Rag doll

This article is about the rag doll that is a children's toy. For other uses, see Rag doll (disambiguation).

File:Hand made dolls.jpg

Handmade rag dolls

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; the British Museum has a Roman rag doll, found in a child's grave dating from the 1st-5th century AD. Amish dolls are a type of traditional American rag dolls which originated as children's toys among the Old Order Amish people. The best-known type have no facial features. 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.

Rag dolls have featured in a number of children's stories, like the 19th century character Golliwogg, Raggedy Ann in the 1918 book by Johnny Gruelle and the British children's television series Bagpuss Ragdolly Anna and the popular "Raggybaggy". The character of Sally from the Tim Burton film The Nightmare Before Christmas is also a rag doll.

See also

• Stuffed toy
• Lalaloopsy

References

Modern Rag dolls