Paper Dolls go back a long long way. Children, always creative, love to play dress up.
By the 1930's and 1940's it was a golden age for paper dolls, they were cheap, often came within fashion magazines, and were a great resource for girls planning their wardrobe to match their favourite Hollywood star.
Image courtesy Spare Tome for Sewing
The big studios effectively owned their stars, so they were merchandised ! Its unlikely that Doris Day or anyone else actually made any money from being sold as dolls, but what the heck - they were rich glamourous stars, so why complain !
I'm gonna buy a Paper Doll that I can call my own
A doll that other fellows cannot steal
And then the flirty, flirty guys with their flirty, flirty eyes
Will have to flirt with dollies that are real
When I come home at night she will be waiting
She'll be the truest doll in all this world
I'd rather have a Paper Doll to call my own
Than have a fickle-minded real live girl
Paper Doll - By Johnny Slack and performed by The Mills Brothers
I'd love to have vintage paperdolls! The Doris Day dolls were just adorable!
ReplyDeleteThese are so sweet! I used to play with paper dolls by the hours. Nice to be able to see them again.
ReplyDeleteI definitely remember paper dolls when I was a child, and that was the early eighties. It was such fun swapping outfits around! Not quite as glam as the paper dolls pictured though. x
ReplyDeleteMan I have been scoping for some awesome reproduction paper dolls, so many out there, but they are not too cheap, but definitely a great collectors item.
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