El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-12-23

u o MORE interesting line of toys
IN ismade' than the dolls and their
outfits with which the little
mothers of the world entertain them
selves. 1t is said that the first toy
was wooden doll, made by prehistoric
man, and from that day TO this the best
efforts of the toy making world have
been directed toward making happy the
hearts of the little girls of all nations
All kinds and descriptions of dolls are
to be found One may find in Mexico
perfect doll less than an inch tall and
in Belgium a giant more than 20 feet
Some dolls are made to be pretty, and
some are made to be as homely as pos
sible The demand for all shapes and
sizes, colors and conditions, goes on un-
abated throughout the years. Even the
Teddy bear. the greatest hit of modern
toymaking history. may come and go.
but the doll goes on forever.
Tiny Mexican Dolls.
The smallest dolls in the world are
made in Mexico In the peaceful and
picturesque little valley of Cuernavaca,
whose arts and, customs are almost
Identical with those of the days of the
Aztecs, dwells an sihdian girl, Isabelle
Belaunsaran, who is known as the
Queen of the Needle. She works the
whole year round making dolls, and al
though perfectly made and appareled
in every particular. they are only about
three-fourths of an inch long. She
first makes a tiny framework of wire.
binding it with many turns Of fine silk
thread. After the frame has assumed
the proper lines and proportions. it is
ready for dressing. The clothes are cut
according to the character the doll is
to represent, and are embroidered with
the utmost care. The needle with
which this is done is so fine that it
scarcely can be held in the fingers.
and its eye is almost invisible. The en-
broidery. is done with the finest silk
thread and a powerful microscope
shows it to be perfectly executed down
to the smallest detail. The next pro-
cess is to outfit the doll with a suit
of hair. which is undoubtedly the tint.
est and most marvellous bit of hair
dressing on earth The hair is combed,
plated and tied with ribbons with re-
markable fidelity TO human counter
parts.
Makes Many Kinds.
There are many varieties of these
threequarter Of an inch dolls. One is
a Spanish bullfighter, gaily costumed
in effulgent colors and supplied with
perfect fitting stockings and slippers.
He is equipped with his muleta and
his sword, ready for his fray in the
arena Another is little flower girl
provided with small basket OF varie-
gated flowers, an artistic little shawl.
and all the other things that go to-
make up the costume of a typical Mex
lean flower maid. These tiny dolls
and are very popular in Mexico.
Belgfum's Large Dolls.
Probably the largest dolls in the
world are those brought out upon oc
casions of general public merriment in
Belgium. Some of them stand fully 80
feet high. AtEAsh there is kept Coli
ath and Samson Samson looks won
derfully dressed up in a cutaway coat
and cooked hat. Upon a recent oceas-
ion the mayor OF the city, in a histori-
cal tableau. kissed the hand OF giant
old maid doll and made a-powerful hit
with the assembled multitude These
huge dolls have come down from the
earliest Of modern times, and If the
American tourist be fortunate he may
persuade the keeper of a public build
ing to show him these dolls.
Matchmaking Dolls.
One of the latest additions to the doll
family is one that is able to perform
the miracle of walking on the water.
1t is made of a -infammable prepar-
alton embodying the good qualities Of
celluloid and is able TO take hourly
baths without spelling its compilation
Its feet are made heavy but not large,
and they serve TO keep dolly in an up |
right position In the water There are
also dolls that walk and talk Such
one got its vender into trouble with |
the law a few weeks ago in New York |
1t was able to say mama" and papa
and was being exhibited by a pushcart |
man on the streets of the East Side. !
There is AN ordinance in New York /
which prohibits the exhibition of noise7
making toys on the street, especially !
those which have a whistle in them.
The vender was. taken to the police |
court and the magistrate sapiently de-
cided that doll which said mama" OF
papa" had been guilty of whistling. !
and its owner should be fined.
In the years Of long ago the average
child was satisfied with a : doll that !
didn't even have a hat to its name |
But the present day little girl wants !
her dolly to be elaborately equipped. !
To that end dolly must have her hats /
made after the very latest models. she |!
must be supplied with furs that are |
exact duplicates of those exhibited in |
the fashionable shops. and perhaps an