Amazing dolls

The doll is one of the most favorite children’s toys. Did you know that the history of this indispensable attribute of children’s games began more than 30 thousand years ago? And there are a lot of interesting facts in the “biography” of the doll.
The oldest doll made for children’s games is considered to be a toy made of mammoth bones. This doll’s legs and arms moved. The estimated age of the figure found in the Czech Republic is about 30-35 thousand years. Historians believe that such a difficult toy could hardly be the first.
The first dolls were not intended for games. Most often they were used in rituals. For example, in Egypt, the dolls were supposed to “accompany” the deceased in his afterlife travels. The Slavs made dolls as a talisman. According to legend, the doll presented at the wedding ceremony protected the family home of the newlyweds.
The Greeks forbade their children to play with dolls. Even in ancient Greece, wealthy citizens decorated their homes with dolls, made by skilled craftsmen. They sewed luxurious costumes and made kitchen utensils and interior items. The material from which the figures were made was very fragile, so parents very rarely allowed their children to play with such dolls.

In ancient Rome, the bride had to sacrifice her favorite doll to the goddess of love and beauty.
In the Middle Ages, in addition to medicines and medical instruments, the doctors always had a doll. Severe medieval mores did not allow healers to do a physical examination of female patients. Therefore, women had to show on the doll parts of the body where they had pains.
In the Middle Ages, marionette shows based on stories from the Bible were very popular. The story of the Virgin Mary and the birth of Jesus was one of the most beloved. In honor of Maria (Marion), people began to call puppets participating in the theatrical performances marionettes.

By the way, already in the middle of the XII century craftsmen were able to make mechanical dolls. The most famous of them was the Flute Player, which could really play the flute. To tell the truth, it was the first robot. Mechanical dolls made for entertainment were the forerunners of technological progress.
The first English dolls were made of wood. Their creation required great skill and took a lot of time. Among the nobles, it was considered a great honor to receive a luxurious doll as a gift from the queen or king.
Barbie is the most popular doll in the world, which appeared in 1959. The average American girl’s doll collection includes about 8 Barbie dolls.
The most expensive Barbie is a toy sold at auction in 2010 for 302.5 thousand dollars.
You know, in the US, there are more doll collectors than philatelists. Childhood passion often becomes a hobby for life. So collecting of Barbie dolls became the passion of the wife of former US President Barbara Bush, singer Elton John and actress Demi Moore.

Amazing dolls

Awesome dolls in paintings