Peg wooden dolls, also known as Dutch dolls (), are a type of wooden doll from

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

. They originated as simple lathe-turned dolls from the

Val Gardena Val Gardena (; german: Gröden ; lld, Gherdëina ) is a valley in Northern Italy, in the Dolomites of South Tyrol. It is best known as a tourist skiing, rock climbing, and woodcarving area. Geography The valley's main river is the Derjon, a ...

in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. The name Pennywoods is also used for dolls of this type, in particular those made in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. These dolls were sold undressed. Children would then make their clothing from scraps of fabric. Other similarly-constructed wooden dolls, using a jointing technique where the arms and/or legs are attached to the body with pegs, are some of the oldest surviving

doll A doll is a model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and wood are foun ...

s, and were made worldwide. Sometimes a peg wooden doll's arms or legs are locked together by the jointing system, so if one arm is moved the other will move. An advanced form of peg joints is where the body pegs are "split" and attached separately allowing independent movement. ''Tuck comb dolls'' are a special style of peg wooden doll, named for their carved hair

comb A comb is a tool consisting of a shaft that holds a row of teeth for pulling through the hair to clean, untangle, or style it. Combs have been used since prehistoric times, having been discovered in very refined forms from settlements dating ba ...

. The head and body are turned as one piece. The hair is usually painted with curled fringes and with a painted comb. Early tuck comb dolls had elongated, graceful proportions, nicely carved details, painted slippers, and sometimes with wood pendant earrings. Some dressed as merchants were called ''pedlar dolls''.

Gallery

File:Dressed dutch doll Gröden.jpg, Peg wooden doll from

, late 19th century File:Penny or stickdoll.jpg, Peg wooden doll from Val Gardena, late 19th century File:Second dressed dutch doll Gröden.JPG, Peg wooden doll from Val Gardena, late 19th century File:Dutch doll from Gröden.jpg, Peg wooden doll from Val Gardena, late 19th century File:Dutch doll Gröden rear view.jpg, Peg wooden doll from Val Gardena, late 19th century, rear view

In culture

In 1895 Florence Kate Upton illustrated a children's book entitled ''The Adventures of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg''.The Project Gutenberg EBook of'' The Adventure of Two Dutch Dolls and a Golliwogg'', by Bertha Upton
/ref> ''

Hitty, Her First Hundred Years ''Hitty, Her First Hundred Years'' is a children's novel written by Rachel Field and published in 1929. It won the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1930. The book is told from the point of view of an inanimate dol ...

'' is an American children's novel about a carved wooden doll written by

Rachel Field Rachel Lyman Field (September 19, 1894 – March 15, 1942) was an American novelist, poet, and children's fiction writer. She is best known for the Newbery Award–winning '' Hitty, Her First Hundred Years''. Field also won a National Book Award ...

published in 1929. '' Tottie: The Story of a Doll's House'' is based on the book ''The Doll's House'', by

Rumer Godden Margaret Rumer Godden (10 December 1907 – 8 November 1998) was an English author of more than 60 fiction and non-fiction books. Nine of her works have been made into films, most notably ''Black Narcissus'' in 1947 and '' The River'' in ...

, which features a small peg doll as its main character. Night Terrors (Doctor Who) features life-sized peg dolls as monsters

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peg Wooden Dolls Traditional dolls Wooden dolls

Gallery

In culture

See also

References