This video actually shows dolls produced by a Spanish company to mark the 2009 blockbuster film Avatar
- This article is more than one year old.
- Published on September 3, 2019 at 08:00
- 4 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
Copyright © AFP 2017-2025. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
The video was published here on Facebook on January 4, 2019.
It has been viewed more than 3.7 million times and shared more than 44,000 times.
Below is a screenshot of the misleading post:
The video’s Indonesian-language caption translates to English as: “Oh my God, is this the end of the world? A German tourist puts triplets in the world, the fruit of her relationship with a dog.”
The video was also shared on Facebook here and here and on YouTube here and here with a similar claim.
In South Africa, the video was published on Facebook here and on YouTube here alongside a claim that it shows three puppies born to a German tourist.
The claims are false; the video shows silicone baby dolls manufactured by a Spanish company.
Reverse image searches on Yandex and Google using a keyframe from the video and subsequent keyword searches on Google found the same video published here on Instagram on October 26, 2016.
It was published by Babyclon, a Spanish company which manufactures and sells silicone baby dolls.
Below is a side-by-side comparison of the video in the misleading post (L) and the video published by Babyclon (R):
On its official website, Babyclon published a corresponding page titled:
“James Cameron’s AVATAR.
The Authentic, The Original, The Official
AVATAR model
20th Century Fox Official.”
Below is a screenshot of the page:
Avatar was a hit 2009 film directed by James Cameron.
Babyclon told AFP by email on August 27, 2019, that the dolls seen in the footage in the misleading posts were its products.
“We have to say that the video corresponds to our hyperrealistic sculpture of AVATAR ASLEEP silicone by Babyclon®,” the company said.
“It is an exclusive product. We have the only 20th Century Fox worldwide license for the manufacture and sale of this silicone sculpture.
“The price of the sculpture is $2,340 USD.”
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
