Paper dolls have been in existence almost as long as paper. Japanese paper figures date back as early as 900 A.D. A cross between a puppet and a paper doll was used to satirize nobility of France in the mid-1700s, and the Chinese, Japanese, Polish, German and Swiss cultures all had their own forms of paper art people. In the mid-1700s, the European fashion centers of Vienna, Berlin, London and Paris offered paper dolls with costumes. These dolls were hand-painted until the late 1800s, when the first manufactured paper doll appeared-S&J Fuller

in London's Little Fannie. Dolls were made in the likeness of royalty, celebrities and comic book characters. They were used in magazines to sell household products, in children's magazines, teachers' magazines, and newspapers. The popularity of paper dolls peaked from 1930 to 1950. Paper dolls still thrive today, exhibiting today's fashion, personalities and cultural practices. In most cases, the dolls factually represent the clothing, accessories and practices of the times they illustrate and are therefore valuable research tools.