I get daily threats' Brazil's panic over realistic baby dolls

Even as a former president stands trial for attempting a coup and the current leader grapples with the worst popularity crisis of his three terms, many Brazilians have been focused on a very different subject.

- Tiago Rogero

Even as a former president stands trial for attempting a coup and the current leader grapples with the worst popularity crisis of his three terms, many Brazilians have been focused on a very different subject. On social media, in soap operas, and in newly proposed laws, it seems hyper-realistic baby dolls are everywhere.

About 30 bills concerning these figures, known as "reborn" dolls, have been introduced across Brazil, including proposals to ban them from receiving healthcare. Videos of collectors bathing their dolls, tucking them into bed or pushing them in prams have spread across social media - often accompanied by critical commentary or ridicule.

The controversy reached a disturbing peak on June 6, when a man slapped a four-month-old baby on the head, claiming he thought they were a doll. The baby is reportedly doing well.