From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A doll is a child's toy that represents a baby or other human being, but includes likenesses of animals and imaginary creatures. Dolls have been around since the dawn of human civilization, and have been fashioned from a vast array of materials, ranging from stone, clay, wood, bone, cloth and paper, to porcelain, china, rubber and plastic.

While dolls have traditionally been toys for children, they are also collected by adults, for their nostalgic value, beauty, historical importance or financial value. In ancient times, dolls were used as representations of a deity, and played a central role in religious ceremonies and rituals. Lifelike or anatomically correct dolls are used by health professionals, medical schools and social workers to train doctors and nurses in various health procedures or investigate cases of sexual abuse of children. Artists sometimes use jointed wooden mannequins in drawing the human figure. Action figures representing superheroes and their predecessors, action dolls^[1], are particularly popular among boys. Baby dolls, paper dolls, talking dolls, fashion dolls - the list is almost endless.

Contents 1 History 2 Materials 3 Famous types of dolls 4 Doll hospitals 5 Festivals and Exhibits 6 Doll Museums and Collections 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Archaeological evidence places dolls as foremost candidate for oldest known toy, having been found in Egyptian tombs which date to as early as 2000 BC. In Egypt, as well as Greece and Rome, it was common to find them in the graves of children. Most were made of wood, although pottery dolls were buried with children from wealthier families. Dolls with movable limbs and removable clothing date back to 600 BCE.

Europe later became the center of dollmaking. In the United States, dollmaking became an industry in the 1860s, after the Civil War. ^[2] The development of plastics after World War II led to the manufacture of new types of dolls and brought down their price.

Dolls have featured in modern art and fine art photography, notably in surrealist works. The "evil doll" has been a feature of horror literature, horror films and animation since the 1950s.^{[citation needed]}

In Japan and South Korea, fashion doll collecting is on the rise, and even popular among adults.^{[citation needed]} In Jesup Iowa, a doll Factory is in construction in Jacob's House, Main Street Iowa.

Dolls over the ages have been made from every conceivable material: bisque, celluloid, china, clay, cloth, corn husks paper, plastic, polymer clay, porcelain, resin, rubber, vinyl, wax wood, bone, ivory, papier-mâché, leather etc.

Action figures American Girl Ball-jointed doll Betsy Wetsy Blythe Bobblehead doll Cabbage Patch Kids Celebrity doll Chatty Cathy Cindy Smart Dollikins (also called Action Girl) Fashion dolls Barbie and Ken Bratz Pullip Gigi Golliwogg Hakata ningyo Jumeau Dolls Kewpie doll Kokeshi My Child

My Little Pony Paper doll Pinocchio Raggedy Ann and Andy Strawberry Shortcake Teddy bear Tiny Tears Troll doll Waldorf Doll African dolls Black dolls Hopi Kachina dolls Inuit/Eskimo dolls Japanese dolls Japanese traditional dolls Kachina dolls Matryoshka doll Russian dolls Voodoo doll Worry dolls

Repair and restoration of antique and other dolls is carried out at doll hospitals, many of which have been operating for decades.^[3][4]

• Hinamatsuri (Japanese doll festival)

• Bethnal Green Museum of Childhood, London
• Johnny Gruelle Raggedy Ann & Andy Museum, Arcola, Illinois ^[5]
• Deutsches Puppen-und Bärenmuseum, Germany
• Doll and Toy Museum of the City of New York
• Musee de la Poupee et du Jouet Ancien, Paris
• Toy Museum, Prague
• Yokohama Doll Museum, Japan
• Shankar's International Doll Museum, New Delhi ^[6]
• Istanbul Toy Museum

• Stuffed animal

History of paper dolls - http://www.opdag.com/History.html

• The Canadian Museum of Civilization - The Story of Dolls in Canada
• Dolls at World Collectors Net Dolls histories, features on collecting, and collectible Dolls discussion
• Project An exposition around dolls & automats
• Dolls Around the World Museum of International Folk Art website
• Poupées Pascaline French collection dolls
• Miss Yamaguchi Torei Ningyo (Doll of Gratitude) Museum of International Folk Art websit
• United Federation of Doll Clubs
• National Institute of American Doll Artist NIADA
• Société Française de Fabrication de Bébés et Jouets
• http://www.bisque-dolls.com
• Dolls. Childhood. Victoria and Albert Museum. Retrieved on 2007-07-23.