Dolls are not just toys, but real symbols of childhood and fantasy. One of the most famous brands in this field is Paola Reina, which since its foundation in 1997 has won the hearts of children and parents all over the world. This Spanish doll manufacturer became popular thanks to its unique design and high quality, as well as the desire to ...

The German toy industry is renowned for its deep tradition and high level of craftsmanship. One of the most colourful and unique places to learn about its history and development is the Museum of the German Toy Industry. This museum not only tells the story of the toy-making process, but also shows how technology and materials have changed over the decades. The Museum of the German Toy Industry ...

Simon and Halbig was a well-known factory that specialised in the production of doll heads, arms and legs. Although they did not produce doll bodies, their products have always attracted the attention of antique doll collectors. The history of Simon and Halbig began in 1839 when they became a family business. In 1869, the factory began producing doll heads from ...

Dutch dolls, or Peg wooden dolls, originated in South Tyrol in the picturesque Alps. These simple dolls, lathe-carved from local cedar pine, appeared during the Borocco era, when the demand for Christmas creches increased dramatically. The dolls had a simple design and a smooth surface that was ideal for painting. Dutch dolls could be as simple, ...

In the early twentieth century, a new doll appeared in Germany that revolutionised the world of toys. Its creator, Kaethe Kruse, was a talented actress, but after the birth of her daughter Maria, she decided to leave the stage and devote herself to her family. One day, three-year-old Maria asked her father, the famous sculptor Max Kruse, for a doll that would look like her newborn sister Sofia. Max ...

In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, sisters of various French convents began dressing dolls in religious costumes. However, a nun doll from an earlier period is available at antique auctions, which offer examples in religious garb from the mid and even early 18th century.Catholic communities in major cities sent specially purchased inexpensive dolls to remote convents with instructions and ...

Schoenhut dolls were wooden dolls produced by the Schoenhut Piano Company between 1903 and 1935. The company, founded by master woodworker Albert Schoenhut, originally made toy pianos. They began producing figurines in the early 1900s, including wooden circus sets and animals. In 1911, the company introduced the Schoenhut Art Doll, a spring-loaded doll made entirely of ...

Dolls that were produced exclusively for the American market, they are called "Pet Name - dolls". This name, thanks to Dorothy and Helen Coleman, was first introduced in 1885. There are at least 12 known names for these dolls: Agnes, Bertha, Daisy, Dorothy, Edith, Ethel, Florence, Helen, Mabel, Marian, Pauline and Ruth. The doll's name was written in gold paint ...

At the beginning of the XIX century in the French glove theatre there appeared a hero who not only shared the fame of Polichinel, but perhaps even surpassed it. The name of this hero - Guignol. His creator was a Lyon weaver Laurent Murguet. Murguet was born in 1769, as a teenager he started working at one of the famous Lyon silk-spinning factories. During the Great French Revolution, all the factories closed, ...

The kewpies first appeared in the periodical Ladies Home Journal. It was a story in verse that happened to mischievous kewpies on Christmas Day in a town called Kewpwill. In one of the houses, the kewpies shuffled all the presents under the tree, resulting in the grandmother getting toy guns for the holiday and the children getting adult dictionaries. The kewpies took the remaining presents to the poor girl. Rose ...