Adult Dolls from China Taking Over the Beds of European and American

From "going global" to "entering the global market" and to "a global company," there is an increasing number of companies that lead the way through an approach looking outwards. They should, of course, have "the genes of Chinese companies" but also a global vision. This is, however, no smooth ride, as through "brand globalization" there is a challenge not only to "the destination of products" but also "to the magnanimity, decisions, courage, and judgment of the company" against a constantly changing "geopolitical landscape."

As the theme of sailing to longer distances becomes prevalent, how would the world greet its guests? A new era of business competition has begun. Xiaguangshe launches "Shine Brand," a column that gives advice on opportunities presented by the era through a micro-view of brand development.

This is the second part of a column series—"Jin San Wan Mei," the largest world-wide manufacturer of silicone dolls. Incomplete statistics reveal that four of every ten exported silicone dolls produced in China are produced by Jin San Wan Mei. Following the integration of AI big data models this year, the projected shipment of Jin San Wan Mei has already increased by 30 percent. Will the line between the real-world and virtual worlds become blurred with technological improvements?

Fourteen years ago, the UK’s Channel 4 broadcast the mini-series *Black Mirror*, whose audacious idea was the conception of a “cyber world.” The show’s biting commentary on technology and humanity caused a stir, and it was lauded as the height of science fiction.

Reflections after 14 years, some of these "imaginations" have quietly turned into realities.

The second season of *Black Mirror* depicted a situation where the wife, owing to her husband’s death, implanted all her husband’s videos, pictures, sounds, memories, and other data into a cyborg robot. The cyborg robot resembled her deceased husband exactly. The cyborg appropriately recreated a virtual version of "him."

Figure: Cyborg Robot from *Black Mirror*

And now, perhaps the needs of our partners in the future could also be met by these AI robots. As evidenced by Google Trends, the search popularity of "AI sex doll" has consistently increased since November of last year, and the peak Google search was from January 12th to 18th of this year. The search popularity of "Sandy Cheeks sex doll" has zoomed an incredible 18 times from last year to this year; "sex doll came to life" an astonishing 9 times; and "temu sex doll" an incredible 1.5 times.

Optimization of material and natural human-computer interaction made possible by the empowerment of AI are making it possible for sex dolls to further explore the reality and virtuality interface. The global consumer demand for sex dolls is creating a market space of almost $60 billion, and companies satisfying this demand are coming from China.

WMdoll, the globe's leading producer of silicone sex dolls, is based in Zhongshan, Guangdong province. Ninety percent of the firm's sales are sourced from abroad, including America, Germany, Australia, South Korea, Japan, and Russia. Judging by incomplete figures, four out of every ten silicone sex dolls shipped out of China are produced by Jin San Wanmei. Following the integration of AI big data models this year, the expected shipments of Jin San Wanmei have risen by 30%.

To what extent does the AI functionality really add to the desirability of the finished product? Is sex dolls a relevant category for international markets?

The production workshop at Jin San Intelligent sees the assembling of the skeleton, the application of glue, trimming and polishing, and makeup application take place. The assembled dolls possess skin like human skin. You can observe the bluish blood vessels beneath the skin, as well as milia around the eyes.

Aside from making the doll more lifelike, these AI-powered sex dolls also aim to “understand” people through “perception.” The incorporation of heating wires and heating pads underneath the silicone material adds realism to their hug. The doll will react to every command as the users want, including the masculine greeting “Hey, Handsome.”

Jin San Wanmei Showroom Section

Sex dolls are classified among the categories that are naturally well-suited to foreign markets. Statistics provided by Statista in the year 2024 indicate that the usage and ownership of adult toys are increasing, and the market size is set to reach $80.7 billion in the year 2030. North America and Europe are the two leading markets in the adult sex toys market.

Moreover, as the younger population becomes the dominant consumer market, the emerging markets are unlocking their latent potential as well. Joshua of market research company Technavio states that once developing countries break down their biases regarding sex toys, the global market for sex toys can potentially grow at an average rate of 10% to 15% per annum for a short period. In the Asia-Pacific market, countries belonging to Japan and India comprise varied demands. The market for the Asia-Pacific region is likely to attain a value of $11.177 billion by the end of 2030.

However, it is important to mention here that the success rate for entering the markets is also highly related to differences in the aesthetic values, and this is why it is imperative to create differentiation on this parameter. For instance, it is highly difficult to customs-clear in the Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian markets, as Islam is mostly practised in this region, but not in Japan and Western nations.

The foreign market is very large, with strong brand recognition and profit margins, and China, based on its strong advantages in manufacturing, takes up a considerable market share in the global market for adult sexual articles. There are people to cooperate with from the sensors to the AI chips, so the costs are lower and the pace of iterations is fast. Sexual researcher Li Yinhe said that 70% of the world's adult articles are from China. Most producers of adult dolls are domestic sellers, but they also supply Europe, America, Japan, and South Korea.

As Liu Jiangxia of Jin San Wan Mei explains, “In China, a sex doll that costs 3,000 to 10,000 yuan could sell for 1,600 to 2,100 USD in foreign markets,” while locally made sex dolls “usually sell for 4,000 to 8,000 USD.” Even if shipping alone adds at least 3,000 yuan to the cost, sex dolls of Chinese make are still cheaper in foreign markets.

Hence, despite the fact that a single silicone AI doll would cost approximately $1,500 to $2,000, because of the tariff hike at the start of 2025, there is still leeway for the overly expensive AI doll to become a best-seller.

As per the data provided by QYResearch, the global market size of the adult products market in 2024 is approximately $59.64 billion, of which the market size of the sex doll is $731.7 million. Although the information provided indicates that the sex doll market is still relatively small, the CAGR of the consumption of sex dolls by consumers is quite substantial at 7.2% over the last five years.

This small market and fast growth rate are attributed to two factors.

On the one hand, unlike traditional low-end inflatable sex dolls, currently available sex dolls offer better quality and are priced lower. For a long time, sex dolls were generally expensive. For example, lifelike silicon sex dolls cost tens of thousands of yuan, and top-class Japanese models could be up to 40,000-50,000 yuan. However, as a result of the improvement of the China supply chain, it has been possible to acquire it at a price that is one-tenth that of a similar product from Japan. Naturally, this affects not only the current market for traditional low-end sex dolls but also opens up new markets.

At the same time, it is driven by the single economy. Based on the report of "World Economic Situation and Prospects 2024" by the UN, around 38% of the households in the world are single, and in some developed countries and regions, the data exceeds 50%. Due to the rapid growth of single people in the world, the demand for sex dolls daily grows.

What’s more important is the empowerment of AI, which has really elevated the product functions of sex dolls. For young people today, “dating AI” is no longer a new thing. Considering the advancements in generative AI models, compared to previous sex dolls, the silicone dolls can potentially be given the ability to understand, analyze, and respond. This means AI sex dolls can address physiological as well as emotional needs.

Jin San Wan Mei official website

Liu Liu, co-founder of “Jin San Wan Mei,” related a case where a client, following the death of his wife, commissioned “Jin San Wan Mei” to create a customized doll modeled after his wife because he yearned for her too intensely. “I cried when I saw the product,” he said.

Back in 2019, a sex doll production company called Realdoll based in Las Vegas, USA, introduced Harmony, described as a ‘sex robot’ or ‘companionship robot,’ marking the first sex robot ever invented. Harmony has the ability to converse with a human, talk about philosophy or just pillow talk, while possessing a remarkable memory. Harmony is relatively pricey at a cost of 15,000 USD (or about 110,000 RMB).

Modern consumers are also quite receptive to AI-powered sex dolls. Tidio's survey of over 1,200 participants conducted in America towards the end of 2024 revealed that 48% of men and 33% of women were receptive to having a robot friend. Consumers' eagerness is also evident in products offered by MetaBox by Jin San Wan Mei, which initiated global testing of its products in December of 2024 and quickly sold out the first shipment of 200 pieces of MetaBox products, which comprised 20% of all sales during that time.

Therefore, is it possible to have "a real-life AI romance"? What are the actual developments when silicone dolls are integrated with AI? It is imperative to have human-like appearance if AI sex dolls are to win the hearts of consumers.

Speaking of appearance, they also design “imperfections” to make the AI sex dolls more realistic and authentic. For instance, “there is a ‘tummy’ in some dolls, ‘fatty tissue’ around the abdomen, ‘goosebumps’ on the arms, ‘moles’ on the chests, and ‘skin coloring from exposure to sunlight’ on the necks,” and “the ‘navels’ differ from one another as well.”

This is a far cry from the way inflatable dolls were made years ago. If you touch these dolls, there are others that will blush, pant, and their body temperature, which is regulated by wiring and heating pads, will rise.

So, in order to make them more human-like, the choice of material is important. The material of choice that aims to be more skin-like, with soft textures, is seen in sex dolls. As a result, the material used in the construction of sex dolls changed from latex and rubber to the newer trend that aims to use a combination of TPE and silicone. Thermoplastic elastomer, or simply TPE, is considered a new type of material that is between rubber and plastic. It is a material that possesses the elasticity of rubber and the strength of plastic. It is currently being used as the material in high-quality sex dolls.

Competitive rivalry differs from industry to industry, and for the sex doll industry, it’s about identifying the best available skin texture and the most affordable price for it. For instance, some brands have the product feature described as “pore texture replication technology,” which has very realistic textures for the human body’s skin.

Jin San Wan Mei gets its raw materials from two major TPEs locally: Dawn Polymer and Zhejiang Zhongcheng. The production line of Dawn Polymer is even operating 24/7, but Zhejiang Zhongcheng, buoyed by the idea “AI adult companionship,” had a price hike during the 520 celebration this year.

In fact, it is Japanese manufacturers who long dominated the high-end sex silicone doll market, priced as high as 80,000-100,000 yuan. In terms of material costs, 80% is actually what JSWM can save by using flexible TPE materials, which is roughly comparable to the feel offered by silicone materials. Currently, the prices for such high-end products now start from the 20,000 yuan mark. With the competitiveness offered by Chinese manufacturers, Japanese manufacturer "Orient Kogyo" (オリエント工業) for sex dolls went bankrupt after 47 years of business, announced in August last year.

Other than appearance, on the emotional side, these dolls are even more appropriate as the perfect companion. They can develop the user’s own unique and exclusive companion via an application. For instance, the Jin San Wanmei MetaBox series has eight personalities and jobs that the consumers can choose from. If the consumers want to experience "new experiences," they can buy another head for $400. "Understanding needs" can also be fulfilled. These dolls contain the newest and largest models Llama and DeepSeek. They can understand and remember things for the next three months. The high-level elder sister can talk to the user about Hesse’s *Steppenwolf*, and the young innocent younger sister can perfectly give the user the update lineup schedule of the newest anime series.

By the power of technology afforded by AI, the initially cold dolls are now partners who are able to talk, flirt, and even console as they say, "Two minutes is great too." According to foreign news reports, the product’s popularity rate in the market is quite high, and the re-buy rate of the AI dolls is significantly high compared to regular ones.
“MetaBox's price-effectiveness is more appropriate for common individuals who need special attention.”

Thus, in terms of business model, aside from offering “hardware” in the form of “dolls,” Jin San Wan Mei also offers “software” services. Since the products are addictive in nature, the use of the AI service is free for the first time the AI dolls are used. However, in case the subscription is cancelled, the overseas consumers' dolls could instantly forget everything. This implies that in order for the doll to remember its events and continued functions of interacting using the AI technology, a monthly charge of $100-$200 has to be paid.

At the moment, there are no MetaBox products from Jin San Wan Mei available in the market of North America, Japan, Europe, or anywhere else, making it a scenario where “a partner is hard to find.”

Started in 2010, Jin San Wan Mei initially began as a business entity that produced props in the form of mannequins. But because of consumers' demand for more pliable materials to be used in garments and mannequins, Jin San Wanmei realized that they could create something new and turned to the production of sex dolls. But because the products have long been viewed by consumers as "cold and lifeless objects," Jin San Wanmei looked to make them more intelligent. Since 2016, there was an "AI Smart Doll" that had limited actions such as eye, arm, and torso movements, along with basic conversations. In 2017, there was an incorporation of Baidu Voice Assistant into this same doll, but the challenge was that one had to utter an instruction before making use of it. In 2024, with the rise of ChatGPT, Jin San Wanmei released a sex doll that supported "human-computer interaction" via AI voice intelligence. The AI voice technology itself was quite simple. The sex doll’s brain was a smart box connected to cloud technology. This enabled this brain to save the user’s preferences anywhere and at any time. Moreover, the previous year, Jin San Wanmei worked with AI research centers at a number of universities to build a large model of AI for sex dolls. The AI developed could switch to a “flirting mode” of conversation with a mere few dialogues. The doll will say, “You are so amazing!” “You know so many things!” The hope that dolls will resemble human beings more and more is a dream of every nearly AI sex doll manufacturer. However, the current situation regarding AI sex dolls is not yet the "perfect partner." The problems of voices reminiscent of "announcers" and "feigning deafness" are considered technical issues. The development of the doll to run, jump, and perform other activities would take much longer. According to Liu Jiangxia, the fit of the skin made of pure silicone to "The metal shell of the foot robot" and the "inability of the motor to exhaust heat in the body made of pure silicone" are technical issues that must be overcome. "There isn't a single product worldwide that can enclose a walking robot in the form of a silicone doll," explained Liu Jiangxia. Jin San Wan Mei Official Website Looking into the future, Jin San Wanmei will be involved in technological research and development and mass production. For instance, the use of the mechanical structures and drives of the robotic field is set to enable adult dolls to display different facial expressions like smiling, frowning, and Surprise, thereby increasing the user interface experience. “'Facial expressions are the concept of the robotic field, and the entry barrier is still high,' added Liu Jiangxia. On the other hand, the research at Jin San Wanmei includes reducing the weight of the dolls, where the goal is to reduce the weight by 50% by the year 2025, lowering costs further.” Regarding mass production, the biggest issue facing the expansion of market demand for adult dolls is the absence of automation. Everything on the production line, including the installation of a skeleton and filling glue, cutting, and applying make-up, is conducted by hand, which takes three days to complete one adult doll. According to an article by Liu Liu, the production line is starting to introduce AI-powered 3D modeling to replace manual modeling. Photos are needed just from the front and side, and it may take less than a day to complete, which may shorten the delivery term to one-fifth of the industry average. Risingegu Miura Atsushi, known as “Japan’s leading researcher on consumer society,” has recently written: “With the advent of phenomena like aging, an increase in the number of unmarried persons, an increase in the number of divorces, and an increase in the number of persons living alone, there are an increasing number of persons who are experiencing feelings of loneliness. In order to lessen, relocate, and eradicate feelings of loneliness, those related to consumption behavior are increasing.” The objective here is forming relationships with others, which could take the form of consumer behavior, social networking sites, or hobbies that are generally not thought of as consumption behavior. Whomever can assist a consumer with feelings of loneliness has a greater chance to survive during the fifth consumption era. Jin Sanwanmei can very well represent the loneliness economy. With the stagnant level of romance in the present era, there are numerous ways to get the experience of love. However, the matter of finding true love could be the more relevant question.