Best Paper Dolls for Encouraging Creativity
Who puts together the best looks and is always fun to be round? A paper doll. A generations-old toy, dress-up paper dolls owe their origins to 18th-century France, where they had movable limbs and were akin to puppets. A London company produced the first commercially available paper doll in 1810, and the product appeared in America two years later. Over time, with the advent of ready-to-wear collections and the rise of celebrity culture, paper dolls grew in popularity, often bearing the faces of movie stars, book characters, and socialites. From 1930 to 1950, paper dolls experienced a golden era, as paper proved affordable during the Depression and remained available in World War II’s ration economy. Paper dolls remain popular today; they’re mess-free, portable, and encourage creativity. One can choose among retro dolls reminiscent of those from the 30s and 40s, fashion-focused dolls with expansive wardrobes, and anthropomorphized animals with better accessories than many humans. Browse our selection of the best paper dolls below.
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1. Great Fashion Designs of the Sixties
Dive into the outré world of 1960s couture, courtesy of Tom Tierney, author of hundreds of books on paper dolls. Tierney was a fashion illustrator, and his dolls, garments, and accesories are all hand-drawn with sophistication and a keen eye toward style—they don’t look childish, which makes his work stand out from many paper dolls on the market today. This set comes with two dolls as well as 32 garments from mod designers like Saint Laurent, Balmain, Courrèges, Dior, and Givenchy. Each outfit is labeled with its year and designer comes complete with a hairstyle and shoes for a full look. Designs are beautifully printed on good-quality cardstock that cuts cleanly with a sharp pair of scissors and is sturdy to withstand hours of play.
Great Fashion Designs of the Sixties
2. Authentic Shirley Temple Paper Dolls and Dresses
A classic toy, Shirley Temple paper dolls have delighted kids for generations. Reprinted from a now-rare 1937 edition, this 20-page book includes two Shirley Temple dolls and 16 full-color outfits you can dress the beloved child star in—everything from sundresses to riding breeches to pajamas. The paper holds its shape well, and the outfits are true to history, printed with many details. The book comes with a cutout stand so you can display dolls upright when ready.
Authentic Shirley Temple Paper Dolls and Dresses
3. eeBoo Paper Dolls
This set of multicultural dolls feels ultra-fresh and contemporary, and it may encourage young ones to pursue creative careers, too! It comes with two dolls—a musician and an artist—to dress up with actually cool clothes, plus a two-sided paper room for them to stand against (one doll’s room even has a Noguchi lamp). The cardstock is made of 90% recycled materials and brightly printed with vegetable-based inks. This set also doesn’t require any cutting—the clothes are printed as electrostatic vinyl stickers, so you can continuously reapply them.
eeBoo Paper Dolls
4. Paper Dolls Fashion Workshop
With this hands-on set, you don’t just dress up dolls—you make them yourself! It provides clear instructions to draw your own models and outfits, with lots of examples both historical and modern, ranging from casual to couture. You’ll learn how to master figural proportions and poses, combine colors and, of course, construct paper parts complete with tabs. The set comes with four plain paper models to dress up your own pieces, plus blank clothing templates to decorate.
Paper Dolls Fashion Workshop
5. Folk Costumes of Mexico Paper Dolls
Alina M. Kolluri may be the Tom Tierney of the 21st century. Kolluri runs a small but robust business of designing paper dolls, and hers are always diverse in style and identity, in addition to being well made. This set, for instance, celebrates Mexican folk costumes. It comes with three paper figures and 24 regional costumes from 24 Mexican states. The characters are charmingly cute, leaning more cartoonish than realistic, and the colors are vividly printed.
Folk Costumes of Mexico Paper Dolls
6. Mudpuppy Cat Fashion Magnetic Figures
With this option, kids can quickly mix and match outfits without having to first remove them from a booklet. All parts, from outfits to figures, are magnetic, and therefore can be easily layered over the included metal surface. The designs are cute, and there are plenty of garments and accessories to combine. Because of the magnet design, this set is perfect for taking on car trips, plane rides, or other adventures. You also get a tin to store everything as well.
Mudpuppy Cat Fashion Magnetic Figures
7. Dinosaurs on the Move
Dolls don’t always have to be people (or women)...they can also be dinosaurs! This set infuses the traditional paper-doll concept with the thrill of paleontology. The booklet is filled with dinosaur figures that children can cut out and assemble, using fasteners that make the critters’ joints articulated. Each species is printed twice—once in color so it’s almost ready for play, and once more as a line drawing to decorate without limit. The kit also comes with facts about each dino, making this a great hands-on learning experience.
Dinosaurs on the Move
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