Whitman Comics

Paper dolls are among the simplest and cheapest of toys, and have provided great entertainment for children and adults around the world for centuries. These dolls are normally two dimensional, and are most often made of paper, but can also be made of other materials such as cloth, wood or plastic, and can be figures of people, animals or objects inanimate (including various types of toys). These dolls are also considered to include three dimensional dolls made entirely of paper.

Strictly speaking, the term "includes paper dolls' dolls just as clothes or costumes and support, and the earliest such dolls were used in the fashion industries of France, Austria, Germany and England the mid-1700s. These dolls were hand painted and designed to entertain adults. They have often been used to show the current fashion, or to represent popular figures of the era. These kinds of dolls were manufactured in England and America in the early 1800s, and many beautifully crafted dolls were exported from Europe to America in the late 1800s. Although these dolls were introduced only in 1700, the paper figures (without accompanying clothing or costumes) have existed for thousands of years. Asian cultures have used paper figures in ritual ceremonies for over 2000 years, and other crops have special forms of paper folk art for centuries.

paper dolls began to appear in magazines in the mid-1800s. The dolls, themselves, will be printed on one page, with clothing and costumes (which could be hand colored) printed on the next page. This practice has become very popular in the early 1900s and continues today. The dolls also started appearing in newspapers in the 1890s. They provided cheap entertainment, and were very popular during the Great Depression, when money was scarce and many people could not afford to spend much on entertainment.

In the 1940s and 1950s the dolls also started appearing in comic books, many of those published by Archie Comics, Atlas Comics, Eclipse Comics, GAY comics, DC Comics, Fawcett Publishing, National Periodical Publications , Renegade Press and Star Comics.

Manufactured paper dolls designed by gifted artists were very popular in the 1940s and 1950s. There were many such fine artists, including Betty Bell, Doris Butler, Rachel Dixon, Maud Fangel, Irene Geiger, Queen Holden, Miriam Kimbal, Mary Knight, Ann Kovach, Kathy Lawrence, Avis Mac, Maybell Mercer, Hilda Milosh Jean Morse, Ruth Newton, Rose O'Neill, Fern Peat, Nan and George Pollard, Louise Rumely, Florence Salter, Merilys Sharpe, Ethel Simms, Judy Stang, Ethel Taylor, and EA Voss.

Some publishers of these artists included American Greetings Corporation, Hobby House Press, Merrill Publishing Company, Saalfield Publishing Company, Samuel Lowe Publishing Company, Western Publishing Company and Whitman Publishing Company.

Some doll characters were of short duration, but others have continued into today. A partial list includes a date with Judy, Angel Baby, Baby Patsy, Baby Shower, Barbie and Ken, Beth Ann, Betty and Veronica, Blondie, California Girls, Carolyn Lee, Dennis the menace, Hair-do Dolls, Judy Garland, Katy Keene, Millie the Model, Misty, My Girl Pearl, Neil horse, Patsy and Hedy, Sugar and Spike, the Dionne quintuplets, Tiny Tot Shop, and Vicki Valentine. The list also includes many Disney characters, celebrities and movie stars starting with the favorites of the silent cinema.

paper dolls are still very popular and are an endearing childhood treasure, as enjoyable toys for children and as a treat for collectors of all ages.

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