look thep (ลูกเทพ)

Thai. ‘Angel child’. Name for a kind of doll, also referred to as tukkatah look thep, which is used as a new kind of talisman. The so-called doll god or divine doll is both worshipped and carried along anywhere, and is treated as one would raise a real child. This kind of new worship came about in 2015 AD after a man named Chiraphat Natthita Thawaranon (จีรพัฒน์ ณัฐฐิฐาวรานนท์) allegedly heard some doll say ‘take me with you’, thus taking the doll home to look after. After he felt that the doll brought him many good things, he took it to a respected Buddhist monk to be blessed. After this, many followed his example, including some famous actors and artists, as well as others in the entertainment industry, believing that raising a divine doll will bring one fortune, money and fame. Today, these dolls and clothing for them can be found at several specialized shops in malls and online, and come in a variety of sizes and prices, with some of them even having pre-recorded audio chants that can be played by pushing the belly, whilst many Buddhist temples now accept them among the items that can be brought in to be blessed. Divine dolls have also started to appear on social media with their own account and some local airlines have promoted special fares for these dolls to board the plane akin to special rates for real children. It is said that a deity doll is not the spirit of a child bound to a doll and that the dolls need to be looked after with the correct merit and amount of worship as otherwise its power will gradually disappear. It is also claimed that the success behind important businessmen and rich merchants with divine dolls is not instant, but the result of looking after their doll with effort, diligence and patience, while worshiping the deity at the same time. 回