What dolls are there? Types of dolls: description

They come in all sizes, they are made of numerous materials, some of them are like toddlers, others are just like adults, they are played by little girls, they become part of expensive collections, in some cultures they are even worshiped. Can you guess who will it be about? The heroes of this article are dolls. Types of dolls, as well as the history of their appearance, to describe in full is quite difficult, if not impossible.

The first dolls and their purpose

The main feature that distinguishes a doll from other toys is that it looks like a person, and the degree of similarity can be different. Rag-doll puppies-amulets are similar to people only in silhouette, but puppets in the form of children are hardly distinguishable from real babies.

Even primitive people made humanoid figurines, but the purpose of such products was sacral. Were worshiping sculptures of people in ancient Egypt, as evidenced by the finds of archaeologists. They were made of wood, cloth, clay, as well as precious stones and metals. At the same time dolls made from improvised materials were used for children's games.

Dolls, played in antiquity in ancient Greece and Rome, really cause admiration, because the hands and feet of these toys moved with hinges.

In the Middle Ages in Europe, dolls were widely used in Christianity, because with their help it was possible to easily and interestingly tell biblical subjects. And nowadays the tradition has survived on the eve of Christmas to exhibit a prototype of the Bethlehem nurseries near the churches, where big dolls act as the baby of Christ, the Virgin Mary, Joseph and other participants of that scene.

Slavic dolls

Since the pagan times, the dolls-amulets have become a part of the culture of our ancestors. Various materials such as flax, straw, ash, clay, cloth, wood, and others were used to make such pupae. The very process of creation was enveloped in a large number of rules, prohibitions. For example, a person has always remained unadorned, because they believed that through the eyes can be impregnated. And it was also forbidden to use a needle and scissors. The fabric was not cut to not cut off the luck, but was torn off, wrapped up in a certain way, and fastened with knots, shaping the doll. Types of dolls-amulets depended on their destination. So, the doll "Desyatirichka" was designed to help the young housewife with new troubles at home, and "Bereginya" protected the household from evil people.

In addition to the dolls, the Slavs had game and ceremonial dolls. Gambling was made specifically for children, because obezrezhnymi dolls were forbidden to play. And the ritual dolls were created on the occasion of some holiday.

Luxury and expensive

From the middle of the 14th century, French masters began to make dolls, which undoubtedly contributed to the consolidation of France's status as a fashionable power. In those early times, when there were no glamorous editions and visual media, the exquisite Pandora dolls, with their appearance, showed the world the latest fashion trends. The growth of these ladies was 35 cm, and each of them attached a chest with clothes and accessories. The cost of such porcelain beauties made them accessible only to the upper strata of society. While the Pandoras occupied their honorable places on inaccessible shelves for children, they used puppets simpler and cheaper for games.

Germany of the 15th century became the heyday of a wooden doll, and with the appearance in the 19th century of a new material - papier-mache - the face and hands of toy beauties became more expressive and elegant. For the same purposes, more expensive porcelain was used, but the body itself was sewn from the fabric.

In the 18th century, paper dolls saw the light, but, like in the story of Pandora and porcelain beauties, they were not meant for games. With the help of such paper models, designers designed and demonstrated their creations.

Revolution in the puppetry world

The appearance of such material as plastic, undoubtedly, has made a real revolution in the production of toys. In the 70 years of the 19th century in America, celluloid was used to make puppet heads - a special plastic based on cellulose. The new material was not afraid of water, was much stronger than porcelain, and most importantly - cheaper. But there was a minus: celluloid plastic is very easily ignited and burns well, so in the 20th century the puppeteers refused to use it.

A turning point is the emergence of numerous factories, where dolls were massively and according to the laws of the market. Types of dolls determined the demand and needs of children of different age groups. Puppets have finally started to create for children.

Do not underestimate the importance of dolls for the formation of the girl's personality and its socialization in society. With the help of a doll, a child can play various situations from real life from the position of an adult, learn to communicate with others. Favorite game by the little girls, the daughter - the mother develops the maternal instinct, promotes the formation of the personality.

Everyone knows and loved the dolls are necessary for every girl, after all, caring for such a plastic child, the baby learns to be a mother. It is very interesting to observe and children of 10-12 months, at this time they begin to imitate adults. Already at this time, the doll-pups will be very useful.

Over time, for the production of dolls began to use more and more suitable materials - vinyl, rubber, silicone. Synthetic materials replaced natural, thereby enabling the industry to develop, and children - to obtain a variety of dolls that can be safely played.

Dolls in the Soviet Union

While European masters produced exquisite porcelain dolls, the puppeteers of tsarist Russia did not stand aside. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Russian factories Zhuravleva and Koshechkov, Gudkov and Fedoseev, Shraer and Fingergut became famous. The dolls of that epoch depicted elegant young ladies, hussars, fashionable townspeople. And it is not surprising that for their immodesty in the 20s of the 20th century, these elegant Russian dolls were destroyed by order of the Soviet government.

In a new country, toys were supposed to be for ordinary people. The dolls were made of plastic, sometimes the trunk was made rag. The details were not given much importance, the hair was not combed well, except for the colorful dress from the doll's outfits. Rubber doll Zina became the heroine of the same poem by Agniya Barto. Why Zina? At that time every Soviet doll had its own name - it was pointed on a tag attached to a toy.

Paper dolls became another symbol of that era. They could be found in the arsenal of every Soviet girl. The wardrobe of such a doll could be infinitely large, after all, to invent and draw new outfits could be most.

In the late 1980s, foreign dolls of Babri appeared on the shelves of Soviet shops, which remain megapopular even today.

Modern brands

Popular and today the Barbie doll was invented by the American Ruth Handler in the 1950s, the prototype for it was the doll Lilly - the heroine of the comic books of German newspapers. The cardinal difference between the Barbie doll and other dolls of the time was that Barbie is not a child. With the help of such dolls, girls were able to put themselves in the game in the place of an adult. By the way, it's not difficult to guess what the daughter of the inventor of the world-famous doll was called. Her name was Barbara.

Since its inception until today, Barbie has undergone many transformations, both in principle and her wardrobe. But then and now - it is the most popular doll in the world.

About 15 years ago there was another doll, about which everyone started talking, - it's the doll Bratz. They were created in the image of Barbie, but if Barbie - an adult woman with a thin waist, long legs and large breasts, the doll Bratz - rather a teenager, with less pronounced forms, but not devoid of them. She has a noticeably disproportionate head, but this idea of the developers fell in love with girls around the world.

Big dolls, almost like children, are also in a trend. For example, Baby Baby doll is 43 cm tall, 7 cm less than the average height of a newborn baby. The doll knows how to cry, eats porridge, drinks water, and goes to the toilet. Dolls taller than 70-80 cm represent older children.

While all adults were obsessed with books and serials about vampires, zombies and other evil spirits, this topic also penetrated the world of children. Dolls Monster High, at the sight of which every grandmother crossed, became the most popular toys of our time. Prehistory for their creation was a cartoon, whose characters are studying at the school of monsters. All of them have magical abilities and a very unusual appearance. Entire series of dolls are dedicated to the heroines of other equally popular cartoons: Winx, May Little Pony, Novi Star Dol.

Until now, the funny Tilda textile dolls , invented by Norwegian Tony Finnanger, are still in fashion. These primitive toys appeared in 1999, and stories about their adventures can be read in a series of books with the same name.

Not for children, but instead of

About 20 years ago in America were invented unusual silicone dolls in the form of children, even received a separate name - reborn. These toys are quite expensive, because only the real master can transfer all the smallest features and only manually. And they play in such dolls ... adults.

Opinions about the reborn were divided. The fact is that such silicone dolls, as some say, "look horrible like real children", so they either collect games for fun, or treat them as alive, but this is already similar to a mental illness.

Author's dolls

A new trend in contemporary fine art is the creation of the author's doll. Types of dolls in this sphere can be determined proceeding from the technique of making art objects, the genre of performance, the purpose.

Such dolls are always unique, they are created by the author in a single copy, filled with feelings and emotions. Unfortunately, like many other types of dolls, the author's are meant for contemplation, and not for games.

Dolls of the World

Each nation has its own famous dishes, songs, costumes and other phenomena of material and spiritual culture, among which national toys occupy their place.

Russian dolls are nested dolls - one of the most recognizable and favorite souvenirs from Russia. Japan is famous for its kokeshi dolls, made of wood and painted by hand.

African dolls depict dark-skinned women, made of wood, leaves, herbs, decorated with beads.

The rubber doll of our childhood, the new-fashion Baby Baby or a simple rag doll, played several centuries ago - all these girlish toys have one important purpose. With their help, young girls learn how to be mothers, in the form of play adopt patterns of behavior adopted in society. The relevance of these toys is preserved at all times.