A Curious History of Sex Dolls

The ancient Babylonian epic Gilgamesh (c.1800 BC) tells the story of a temple ‘moll’ (1604) called Šamhat who serves Ishtar and tames the wild man Enkidu through her sexual skills. This is one of the earliest written references to sex work ever found, but it does not claim to be anything but a story. And Rachel Maines's hypothesis even mentioned that Victorian doctors administered orgasms to female patients as treatment for "hysteria”. From this, we can see that sexual culture appeared in this world in a long time ago. But then how do sex dolls come about? What solutions does it provide to humans or how to help us?

Abraham Maslow also says sex is a physiological need. That is, just like human and other species need to eat and drink every day. There is a good reason for that – sex is a primal urge. It is a part of an instinct that drives us, just as it does any other animal or being, to procreate and continue the species. For some, it guides a lot of what they do.

Development of Sex Dolls

Sex dolls also called TPE dolls, love dolls, erotic dolls and robot dolls popularly. They have been around for hundreds of years since humans created the first simple inflatable dolls. Traditionally, people avoid talking about it and they do not know Sex Dolls are good or bad. It seems like a shameful and private thing that people rarely mention in public. However, this does not prevent a considerable number of people from loving it, because it can solve many problems for humans, especially physiological needs. These sex doll lovers work together to advance the development of sex dolls. It's becoming more and more realistic, it's making people feel better and more welcoming.

 History of Sex Dolls

1. Physical dolls have been around for much longer than you might think.

Many people believe that physical dolls were invented in the 20th century, however, the earliest historical records of physical dolls appeared in the 17th century. More than 400 years ago, Dutch soldiers created leather dolls that they sold to the Japanese, and for this reason, solid dolls are sometimes called "Dutch wives" in Japan.

2. Barbie was inspired by a physical doll

In 1950s Germany, there was a popular adult comic about a senior call girl named Lily. For the role, a doll was made and sold, and although the doll was considered too sexy, it was popular among men.

While it wasn't as well-made or properly constructed as the physical dolls of today, the Lily doll was certainly not a children's toy. Therefore, Lily dolls inspired the birth of Barbie dolls in the United States.

3. The porn industry is illegal in the majority of the world, but physical doll experience halls are not heavily scrutinized.

From Spain to Russia to China, physical doll experience halls have become a trend, with more and more stores opening all over the world. Some countries and regions even allow public promotion and promotion.

4. Entity dolls that can accept custom orders

Most customers buy off-the-shelf, and many manufacturers can produce customizable dolls by offering custom options with charge. For discerning customers, it's even possible to create your own custom companion robot doll, provided the budget is sufficient.

The extra cost of buying a doll that looks exactly like you want is worthy of it, and just as some men love well-tailored suits, so is the quality and design of their physical dolls.

5. Female and male physical dolls

Most dolls are designed and made with women as templates, however, there is a growing demand for male physical dolls. Historically, male physical dolls accounted for only 5% of total sales, but with the global popularity, more and more male dolls have been designed to cater to the needs of other groups.

6. Physical dolls aren't always for sex

While the original purpose of physical dolls was sex, that wasn't always the case. The world can be a huge and lonely place, and for some, it can feel emotionally empty.

Some real doll fans just like to spend time with them, like a faithful companion, they snuggle together, watch TV, eat, and thanks to the advancement of artificial intelligence technology, they can even communicate with each other now.

7. The physical doll industry owes a big thank you to Howard Stern

Howard Stern, known for his late-night erotica, paid more than $5,000 for a physical doll he reportedly had sex with while on the radio.

As a result, sales of physical dolls skyrocketed, and Howard Stern turned physical dolls from a silly joke to the focus of thousands of people.

8. Entity dolls have fans

As their popularity continues to grow, physical dolls are gaining a fan base that calls themselves "doll friends." These fans thought they were not lifeless dolls. 

Filmmaker Melody Gilbert's documentary "Silicone Soul," examines the group in detail and explains how they believe physical dolls have souls.

Moreover, some of the distinctive dolls we know have already become idols that people desire, just like the superstars every one knows well.

Future of Sex Dolls

Take a bold guess, we are almost entering an aging society, and people's demand for artificial intelligence robots will increase. The physical doll of the future is not only a passive toy, but a living companion with interactive feedback and spiritual companionship. It's just that the technology is not mature enough at present, such as slow response, insufficient energy, inaccurate recognition and so on.

Today the technology of physical dolls has developed by leaps and bounds, not only the joints of the whole body can be bent and shaped at will, plus TPE material, skeleton, makeup, has made the appearance of the doll no different from the real person, and equipped with AI intelligent function, making the doll closer to the human. In the future, bionic dolls will have the potential to go beyond material and programming. Smart physical dolls will be as ubiquitous as home appliances. We will see physical dolls can not only solve demand problems, but also cook and do laundry, and chat with them.