On Sunday, Ohio police showed up at Kathy Cadle's door.
Someone had reported that she was trafficking babies. Which she does … sort of.
Cadle spoke with As It Happens host Carol Off to explain. Here is part of their conversation.
Carol Off: Kathy, let's clear this up right at the beginning — do you sell babies?
Kathy Cadle: Baby dolls.
CO: Baby dolls. Not human babies?
KC: Not human babies, no. [Laughs]
(Rachel Smith) CO: But somebody thought you did?
KC: Yes. I was posting my baby doll on baby doll sites because he just came out. I accidentally hit a sale button for all different places and somebody reported me.
CO: And somebody came to your door?
KC: Yes, a cop did. It kind of shook me. I didn't know exactly what I did or if somebody did something. I asked him what was going on. He's like, "No I just got a call and I'm just doing a follow through." He said he saw the ad in the paper about the babies being made. He wanted to see the baby and I showed it to him. He just kind of grinned.
CO: Tell us about the baby you showed him. What does it look like?
KC: Ethan definitely looks like a real baby. We paint them. They are made out of vinyl and you order them. Then you weigh them out with glass beads. They feel real and everything by the time they're done. They're just absolutely gorgeous.
CO: Did you let him hold this little doll?
KC: He never really held it but he looked at it really good and then he let me take a picture with him. I said, "Nobody is going to believe this!"
Kathy Cadle posing with her baby doll and the police officer who showed up at her door to investigate whether she was trafficking human babies. (Kathy Cadle) CO: So you had a photo with you posing with the police officer who came to arrest you for human trafficking — you, your vinyl baby and him?
KC: Yes, I did. It was crazy. That little doll has caused a lot of stink, let me tell you. His name is Ethan but I nicknamed him "Trouble" because he's stirred up a lot of trouble.
CO: Now, I've looked at these dolls online and this is not some pink-cheeked, cute, little thing that children play with…
KC: No. There's definitely a lot of detail. It's a lot of work. When you tell people the price they are like, "Whoa!" But then they do realize that there's a lot to it. Like you do the hair on some of them one hair at a time. You stick in their vinyl and then you glue all that. You put all the beads inside.
CO: And they look like little newborns. I mean they have belly buttons extended. You paint blood vessels on to them and they've got squished up little newborn faces.
KC: ...In the details you put the darker colours and stuff. It's a lot of work. When you put the last coat over top with the seal and everything, that's when that baby comes to life and you're like, "Whoa!"
(Rachel Smith) CO: Okay the ones I've seen are wearing diapers. Do they have genitals?
KC: [Laughs] You can add that if you want it. I like them without it because they are more cuddly. But to do pictures and photo shoots we use those, yes.
CO: Okay, and who buys them?
KC: A lot of doll collectors. People that have [relatives] with Alzheimer's in their family because it helps them tremendously. A lot of Alzheimer's people kind of close off to everybody and they don't remember anybody. When you put a baby in their arms they say that it helps them remember when they had children. They just hold them and love them. Some of them come out and start talking to people. It helps them mentally.
(Rachel Smith) CO: Has anyone said that they're a bit creepy?
KC: Oh yeah! Some people run from it. I work at a mall so sometimes I'll bring them up and put them in a basket, sitting there at work. People will look at that baby and some take pictures with them. Some jump back and they don't want to touch it because it's too creepy.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. For more on this story, listen to our full interview with Kathy Cadle.
