Baby Doll, Barbie Doll, and Doll Dresses

At save the dolls, we are entranced by all things miniature and get giddy over precision and attention to detail. This is why we love the baby doll, the Barbie doll and all the clothing that comes along with them: from the cute doll dresses to the hilariously kitsch "action wear". For the voodoo to the Barbie, we love them all.

It is hard to say who invented the first baby doll, because they have been around for centuries and all the ancient dolls have sadly been destroyed. Only a piece of a doll remains from the Babylonian period over 4,000 years ago. How ironic that the oldest known piece of baby doll used to belong to the Babylonians. The Ancient Egyptians had an obsession with dolls as well, and many tombs of the wealthy contained a doll made of clay.

But let's leave all of that mystical, spooky stuff behind and talk about the modern, all-American girl that everyone knows and loves: Barbie. The very first TV commercial for a Barbie doll was way back in 1959 and showed off Barbie's range of doll dresses: from swimwear to the bridal gown. The interesting thing about the Barbie doll is that she has remained unchanged in appearance since that first television commercial back in 1959. Perhaps this is the secret to her longevity; very few dolls have lasted so long and are still in production today.

If you want to get your hands on the original, first ever Barbie, be prepared to bring your checkbook. She is selling for $8,000, but does come with the original zebra-stripped bathing suit that is so fantastically 50's! But if you want to know what Barbie doll is the most expensive in the world, and we know you do, then you need to know about the Canturi Barbie. Mattel enlisted the services of celebrated jewelry designer Stefano Canturi to create the most expensive Barbie in the world. The price? $545,000.

Barbie is dripping with pink diamonds and decked out in the most elegant of doll dresses: the cocktail dress.

The baby doll has come a long way as well, although you will be hard pressed to find one wearing an array of diamonds similar to Barbie's. Instead of becoming more sophisticated, the baby doll has become more realistic. Today's dolls can cry, speak and even need changing.

It took many years to get to the point of creating the super-realistic baby doll we see today. The first realistic baby doll was made in 1922; it was made to look like a three-day-old newborn. The 1930's saw the introduction of the dolls that could drink and wet, the most famous of these was the Betsy-Wetsy.

Take a look around the rest of our website, we have tons more fun facts about the birth of the baby doll and lots more inside information about the mysterious life of Barbie!