When did dolls originate?

The answer to this is everywhere. The doll is one of the oldest human institutions. There were dolls in the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations.

Probably, the dolls were invented by children themselves made out of sticks and stones. But among most people, dolls were more than just playthings. For example, an American Indian doll was a wooden image of God, given to the child as part of religious instruction.

In Japan, a child’s doll was generally made of a shaved willow stick with strings for hair and paper clothes. There was also a ‘scapegoat’ doll which was fed and dressed and treated as though alive. This was given to mothers to ward off evil from their children.

Mothers don’t give dolls to their little daughters as they feel that an evil spirit in the doll may harm the child. But many little girls make their own dolls with wooden pieces.

In Africa, dolls are sometimes used for magical observances instead of as toys. Dolls in Europe were associated with religious observances in early times.

Many dolls were connected with images of saints and were associated with Christmas festival.

In the Protestant parts of Europe, dolls became purely toys long before they did in Catholic countries.