Collectible dolls are definitely one of the most popular collectible items in the world. They are extremely popular among young and old collectors and you’ve probably heard of products such as Barbie and Bratz.
Doll manufacturing has existed for a while now. In fact, we can say that dolls were one of the oldest items ever created. They were initially used for magic and religious rituals and today, they’re mostly bought as toys for children.
Collectible dolls can be split in antique, vintage and modern dolls.
Antique dolls
In the widest sense of the term, everything created before 1930s can be put into this group including prehistoric, Roman, Egyptian and items made by other ancient civilizations. Still, when talking about collectible pieces, we usually refer to dolls that were made out of papier mache, wood, porcelain, cloth, wax and bisque. While all antique dolls have cultural value, lots of them can be found in the hands of lucky collectors.
Among all these materials, bisque dolls are probably the most popular and well-known. This was a type of porcelain which was extremely popular during 19th century. Bisque was much better than regular china which made it an instant hit among collector of the time. These dolls have porcelain heads with some other materials such as cloth for body.
Back in the day, all dolls were made to look like adults. However, Germans and French changed the game with the introduction of bebe dolls which were meant to look like real kids. Somewhere at this time, first dolls with voice mechanisms were created.
Antique dolls are really rare nowadays. Most of them have been damaged or destroyed over the years. This is partially due to fragile materials being used. If you have an antique doll in a mint condition, you can easily get rich overnight.
Vintage dolls
Based on what was written in the previous chapter, you can easily conclude that vintage dolls are all dolls created from 1930s onwards. Some of the most popular ones include Barbie dolls, Strawberry Shortcake and Chatty Cathy. Approximately at this time, Americans became obsessed with dolls both as collectibles and children toys. They became an important part of USA culture and were featured all over the place including movies, songs, books and so on.
Various materials were used for these items including cloth, vinyl and plastic. It wasn’t uncommon also for companies and artists to use composite materials. Madame Alexander, one of the greatest doll artists of its time, created a cloth Alice doll in 1933 for movie Alice in Wonderland. This is one of the first movies where dolls were used as prominent pieces in cinematography.
Trends changed over time. While Barbie was an instant hit, there were also dolls such as Cabbage Patch Kids which were incredibly sought after in 1980s. As the time went by, companies introduced more and more doll types with various variations, forms and accessories. Among more notable dolls were first celebrity dolls made by Madame Alexander.
Modern dolls
When it comes to modern collectible dolls, experts have a split opinion.
Some of them claim that unlike classic dolls which came collectibles after some time and recognition, modern collectible dolls were primarily created with intent to be collectibles. Others believe that modern collectible dolls are not made to be instant collectibles, but instead become so due to wide and quick recognition.
Anyway, modern collectible dolls include brands such as Barbie, Bratz, Madame Alexander, Paradise Galleries, Raggedy Andy, some types of reborn dolls and so on.
Also Read: Doll Clothes Superstore Review: American Girl!
Conclusion
No matter what kind of dolls you’re collecting, make sure to treat them well at all times. They are not only expensive pieces but also artistic items, some of which are priceless in terms of sentimental value.
Even if you one day decide to sell your collection, make sure to find a nice home for it!
Author’s bio: Nikolay Stoyanov is the owner of Bebe Reborn Original – the biggest online store that sells original Reborns in Brazil. The shop offers the cheapest prices of realistic babies and the fastest free shipping.
