The Wonderful, Entertaining Paper Doll

I love paper dolls, I've always loved paper dolls. When I was little someone gave me a huge suit box full of paper dolls and I remember loving every one of them. They gave me hours of pleasure, dreams, and imagination.

Paper dolls have been found dating back to at least A.D. 900 in Japan. They are figures (people, animals, or other non-living things) that are cut of of heavy paper. Separated clothes and other accessories are also printed out in other papers and hold onto the figures by small folding tabs. Besides its function as kids' toys, paper dolls also function as fashion advertising media.

                                                                               

Here is a link with instructions on making your very own paper dolls and clothes: http://www.essortment.com/make-own-paper-dolls-52431.html

A great source for information and free vintage paper dolls is Sqidoo.com http://www.squidoo.com/free-vintage-paperdolls.
First manufactured paper doll: Little Fanny, produced by S&J Fuller, London, in 1810. First American manufactured paper doll: The History and Adventures of Little Henry, published by J. Belcher of Boston in 1812. In the 1820s, boxed paper doll sets were popularly produced in Europe and exported to America for lucky children.

First celebrity paper doll: A doll portraying the renowned ballerina Marie Taglioni, published in the 1830s. In 1840, a boxed set was done of another ballerina, Fanny Elssler, as well as of Queen Victoria.

These early paper dolls are rare and priced accordingly. It is still possible to unearth paper dolls from unexpected places, so it is imperative never to throw away old papers without thoroughly examining them for these treasures.

I've never seen a paper doll for hats. Very unique.

For a complete history check out http://www.opdag.com/history.html

In researching for this post I found several paper dolls I would love to buy. I'm wondering if a grandmother can get away with cutting out and dressing paper dolls...........hum.  I'm thinking, I'm thinking.

pepper/Helmet Head