The craft of making reborn dolls began in the United States in the early 1990s. Reborning follows a long tradition of collectors, artists and manufacturers restoring and enhancing dolls in order to portray more realism.

Since then, the internet has allowed doll artists and collectors to create an online society focused on reborn dolls. In 2002, the first reborn was offered on eBay. This has expanded the reborn market allowing artists to open online stores which function figuratively as "nurseries".

The niche market for reborn dolls began with doll collectors who admired the superior lifelike accuracy of this type of doll. The market quickly reached those who wanted to use the doll as an emotional response, either to mother or for therapeutic purposes.

Mass media coverage has helped to develop the phenomenon in other countries. Primarily reborning has grown in  Britain and Australia, but has also reached Canada, the rest of Europe, Africa and Latin America.

Doll manufacturers have also have also taken advantage of the trend and sell supplies, tools and accessories catering to reborn followers. Over time this has allowed reborners to invent new techniques causing reborn dolls to become increasingly realistic.

Magazines, books, organizations and conventions all dedicated to reborn dolls have also appeared since these events.