A doll is a toy modeled in human or animal form. It is perhaps the oldest plaything, with examples found on every inhabited continent. Ancient dolls were made of wood, fabric, terra-cotta, or other materials. Some had religious meaning, while others were buried in children’s graves. Over time, dolls evolved from simple objects to more complex playthings with articulated limbs, movable eyes, and even voices. Today, dolls remain popular playthings for children around the world.

What materials are dolls usually made of?

Dolls have been made from various materials throughout history. The earliest dolls, dating back to 3000–2000 BC, were crafted from wood and adorned with clay or wood bead hair. Over time, doll heads were made from materials such as wood, terra-cotta, alabaster, and wax. In the 1820s, glazed porcelain and unglazed bisque heads gained popularity. French bisque dolls featured kid-covered wood or wire bodies stuffed with sawdust. The 20th century saw the rise of molded plastics as a common material. Popular dolls include the Barbie doll (1959), Cabbage Patch Kids (1983), and the American Girls Collection (1986).

How have dolls been used by children throughout history?

Dolls have been used by children throughout history across various cultures as playthings. The earliest dolls were made from perishable materials such as wood, fur, or cloth. Dolls have been discovered in ancient Egyptian graves dating back to 3000–2000 BC. In ancient Greece and Rome, girls would dedicate their dolls to goddesses when they became marriageable. Dolls were also buried in children’s graves in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as in early Christian catacombs. As early as 1413, doll makers were present in Nuremberg, Germany, which became a leading manufacturer of dolls and toys from the 16th to the 18th century. Paris was another early mass producer of dolls, mainly creating fashion dolls.

What are some different types of dolls found in different cultures?

Dolls appear across cultures as toys and ritual objects. Egyptian graves dating from 3000–2000 BC contained dolls carved from wood, painted geometrically, with long hair made of clay or wood beads. Ancient rag dolls have also been discovered, along with crocheted dolls made of bright wool and others with woolen heads dressed in colored wool frocks. In Japan, dolls are more often festival figures than playthings. During the girls’ festival in March, dolls that represent the emperor, empress, and their court are displayed. In South Africa, among the Mfengu people, every grown girl receives a doll to keep for her first child; after the birth, the mother gets a second doll to keep for the second child.

How have dolls changed over time in terms of design and purpose?

Dolls have been around since ancient times, with the earliest examples made from materials like wood, fur, or cloth. Ancient dolls may have had religious meaning, and some were buried in children’s graves. Over time, doll design evolved from simple, geometrically painted wooden figures to more complex forms with movable parts. Doll heads were made of various materials, including wood, terra-cotta, alabaster, and wax. The purpose of dolls has also shifted. Initially, some dolls were objects of worship or votive offerings before becoming popular playthings. In the 20th century, dolls like Barbie emerged as models for financial self-sufficiency, offering an alternative to traditional gender roles.

How do dolls influence a child's development and imagination?

Dolls, one of the oldest known playthings, have been found across inhabited continents and ancient cultures. Playing with dolls can significantly influence a child's development and imagination. Dolls encourage imaginative play , allowing children to create scenarios and roles, fostering creativity and social skills. Through dolls, children learn to nurture and empathize, developing emotional intelligence as they mirror caregiving behaviors. Children often gravitate towards toys along gender lines. Girls' choices are more flexible and may include baby dolls and household objects. When girls play with dolls, parents are typically not even aware as they nod and smile at them.

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Doll with bisque head, human hair, and kid leather body, manufactured in the late 19th century, probably in Germany

Native American Hopi artists carve kachina dolls, representing spirits of ancestors. Children learn about the kachina spirits while they play with the dolls.

Leather dolls, possibly made by the Pondo people, South Africa.

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Key People:: Jill E. Barad; Mildred Cleghorn; Colleen Moore

Related Topics:: Labubu doll; Barbie; mannequin; teddy bear; kachina doll

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Top Questions

What is a doll?
A doll is a toy modeled in human or animal form. It is perhaps the oldest plaything, with examples found on every inhabited continent. Ancient dolls were made of wood, fabric, terra-cotta, or other materials. Some had religious meaning, while others were buried in children’s graves. Over time, dolls evolved from simple objects to more complex playthings with articulated limbs, movable eyes, and even voices. Today, dolls remain popular playthings for children around the world.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What materials are dolls usually made of?
Dolls have been made from various materials throughout history. The earliest dolls, dating back to 3000–2000 BC, were crafted from wood and adorned with clay or wood bead hair.

Over time, doll heads were made from materials such as wood, terra-cotta, alabaster, and wax. In the 1820s, glazed porcelain and unglazed bisque heads gained popularity. French bisque dolls featured kid-covered wood or wire bodies stuffed with sawdust.

The 20th century saw the rise of molded plastics as a common material. Popular dolls include the Barbie doll (1959), Cabbage Patch Kids (1983), and the American Girls Collection (1986).
1 Britannica Source
1. doll
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How have dolls been used by children throughout history?
Dolls have been used by children throughout history across various cultures as playthings. The earliest dolls were made from perishable materials such as wood, fur, or cloth. Dolls have been discovered in ancient Egyptian graves dating back to 3000–2000 BC.

In ancient Greece and Rome, girls would dedicate their dolls to goddesses when they became marriageable. Dolls were also buried in children’s graves in Egypt, Greece, and Rome, as well as in early Christian catacombs.

As early as 1413, doll makers were present in Nuremberg, Germany, which became a leading manufacturer of dolls and toys from the 16th to the 18th century. Paris was another early mass producer of dolls, mainly creating fashion dolls.
2 Britannica Sources
1. doll
2. List of Children’s Games and Toys in Antiquity: Dolls
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some different types of dolls found in different cultures?
Dolls appear across cultures as toys and ritual objects. Egyptian graves dating from 3000–2000 BC contained dolls carved from wood, painted geometrically, with long hair made of clay or wood beads. Ancient rag dolls have also been discovered, along with crocheted dolls made of bright wool and others with woolen heads dressed in colored wool frocks.

In Japan, dolls are more often festival figures than playthings. During the girls’ festival in March, dolls that represent the emperor, empress, and their court are displayed.

In South Africa, among the Mfengu people, every grown girl receives a doll to keep for her first child; after the birth, the mother gets a second doll to keep for the second child.
2 Britannica Sources
1. doll
2. List of Children’s Games and Toys in Antiquity: Dolls
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How have dolls changed over time in terms of design and purpose?
Dolls have been around since ancient times, with the earliest examples made from materials like wood, fur, or cloth. Ancient dolls may have had religious meaning, and some were buried in children’s graves.

Over time, doll design evolved from simple, geometrically painted wooden figures to more complex forms with movable parts. Doll heads were made of various materials, including wood, terra-cotta, alabaster, and wax.

The purpose of dolls has also shifted. Initially, some dolls were objects of worship or votive offerings before becoming popular playthings. In the 20th century, dolls like Barbie emerged as models for financial self-sufficiency, offering an alternative to traditional gender roles.
5 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How do dolls influence a child's development and imagination?
Dolls, one of the oldest known playthings, have been found across inhabited continents and ancient cultures. Playing with dolls can significantly influence a child's development and imagination. Dolls encourage imaginative play, allowing children to create scenarios and roles, fostering creativity and social skills. Through dolls, children learn to nurture and empathize, developing emotional intelligence as they mirror caregiving behaviors.

Children often gravitate towards toys along gender lines. Girls' choices are more flexible and may include baby dolls and household objects. When girls play with dolls, parents are typically not even aware as they nod and smile at them.
3 Britannica Sources
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

doll, child’s toy modeled in human or animal form. It is perhaps the oldest plaything.

No dolls have been found in prehistoric graves, probably because they were made of such perishable materials as wood and fur or cloth, but a fragment of a Babylonian alabaster doll with movable arms has been recovered. Dolls dating from 3000–2000 bc, carved of flat pieces of wood, geometrically painted, with long, flowing hair made of strings of clay or wood beads, have been found in some Egyptian graves.

Some ancient dolls may have had religious meaning, and some authorities often argue that the religious doll preceded the toy. In ancient Greece and Rome, marriageable girls consecrated their discarded dolls to goddesses. Dolls were buried in children’s graves in Egypt, Greece, and Rome and in early Christian catacombs. Ancient rag, or stuffed, dolls have been found, as well as dolls crocheted of bright wool and others with woolen heads, clothed in coloured wool frocks.

As early as 1413 there were Dochenmacher, or doll makers, in Nürnberg, Germany, which, from the 16th to the 18th century, was the leading manufacturer of dolls and toys. Paris was another early mass-producer of dolls, making chiefly fashion dolls. Doll’s houses were also popular in Europe from the 16th century.

Doll heads were made of wood, terra-cotta, alabaster, and wax—the last a technique perfected in England by Augusta Montanari and her son Richard (c. 1850–87), who popularized infant dolls. About 1820, glazed porcelain (Dresden) doll heads and unglazed bisque (ceramic) heads became popular. A French bisque doll made by the Jumeau family in the 1860s had a swivel neck; the body was made of kid-covered wood or wire or of kid stuffed with sawdust, a type of manufacture that remained common until it was supplanted by molded plastics in the 20th century. Socket joints, movable eyes, dolls with voices, and walking dolls were introduced in the 19th century, as were paper-doll books and dolls of India rubber or gutta-percha. The period from 1860 to 1890 was the golden age of the elaborately dressed Parisian bisque fashion dolls and the smaller “milliner’s models.”

The oldest American dolls may be those found in Inca and Aztec graves, such as those near the pyramids of Teotihuacán. Colonial dolls mostly followed European models. Among American Indian dolls, the kachina doll of the Pueblo Indians is noteworthy.

In Japan, dolls are more often festival figures than playthings. At the girls’ festival held in March, dolls representing the emperor, empress, and their court are displayed; girls from 7 to 17 visit each other’s collections, and refreshments are offered: first, to their majesties, then to the guests, in a ritual more than 900 years old. Japanese boys also 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.

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In India, elaborately dressed dolls were given to child brides by both Hindus and Muslims. In Syria, girls of marriageable age hang dolls in their windows. In South Africa, among the Mfengu people, every grown girl is given a doll to keep for her first child; on its birth, the mother receives a second doll to keep for the second child.

In the 20th century, notably popular dolls included the teddy bear (1903); the Kewpie Doll (1903); the Bye-lo Baby, who closed her eyes in sleep (1922); the Dydee and Wetsy Betsy dolls (1937); the Barbie doll (1959); Cabbage Patch Kids (1983); and the American Girls Collection (1986).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Amy Tikkanen.

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