doll (2024)

Dolls have been around ever since there were children to play with them, yet dolls have always been considered to be more than toys. Prehistoric people made miniature human figures of stone or clay that were apparently used in religious ceremonies. The doll-like figures found in ancient Egyptian tombs probably were substitutes for the real servants who were formerly buried alive with their dead masters. During the Middle Ages bread dolls designed to represent various saints were eaten on their feast days. Beginning about 1400 the first fashion dolls were used to show off the latest Paris styles in hats and gowns.

One of the oldest American dolls was the kachina, which was made primarily by the Hopi Indians of Arizona. Kachinas were carved from cottonwood or cactus root, painted in symbolic colors, and dressed traditionally. The dolls were not toys, but sacred objects for the children to study. At annual ceremonies kachinas were passed out by masked adults representing the ancestral spirits concerned with the people’s prayers and needs.

In addition to the fashion dolls, so-called “working” dolls included the peddler, or pedlar, and the Chase Hospital doll. In a basket tray held by a ribbon around the English pedlar’s neck were displayed miniature samples of household goods—kitchen tools, pots and pans, pincushions and other sewing notions—that were for sale in full-size versions. The fortune-telling doll was a type of peddler with a skirt made of folded paper fortunes that were to be purchased.

The watertight doll designed by Martha Chase in 1910 was used in hospitals to help train student nurses in handling babies. Chase Hospital dolls were made in five life sizes. For instruction in newborn care offered by some hospitals, baby dolls are used for practice by the parents-to-be.

The ivory dolls kept by Chinese physicians made it possible for female patients to pinpoint the areas of their ailments without having to undress. In cases of child abuse, anatomically correct dolls are used to help victims describe what happened to them.

A doll is not just a plaything even for the child who owns one. Babies find comfort by snuggling with soft stuffed dolls in their cribs. For preschoolers, dolls are almost-real companions. Often children identify with their favorite dolls and, in imitation of their own parents, scold, praise, or cuddle them. Older youngsters, who can dress their dolls themselves to suit their fantasies, may play school or stage battles or give parties.

No one is ever too old for dolls. Many parents enjoy helping their children act out life situations with a new generation of dolls. Some men and women—including Montezuma II, the last chief of the Aztecs, and Britain’s Queen Victoria—become doll collectors.

Schools and museums also collect dolls for their educational value. By examining the costumes of dolls from other countries and other times, students learn something about other people’s lives and cultures. Dolls from Guatemala, for example, are usually garbed in handwoven fabrics of cotton or wool. Those wearing cotton represent the Indians who live in the hot and humid coastal lowlands. The wool-clad dolls show the dress of the Indians in the cool highlands, where most of the people live.

In Japan dolls are often part of traditional rites and festivals. A Japanese bride takes her doll collection to her new home. At the girls’ festival dolls representing the emperor, the empress, and their court are displayed; girls from 7 to 17 visit each other’s collections and offer real food, first to the dolls, then to the guests. This ritual, nearly 1,000 years old, may reflect an early rite in which a scapegoat doll, treated as if alive, was given to Japanese mothers to ward off evil from their children. Japanese boys have an annual doll festival, from the first May after they are born until they are about 15 years old. Warrior dolls, weapons, banners, and legendary figure groups are displayed to encourage chivalrous virtues. Some modern dolls are even attired as athletes.

In Korea, for the children’s festival, a paper image of a woman is made with a clay base to stand erect. In Japan the corresponding toy, identified as the Buddhist Daruma, is bought by boys at a temple. The face is painted and in place of eyes are white paper disks, upon which black dots are inked if the god answers a prayer.

In India elaborately dressed dolls were given to child brides by both Hindus and Muslims. In Iraq dolls are considered unlucky; little girls must improvise their own dolls of pillows and blocks of wood. In Syria girls of marriageable age hang dolls in their windows.

In South Africa, among the Mfengu people of the Orange Free State, every grown girl is given a doll to keep for her first child. After its birth, the mother receives a second doll to keep for the second child. Voodoo dolls and fertility dolls still play a role in many tribal cultures.

Dolls can be made out of almost anything. Some of the earliest dolls were fashioned from perishable materials such as wood and fur or cloth, as well as more long-lasting clay and stone. The dolls found in ancient Egyptian graves were carved out of flat pieces of wood and decorated with paint and hair made of strings of clay or wooden beads. Clay horses and knights and small figures of tin and glass were made in the Middle Ages.

For centuries people made dolls out of whatever raw materials were available. Primitive Japanese dolls were made of shaved willow sticks with paper clothes and wood shavings or string for hair. Korean children had similar dolls made of bamboo sticks with grass hair stuffed into the top of the head. In colonial America homemade dolls were fashioned from corn husks, corncobs, fruits, nuts, and gourds. The Inuit and northern Indians used whalebone, walrus tusk, and mammoth teeth.

In commercial dollmaking the use of molded plastic was the major development in the 20th century. Yet the most enduring dolls of the century have been rag dolls, which were originally homemade. Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy were brought to life in 1915 and 1920 and have been popular ever since. Stocking dolls, felt dolls, and paper dolls are also easily made at home.

Before the introduction of all-plastic and all-rubber dolls, a doll’s body and its head were usually manufactured from different materials. The body was generally made of kid-covered wood or of leather or cloth stuffed with sawdust. Eventually composition bodies, which were cheaper to make, became popular. The head of such a doll was made of wood, terra-cotta, alabaster, wax, or waxed papier-mâché. After 1820 glazed, or shiny, porcelain doll heads and then unglazed, or matte, bisque heads were introduced.

The glazed porcelain dolls made in 19th-century Germany had heads of Dresden china. Generally lady dolls, with pink or white cloth bodies, they were sometimes used for fashion dolls. Almost all of them had dark hair, for contrast to the fair skin, and blue eyes. China heads were also sold separately to people who wanted to make their own dolls or for pincushions. There were two-faced porcelains, with one side depicting youth and the other old age.

Perhaps the first celebrity doll portrayed the Austrian dancer Fanny Elssler, posed in a ballet position in the 1840s. Jenny Lind, named after the “Swedish Nightingale” operatic soprano and concert artist, had molded hair scooped into a bun.

The littlest china dolls, called Frozen Charlottes, came in sizes from 2 to 12 or 15 inches (5 to 30 or 38 centimeters). The bigger ones were called Frozen Charlies because they looked like boys. The jointless Charlottes and Charlies had extended forearms as if frozen stiff. Their origin is a ballad, “Fair Charlotte,” about the death of a Vermont country girl who rode in a sleigh, without a blanket, to a New Year’s party.

The china doll was the forerunner of the bisque doll. Bisque comes from the word biscuit, which refers to a piece of porcelain when it comes out of the kiln, or oven, before the glaze is applied. One day a German dollmaker was taking unglazed heads out of the kiln when he noticed that the matte finish looked more like a young woman’s cheek than the glossy porcelain did.

The French soon started making bisque dolls in their own factories. Some of the so-called “French bisque,” used for the famous dolls made by the Jumeau family, was actually made in Germany. The Jumeau bisque was faintly colored pink in the clay before it was fired to give it a permanent tint. Later some brown bisque faces were introduced.

The head of a bisque doll was sculpted by an artist. Then a mold of the head was made and hundreds of copies produced. Next porcelain clay was rolled, like piecrust, and pressed into the mold. When it was dry, it was taken from the mold and fired in a kiln for many hours. After being fired and cooled, the bisque heads were washed and smoothed and sent into the various painting rooms for coloring of the features by artists.

Endless hours were required to turn out perfectly tinted cheeks and perfect lips with deeper rose shading. Sometimes a one-stroke eyebrow was used. More often the best dolls were designed with full brows made with many single, clean strokes, one over the other, until the right thickness was achieved. Eyelashes too were the work of a steady, practiced hand that could paint endless even strokes. Some bisque dolls, like the Jumeau, had particularly beautiful glass eyes. After the bodies were assembled and attached to the heads, wigs were added. Finally, the dolls were dressed.

The Jumeau bisque dolls had their own professional dress designers and hatmakers, with separate departments for shoes and accessories—all set up in the family factory. Hand needlework on the costumes was done by women who worked at home. The dolls wore pearl necklaces to hide the joining of neck and body. Some had pierced ears.

The Parian doll was named for the Greek island of Paros, which was noted for its pure white marble. However, the doll was made of pure white bisque. Only the cheeks, lips, hair, and eyes were colored. Its hair was usually blond and elaborately styled. Eyes were usually painted on, but sometimes were glass.

Most bisque doll companies also made small all-bisque dolls with movable arms and legs. They were from 3 to 7 inches (8 to 18 centimeters) high. They came to be called Candy Store dolls because they were sold in candy stores.

As early as 1862 E.R. Morrison of New York patented a walking doll, and within a few years there were several other models. In the 1890s Thomas Edison developed a “phonograph doll” that “recited” nursery rhymes. Other inventors soon produced dolls that sang or said their prayers. Mechanical dolls, fitted with tiny music boxes, appeared very early in the 19th century in European countries. Today there are baby dolls, teenage dolls, bride dolls, character dolls, storybook dolls, costume dolls, collectors’ dolls, celebrity dolls, and just plain dolls in every stage from diapers to fancy dress.

Hilda Baby, made by J.D. Kestner of Germany, often was sold with a bent-leg baby body, but the same head was sometimes attached to a toddler body.

Kewpie doll had an impish smile, side-turned eyes, topknot, and blue wings. Based on a drawing by Rose O’Neill, the Kewpie was so loved from its debut in 1912 that Kewpie clubs still flourish. They were made in bisque, composition, and celluloid.

Gibson Girl, also by Kestner, was modeled on Charles Dana Gibson’s drawing of a fashionable young lady of 1910. She had a haughty look and a Gay Nineties hairdo under a wide-brimmed hat. A Gibson Girl with a sweeter expression was made by Simon Halbig, another German dollmaker.

Boudoir dolls, later called sofa dolls and Vamps or Flappers, were made by many companies. They were long-legged dolls, often with silk- or cotton-covered faces, that could be tossed about for decoration.

Campbell Kids, copied from the soup characters, were the most popular of the advertising dolls created by E.I. Horsman & Company. Another was the Fairy, which was made to publicize Fairy soap.

Bye-Lo Baby, introduced in 1924, was called the “million dollar baby” because of its instant popularity. Grace Storey Putnam, an art teacher, created it in the image of a 3-day-old infant.

Patsy, another 1920s doll, was a little-girl doll, and the first American doll with a wardrobe.

Dy-Dee Baby, the first doll to drink from a bottle and wet its diapers, came out in 1932.

Shirley Temple, modeled after the curly-topped child actress of the same name in 1934, became the best-selling celebrity doll ever. Originally a composition doll, she was reissued in vinyl in 1967.

Magic Skin Baby was introduced in 1946. It was the first doll with texture resembling human skin.

Madame Alexander dolls were the creation of Beatrice Behrman, whose parents had a dolls’ hospital. For decades these portrait dolls have been collected for their authentic costumes as well as for their charming faces. Among the most popular have been such storybook characters as Alice in Wonderland, the four Little Women, and Charles Dickens characters. The company’s miniature dolls are costumed in the traditional dress of many lands. A 1962 doll came with interchangeable wigs attached by Velcro.

Patti Play Pal, a lifelike 1950s doll, was the same size as a 3-year-old child. She often wore clothes her owner had outgrown.

Barbie, a shapely young woman, has been the all-time best-selling doll since she was introduced in 1959. Soon thereafter Ken, who was marketed as Barbie’s boyfriend for more than 40 years, and a little sister, Skipper, as well as a girlfriend, Midge, were introduced. A number of other siblings, cousins, and additional friends were later added to the line.

G.I. Joe® is an action doll introduced in the 1960s, when it became more acceptable for boys to have dolls. His accessories included a rifle, hand grenades, and a cartridge belt. In the following decades the G.I. Joe line was expanded to include a wide variety of action figures, vehicles, and accessories.

Betsy McCall was a magazine’s paper-doll feature who became a miniature plastic doll. (In the 19th century many popular bisque dolls had been adapted as paper dolls.)

Strawberry Shortcake, the first doll success of the 1980s, was one of a collection of miniatures who smelled like their names. Others in the group included Blueberry Muffin and Orange Blossom.

Cabbage Patch Kids® were called Little People before 1983. Beginning in 1977, the original dolls were handmade of cloth for display as pieces of soft sculpture. Birth certificates and adoption papers accompany the dolls for “fees” that range from 25 to 1,000 dollars. Each doll has one-of-a-kind features and its own name.

The American Girls Collection consists of dolls from various periods of American history. Each doll in the collection and her period clothes and accessories are coordinated with her adventures in a series of books. Among the characters are Kaya, a Nez Percé girl living in the Pacific Northwest in 1764; Josefina, a Hispanic girl living in colonial New Mexico in 1824; Addy, who along with her mother escapes from slavery in North Carolina to freedom in Philadelphia in 1864; and Molly, who lives on the home front during World War II in 1944.

Most dolls today can be sold with more clothes and personal play equipment than their young owners have. Through licensing agreements, a doll can create a demand for still more related items.

Tens of millions of clothing items for Barbie and her friends are sold annually. The line also includes an ever-changing array of vehicles, homes, and accessories. On her 25th birthday, in 1984, Barbie became a truly modern woman with her own dress-for-success suit, credit and business cards, attaché case, and computer terminal. In a flashback to Barbie’s frivolous 1960s image, the skirt of her business suit was reversible for an evening on the town.

The American Girl Collection includes a wide assortment of well-researched period clothing, furniture, games, and everyday utensils used by characters in the accompanying books. The accessories are small-scale replicas of real items used during the various historical periods. They include such items as pattens, a pinner cap, a slate, a carpetbag, gaiters, and a middy dress.

In addition to dolls intended to be played with by children, many dolls are produced for adult collectors to display. The dolls may be beautifully modeled to resemble lifelike infants and children or they may portray adults or fantasy creatures such as fairies and angels; they also may be portraits of entertainers or other famous people. Some of the dolls fall into the category of sculpture or works of art. These dolls are not manufactured in mass quantities but may be one of a kind or be produced in very small quantities. Most collectors’ dolls wear elaborate costumes, and they often cost many hundreds of dollars.