There is an interesting history about dolls, though now they are considered as a toy and plaything, there was a time when it had also a religious significance. Miniatures were made out of wood, shaped to look like human figures with hair made from straw and strings, and beads were used to make the eyes and mostly hand stitched clothes and hand painted body. With the advent of technology and expansive creativity, man has created multiple versions of dolls. It was approximately in the 15th century that dolls were given the status of toys, and since then, there is no looking back for the old varieties of dolls.



The credit goes to Germany, for introducing a first ever commercially viable doll that was considered as the toy or plaything for children. The doll then made wasn't as sophisticated as today, most of them were made with wood and wax and the clothing of the dolls mostly represented German women. Doll history has had a long voyage from a crudely hand made wooden figures to very refined and sophisticated dolls like Barbie dolls.

To gain a perspective about the wide variety of dolls now available in the market, let's explore some of the popular forms of dolls -

The most traditional form of dolls would include handcrafted dolls that are made with wood and other material. Interesting part is they are popular among children as playthings and also among the adult doll collectors alike. A whole lot of them are also now imported and the look and characteristics of these dolls vary from country to country, they look like replicas of a particular land's culture an tradition in their appearance including the clothing, facial features etc

Of all the dolls widely sought after dolls are the toy dolls or play dolls. The sole purpose of these dolls is play. The variety of dolls manufactured under this type is uncountable. Manufacturers create theses dolls carefully with materials that are non-toxic and children friendly. All types of dolls, wooden, plastic, clothes etc would fall under this category.

There are Designer dolls like that have acquired fame and status of almost a celebrity among children, like for example - Barbie dolls. These types of dolls are mostly created in different versions to suit the different tastes and preferences among children. Like you would see a model Barbie doll, a bride Barbie doll etc, they are modeled based on either famous celebrities or the popular icons and professions. These dolls have on regular basis different versions of them introduced in the market, hence are also known as Variation dolls.

It's the height of creativity and commercialism both, that now have dolls made out of Silicone and material like Vinyl Skin etc that are real looking dolls. In fact one can safely call them as the miniature versions of human bodies. Ashton Drake dolls is one such example, these dolls are especially made for doll collectors who like to buy dolls as a hobby and use them as display items.