Home-made doll 1950s

The materials used to make dolls have been the largest part of the change in dolls features over the years. Often different combinations of materials were used on each doll. Wax, composition, china and bisque were often the materials used for dolls' heads and limbs in combination with cloth bodies.

Wax, china and bisque doll parts were often quite expensive to produce and so, generally, only the wealthy could afford these types of dolls. Rag, paper, wool and other household materials were also used for making dolls in the home.

	Modern plastic doll

With the development of technology and manufacturing techniques in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries the doll industry began to use new materials and processes. Doll manufacturers were continually trying to find ways to produce cheaper, lighter, more hygienic and more hardwearing materials. The formulas they created were often closely guarded secrets.

Traditional materials used in doll making such as wood, china and cloth were replaced by plastics and man-made fibres. Mass-produced dolls were cheaper and more efficient to produce which meant that only a few specialists made hand-made dolls.

Today, individual doll makers and artists use traditional techniques as well as using modern materials to create their dolls. There are still manufacturers of doll parts made in the traditional ways that supply the doll making craft.

Most shop-bought dolls use modern mass-production techniques.