A Colombian man, Cristian Montenegro, has taken the internet by storm after introducing his unusual partner, a rag doll named Natalia Ortiz, and documenting the ‘birth’ of their third rag doll child.
What initially began as a way to cope with heartbreak has grown into an elaborate display of make-believe family life that many find either amusing or deeply unsettling.
Montenegro has crafted an entire family unit, complete with two doll children and now a newborn named Sammy.
In a viral TikTok post, he shared a selfie shortly after Sammy was ‘born’, with Natalia in the background wearing a hospital gown and attended to by another rag doll acting as a doctor.
According to the Daily Mail, the now-deleted video featured Montenegro beaming with joy and captioning it, “Welcome Sammy Montenegro.”
Online reactions were mixed.
Some netizens congratulated him on the ‘blessing of a child’, while others expressed concern for his mental health.
“Congratulations to you and your family,” one TikTok user commented.
Another wrote, “This is incredibly disturbing in so many ways. I feel so sorry for you. You need to get rid of the dolls and go to the hospital for psychiatric help. I don’t mean it with a bad intention. To everyone in the comments praising this or saying it’s okay and not judging: you’re facilitating your mental illness. We’re all heartbroken, but a life-sized doll family isn’t the answer.”
This isn’t the first time Cristian’s content has stirred debate online.
His social media pages are filled with photos and videos of everyday activities involving his doll family, from birthdays and holidays to shopping trips and graduation ceremonies.
He interacts with them with a blend of sincerity, humor, and surrealism, a concept in art and thought that reflects unconscious desires and dream-like imagery.