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April 02, 2006
Doll Play Began in Egypt
A recent article from a Brazil publication summarizes the custom of playing with dolls as follows:
Egypt, the country considered the cradle of world civilization, plays an important part in one of the most popular and oldest customs among girls: playing with dolls. It was in Egypt, around five thousand years ago, that dolls started being used as toys, according to advertiser Cristiane Von, author of the book "A History of Toys for Children to Learn and Adults to Recall", released by publishing house Alegro.
Up to then, the objects that reproduced images of people were considered idols. They normally had characteristics similar to those of the upper classes. "The Egyptians then started making dolls that recalled the labourers," explains Cristiane. The production of images for worship began much earlier, around 40,000 years ago, in Africa and Asia, she explained.
It was an Egyptian custom to bury the dead together with their objects, in tombs, which made it possible for the researchers to discover the origin of dolls. "They were found in tombs, beside children," explained Cristiane. At that time they were made out of wood and also clay. "Due to the custom of keeping objects with the dead, Egypt has the oldest registers in various areas," she explained.
According to the author, before the 19th century there is little information about the history of toys, as they broke in the hands of children. Regarding dolls, however, there are reports that in the Greek and Roman societies, some centuries before the birth of Jesus Christ, they were already made out of many more products, like terracotta, leather, bone and cloth, as well as wax and ivory, in the case of more wealthy families.
It was during the Renaissance, however, that dolls gained greater value. Although their shape was still a little rough, they gained ornaments that made them almost artwork. At that time the German cities of Hamburg and Nuremberg started growing in the production of dolls, also exporting them to other parts of the world. Germany became the world hub for doll production.
Dolls, as they are known today, made out of synthetic material, started being produced after World War II, when the economic crisis installed started spreading the use of plastic, also for the production of toys. "Before that, plastic was a synonym of bad products," stated Cristiane. The other great change in the doll market was the creation of Barbie dolls, by the North American company Mattel, in the early 1950s. "From the Middle Ages on, dolls were given infant characteristics. Before that they had adult features. Barbie brought back dolls with women's faces," explained Cristiane.
Today, toy and doll factories are spread all around the world. To gain the market, industries have adapted to customs and to the consumer's culture. In the Arab world, for example, in 2003 a doll called Fulla was released, wearing Muslim garments. In Brazil there are around 300 doll factories.
Translated by Mark Ament
Posted by dollcloset at April 2, 2006 12:39 AM