Posts Tagged ‘dolls’

Paper Dolls — Endearing Childhood Treasures

Monday, April 26th, 2010

Paper dolls are among of the simplest and cheapest of toys, and yet have provided great entertainment for children and adults around the world for centuries. These dolls are normally two dimensional, and are most often made of paper, but can also be made of other materials such as cloth, wood, or plastic, and can be figures of people, animals, or inanimate objects (including various types of toys). These dolls are also considered to include three dimensional dolls made entirely of paper.

Strictly speaking, the term ‘paper dolls’ includes only dolls that have accompanying clothing or costumes, and the earliest such dolls were used in the fashion industries of France, Austria, Germany and England in the mid 1700s. These dolls were hand painted, and intended to entertain adults. They were often used to show current fashions, or to represent popular figures of the time. These kinds of dolls were first manufactured in England and America in the early 1800s, and many beautifully crafted dolls were exported from Europe to America in the late 1800s. Although these dolls date only from the 1700s, paper figures (without accompanying clothing or costumes) have been in existence for thousands of years. Asian cultures have used paper figures in ritual ceremonies for over 2000 years, and other cultures have had special forms of paper folk art for centuries.

Paper dolls began to appear in magazines in the mid 1800s. The dolls, themselves, would be printed on one page, with clothing and costumes (which could be hand colored) printed on the next page. This practice became very popular in the early 1900s, and continues today. The dolls also began to appear in newspapers in the 1890s. They provided cheap entertainment, and were especially popular during the Great Depression, when money was scarce and many people could not afford to spend much on entertainment.???

In the 1940s and 1950s the dolls also started appearing in comic books, including many of those published by Archie Comics, Atlas Comics, Eclipse Comics, GAY comics, D.C. Comics, Fawcett Publishing, National Periodical Publications, Renegade Press, and Star Comics.

Manufactured paper dolls designed by gifted artists were very popular in 1940s and 1950s. There were many such fine artists, including Betty Bell, Doris Butler, Rachel Dixon, Maud Fangel, Irene Geiger, Queen Holden, Miriam Kimbal, Mary Knight, Ann Kovach, Kathy Lawrence, Avis Mac, Maybell Mercer, Hilda Miloche, Jean Morse, Ruth Newton, Rose O’Neill, Fern Peat, Nan and George Pollard, Louise Rumely, Florence Salter, Merily Sharpe, Ethel Simms, Judy Stang, Ethel Taylor, and E.A. Voss.

Some of the publishers for these artists included American Greetings Company, Hobby House Press, Merrill Publishing Company, Saalfield Publishing Company, Samuel Lowe Publishing Company, Western Publishing Company, and Whitman Publishing Company.

Some doll characters were short lived, but others have continued on into today. A partial list includes A Date with Judy, Angel Babies, Baby Patsy, Baby Shower, Barbie and Ken, Beth Ann, Betty and Veronica, Blondie, California Girls, Carolyn Lee, Dennis the Menace, Hair-do Dolls, Judy Garland, Katy Keene, Millie the Model, Misty, My Girl Pearl, Neil the Horse, Patsy and Hedy, Sugar and Spike, the Dionne Quints, Tiny Tot Shop, and Vicki Valentine. The list also includes many Disney characters, celebrities, and popular movie stars starting with the favorites of the Silent Screen.

Paper dolls are still very popular, and are an endearing childhood treasure, both as enjoyable toys for children, and as a delight for collectors of all ages.

GalaxyOfStores is an Online Shopping Center for THOUSANDS of different products for the whole family. Please visit ACTION FIGURES, DOLLS AND STUFFED TOYS for additional interesting articles, as well as a great selection of children’s toysFree Web Content, and visit the GalaxyOfStores.com HOME PAGE for all of its great products.

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Dolls — Toys from Antiquity

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Dolls are believed to have been around since prehistoric times, and may well have been the earliest type of toy used by man. These dolls were certainly made of natural materials such as clay, wood, and fur. Many of them may have been used as children’s toys, but it is believed that they were often used to represent a deity, and likely played a key role in religious rituals and ceremonies.

None of these ancient dolls have survived through the ages, but dolls have often been found in Egyptian graves dating back as far as 3000 years. Some of these dolls were made of pottery, but most were made of flat pieces of wood painted with different designs, and with hair made of strings of wooden beads or clay. Dolls have also been found in the graves of Greek and Roman children, some with movable limbs and removable garments.

Later, Europe became a major producer of wooden dolls. Some of these dolls were made from tree stumps, while others were ‘peg’ dolls, made with simple peg joints and resembling a clothespin. Composition dolls, which were made from mixtures of pulped wood or paper that were molded under pressure, were developed in the 1800s. These dolls were durable and could be mass produced. Dolls with wax heads were also popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Porcelain and bisque dolls became popular at the beginning of the 19th century.

The French “bebe” dolls were popular in the 1880s. Up until this time, most dolls represented adult figures. The bebes were different, because they represented younger girls. In the 1900s, realistic German bisque dolls were introduced and became very popular. These started an ongoing trend of creating realistic dolls.

Rag and cloth dolls have been hand made for centuries. ‘Rag’ dolls are made of any fabric, while dolls made specifically of linen or cotton are considered to be ‘cloth’ dolls. Commercial production of rag dolls was started in the 1850s in England and America.

It was not until after the Civil War that doll making became an important industry in the United States. Most dolls were produced in New England, and were made of various materials such as papier-mache, leather, cloth, and rubber. Celluloid was developed in the 1860s and was used in the manufacture of dolls until the 1950s. Although these dolls could be mass produced very cheaply, they were extremely flammable, and would fade in bright light.

Hard plastic dolls were made in the 1940s, and dolls of vinyl, rubber, and foam rubber were made in the 1950s and 1960s. The use of vinyl allowed doll makers to insert hair into the head, rather than having to paint the hair on, or to use wigs.

Modern dolls have traditionally been toys for children, and ‘action figures’ representing ’superheroes’ are now very popular with boys. There are even ‘virtual’ dolls available on the Internet which can be designed, dressed up, and played with on web sites. Most dolls are now manufactured using modern materials and mass production techniques. However, dolls are also now collected by adults, and some manufacturers use the same kinds of materials that were used in the past, to create ‘vintage-style’ collectible dolls. But whatever the type of doll, they all trace their roots back to prehistoric times. They are truly� ‘toys from antiquity.’

GalaxyOfStores is an Online Shopping Center for THOUSANDS of different products for the whole family. Please visit ACTION FIGURES, DOLLS AND STUFFED TOYS for additional interesting articles, as well as a great selection of children’s toysFree Reprint Articles, and visit the GalaxyOfStores.com HOME PAGE for all of its great products.

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Nursing the Desire to Collect Vintage Barbie Dolls

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

Itโ€™s not everyone who will have a love for Barbie dolls much less have a desire to collect vintage Barbie dolls. Most of the people who collect vintage Barbie dolls are the same women who played with these dolls when they were young, and collectors of such things as dolls.

To the not inconsiderable surprise of many people, vintage Barbie dolls are a huge collectorโ€™s item and can fetch a large sum of money in many cases for a well preserved doll. This was well delineated in the recent September 2006 auction of vintage Barbie dolls by a Dutch mother and daughter who had in their collection about 4,000 dolls.

These beautiful vintage Barbie dolls sometimes can start life out as being seasonal gifts or the introduction to a brand new line of dolls. The main items that will separate these Barbie dolls out from the rest of the pack are the looks these dolls have. The modern Barbie doll is dressed in sleek and trendy clothes that you will see on your teenage daughter. Her eyes will have a forward look that is somewhat rounded.

The vintage Barbie dolls on the other hand have an elongated eye shape. This shape is reminiscent of how women in the 40s to 60s period highlighted their eyes. The entire look which you will find in these Barbie dolls portrays a look of an elegant woman. The clothes that you will find being worn by these vintage Barbie dolls is also designed to mimic the clothes which women in those times wore.

You can find these vintage Barbie dolls in ones like that of the Silkstone Barbies. These Barbie dolls are dressed in the height of fashion from that era. Their eyes are also similar to the original Barbie dolls which were made by Mattel in the beginning. You can also find gift sets which have beautiful reproductions of different vintage Barbie dolls.

One of the vintage Barbie dolls that you will be able to buy is that of a Barbie Learns to Cook doll. This doll is part of the Barbie Picnic Set doll. Another Barbie doll that can be found in this vintage set of Barbie dolls is that of Barbie doll that is dressed in a 60s Twist and Turn style. This doll is dressed in the height of fashion from this swinging period.

For many people who collect Barbie dolls these vintage Barbie dolls are great additions to their collection. For these people it does not matter if the dolls are reproduction Barbie vintage dolls or actual dolls from that period. When you look at all of these vintage Barbie dolls you will see many that you will love to have in your collection. Their great clothes and sophisticated air places these vintage Barbie dolls as must have items for all collectors.

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Significant Features That you Will Find in Vintage Barbie Dolls

Tuesday, July 8th, 2008

There are many different vintage dolls that can be collected. Of these dolls a vintage Barbie doll is a prize that is looked for by enthusiasts and collectors alike. The vintage Barbie doll is made so that it looks like the early Barbie of the 1950s to the 1960s. While the materials that are used are of the highest safety quality, the style of the doll is to look like the early dolls. In addition to these types of vintage dolls there are ones that have been collected by during this period of time.

Most of the vintage Barbie dolls are Caucasian dolls. They also have the traditional side slanting eyes that were a period feature of the Barbie dolls of that era. The hair of the vintage Barbie dolls are done up in a signature topknot ponytail. The other significant feature that you will find in these dolls is the color of their hair. While most Barbie dolls today have different shades of blonde hair and in varying lengths, the Barbie dolls of yesteryear have only tow colors you can select from.

These are a brunette topknot Barbie doll or a blonde haired Barbie doll. The clothing of the vintage Barbie doll will usually be that of her traditional black and white zebra striped swimsuit. Other dolls from this period of time will have clothes that depict the fashions of those years. Each of these many vintage Barbie dolls is dressed in fabulous clothes. the material which is used are shaped into clothing which is elegant and faithfully follows the styles of the time period on which each of these dolls are based.

While collectors will love to buy a vintage Barbie doll the forty fifth birthday Ken doll is one that is a good collected too. You will find that even though this Ken doll is a reproduction it is still housed in a quality packaging. While you may want to show this vintage Ken off you will need to use a strong support stand as the doll will not stand by itself.

The other thing that you can use with almost all of the vintage Barbie dolls is a booklet. This booklet will show you all of the dolls and accessories which are part of this collection. For the fans of Barbie dolls the vintage Barbie dolls collection is one that should be looked at in order to find the ones you want to have in your collection.

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The Range of Barbie Collector Dolls That you Can Find

Sunday, May 25th, 2008

There are many different toys that children love to play with. For girls the number one play item is that of dolls and in particular Barbie dolls. While girls love to play with these many different Barbie dolls there are many different people who have other reasons for buying Barbie dolls. The dolls which they buy are the Barbie collector dolls.

These dolls are ones that have been manufactured at one time or another for purposes that are different from the rest of the Barbie dolls. You will find many different examples of Barbie collector dolls. These are for examples dolls like the Holiday Barbie dolls.

When you first look at these dolls you will see nothing too different from the other Barbie dolls that are for sale. Before you assume that these dolls are not ones that collectors will eagerly buy you need more facts. Among the items that you will find is that only a limited amount of these Holiday Barbie dolls are manufactured each year.

These Barbie collector dolls are also different in the fact that they are sold only at the end of each year. To help these limited edition dolls even more valuable to collectors the designers of the clothes which these dolls are dressed in are people like Bob Mackie, Yves Saint Laurent, Oscar de la Renta and other famous fashion designers.

Another range of Barbie collector dolls that you can find is that of the Silkstone Barbies. These dolls are based on a lifestyle of glamour and elegance that was found in the heydays of the US. In this range of Barbie collector dolls you will notice that the dolls have clothes which are very reminiscent of those which were found in the 40s to 60s time period.

These dolls also have the slanted, elongated eyes and hairstyles which were ones worn by all of the fashionable women. The careers which these collectors Barbie dolls had were ones like secretaries, air hostess, fashion models, actresses, and hostess of womenโ€™s clubs. While some girls would have loved to look at these Barbie dolls, it is the collectors of Barbie dolls who will look at these dolls in order to add them to their collections.

Now these are not the only Barbie collector dolls that can be found for collectors. There are hand made porcelain Barbie dolls. These dolls are made so that they look like replicas of dolls from periods of time that collectors like to buy. These Barbie dolls and many others are all available for you to choose from.

When you are looking to add these Barbie collector dolls to your collection there is only one item to keep in mind. You need to hurry as there is only a limited amount of Barbie collector dolls available.

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