- The free month-long display features six dolls from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century and provides an eerie glimpse into children’s playthings from the past.
Dolls have been a favored play toy for children for centuries. There’s a good reason for it. Studies have shown that playing with dolls teaches children enhanced social skills while sparking their creativity. Doll play even helps promote language development and emotional intelligence. A multi-year study by toy maker Mattel reveals that playing with dolls allows children to develop and practice social skills, regardless of their neurodevelopmental profile.
Early dolls were made of materials found on hand. Corn husk dolls and rag dolls kept children entertained long before mass-produced dolls were readily available. The dolls of my youth include Raggedy Ann, Chatty Cathy, and Barbie, who was arguably the “scariest,” mostly because of her stray stiletto heels and their ability to exact extreme pain to my tender bare feet.
Over the years, dolls have gotten a bad rap, particularly in horror movies. A toy clown is a nightmare-come-to-life in the 1982 film Poltergeist. In the 1988 film Child’s Play, a cute redhead doll in overalls named Chucky turns into a menacing character after a voodoo spell transfers a detective’s soul into the lifeless doll. Havoc ensues.
In keeping with this month’s spooky, scary, and creepy theme, a display of creepy dolls from the Mississippi Department of Archives and History (MDAH) Collection opened October 1 at the Two Mississippi Museums. The free month-long display features six dolls from the mid-19th century to the early 20th century and provides an eerie glimpse into children’s playthings from the past.
“These dolls were donated by people who wanted to ensure their preservation for generations,” Two Mississippi Museums Director Michael Morris said of the collection curated by Mississippi Department of Archives and History staff. “We’re excited to share them with the public.”
One of the oldest dolls in the collection, the “rag doll,” starkly contrasts the porcelain doll with its simple features and patchwork design. Rag dolls were more durable and could handle being dressed, carried, and even cuddled, compared to their wax and porcelain counterparts.
Other dolls in the collection include two “clown dolls” that once formed part of the Humpty Dumpty Circus set, a toy design made by the A. Schoenhut Company in America.
“Hopefully, this exhibition will inspire others to donate artifacts that help tell the stories in Mississippi history,” Morris said.
The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum opened in tandem with the Museum of Mississippi History on December 9, 2017, in celebration of the state’s bicentennial. The Mississippi Civil Rights Museum explores the period from 1945 to 1976 when Mississippi was ground zero for the Civil Rights Movement nationally. The Museum of Mississippi History explores the entire sweep of Mississippi’s territorial and state history and the inhabitants of its land.
For more information, call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.
Susan Marquez
