A doll is a model of a human (often a baby), a humanoid (like Bert and Ernie), an animal or a fictional character (like a Troll or a Smurf), usually made of cloth or plastic. Sometimes, intended as keepsakes or collections for older children and adults, it could be made in wood, porcelain, bisque, celluloid or wax. Some dolls are intended as toys for children, usually girls, to play with. Others are for decoration or have some cultural significance, possibly for use in some ceremony or ritual. Archaeological evidence places dolls as foremost candidate for oldest known toy, having been found in Egyptian tombs which date to as early as 2000 BC.

The model is usually a miniature, but a baby doll may be of true size. A large model of hard material is called a statue.

A doll or animal model of soft material is also called a plush or cuddly toy .

Dolls are distinguished from action figures, which are generally of plastic construction and poseable to some extent, and exist largely for the purpose of marketing the television shows or films which feature the characters they are often modeled after.

Events related to dolls

Festivals

• Hinamatsuri

Famous types of doll

Toy Dolls

• Barbie and Ken, by Mattel
• Blythe
• Bobblehead doll
• Bratz
• Cabbage Patch Kids
• Chatty Cathy
• Cindy Smart
• Gigi
• Kewpie doll
• Raggedy Ann and Andy
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Super Dollfie
• Teddy bear
• Troll Doll

Other dolls

• Autopsy Babies
• Kachina dolls
• Matrushka doll
• Voodoo doll
• Worry dolls
• Chucky from Child's Play
• The clown doll on Test Card F

Materials dolls are made of

• Cloth (see also rag doll)
• Porcelain
• Wool
• Felt
• Polymer-Clay
• Resin
• Plastic
• Clay
• Wood
• Corn Husks

Other uses of the word "doll"

"Doll" is sometimes used as a term of affection (or derision), usually for a young woman or girl. It was a fairly common slang term for a young woman in the 1940s, as exemplified in the Frank Loesser musical Guys and Dolls, and in the song Living Doll, see Cliff Richard and The Young Ones.