About Dolls

Kevin Bell asked:


While browsing the Internet for regular deals and offers that are available for regular Christmas gift ideas, I stumbled upon a great product, which is sure to make all my Christmas gifts unique and personal. To be honest, I was just looking for deals on cameras, MP3 players and kitchen appliances – the regular gifts that I give and receive every year. Then I saw this latest Christmas gift idea called customized bobblehead doll. The more I read and learnt about this gift, more clarity came to my mind that this is going to be my common Christmas gift theme this year.

Let me share a few details about this wonderful idea. The customization part is the most exciting part here. You can add images or pictures of your choice on the bobblehead dolls. You can also add personal messages on your dolls.

So let us see what we can do here. From the simple thoughts like Santa bobblehead dolls for the kids to the more creative ones like the picture of your son scoring the winning goal in the finals of the school tournament, all these can be such great personalized gifts. The messages can work wonders too. The colleague who is taking the year off can get the doll with a message “Worked the butt, now spin your head”. The ideas can be endless, personal and creative.

So, instead of spending your time looking for deals on the regular gifts, spend your time on thinking about the pictures or messages that you can use for the dolls for your loved ones. The bobblehead dolls always end up close to the person like on the office desk or in the car or in the living room. So this latest Christmas gift idea is sure to last a long time in the memory of the receiver.



Kelly

Tom Littlepage asked:


Dolls are believed to have been around since prehistoric times, and may well have been the earliest type of toy used by man. These dolls were certainly made of natural materials such as clay, wood, and fur. Many of them may have been used as children’s toys, but it is believed that they were often used to represent a deity, and likely played a key role in religious rituals and ceremonies.

None of these ancient dolls have survived through the ages, but dolls have often been found in Egyptian graves dating back as far as 3000 years. Some of these dolls were made of pottery, but most were made of flat pieces of wood painted with different designs, and with hair made of strings of wooden beads or clay. Dolls have also been found in the graves of Greek and Roman children, some with movable limbs and removable garments.

Later, Europe became a major producer of wooden dolls. Some of these dolls were made from tree stumps, while others were ‘peg’ dolls, made with simple peg joints and resembling a clothespin. Composition dolls, which were made from mixtures of pulped wood or paper that were molded under pressure, were developed in the 1800s. These dolls were durable and could be mass produced. Dolls with wax heads were also popular in the 17th and 18th centuries. Porcelain and bisque dolls became popular at the beginning of the 19th century.

The French “bebe” dolls were popular in the 1880s. Up until this time, most dolls represented adult figures. The bebes were different, because they represented younger girls. In the 1900s, realistic German bisque dolls were introduced and became very popular. These started an ongoing trend of creating realistic dolls.

Rag and cloth dolls have been hand made for centuries. ‘Rag’ dolls are made of any fabric, while dolls made specifically of linen or cotton are considered to be ‘cloth’ dolls. Commercial production of rag dolls was started in the 1850s in England and America.

It was not until after the Civil War that doll making became an important industry in the United States. Most dolls were produced in New England, and were made of various materials such as papier-mache, leather, cloth, and rubber. Celluloid was developed in the 1860s and was used in the manufacture of dolls until the 1950s. Although these dolls could be mass produced very cheaply, they were extremely flammable, and would fade in bright light.

Hard plastic dolls were made in the 1940s, and dolls of vinyl, rubber, and foam rubber were made in the 1950s and 1960s. The use of vinyl allowed doll makers to insert hair into the head, rather than having to paint the hair on, or to use wigs.

Modern dolls have traditionally been toys for children, and ‘action figures’ representing ’superheroes’ are now very popular with boys. There are even ‘virtual’ dolls available on the Internet which can be designed, dressed up, and played with on web sites. Most dolls are now manufactured using modern materials and mass production techniques. However, dolls are also now collected by adults, and some manufacturers use the same kinds of materials that were used in the past, to create ‘vintage-style’ collectible dolls. But whatever the type of doll, they all trace their roots back to prehistoric times. They are truly ‘toys from antiquity.’



Michele

Ajay R (articlesubmit.net) asked:


The online gaming industry is full of battles, blood, brain teasers, and adventure, but a certain demographic of online games exists which is often not thought of in the same light. While forming guilds and defining battle strategy is certainly entertaining, others enjoy a more fashionable internet existence Dress up games, such as online paper dolls, are a lesser-known, but hugely popular online form of gaming as well.

Dress Up Games

Paper dolls have been popular for centuries. With the advent of the internet, a game which once required scissors and the patience to carefully cut out little outfits and figures, moved online. The first online paper dolls were used almost exclusively for avatars, but over time, these dolls have formed a significant industry with seemingly endless purposes.

Modern online paper dolls, or simply dolls, include a base, or innocently unclothed figure, with unlimited clothing, hair, and accessories to add. Many online doll websites contain prefabricated dolls to enjoy as well as complete doll makers. These doll makers contain a build area where all aspects such as base, clothing, accessories, and even background can be collected and pieced together. When the doll is complete, it may be saved for additional use, or the build area can be emptied and a new doll created.

Young women enjoy the opportunity to be fashion forward and build dolls using certain styles of dress and the latest clothing fashions and hair styles. Many websites offering these kids’ games, such as TheDollPalace.com, unveil new doll makers on a regular basis so that the fan base always has a fresh source of entertainment. Many of the doll makers include current fashion trends and range from casual to seasonal to even formal styles.

How to Play Doll Games

Playing with dolls has many facets. While it is certainly entertaining to view dolls of celebrities or completed dolls showcasing certain styles, it is also fun to play with one’s own dolls and create characters. These characters can be saved onto a computer for use as avatars, desktops, screensavers, or even as logos. Of course, this is not the extent of the dress up games.

Creating online dolls has become so popular that many websites catering to these individuals offer contests, challenges, and other fun activities. TheDollPalace.com also contains popular forums and articles with regular comments by members on various fashion related topics or other areas of interest. The dress up game community is growing by leaps and bounds, and is demanding more outlets for their creativity. These demands are routinely met by websites specializing in this form of entertainment.

Many who enjoy the doll games have begun to create their own bases and fashions in addition to working with those already created. Online dolls might not appear to be in the same category as many of the other popular online games, but deserve their rightful place. The time, energy, and creativity invested in the backgrounds, appearance, and uses of these dolls make other seemingly intensive games pale by comparison. Online dolls are more than a game, they represent a life-style.



Adam