Plastic dolls first appeared in the late 1940s. The most popular dolls in the second half of the 20th century have been teenage fashion dolls: Lilli from Germany appeared in 1958, Barbie in America in 1959 and Sindy in England in 1962.

Lilli		Barbie		Sindy

Barbie

In 1958, Ruth and Elliot Handler, the founders of Mattel Inc, bought the rights to the German Lilli doll. They changed the hair colour from blonde to brunette and named her Barbie after their daughter, Barbara (They later named Ken after their son). The original Barbie was dressed in a black and white striped swimsuit. A "Wedding Day Dress" and  a "Plantation Belle" outfit were released during the first year.

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Celluloid was developed as a lightweight alternative to bisque in 1902. Jointed celluloid dolls first appeared in 1905 and dolls with sleeping eyes were first produced in 1914.. The impish Kewpie doll, based on an American cartoon by Rose O’Neill, appeared in 1912. Within a year several companies were making the dolls under licence. Bisque examples were made in Germany but by far the majority were celluloid. Celluloid was banned from use in toys during the 1950s because it is highly flammable.

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Bisque is unglazed porcelain, fired twice with tinting before the second firing. The resultant bisque dolls are much more lifelike than china dolls. The most collectable bisque dolls were made in France, particularly late 19th century French fashion dolls, or "Parisiennes", which were elaborately dressed in the fashion of the day.  The other major area for the production of bisque dolls was the Sonneberg area , near Thuringia, in Germany. Over a hundred doll makers were operating in this area in the period prior to the First World War. The bebe doll developed from the Parisienne. It was a luxury doll representing a girl between the ages of eight and twelve. The body was of wood or wood and composition. Many incorporated talking or kiss-throwing mechanisms. By the late 19thcentury, competition from Germany forced the French manufacturers to form a syndicate known as the SFBJ (Societe Francais de Fabrication des Bebes et Jouets). From the turn of the century the quality of bebes generally declined. SFBJ mould numbers below about 60 indicate the better, earlier dolls.

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China dolls have heads and limbs of glazed porcelain; the bodies may be wood, cloth or kid. They were mainly made in Germany from about 1800 to 1850 when bisque largely replaced porcelain.

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Throughout the 19th and early 20th century, printed cloth sheets for home sewing into dolls were popular. Of factory-made rag dolls, the most famous are washable dolls with painted faces made in Germany from 1910 by Kathe Kruse.

Margarete Steiff, of teddy bear fame, also produced a range of felt dolls, including Golliwogs, which have become highly collectable. The Golliwog was created by Florence Upyon, an American of English parents, to illustrate a children’s story. The Golliwog was a black rag doll with fuzzy hair, a big smile, colourful clothes and a bow tie.

Raggedy Ann dolls were introduced in 1918 by New York cartoonist Johnny Gruelle who subsequently wrote a series of stories about them.

In 1908, the Italian doll maker, Enrico di Scavini founded a company called Lenci to make "art dolls". These dolls were designed by leading Italian artists and were intended for display. The most collectable Lenci dolls are those made between the Wars. (The pewter Lenci identity tag has often been faked.)

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Dolls with moulded papier mache heads were popular from about 1810 to 1870. The most important area of production was Germany although papier mache dolls were also made in America, especially in Philadelphia. The earliest German papier mache dolls are known as "slit heads" because of a gap in the crown into which  the hair is inserted. Later "pumpkin head" dolls had a large, round face with moulded hair.

A form of papier mache strengthened with wood pulp and other materials and described by its manufacturers as "indestructible" (although it can be quite delicate) was introduced in the 1820. This "composition" was used as a base for wax dolls and became the most popular material for dolls’ bodies from about 1880 into the early 20th century.

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Simple, skittle shaped wooden dolls, with the head and torso carved from a single piece of wood, were made in England in the 17th century. Any that have survived in good condition are rare and valuable. Large numbers of wooden dolls were made in Austria and Germany from the 17th to the 20th century. The most sought after are early 19th century "Grodnertal" dolls (named after the region now in Italy but then in Austria where they were made). These had a gessoes (plaster) head with painted hair and features. The body was carved and peg-jointed. Costumes were usually in the French Empire style. Later "Dutch" dolls (from "Deutsche") from the same region were of lesser quality. These usually had a simpler, rounded head with carved, rather than painted, features.

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