Inked Mag Staff
May 17th, 2021
55 Delightful Doll Tattoos
Did you play with dolls growing up?
Growing up, many of us played with dolls. However, the time period you were born in greatly determined which kinds of dolls you played with. For example, as a child of the 1990s, I grew up playing with Barbie dolls. I can even remember being gifted a collectible Cruella de Vil Barbie that, much to my mom’s horror, I tried to give a haircut. However, my sister was born just a few years later and she fell into the Bratz doll demographic. I truly never got over their removable feet. Now, I’m sure kids have plenty of other dolls that I’ve never heard of.
Take a look at 55 tattoos inspired by dolls of the past present and future, then let us know your favorite doll on this list (and if it makes you feel old AF) in the comments section on social media.
Barbie
Debut: 1959
Creator: Ruth Handler
Fun Fact: She was based on an x-rated German doll, Lilli the high class call girl.
Porcelain
Other Names: Bisque dolls, china dolls
Peek Popularity: 1860-1900
Fun Fact: The most expensive porcelain doll sold for $339,136
Rag
Debut: Raggedy Ann debuted in 1915.
Creator: Johnny Gruelle
Fun Fact: Amish rag dolls have no facial features.
Matryoshka
Debut: 1890
Creators: Vasily Zvyozdochkin and Sergey Malyutin
Fun Fact: The largest set of Matryoshka dolls contained 51 hand-painted pieces.
Paper
Debut: Japanese Origami dates back to 800 AD.
Creator: Little Fanny was mass-produced by S&J Fuller and released in 1810.
Fun Fact: A paper doll convention is held annually in Phoenix, Arizona.
Bratz
Debut: 2001
Creator: Carter Bryant
Fun Fact: Bryant was working for Mattel when he created Bratz, Barbie’s biggest competitor.
Troll
Debut: 1959
Creator: Thomas Dam
Fun Fact: They’re referred to as Gonk Dolls in the United Kingdom.
Voodoo
Origin: Fon people on Benin
Misconception: Voodoo dolls aren’t prominently used in either Haitian Vodou or Louisiana Voodoo.
Fun Fact: Voodoo dolls have appeared in films like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Princess and the Frog.”
Cabbage Patch
Debut: 1982
Creator: Roger L. Schlaifer
Fun Fact: Garbage Pail Kids were created as a parody of Cabbage Patch Kids and included characters such as Adam Bomb, Evil Eddie, Schizo Fran and Blasted Billy.
Kewpie
Debut: 1912
Creator: Rose O’Neill
Fun Fact: Kewpies were initially conceived as characters for a comic strip in 1909.
Polly Pocket
Debut: 1989
Creator: Chris Wiggs
Fun Fact: Wiggs first used a makeup compact to create the doll’s house.
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