Bundles of Polyester Joy

The little darlings are parentless and begging to be taken home. They do not come from stork, or test tube, but from a former medical clinic in Cleveland, Ga., called Babyland General. They are dolls. Each fabric-and-polyester infant is a "soft sculpture," handmade by one of 125 employees of Entrepreneur Xavier Roberts, 24, a former artist. In just two years, Babyland has "delivered" 50,000 babies at prices of $125 to $200 each, which Roberts insists on calling adoption fees. "You don't buy them, you adopt them," said one middle-aged Miami woman, pressing a fat baby boy doll to her ample bosom. To enhance the illusion, all Babyland employees are required to dress as hospital staff; Roberts is the white-coated "doctor." Customers--or rather, prospective parents--must raise their right hands and take an oath to love and care for their little charges. At the Georgia plant and a branch "adoption center" in Orlando, Fla., Roberts plans eventually to produce adult dolls as well. Each will come equipped with a driver's license and birth certificate--everything but credit cards and the right to vote.

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