ART + DOLLS

ART DOLLS differ from mass-produced children's dolls. Even though the word doll is attached, they are made by artists as an expression rather than to create a child's play toy.

The general public's understanding of art dolls has increased tremendously recently. Many books featuring established and emerging doll artists are available. Several artist groups such as the National Institute of American Doll Artists promote this art form.

A RAG DOLL is a children's toy. It is a cloth figure, a doll traditionally home-made from (and stuffed with) spare scraps of material. They are one of the most ancient children's toys in existence; theBritish Museumhas a Roman rag doll, found in a child's grave dating from 300 BC.^[1]

Rag dolls have featured in a number of children's stories, like the 19th century character Golliwogg,Raggedy Ann in the 1918 book by John Barton Gruelle and the British children's television seriesBagpussand Ragdolly Anna.

Today, many rag dolls are commercially produced to simulate the features of the original home-made dolls, such as simple features, soft cloth bodies, and patchwork clothing.