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Images from straitstimes.com
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It seems creepy to see full grown adults treating dolls like their real children. Ever since Luk Thep became a huge
trend in Thailand, it has received massive criticisms. Aside from the fact that it's weird seeing how these dolls are
treated, owners also believe that they bring good luck. This is why the dolls are being fed, given language proficiency lessons, brought at concerts and even during airplane rides. It started as a crazy concept that everyone can
easily laugh at, but it turned out to be a major craze all over the country.
Why the sudden
popularity
Though it seems like a surprise
that adults have suddenly caught
this craze, experts believe that this
is inevitable. For a country where
majority of the people believe in
good luck, this is just a different
form of expressing such belief. It
may also be brought about by the
fast paced modern life. Those who
experience insecurity and are in
search of a security blanket turn to
these dolls to provide what seems
to be missing.
Other experts trace the craze back
to the idea of animism. This is an
ancient belief where people
worship objects associated with
spirits. Back then, people worshipped trees, animals and even
the sun. It might seem like an old
belief, but it's still alive until now.
The popularity of Luk Thep may be
due to the perceived uncertain
future. People want to hold on to
something that could possibly give
them luck. After all, they won't lose
anything for holding such kind of
belief. The belief does not have
boundaries; the craze is true
among the working class and those
in the middle-upper class. It could
be traced to their desire to acquire
more wealth.
Luk Thep Doll from straitstimes.com
Some of these dolls are produced
locally, but a lot of them have been
imported from European manufacturers. On the surface, this can
be easily attributed to international trade. Makers of these dolls
have found a huge market and they
simply capitalized on it. However,
for believers, they think that the
dolls have real spirits inside. There
are still a lot of Thais who believe
that spirits of gods can be found
anywhere and some of them might
have been locked up inside the
dolls' bodies.
Luk Thep Dolls from abc.net.au
ASEAN Life • MAY 2016 | 43