Celluloid Dolls
The invention of celluloid dolls forever changed the doll making industry. While dolls made of other materials such as bisque, wax, and papier-mâché were easily ruined, celluloid dolls were both beautiful and useable. The first plastic dolls were made of this thin, flammable material during the late nineteenth century, and celluloid dolls continued to be such a popular toy that almost every famous doll-maker used the material at some point.
Although celluloid was once a very cheap material, celluloid dolls are now an expensive collector’s item that is particularly cherished among doll and toy collectors. Celluloid dolls have been made in almost every size from just an inch or two tall to a full-scaled toddler size. Because they were made in almost every country, celluloid dolls can be found from countries as far-flung as Mexico and Japan. Although celluloid dolls are more durable than dolls made from other popular materials at that time, they are also very flammable. Few have survived to modern times, making an intact celluloid doll a valuable commodity.
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