Dolls: specifications, types

The minimum age of a child for which a doll is considered suitable. These recommendations, of course, are somewhat arbitrary — after all, a month or two before the calendar birthday, the child can already correspond in terms of development to an older age. Nevertheless, it is still extremely undesirable to deviate from them. The fact is that the “older” the doll, the more complex it is, the more different items it can be supplemented with and the smaller the details that make up the doll itself and these items.

Therefore, buying an inappropriate doll for a small child is fraught with two dangers. First, young children tend to put objects in their mouths, and small items can get into the esophagus or airways. Secondly, faced with a toy that is too complex, the baby may be upset and even scared, thus gaining an undesirable negative experience (which may result in a fear of all dolls in general). Also note that some dolls (for example, the popular Monster High brand) are made in a "creepy" design based on monster stories; this is usually normal for older children, but can scare the baby.

General type of doll.

- Doll. In this case, we mean “ordinary” dolls that do not have a pronounced specialization. Usually these are dolls in the form of girls or girls (boy dolls are placed in a separate category).

- Bobblehead. Baby dolls are called dolls that copy small children. Such toys usually do not have a “gender.” Most often they are designed for the younger age category, but there are exceptions.

- Kit. Availability of several dolls in the set. This can be either a family in the classic sense (father, mother, children), or another option - for example, girlfriends. The “family” can be assembled from separately purchased dolls, but it can be more convenient to buy a set at once: at a minimum, the “family members” match each other in height.

— Mermaid. Although mermaids are sea creatures, such dolls are most often made “land-dwelling” and are not intended for swimming. For ease of use outside the water, various tricks can be provided - for example, a curled tail that plays the role of a stand, a chair in which you can sit a doll, etc.

- Fairy. Dolls in the form of fairies - fairy-tale sorceresses. In fairy tales, fairies have wings and can fly; some dolls of this type can actually be made to fly (see “Doll Capabilities”).

— Angel. Angel dolls are in many...ways similar to fairy dolls and differ only in their design style: the traditional “angelic” color is white.

- Princess. Princess dolls are dressed in luxurious dresses, and the outfit often includes a crown. Some of these dolls copy princesses from fairy tales or cartoons.

- Bride. Dolls dressed as brides; such an outfit includes a dress, a veil, and often a bouquet.

— Fashionista. Dolls whose design is dedicated to the world of fashion. Note that the style of such dolls can be very diverse; among their outfits there are evening dresses, ball gowns, casual style, historical costumes, etc.

- Ballerina. Ballerina dolls have at least appropriate clothing - a tutu, pointe shoes, a hoop or a headband. However, the matter is not limited to this; special “dancing” functions, such as bending arms and legs, can also be provided.

- Dancer. Dancer dolls are in many ways similar to ballerinas, except that the style of the costume may differ slightly.

— Gymnast. Gymnast dolls almost always have not only appropriate costumes, but also bendable arms and legs.

- Athlete(s). Dolls dedicated to a particular sport. Note that the outfits of some of these dolls can be very extravagant and far from the usual style of tracksuits; Such models are suitable for athletes due to the additional items included in the kit (rollers, skate, etc.).

— Beach and swimming. Beach or pool themed dolls. A mandatory part of such a doll is a bathing suit; in addition, the set may include various thematic items and accessories - a mask and fins, a towel, a beach umbrella, a deck chair, etc. In addition, such models can be made “waterfowl” or have certain specific features - for example, there are dolls wearing clothes that change color when exposed to water.

- Complete doll. Dolls that copy full-figured girls. They were created as a counterbalance to popular beauty standards, according to which a beautiful girl had to be thin. Fat dolls show children that this is not so; a “curvy” figure is no less worthy of admiration than a thin one.

- Girl. “Female” dolls made in the form of newborn babies, little girls, young girls, cartoon heroines, etc. Often these dolls have long hair (they can have different hairstyles), and the set comes with beautiful dresses, shoes and all kinds of accessories for dressing up.

- Boy. “Male” dolls in the form of boys, youths or men. Such models have pronounced masculine facial features, and their haircut is mostly short. Often intended to be played in pairs with a girl doll.

— Vinyl. An environmentally friendly, plastic and easy-to-process material, from which the most realistic dolls are often created. Vinyl is quite durable, easy to paint, and can be used to create detailed shapes, especially in the doll's face and body.

— Textiles. Fabric dolls are made from synthetic and hypoallergenic materials that are pleasant to the touch and do not cause irritation. As a rule, they are soft-filled. The hair of such dolls is made of thread; textile toys do not have sharp or dangerous parts. The downside of fabric products is that they require careful handling, as they quickly get dirty and tear.

- Plastic. The vast majority of modern dolls are made from various types of plastic. The main advantages of the material are its low cost, ease of processing and abundance of designs: plastic can be easily given any shape or color, and it is inexpensive.

- Tree. Wood was one of the first materials used by doll makers: wood is easy to carve into the shape of a human figurine and is also strong and durable. At the same time, this is a rather stubborn material, and it is found mainly among collector's editions of dolls.

- Combined. Doll manufacturers can combine different types of materials to achieve certain characteristics in the final product.

The series to which the doll belongs. Many manufacturers release characters that are combined in a series — usually related to a certain theme. This makes it easier to choose a model that is interesting for the child.

Number of dolls included in set. Indicated only for “family” sets (see “Type”), which include more than one doll. In this case, only figures are taken into account; Additional items (see "Included with Doll") are not included in the calculation.

The total height of the figurine in an upright position, in other words, the “growth” of the doll. Products of famous brands often have a standard height — for example, for Monster High it is 26 cm, for Barbie — 29 cm.

— Bends arms. This feature means that the doll's arms have joints, flexures, or other special devices for bending at the elbows and/or wrists. The ability to turn at the shoulder does not count as flexion.

— Bends legs. The ability to bend the doll's legs at the knees and/or ankles — due to special devices like articulated "joints". Turning at the point of attachment of the leg (at the hip joint) is not considered flexion.

— Closes eyes. The doll's ability to close and open its eyes. The mechanics in such systems are adjusted in such a way that the eyes close in the horizontal position of the figure and open when returning to the vertical position. Thanks to this, the child can "put to sleep" and "wake up" the doll.

— Makes sounds / sings. The presence of various sound effects in the design of the doll. Such effects can range from the usual "tweeters" familiar from classic baby dolls, to electronic modules that can play entire fragments of songs, repeat phrases of a speaking person, etc. Many dolls with this feature require battery power.

— Light effects. Various lighting effects can be used both in the doll itself (for example, luminous eyes, “magic” illuminated wings, etc.), and in additional items included in the delivery set...(car headlights, house windows and lights, etc.). Anyway, they give the toys an attractive appearance and make them more interesting for the child. All such models require power — usually batteries are used.

— It flies. Dolls that can fly. One of the most popular varieties of such toys is fairies, in which the wings can rotate around the belt in the manner of a screw. Another option is a doll with an aircraft (for example, a quadcopter) in the kit.

— Changes style. Dolls for which it is possible to radically change the appearance. Specific ways of such changes may be different, they should be specified separately in each case. For example, there are often dolls with long hair that can be styled in different hairstyles, curled, straightened, complemented with multi-coloured strands, etc. Another popular option is additional clothes and shoes in the kit, for “dressing up”. There are also more exotic solutions — for example, a mermaid doll with a removable tail worn on the legs.

The doll has a baby in its belly. The original variety of dolls, copying pregnant women. To do this, a recess is made in the stomach, in which the baby figure is located, and the recess is covered by a removable cover that imitates the rounded belly of the expectant mother. In addition, baths, cradles and other baby accessories are often included in the kit; and the baby figurine can be obtained by turning the “pregnant” doll into a “mom doll”.

Note that the set of functions of modern dolls is not limited to this — manufacturers can provide other possibilities and effects, sometimes very original (for example, a baby doll that "pees" after being given water to drink).

Additional items sold with the doll. The variety of such items is very large, here are some of their varieties and the nuances associated with them:

- Additional clothing/shoes. This feature means that the set includes 2 sets of clothes or shoes, and the doll can be changed. "Own" clothing that is on the doll does not count as an additional item.

— Fashion accessories and cosmetic items: handbags, mirrors, combs, tiaras, glasses, etc. Such items can be both purely toy and quite functional: for example, some dolls have long hair that can be styled using the combs and elastic bands supplied.

- Furnishings and decorations: furniture, household appliances, indoor and garden plants, entire rooms, kitchens and even houses with the surrounding area.

– Professional tools and accessories: doctor’s stethoscope and thermometer, chef’s cap and apron, musician’s instrument,

- Food and drinks: coffee cups, food trays, ice cream boxes, etc.

- Sports equipment: balls, rackets.

- Magic accessories: magic wands, witchcraft books, wings, mermaid tails.

- Animals: pets (normal and fantastic), horses.

– Transport : cars, mo...torcycles, boats, bicycles, rollers.