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People have made dolls for thousands of years for use as religious objects, toys, and holiday displays. Many traditional dolls, like the Japanese Kokeshi, are still highly desirable today. Many early American dolls were made of rags, or cloth, and are a reminder of the simple life in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the 19th century, French and German dolls were the most popular and innovative dolls in the western world. In the early 1850s, the Bebe doll appeared in France, starting the custom of making dolls in the form of infants and young children (as opposed to adults). The Germans caught on, and soon both countries were producing porcelain-headed dolls...

Late in the 1800s, the French started making dolls with unglazed heads, and the unglazed colored clay more accurately represented a human skin tone. These dolls became known as bisque dolls, and they remain a staple of doll-making.

Shortly thereafter, German doll makers started experimenting with celluloid, a lighter-weight and less breakable material. Celluloid dolls were popular for a number of years, despite the fact that the material was flammable. Dolls in Europe, Japan, and America made of celluloid, such as the famous Kewpie doll, were eventually replaced by dolls made of plastic, or composition dolls, made of a mix of materials including glue and sawdust.

The early 20th century saw the launch of a number of famous doll-making companies, such as Ideal, which became known among other things for its best-selling Shirley Temple dolls. Another was Vogue, which produced the Ginny doll, and of course Mattel, which launched its blockbuster Barbie line in the late 1950s.

Though most antique dolls started out as toys, some dolls have been sought by collectors from the beginning. A good example is the Simpich Doll Company, which produced small numbers of limited edition Christmas and Americana-themed dolls for over 50 years.

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Recent News: Dolls

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Artist of the Month creates with elaborate beadwork
TriValley Central, February 6th

While doing antique doll reproduction, she had the idea to bead purses for them and then later made life-size ones. This reignited her love for the art, and she began taking on a variety of other beading challenges. Using thousands of tiny beads,...Read more

Shop! Mary Portas at Avoca
Telegraph.co.uk, February 6th

My favourites included a beautiful blue pig jug, vintage doll's houses, quirky doorknobs and gorgeous lavender candles. One of my Irish friends told me that a gift chosen at Avoca was considered the ultimate sign of good taste, and I would have defied...Read more

Gary R. Wallace
Antiques and Arts Weekly, January 27th

TOYS/DOLLS: Many vintage models kits incl. airplanes, cars & boats, Vintage slot car race tracks in orig. boxes, Many KNEX kits & parts, More contemporary collector dolls, Vintage doll house, Child's ironing board w/iron, Hubley airplane, Merdel Kicker...Read more

Officials tour Mapleton flood zone as residents clean up significant damage
KMTR NewsSource 16, January 23rd

Half of it is private studio space for her antique doll repair business while the other half is storage space for a Mexico missionary out of Mapleton. About 8 to 10 inches of water rolled in to her building, leaving significant floor damage,...Read more

Fundraiser listings for Jan. 23, 2012
Chronicle-Telegram, January 23rd

“All Dolled Up for Tea,” a set of four vintage doll note cards available for $5. Proceeds to help with the restoration of the Garford family dolls and others donated to The Hickories Museum. The cards follow the theme from this year's Lorain County...Read more

Eleanor Palmer, 99, Webster City
Daily Freeman Journal, January 22nd

Mrs. Palmer was a member of the Trinity Lutheran Church and also was a member of several antique doll clubs. Over the years, she was an avid collector of antiques. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Trinity Lutheran Church or the...Read more

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