Paper dolls are figures cut out of paper or thin card, with separate clothes, also made of paper, that are usually held onto the dolls by paper folding tabs.[1] They may be a figure of a person, animal or inanimate object.[2]
Paper dolls have been used for advertising, appeared in magazines and newspapers, and covered a variety of subjects and time periods. Over the years, they have been used to reinforce cultural beliefs regarding the appearance of ideal women.[3]
Some flat plastic figures are similar to paper dolls, like Colorforms figures and Flatsy dolls, but these are imitations and not considered characteristic of the paper doll art form.[4]