Men ordering sex dolls 'that look like their mate's girlfriends'

In a disturbing twist to the growing trend of sex dolls and robots, men are ordering silicone dolls designed to look like their friend's girlfriends.

The trend was revealed by a popular doll manufacturer, who said that dolls designed to look like celebrities were falling out of favour.

Andy Phelps, product specialist at Silicone Sex World, told the Daily Star: "We do get customers who inquire about celebrity dolls although they are not as popular as you may think…

"We do get some strange requests for dolls, such as dolls that look like friend's girlfriends."

Other sex doll manufacturers have previously spoken about the demand for dolls with "girl next door" looks.

Jade Stanley from Sex Doll Official said that fulfilling customers' fantasies was as easy as them sending a photo of someone they were attracted to.

A life-size rubber doll named Roxxxy is on display during the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas. Photo / AP

While it's not clear whether dolls created in a real person's image would run foul of the law, the rise in sex dolls has been met with several legal hurdles.

Italy's first sex doll brothel was raided and shut down by police only nine days after it was first opened in 2018.

Offering clients silicone models inside one of its eight private rooms, LumiDolls Torino was found to be breaking Italian laws on renting out accommodation.

The city's health authority also investigated if the dolls in the secret establishment situated in the northwestern city of Turin were thoroughly cleaned after each use.

Men are requesting silicon sex dolls made in the likeness of their friend's girlfriends. Photo / Getty

And last year a Timaru man was arrested and charged after importing a child sex doll.

Customs investigations manager Bruce Berry told the Herald in 2017 that the office was aware of the growing, global trend and was monitoring it closely.

"We're seeing some of these start to appear on the border. And really that's, to my mind, the effect of globalisation and the shrinking of the virtual borders that we have."

These items are declared as obscene, he said, and importation was prohibited.