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Dolls of Today and Tomorrow
By Rita Cook
March
1, 2003
Dolls,
and toys in general, are likely to display the particular attitudes
of the historical era that created them. In recent years, the perfect
idealized faces characteristic of older dolls have given way to
myriad features and skin-tones that are closer to reality. And in
our high-tech era, dolls continue to take on a life of their own.
"I
believe simple dolls are a thing of the past," said Steve Feldman,
President of Totsy Manufacturing Co. Inc.
"Children's attention spans is [sic] they want to be challenged,
they want to be intrigued and they want interactive."
Maggie Raggies 'The Frog Prince' Function Doll |
Zapf
Creations continues to find their interactive, soft
fabric dolls very popular, but they are also adding a new line of
theme dolls this year, such as the Congratulation Doll
and Maggie Raggies Princess Doll.
In
the doll collectors’ market, Wendy Lawton, President and Designer
of The Lawton Doll Company, sees a demand for more
personal dolls. "Our collectors have told us they would rather
buy one quality high-concept doll rather than purchase several budget-priced
dolls. Collectors and artists remove the face painting and hair
on fashion dolls and create their own vision," said Lawton.
"Interaction
with dolls--I think this is fueled by two factors," she continues.
"One is the cocooning that occurred post-September 11. Americans
seem to be investing more time in home activities and rediscovering
old crafts. The second factor is a desire to leave a legacy."
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