rag doll is a doll made from scraps of Textile. They are one of the oldest children's toys in existence. Today, many rag dolls are commercially produced to mimic aspects of the original home-made dolls, such as simple features, soft cloth bodies, and patchwork clothing.
History
Traditionally home-made from (and stuffed with) spare scraps of material, they are one of the oldest children's toys in existence. The
British Museum has a
Ancient Rome rag doll, found in a child's grave dating from the 1st to 5th century AD.
[ British museum exhibit ] Historically, rag dolls have been used as comfort objects, and to teach young children nurturing skills. They were often used to teach children how to sew, as the children could practice sewing clothes for the doll and make some simple dolls themselves.
[Reef, Catherine. “Childhood in the United States, 1790–1850.” Childhood in America, Facts On File, 2002. American History Online. Accessed 1 Dec. 2018.] In America, from the colonial era up to the early 20th century, children of various statuses would play with dolls made from rags or
Husk.
[Reef, Catherine. “Childhood in the Western United States, 1840–1918.” Childhood in America, Facts On File, 2002. History. Accessed 1 Dec. 2018.] Mass production of rag dolls began around 1830, when fabric color printing was first developed.
["Fabric and rag dolls." Miller's Antiques Encyclopedia, edited by Judith Miller, Mitchell Beazley, 2nd edition, 2003. Credo Reference. Accessed 1 Dec. 2018.]
Types
Amish
are a type of traditional American rag dolls which originated as children's toys among the
Amish people. These dolls commonly have no facial features.
Mexican
Slavic
Motanka dolls (
Polish language motanka, Ukrainian
мо́танка, from
motać/
мотати - to tangle/spool/wind) are a type of traditional
amulet dolls made in Poland, Ukraine and Belarus.
[Olesya Hursky, The history of Motanka, a traditional Ukrainian guardian doll] They were a part of
Folk Culture (Vasilisa the Beautiful) and its magical beliefs, made and tied without the use of a
Sewing needle or other sharp objects, to "not poke/hurt the fate" and traditionally had no facial features, sometimes with a cross instead.
Motanka dolls were made with specific intentions and wishes/tasks for them to grant, of various sorts, such as guarding the family or a prosperous marriage. Nowadays motanka dolls are coming back to popularity as a part of interest in Slavic cultures of the past, often as an educational device during educational and ethnographic workshops, or as a work of
Folk art.
Commercially produced
Today, many rag dolls are commercially produced to mimic aspects of the original home-made dolls, such as simple features, soft cloth bodies, and patchwork clothing. One prominent example of a commercially produced ragdoll is the
Raggedy Ann doll. Raggedy Ann first appeared in 1918 as the main character of a series of children's stories by Johnny Gruelle. Raggedy Andy, her brother, was introduced in 1920.
[Hovde, Karen. "Raggedy Ann and Raggedy Andy." St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, Gale, 2013. U.S. History in Context. Accessed 2 Dec. 2018.]
Traditional materials
In their earlier forms, rag dolls were made out of cloth scraps or cornhusks.
In the 19th and 20th century, rag dolls were made out of stockinette, felt, or velvet.
See also
