Dolls with ‘supernatural’ powers allowed seating on Thai Smile airline

The Star reported that a memo had been sent out to Thai Smile Airways staff, which explained the dolls can be treated as children, as they undergo a “spiritualisation” process, which is believed to breathe life into them.

Without a ticket, they are treated merely as carry-on luggage.

The airline’s acting chief officer Capt. Woraneti Lahprabang told Thai PBS that the decision to provide seats to “Look Theps” was made when passengers traveling with the dolls complained about being asked to place them in the overhead cabin or under the seats.

Guys and now “supernatural” dolls are to be allowed seating on a Thai airline – provided their owners purchase a ticket on their behalf.

Though numerous Luk Thep are imported, they reportedly go through a ritual in Thailand that involves implanting them with a child’s soul.

If the dolls help their owners feel better then the fad is rather innocuous, according to Nattasuda Taephant, director of psychological wellness at Chulalongkorn University.

The dolls, which otherwise resemble normal children’s dolls in style and size, are supposed to bring good fortune if the host takes good care of the spirit by clothing it, feeding it, bathing it and adorning it with jewels.

The dolls would be banned from sitting in the exit rows, and have to be buckled up for take off and landing.

Authorities and psychologists in Thailand are expressing concern over the increasing popularity of dolls believed to possess the spirits of child angels.

“Luk thep dolls are a clever blend of superstition and the digital era”, said Jedsada Chokdamrongsuk, the director general of the mental health department under the Public Health Ministry. If they want to buy a seat, it is the most expensive price possible.

Lt Col Kom Chetkhuntod told Thai media that police discovered the drugs hidden inside one of the dolls – which have become a craze in the country – in a black suitcase at the airport parking lot on Monday. It has become such a norm to see people treating these dolls like infants that some Thai eateries are now catering to this trend by serving kids’ meals meant for “Look Thep” dolls.

Celebrities were soon posting pictures of themselves with their dolls on social networks, which accentuated the trend. The Luk Thep doll is like an ancient household divinity called Kuman Thong – a child figure containing the remains of an unborn fetus.