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Paper Dolls in the 1930s

The 1930s are considered the beginning of the Golden Age of Paper Dolls, which ran through the 1950s. Child and adult paper dolls included paper stands to cut out, along with a wardrobe of clothing. The clothing pieces had tabs, which were used for attaching the clothes to the dolls. The dolls were affordable and accessible, with several full-color dolls, many with accessories, found in women's, children's and teacher's magazines, as well as in book format. Some dolls were printed in black and white for children to color. Many of these paper dolls were used to promote the sale of cars, clothing, soaps and personal items.

Movie Stars
- Glamorous stars of the silver screen were featured in 1930s paper dolls. The paper doll collections included the movie stars and their costumes from the movies of the day. They featured stars who were in their heyday, such as Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard and Jeanette MacDonald. Judy Garland, along with characters and costumes from the Wizard of Oz appeared in the late 1930s. Sonja Henie, ice skating champion and movie star, appeared in many paper doll collections. Among the most popular of the era were several paper dolls of child-star Shirley Temple.
Specialty Fashions
- Historic costumes depicting fashions from medieval through Victorian times graced the favored paper dolls of the 1930s, representing fashions from around the world. Art Deco designs were featured in paper doll fashions of both children and adults. Additionally, many paper doll collections in the 1930s came in black and white, presented as coloring pages for children to create their own fashions. Paper doll collections that featured evening gowns, lingerie, hats or aprons were also favorites from the period.
Bridal
- Brides and all things related to brides were a favorite for paper doll makers. Brides, grooms and bridal party attire, as well as honeymoon outfits populated many 1930s paper doll collections. Elaborate groupings with several members of the wedding and their clothing provided hours of entertainment for children to arrange all the dolls and set them up for the ceremony. Many paper doll collections showed off bridal fashions, featuring designer gowns popular in the 1930s, and bridal outfits worn by Hollywood stars in real life and in movies.
Children
- Children of all ages were featured in paper dolls in the 1930s, and many included separate furniture, toys and accessories to cut out along with a wardrobe of clothing. Children's activity magazines such as "Golden," "Children's Playmate" and "Jack and Jill" magazines included paper dolls. Children followed the stories of characters in each issue of the magazine and built a collection of paper dolls and accessories over time from edition to edition. Boy and girl paper doll protagonists included Polly Pepper, Johnny and Katy Kewp, Polly and Peter Perkins, Baby Sue and Scootles. Teacher's magazines such as "The Grade Teacher," "Primary Plans" and "Popular Educator" featured educational paper dolls. Many folk, historical and storybook characters, and brothers and sisters were included in these publications.

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