The Language of Dolls By Jane Marie

 

click on the photo of Jane Marie's dolls to enlarge it

 

Acid Free Tissue - This is tissue without chemicals.  It is best for wrapping your dolls for storage to prevent discoloration.  Used by museums, it is often available at dry cleaning stores.

Age of Dolls:

• Antique - Some say only dolls made before 1930 are considered antique.  Still others say a doll must be over 100 years old to classify as antique.

• Collectible - This is a doll between 25 to 75 years old.

• Contemporary - These dolls are currently being manufactured.

• Modern - These dolls are up to 25 years old.

All Original - All parts of the doll and her clothing are as they came from the manufacturer.

Applied Ears - Ears have been added to the head separately as opposed to being part of the head mold.

Articulation - This means a doll body has specific joints, i.e., the elbows and knees, which are bendable.

Artist's Doll - This is a one-of-a- kind doll made by a specific artist, often in limited editions or quantities.

BNK - Bent Knee Walker

Ball Jointed - Small ball shapes allow the joints to move easily.

Bisque - This is porcelain that has been tinted but without glaze.  Many heads, arms and legs were made of bisque from the 1880s to the early 1900s. 

Book Value - This is a guide book for pricing dolls.  Prices can vary as high as 50% above or 50% below the printed value, depending upon the condition of the doll.

Breather - The nostrils of this doll are open. 

Character / Portrait Doll - This doll was created to look like one particular person.  These were very popular from the end of the 1800s to the early 1900s.

China Doll – Made from mid 1800s to 1880s, China dolls were mass produced.  Their heads were made from glazed porcelain and are sometimes almost translucent.

Cloth Doll – This is any doll made from fabric which is often homemade

Pew Baby directions

Composition Doll - This antique doll was made from a mix of sawdust, pulp and glue.  It was eventually replaced by plastic.

Crazing - This is very tiny hairline cracking in the surface of antique doll bodies, particularly found in composition or china dolls.

Doll House - These are miniature dolls that will fit inside dollhouses.

Fashion Dolls - As the name implies, these dolls wear the current trend in teenage and adult clothes as opposed to baby doll clothes.

Fixer-Upper - This doll needs repair work.

Flirty Eyes - The eyes will move left and right to give the appearance of playing coy or flirting.

Frozen Charlotte - These dolls were molded in one piece with no bendable parts.  The arms are perpendicular to the body.

Googley Eyes - These eyes are extra large compared to the size of the heard and looking to the side.  They were popular from 1910 to 1920.

Green Ear - Wire earrings will sometimes turn doll earlobes a shade of green.

GWTW – Gone With The Wind dolls

our Gone With The Wind main page

 

Hard Plastic - Dolls were made of this durable material in the 1950s.

HTF - Hard to find

Immobile - The body is formed in one piece, but the arms are down at the sides of the doll.

Jointed - Moveable/bendable joints make the doll more poseable and natural in appearance.

Kidd Leather - Antique German and French doll bodies were often made of kidd leather, which is goat (kid) hide.

Kiss Baby - This is a jointed doll with a bent right arm whose hand will touch her mouth so she can throw a kiss.

Limited Edition - Identical dolls are made from an original doll mold.  When the set number of dolls has been made, the mold is broken so no more can be crafted.  Each doll is given a number such as 3 of 300. 

Limited Production - A particular doll will only be made during a certain time period and or in a set quantity.

Marks - A doll is often stamped somewhere on her body to identify the model / model number.

Massed Produced - These dolls are less expensive, made in bulk quantities and often sold to discount stores.

MIB - Mint In Box - just as it came from the manufacturer

Mint - A doll in its original clothes and in excellent condition

M/NB - Mint No Box

Neck Button - A button of some size is placed inside the cavity of the head.  The body of the doll is attached to it.

Needle Sculpture - A nylon stocking is stuffed and sewn with needle and thread to form the features, hands, and feet.

NRFB - Never Removed From Box - this is the best find of all so long as the box is good condition, too.

Open / Close Mouth - The mouth appears to be open, but there is actually no hole into the head.

Open Mouth - The mouth appears open and shows teeth.

PE - Painted Eye

Porcelain - The doll itself is made of high quality clay that is fired in a kiln to make it translucent in appearance.

Provenance - This is a written history of the doll, her manufacturer, her owners and any accompanying stories about her existence.  This will personalize her and increase her value.

Reproduction - A mold of an already existing doll is made and more dolls just like it are manufactured.  The is no limit to the amount of "repros" that can be then created, as long as they are making money for someone.

Restored - This is when missing parts are replaced or repainted.

Rooted - This is hair that is plugged into a vinyl scalp that can be styled.

Skull Cap - Hair is attached to a fabric cap.  This cap is placed on top of the dolls head.

SLW - Straight Leg Walker

Starfish Hands - The hands were molded after 1910 with splayed fingers that resemble a starfish.

Strung - Separate arms and legs are attached to the body with a rubber band or string between appendages.

Sweating - This is when a doll's vinyl skin breaks down and gets sticky to the touch.

Toddler Body - Just like it sounds, this baby has chubby thighs and body.

Topsy-Turvy - Two dolls in one, meaning this doll has two heads.  Instead of legs, the second head is hidden under a reversible skirt.  You just turn her upside down and let her skirt fall to reveal the second doll.

Sleep Eyes - When this doll is laid down for a nap, her eyes close.  When she sits up, her eyes open.

Stationary Eyes - The eyes remain open standing or in a sleeping position.

Tagged - The original tags are still in the clothes that came with the doll.

Voice Box - This is what makes the doll speak and say, "Mama," or make sounds.

 

The American Girl series of books is a comprehensive window into selected periods of American history for the tween crowd and younger girls who are good readers. The publishers have taken their world plan a step farther by offering dolls, crafts and games associated with each character.  This means the affluent can live and play in an era/lifestyle and the rest of us can visit as our wallets allow.  My girls wanted every product available and settled mainly for books - always a good choice in my mind.  Nancy examples from this multiple era series ▼     If a book you're looking for is out of print, click on any link to Amazon Books Home Page, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, or Alibris to find out if it is available as a used book. Biography Book Reviews History Book Reviews Historical Fiction Book Reviews Mini Book Review List