Dolls have been played with by children from all over the world for centuries. This page shows some of the dolls found from all cultures around the world.
A Hopi kachina doll
Depicting Kweo, or Wolf kachina, with pointed ears at the top of the head, integral wide mouth, the face bisected by parallel lines, painted kilt and body adornments.
height 10 1/8in. Sold for US$3,750 at Bonhams
Amazingly intricate beaded Zulu dolls. The Ndebele Sangoma Doll is an important specialist, a diviner who claims contact with ancestral spirits. It is believed that she receives the will of the spirits. The Sangoma is referred to as the protector of society and her opinions and judgement are highly valued. Handmade in South Africa, all done in finely woven beads. Height of the figures are 6″ tall and 7.5″ tall. The dolls were made by a very talented Zulu beader, with hours put into these unique works of art. Sold For: $40 at Federal Assets Auctioneers
Bone doll; carved from animal-bone with incised and painted details representing a nude standing female figure with her hands clasped over her stomach; a pair of small circular holes are perforated through the piece in the area corresponding to her armpits. 7thC-9thC. On dolls of this type: A. Shatil, “Bone Figurines of the Early Islamic Period: The So Called ‘Coptic Dolls’ from Palestine and Egypt”, in: S. Vitezović, ed. Close to the Bone: Current Studies in Bone Technologies (Belgrade 2016) 296-314. British Museum
This doll was made in Germany in ca.1880 by Alt, Beck, and Gottschalk, a famous high-quality doll manufacturer known for their use of bisque.
The doll has a bisque head with blonde hair and blue glass eyes, and is dressed in traditional Welsh costume. She is wearing a red wool cloak, a black hat, a net and lace cap, a wrapover gown of white cotton, an underskirt, a neckerchief, and two petticoats. The doll carries an oval wicker basket containing a ball of red yarn and a piece of knitting.
The Museum of Childhood also owns a Scottish doll also made by Alt, Beck and Gottschalk, which has an almost identical head and shoulder mould. Victoria and Albert Museum
Wooden doll with painted face, arms and hands, and carved and painted black hair with blue eyes; dressed in the costume of the Channel Islands; doll made in Germany, 1840 Victoria and Albert Museum
China Head Dolls