Up until the 1860s dolls were made of glazed porcelain and were referred to as china dolls. Then the Bisque porcelain dolls were introduced. These dolls were made from unglazed porcelain. The Bisque dolls have a life like skin tone and the bodies are usually made of cloth or leather.

During the early 20th century a new doll hit the scene. Composition is a mixture of glue and sawdust, which can be molded. This material is heavier than paper Mache and had been used for making the bodies of the Bisque dolls for a while. From 1909 to the 1950′s composition was used to create the doll heads as well. These composition dolls overtook the Bisque dolls in popularity because they were more durable.

The demise of the composition dolls began in the 1940′s when the hard plastic dolls were introduced. These dolls didn’t break when you dropped them and the finish didn’t get ruined when they got wet. The hard plastic gave way to vinyl dolls.

In the 1960′s Barbie hit the scene and fashion dolls were born. Today there are many fashion dolls. But Barbie is still the reining queen. The first Barbie ever made was made from hollow vinyl. The modern Barbie is still a combination of plastic and vinyl.

There were many Barbie copycats and knock offs and fashion dolls haven’t gone out of style. It seems young girls would prefer to play with dolls that are like real girls instead of playing with baby dolls.

There are new fashion dolls giving Barbie a run for her money. Bratz and Moxie girlz both come to mind. These dolls are not only fashion dolls but they are fashioned more after real girls, and don’t have the unreal body image portrayed by super model Barbie.

Another popular choice are the liv fashion dolls. They are similar to the Moxie Girlz  and they have unique personalities and flaws as well as talents. In fact I think the liv dolls are one of the hot trends this Christmas season.