History of the doll: Who popularized the doll?
No matter what age or identity you are, you can't escape Barbie pink these days. We looked at the history of dolls through Barbie, which has been both loved and criticized since the day it was produced.
Archaeological excavations show that the first toys known in human history were dolls. Dolls say a lot about our fashion sense and how our relationships are shaped.
According to what, according to whom baby?
“According to toy historians, any figure in human form is considered a doll, from the crudely shaped primitive human figures in Antiquity to the perfect porcelain figures produced in the Meissen Factories of the 20th century. According to toy history expert Eileen King, “in its simplest definition, a doll is any human figure used in play by children.”
King Henry II bought a baby for his daughter
After the small figures of Antiquity, very few of them survived, as the dolls played by European children in the Middle Ages were usually made of organic materials such as wood, linen, or cotton. By the 16th century, it was popular to depict the daughters of noble families with their babies in paintings. While Paris was the center of doll production during the 16th century, many foreign noble families and wealthy merchants ordered dolls from Paris. It is mentioned in written sources that King Henry bought 6 dolls for his daughter and Emperor Charles V bought dolls for his daughter.
The duke's daughter is forbidden to play with the dollhouse
The Nuremberg dollhouse belonging to the Bavarian Duke Albrecht V is considered to be the oldest dollhouse in the sources. Dating to 1558, the doll's house, which is known to be quite magnificent and detailed, containing various human figures made of wax, was destroyed in a fire in the Munich Palace in 1674. It is known that due to the ban imposed by Duke Albrecht, his little daughter could never play with this dollhouse and the wax dolls inside. This prohibition imposed by the Duke may be the beginning of the understanding that the dollhouses and the human figures in them, which lasted until the 19th century, are not considered child's toys, but rather adult entertainment, a collection object.
“Queen Anne dolls”
While making dolls out of wax became very popular in the 17th century, wooden dolls made by many toy manufacturers around London became very popular in England in the 17th century. Wooden dolls, usually in the form of adult women, were dressed in stylish clothes in accordance with the fashion of the period and were designed for adults rather than children to play with. Since the dolls of this period were mostly made in a similar form to the wooden dolls of the Queen Anne era, they are called "Queen Anne Dolls", although they were not produced during the reign of the queen.
Pandora dolls law at war
Pandora dolls; Before fashion magazines appeared, they were tried on mannequin dolls, which tailors used to introduce new fabrics and models to their customers by dressing them in dresses and underwear that reflect the fashion of the day. These dolls, mostly made in France, were sent to other countries in Europe so that women could follow fashion. In the 18th century, it was a different fashion to buy a pair of these dolls among rich women. XVI of Marie Antoinette. It is known that there are many fashion dolls dressed in Parisian-style clothes in her dowry, which she prepared for her marriage to Louis, and that her designer Rose Bertin later prepared a life-size fashion doll resembling a queen. Even during the Napoleonic Wars between England and France, it is a very interesting detail about these dolls that pandora dolls were allowed to pass from Paris to London so that British women could follow the latest Parisian fashion.
Technology has changed, and so have babies.
With the development of new industrial techniques at the beginning of the 20th century, new techniques were developed in toy production. Hand-made toys made of natural materials such as wood, fabric or terracotta are being replaced by fabricated toys that are mass-produced from new materials with industrialization, suitable for the purchasing power of families of all income levels.
Barbie has a rival
Bye-lo Doll, Dydee and Wetsy Betsy dolls, Barbie dolls, Cabbage Patch Kids, and American Girl dolls, which were popular in the late 20th century, continue to be popular in the 21st century with their modernized designs. Barbie dolls, which Mattel has been producing for 60 years, try to put inclusiveness ahead of its controversial identity with its changing designs and many new models representing women of all races, body sizes, and professions. Despite everything, Barbie is still one of the girls' favorite dolls. Limited edition porcelain Barbies and Barbies produced as replicas of popular artists and movie characters are also valuable parts of their collections for adults who are fond of dolls rather than child's play. Bratz dolls with big heads and big eyes, released by MGA Entertainment in 2001, became a real competitor for Mattel's cult doll Barbie. Let's see if Margot Robbie's Barbie, who throws her heels and winks at real life, can make this cult toy everyone's Barbie.