Various rampant manias periodically roam the countries. They were Tamagotchi, then Pokemon, then spinners.
But now in Thailand, a general and eerie hobby has begun - adults "adopt" dolls, believing that spirits enter them (for example, children killed in abortions). Thais worship their favorite dolls, carry them everywhere with them and are sure that they bring good luck.
Where does this popularity come from?
Imagine that you are sitting in a cafe, and at the next table, an adult woman is spoon-feeding a doll. This is a case of "doll fever", because Thais now adore mascot dolls.
Thailand was captured by Look Thep dolls (Luk Thep, literally "child deity", they are also Child Angels). Stores selling clothing and jewelry for Luk Thep, beauty salons for Luk Thep are opening across the country. The dolls are cared for, fed, dressed, and a Japanese restaurant in the suburbs of Bangkok has launched a special menu for Luk Thep for only 499 baht (about 900 rubles).
Thai airline Smile Airways is already serving the dolls as live passengers.
Promotional video:
The story of dolls reached its climax last month: as a result of massive resentment from customers, Thai Smile Air announced the release of tickets for Look Thep dolls, which include a separate seat and even a complete meal for a pseudo-child.
The owners of such dolls are sure that the toy is not just a doll, but something more, animated. "These dolls are actually alive," their "parents" insist, "because they seem to possess the souls of dead children living in them."
The pseudo-parents, who provide their dolls with food, entertainment, clothing and jewelry, were indescribably outraged that the airline was treating the dolls as inanimate objects.
Today, Look Thep dolls enjoy, so to speak, a variety of products and services that are exclusively for them: buffets, gold jewelry, cute clothes and accessories, even spa and facial treatments.
These dolls appeared in Thailand in 2013 and are still growing in popularity. One day, a woman named Mananya Bunmi, frustrated by the bad behavior of her 17-year-old son, made a doll and, with the help of amulets, spoke to her, giving the doll a piece of the child's soul. I immediately remember the Chucky doll and similar stories from horror films. But in this case, the doll helped the mother deal with the naughty teenager.
After anxious care of the doll and religious rituals (the woman took the doll to the temple to pray together for the best behavior of her son), the young man settled down, left the bad company, found a part-time job and started dating the girl. For her help, Mananya Bunmi put gold rings on each finger to a doll named Patch. And then she took the pseudonym Mama Ning and began mass production of dolls with a soul, calling them Luk Thep, "Angel's Child."
Mom Ning with the Patch doll and her many other "kids".
The popularity of animated dolls can be explained by the peculiarities of culture: despite the spread of Buddhism, many Thais believe in spirits and ghosts that inhabit any object. Why doesn't a ghost live in a cute doll that looks so much like a living baby?
The name of the Luk Thep doll is translated as "Angel's Child".
In fact, Look Thep is actually a modern version of Kuman Tong amulet dolls: during an ancient ritual, a dead fruit was burned with fire and covered with gilding - hence the name Kuman Tong, which means “golden child” - in order to attract good luck and success. It is believed that the owner of such a “child” is obliged to properly care for him and worship him in exchange for a service in the future.
Since the newborn has died, the dead fetus must be turned into a Kuman Tong, and Look Thep (meaning "baby angel") is a more comfortable and innovative version of this ancient, and some would say strange, ritual that gives the performer hope and confidence.
The production of Luk Thep does not require disturbing the soul of a dead fetus: Mama Ning arranges a special ceremony to which she summons the goddess. To revive Luk Thep, the goddess creates a new soul of the child. That is, Kuman Thongi is from black magic, and Luk Thep is from white.
Thais believe in spirits and ghosts that inhabit any object, including dolls.
Thais believe: the more diligently you appease the doll, the more luck it will bring you. The owners treat the dolls like their own children - they comb their hair, bathe, dress them, tell them stories and put them to bed. Puppets are taken with them to churches, blessing ceremonies are performed over them, they pray with them.
Locals believe that taking care of the Luk Thep doll will bring good luck.
Mom Ning explains the excitement around Children of Angels by the fact that her compatriots need to believe in something against the backdrop of the protracted economic crisis in the country. The woman assures that the doll helped and win the lottery, prompting the numbers in a dream.
The scope of worship sometimes goes beyond reasonable. Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha even made a speech in which he urged Thais not to go crazy over Luk Thep and to distinguish superstition from reality.
Dolls and criminal scandals have not spared. At the Chiang Mai airport, the attackers tried to smuggle 200 pills of methamphetamine from Thailand in the doll-girl Luk Thep. Now border guards inspect dolls with special care, which cannot but outrage the owners.
Buddhist temples were tested for rituals with dolls, but then rituals were allowed if the monks did not profit from them.
You can be ironic about the madness of the Thais on creepy dolls. But one couple who "adopted" a rubber baby won the lottery 17 times in a year!
And DJ Bookkoh Thannatchayapan from 94 FM recently told his listeners that he also owns a doll, which he named "Wansai". According to him, she has already brought him success. “On the very first day after buying Wansai, I went to the store with him to buy baby clothes. As soon as I paid for his clothes, the employer called me and told me that a new job awaited me,”Bookko said on the air of the show. Bookko promised the doll to buy a gold necklace, and after that he got a call and was invited for an interview to get a role in the film. Now the doll is dressed like a needle and sparkles with gold. “I love Wansai as my child and I feel like he really exists,” Bookko noted.
Prices for Look Thep dolls in Thai online stores vary from 2 to 16 thousand baht, the cost, as expected, depends on their quality.