Diamonds may be a woman's best friend, but a little girl's best friend is definitely her doll. While dolls are usually associated with girls, paper dolls are made and collected by young and old alike irrespective of their gender.

France is the place where paper dolls first appeared. Their origin can be traced to the reign of Louis XV when paper dolls were very popular among the French royals. Paper dolls emerged in England at about the same time, and they were used to convey moral stories in an attractive manner. In America, paper was initially very expensive so paper dolls were a luxury item that children took very good care of. Once paper became cheaper and more readily available, paper dolls were created on cardboard on a mass scale.

Paper dolls were hand-painted and wore different types of clothes. Some were smartly dressed like European film stars, while others came only with underwear on! As early paper doll clothes came without tabs, people used sealing wax to stick clothes on to them. Patterned cloth, lace, and tissue paper were used to create clothes for paper dolls. Lots of girls and women earned a living by selling paper dolls.

Men, women, kids, and animals are commonly employed in advertisement campaigns, but imagine dolls being used to advertise various products! Paper dolls were used to advertise new types of clothes and designs in various popular women's magazines, and their appeal was so great that they began to find place in newspaper supplements too.

Paper dolls depicted clowns, animals, ordinary people and, most importantly, celebrities from the world of films and music. Obtaining these dolls is every modern day paper doll collector's dream. If you thought only kids collect paper dolls, think again! Adults collect paper dolls just as they do coins and stamps. Paper dolls represent fashion, celebrities, inanimate objects, and animals and are great fun to collect. They are also inexpensive. Adults who collect paper dolls say it reminds them of their childhood days. You can collect on the basis of a particular subject, for example, movie stars.

As paper dolls grew in popularity they came to be sold in books. Many companies specialized in the making of these dolls. People who bought the books had to cut out the dolls, cloths, and accessories. Today, among paper dolls collectors, old books containing dolls and their clothes are a rage. They often fetch higher prices than dolls that have been cut.

If you wish to start a paper doll collection buy from local artists and conventions. You can get in touch with other collectors via the Internet or placing ads in newspapers. Lots of greeting cards contain paper dolls. Keep a look out for them.

Paper dolls are a great way to maintain peace at home and encourage creativity when your kids have a school vacation! These days, lots of paper doll templates can be downloaded from the Net. Encourage your kids to dress up dolls with crayons, bits of colored paper, and fabric. You can also ask them to make paper dolls resembling themselves! Let collecting paper dolls become a family affair!