Real Doll
by Michael Lane
June 15, 1999
THE ULTIMATE PLEASURE DOLL
San Diego,
CA
he's tall.
She's buxom. She has a perfectly shaped body. And, Jesus, she's
heavy!!
Welcome to the wacky world of the Real Doll, Matt McMullen's
quest to
create a mannequin shapely, sexy and real enough for real dudes
to diddle.
To get a picture on what drives Matthew McMullen, take a
look at
your
standard sex doll. They are usually plastic blow-up affairs that
might
make for something to kick around on the beach, but not
something to cuddle
up with on the couch.
Matt sought to remedy that. A mannequin builder by trade, he
started experimenting
with various substances until he hit upon the idea of silicone
injections
(how Dow Chemical). From there, various other experiments led to
Nina,
and from there to Stacey, the very first Real Doll sold to the public.
The response has been beautiful.
While we found the doll a little oily (the silicone emits a kind of
sweat),
there is no denying she is infinitely superior to anything you can
currently
buy in a store. Evidently, guys and dolls agree. Abyss Creations
sells
three hundred real dolls a year, mostly through their web site,
www.RealDoll.com.
At $5,000 a doll that's enough to keep Matt and seven others fully
employed.
We wouldn't have even visited real doll headquarters were it not
for the
persistence of our West Coast photographer, Aaron Lauer, whose
dream to
photograph the silicone wonder has been going on for three years.
As you
can see from the accompanying photos, Aaron greatly relished
working with
these young subjects, giving you enough imagery to inspire your
own voyage
with the Real Doll, virtually, or in "the flesh."
Real Doll creator, Matt McMullen, fills us in on the secrets of his
trade,
as he escorts around his San Marcos doll factory.
MONK:
How did you get into this? What started your interest in creating a
Real
Doll?
MCMULLEN: Well, I started sculpting on a small scale. I would build
clay
sculptures of women under a foot tall. At one point they grew to
about
two feet tall. It was then that I decided to sculpt life-size, but I didn't
want to have a rigid sculpture. I wanted it to be articulated like a
real
person, so that it could be endlessly re-sculpted in a way that you
could
change positions. So when I started this new project I realized
these
sculptures would make a great mannequin. People could use them
as in-store
displays because they're not limited to one pose. I had a small web
site
showing my work and started getting a lot of e-mail. People were
saying,
"this is incredible, can you have sex with it?" Even my
wife
had suggested I should make a love doll. I said, "nobody would
pay
as much as it would cost to make."
MONK: Can you have sex with them?
MCMULLEN: Of course. They're very functional. That's the whole
point.
When I had made the conscious decision to make it a love doll
there were
numerous issues that I had to tackle. If this was going to be a love
doll
the boobs had to be soft. They had to jiggle and feel real. So at
that
point it went beyond just looking real. I wanted it to feel real. I tried
a number of different approaches and what we've ended up with
is equivalent
to a breast implant. It's a pocket of silicone, almost like Jell-O inside.
Then I had to figure out sexual functions. I had to sit down and
decide
how to make the insides feel and function like a real person.
Basically
I was just mimicking nature, trying to duplicate it with rubber.
MONK: Did you take an anatomy class?
MCMULLEN: No, I'm mostly self-taught. I took a lot of art classes, a
lot
of drawing, and basic clay and molding. It initially took a year to get
the doll to that point where it was functional. There was a lot of
trial
and error. At the time I was working for a Halloween mask
company, so
I had access to a lot of materials. I was able to rule out ninety
percent
of what was not going to work. It was then that I realized silicone
was
the way to go. Due to costs I had to be careful with what I tried.
MONK: Who was testing the dolls?
MCMULLEN: I did all of the initial testing just to make sure it was a
pleasurable sensation, that it wasn't going to hurt anyone.
Whenever I
got it to a point where it seemed to work then I would incorporate
it
into the design.
MONK:
Who was the first Real Doll?
MCMULLEN: The first Real Doll was actually Nina, which was in
1996. She
was a learning process. We came to realize certain things that
wouldn't
work.
MONK: Like what didn't work?
MCMULLEN: For one thing, the skeleton had to be extremely
strong. Initially
we had ball and socket joints made out of a nylon type plastic. It
just
wouldn't hold up under the weight and conditions. So then I went to
aluminum
ball and sockets, but it was kind of loose. Now we're using
tempered steel
for all the joint parts, and that retains the shape. From there we
came
up with a basic body and head mold. After Nina we made Stacey,
which was
basically just another head type. By the time Stacey was finished I
started
taking orders.
MONK: Is it a machine process or do you have to hand make all of
them?
MCMULLEN: Everything is hand made. It takes about eighty hours.
This is
a very special process. That's why we're so different from your
average
doll-making company. Your typical love doll fits into a small box and
sells for five hundred bucks. They don't care about the quality
because
they know a guy's not going to return it. It's a sex device. He can't
take it back. The Real Doll is an art piece. I do every last step
personally
to make sure it's perfect. That's why it's around $5,000 for a basic
model.
If you want all three sexual entries, it's an extra $250, and that's
because
it's tricky to get everything working down there. Everything has to
fit
in a certain space and that takes time to install.
MONK:
What was the response of your first few customers?
MCMULLEN: They were just incredibly overwhelmed. Even when I
created the
first couple of dolls, I was just in awe. It was shocking to see how
realistic
it really was, and customers had the same reaction.
MONK: Howard Stern is quoted as saying it's "the best
sex" he's
ever had.
MCMULLEN: Well, that's probably exaggerated. Some people might
have a
fetish for having sex with an inanimate doll and it may in fact for
them
be a superior experience to having sex with a woman. I tested the
actual
physical parts of these dolls and if you were to close your eyes,
the
sensations that you get from the silicone are actually better than
the
real thing. The physical feeling of it. I mean it's just a whole different
thing. When you put something into this silicone entry it forms a
vacuum
seal so it's got this suction that a real woman couldn't have. And
that
is more intense than the real thing. Others may like the Real Doll
because
it's totally silent and basically submissive. It does whatever you want
it to do. Some guys really get off on that, the fact that they can tell
this doll to get in a position and hear no complaints. The other thing
to consider is that these dolls are physically beautiful and how
many
guys out there really get to be with a women who looks that good.
Not
many. The doll makes things possible that otherwise wouldn't
be.
MONK: Do you think the doll helps men with their sexuality and
their ability
to relate with real women?
MCMULLEN: I think it depends on the person. I know for a fact
that a lot
of people that have ordered dolls might have sexual performance
issues
where they pre-ejaculate or whatever. They get too exited when
they're
with a woman and then it's all over before it starts. I've had men
write
to say the doll helped them overcome that anxiety and start dating.
I
think it's a good thing if it's used in the right way.
MONK:
What is the future of the doll? I mean are we getting into
extremely realistic
talking dolls and interactive dolls?
MCMULLEN: Yeah, we are. Basically I want to bring computers and
the dolls
together. We do have numerous things in development that will
enable that
to happen. There will be very sensitive touch sensors in different
parts
of dolls bodies and when you stimulate those areas there will be an
appropriate
audio response based on where you're touching and what you're
doing. There's
literally going to be thousands of responses and they will randomly
mix
together to form almost limitless combinations.
MONK: You mean conversation?
MCMULLEN: Not conversation but audio sexual response based on
what area
of the body you're in contact with.
MONK: Like for example?
MCMULLEN: Like for example if you were squeezing her breasts
she will
respond with audio based on the breasts. It's going to be very
interactive
to the point where there is an intelligence there.
MONK: The natural extension of what you're doing is to create the
literal
bionic woman?
MCMULLEN: Well, the dolls have taken on a life of their own. The
purpose
of the dolls is companionship and having a sex partner. Given that
information,
you don't need a bionic woman. What you do need is a doll that
can learn
from your preferences. What we will have at some point is the
ability
to pick a personality to go with your doll. We're starting first with
the audio response. Then there will be motion response. With
those two
things working on the same system you can not only custom build
the appearance
of your doll but how she will respond sexually.
MONK:
Some might argue that the Real Doll reinforces the perception of
women
as nothing more than a physical object.
MCMULLEN: I don't think that's necessarily the case. These dolls
will
never be a replacement for the real thing. I take great pride in my
work,
but it is still a rubber doll. There beautiful and they're great and in
some ways, yeah, they can be better than the real thing. But I think
by
and large, there are so many things about a real woman. I think
men like
the fact that women argue with them and they like the fact that
sometimes
they don't want to have sex because that gives the relationship
interest.
So I don't think that these dolls are a replacement for the real
thing.
They are an alternative.
MONK: Is there a spirit in the doll?
MCMULLEN: No. It's just a doll.
photos by Aaron Lauer
