What were dolls made of in the 1950s?

Hard plastic and vinyl dolls often had eyes that could open and close, as well as joints on the hips, shoulders, and wrists. In the '50s, the mohair wigs (made from Angora goat hair) of hard-plastic dolls were replaced with synthetic materials like saran, Dynel, and nylon.

What dolls were popular in the 50's?

What were vintage dolls made of?

Antique dolls were usually made of wax, papier mâché, wood, china, bisque, or cloth. This is typically how they're usually classified. Bisque is perhaps the best-known material. It's a kind of unglazed porcelain.

When were the first plastic dolls made?

It is a plastic created from wood products that include cellulose nitrate and camphor. First created in 1863, it was a popular material to make items as diverse as jewelry and dolls from the 1870s through the 1930s.

What were dolls made of before plastic?

The earliest materials were rubber and celluloid. From the mid-20th century, soft vinyl became the dominant material, in particular for children's dolls. Beginning in the 20th century, both porcelain and plastic dolls are made directly for the adult collectors market.

The Evolution Of The Barbie Doll From the 1950s To Today

What were dolls made of in the 1940s?

Celluloid dolls were child playthings created from cheap synthetic plastic from the mid 1800s until the 1940s. They were produced as an unbreakable alternative to the extremely fragile China, wax, and bisque dolls.

What were dolls made of in the 1920s?

By the late 1920s, many of the bisque manufacturers were producing dolls made solely from composition, a rather vague term which covers many substances, but in this instance was usually a material comprised of a sawdust, plaster and glue mix.

How do you identify old dolls?

Look for the Maker's Mark

If you can find the manufacturer mark, or maker's mark, on your old doll, it will give you the most important information needed to identify the doll. Take a good photo of the mark or draw a copy of it to keep handy. Doll manufacturer marks are typically found on the back of the head or neck.

What are bisque dolls made of?

Most bisque dolls have a head made of bisque porcelain and a body made of another material. Bisque is unglazed porcelain with a matte finish, giving it a realistic skin-like texture. It is usually tinted or painted a realistic skin color.

What are plastic dolls made of?

Most plastic dolls are made from vinyl, otherwise known as polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Major resin producers supply PVC compounds, which is the world's second largest selling thermoplastic behind polyethylene. The basic building block of PVC is vinyl chloride, which is converted to PVC by a suspension process.

How can you tell if a doll is porcelain?

Check that the doll is made from porcelain or bisque and 1 other material. Hold the head of the doll to your teeth. If it feels hard and cold, this means that it's made of porcelain or bisque. The body of the doll is usually made from a different material, such as kid (soft leather) or cloth.

Are old ceramic dolls worth anything?

Limited editions and dolls made before the 1930s generally sell for loftier amounts because they are considered true antiques; however, others can sell anywhere from $10–$2,000.

What are antique dolls stuffed with?

Antique composition dolls are formed by molding a composite mixture of sawdust and glue, resulting in a denser material than papier-mâché but lighter than wood or porcelain. Prior to the use of composition as a doll-making material, most dolls had heads made out of porcelain or bisque and limbs made of stuffed cloth.

What were toys made in the 1950s?

What did kids play with in the 50's?

In the 1950s children often played games in the streets outside their houses. This was much safer, as fewer people owned cars and there was far less traffic. Children also played different types of games, with more simple toys. Instead of computer games, they had footballs, hula hoops, skipping ropes and cards.

Is my porcelain doll worth anything?

A quick scan of the auction and buy-it-now listings on eBay finds porcelain doll values ranging from around $5 and $10 to several thousand dollars or more but no dolls listed above $10,000.

How can you tell the difference between bisque and porcelain?

What Are Bisque and Porcelain? As mentioned, bisque is unglazed porcelain. Porcelain is created from a paste of clays and water which is molded and then fired at temperatures above 2300 F. After firing, the molded doll head is fired several times more after applications of paints to create the doll's features.

What are porcelain dolls made of?

Porcelain doll (or so-called bisque doll) is a doll that is wholly or partially made out of bisque porcelain, a type of porcelain that is unglazed and matte. Bisque dolls were the most popular from 1860 to 1900 in France and Germany and became fashionable after china dolls who have glazed texture.

Is bisque a porcelain?

Biscuit porcelain, bisque porcelain or bisque is unglazed, white porcelain treated as a final product, with a matte appearance and texture to the touch. It has been widely used in European pottery, mainly for sculptural and decorative objects that are not tableware and so do not need a glaze for protection.

How old does a doll have to be to be vintage?

Antique dolls are 100 years old or more. Notable dolls from the 50s are considered vintage.

Are porcelain dolls breakable?

Before you get started with a cosmetic or restorative dentistry plan that includes dental porcelain, you may be thinking, “Isn't porcelain fragile?” The answer is, “Yes and no.” While a porcelain doll or a porcelain glass may be fragile, a porcelain knife is strong and so are porcelain restorations.

Why are porcelain dolls so creepy?

“They look real,” Hisle said. “People get spooked because they don't like the eyes, and they're too lifelike. The black eyes do look real.” Regardless of how the world views the dolls, Hisle said she continues to enjoy the craft, collecting a few antiques herself.

Are porcelain dolls toys?

Antique porcelain dolls began as a popular childhood toy but later became valuable collectibles. Using wood to construct realistic-looking human features was difficult for European toymakers until they discovered Chinese porcelain.

Why do composition dolls crack?

Composition dolls, especially those with a heavily sealed or lacquered finish, are especially prone to fine cracks, called crazing. The crazing is caused by changes in moisture and temperature. Because so many of these dolls have crazed over the years, light crazing on a composition doll is acceptable to collectors.