the lifestyle that I live now.”
And while the family sometime receive negative criticism for her inanimate family members, some people are fooled by their realistic qualities.