Interview with Jerry “The Doll Doctor”

Please introduce yourself and explain how you got the nickname “Doll Doctor”?

One of the members on the sex doll forum had a doll that became damaged, he did not live too far away from me and didn’t know what to do about it. It was not a very difficult repair, but if not done properly, it would not look good. He came over and I cleaned the damaged area with acetone, used Shinetsu silicone to coat the parts in a thin film, and fit them together. I took the latex from a balloon and stretched it over the damage to hold everything smoothly together. When finished, the latex was removed and the repair was very difficult to see. He was very happy and posted the repair on the forum.

It was not long until others asked for assistance… and I always did my best to either repair it for them or to give them very detailed instructions on how to do the repair. I became “The Doll Doctor”. Back then I also had a lot more free time, so I was glad to do it.

What are some of the biggest breakthroughs you witnessed in the evolution of the realism of dolls?

The most dramatic change was switching to TPE instead of silicone. If you want a firm part, then a stiff silicone is very good and durable. But if you want something that is very soft like skin, you add in silicone oil to the mixture when making it. the oil does a few things, it makes it softer… but that also makes it less durable. Additionally, it makes it leach out oil over time. A doll with a very soft backside sitting on even a padded chair is under compression… this type of silicone will spread out and flatten over time. When the silicone distorts… it remains that way. Additionally if the dye used on a fabric is oil soluble, the dye will mix with the oil and transfer into the doll… permanently. My doll Valentine had blue velvet pants… she was in them for about a month in the closet. When we took her out and undressed her to change her outfit, we found her legs and backside were permanently blue-violet.

The TPE can have this happen… but is much less prone to do so. One of my current dolls has a faint discoloration spot… but had she been silicone it would have been very dark. To date, I have not had any tears or flattening of the doll… and she has been sitting at least 6 months. The silicone dolls needed to be suspended vertically by hanging on a special stand. You can get a doll with a silicone head with punched hair… that looks pretty amazing. If I want to cuddle however, I’ll use a TPE head with a wig. If the punched (permanent) hair gets messed up I don’t know how you would fix it except to bring the head to a salon… gee… that would be interesting.

Did the creative experience of love dolls also influence other hobbies or aspects in life?

Hobbies… to some extent. I learned how to use different casting materials and to do mold making. I also learned about 2-part self foaming urethane to create parts that are soft. This has come in useful for puppet making.

What are the main factors for a good doll skin material?

Durability and softness.

TPE or Silicone?

That depends, so you want the softness or a durable yet ridgid product. The heads with punched hair are hard silicone… about as cuddly as a car tire. But they will not deform or tear. For he doll body… you just cannot beat TPE.

Is there anyone you would like to thank that you met on this journey?

Matt and Mark. Matt shared some of his knowledge of silicone as well as providing me with an exceptional doll to evaluate for the forum. Mark taught me how to do CNC, and in fact gave me my first CNC milling machine. He also experimented with me and we tried some pretty crazy things to see what would happen like mixing 2-part urethane and silicone to make a very dense yet squishy material. Ultimately not useful… but interesting.

What inspired you to start a forum dedicated to love dolls?

William, a friend of mine, purchased the domain with the thought of starting a forum. I created the web page and installed the forum software on it. Within the first couple of days we exceeded 100 members, within 6-months we exceeded 5000 members.

How has the love doll community evolved since you launched the forum?

The community grew well beyond anything we imagined, well over 40,000 members. At that point William had to hire a person to handle the page full time. Vendors also wanted to advertise there so that was started to help cover the costs of operations. Within two years it had grown so much that William was offered a very large sum of money and ended up selling the forum. At that time he an I became regular members with the exception that our heading reads “Forum Founder”.

What impact do you believe love dolls have on the lives of their owners?

That cannot be answered simply. For some members they are simply a sex toy and nothing more. For others they are a way to cope with loneliness or social anxiety. For some they are a fantasy escape, a way to enhance their creative imaginations. Some will actualize them has having a spirit or soul and will treat them as a family member. Due to this, several sub-sections have been added into the forum so that people can find like-minded others, create communities, and make friends. In some cases, people have met and became partners including their dolls. It is such a wide-ranging community that no one explanation could possibly contain all that the forum and it’s members have become. In some instances there have been meetings where several members have picked a location and vacationed together, often bringing their silent partners with them.

Can you share any misconceptions people might have about love dolls and their owners?

Certainly. Some people consider this community as “weirds” or “freaks”… but if you consider the sheer numbers of dolls sold annually, and the amount of money generated by people such as the members of the community, it is obvious that it is more than that. Some people find this as a coping mechanism for working through their feelings for example… which allows them to achieve a better mental health because they can work through things that would otherwise be difficult for them to handle.

An example would be someone with social anxiety, they can pretend with their doll and practice handling what for them would be a social situation such as a party. They can become more relaxed in conversation.

Other misconceptions are that they purchase the dolls solely to have sex for example. There are people where this is true… the doll is simply something they purchased to scratch an itch or experiment with then discard. But I would say this is a very small fraction of who most owners are. Many are so committed that they have introduced the dolls to their family for example.

What role does technology play in the evolution of love dolls?

As technology progresses, so does the level of realism that the dolls and the experience possess. Originally there were only plastic inflatables, good for satisfying a basic sexual need, but not really much else as they were very unrealistic. Next came the latex inflatables who felt more realistic, softer, without the annoying seams, and who lasted much longer. ( I have some that are over 30 years old at this point.) While the latex dolls had many advantages such as portability, many wanted something with more mass and the ability to be able to hold a pose.

The silicone dolls were created when Matt was creating silicone mannequins for clients and the movie industry started getting requests for anatomically correct productions. Realdoll was created and very quickly grew into the premier adult doll company. Through sales and even movies featuring the dolls, the popularity grew at an exponential rate. The silicone started out very fragile… it would tear with ease. Newer formulations came out that were less prone to damage, but the cost was prohibitive with dolls costing often in excess of $6000.

There was also the issue of weight, with dolls ranging in the 110 lbs to 130 lbs range. For some, special hoists were needed to move them. Additionally, if left in a seated position, the buttocks would flatten out, tears could occur in the breasts, and other problems with the joints arose. I know of people who had to give up the dolls due to no longer being able to move them. They liked to snuggle, but could no longer being them from their closet to the bed.

TPE (thermoplastic Elastomer) was developed… something I was totally unaware of until I saw the movie 2050 and discovered certain manufacturers. These dolls can be as light as 60 lbs, and due to this, several people I know rejoined the world of the doll. This was when I got back into the game.

I am curious as to what is next. I am already seeing robot dolls that can look around and talk. Soon they will do more, some are now starting to be equipped with ChatGPT and variants of it which are NSFW and fully interactive. It is just a matter of time until they become mobile and more interactive.

How has running this forum affected your personal views or experiences with love dolls?

Mostly it has opened our eyes to the sheer number of people interested in, and actively involved with dolls. And in the many ways they affect other people’s lives.

How do you see the future of the love doll industry?

It will continue to grow… I can see people literally falling in love with an ecompanion as they will be known.

If you’re interested in learning more about love dolls. Be sure to check out these articles:

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Interview with Jerry “The Doll Doctor” – Sex Doll Forum Pioneer