Do little girls still play with paper dolls? I had quite the collection when I was young and spent countless hours playing with and organizing my collection. I can still remember waiting for the McCall’s magazine to arrive each month because there was always a seasonally appropriate Betsy McCall waiting to be introduced to my other dolls. I would draw my own designs for my dolls, which certainly helped lead me down the path toward becoming a fashion designer. All this to day when I was presented with an opportunity to review ‘Kate & Meghan Paper Dolls’ by Eileen Rudisell Miller I jumped!
Originally trained as a fashion illustrator, Ms. Rudisill is a talented illustrator and painter who is internationally known for her paper doll work. Over the last 10 years she has produced over 40 coloring books and paper dolls for Dover Publications and Paper Studio Press, as well as over 50 self-published Paper Doll sets.
As its title implies, ‘Kate & Meghan Paper Dolls’ features a collection of memorable outfits worn in 2018 by the most famous royal sisters-in-law of all – Kate, Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex
Kate’s wardrobe features easily recognizable 2018 outfits from big moments like the Trooping of the Color Parade, Prince Charles 70th Birthday Family Photo, and Meghan and Harry’s 2018 wedding. Meghan’s clothing selection features many of the looks she wore during the 16-day tour she and Harry took to Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand, when she was pregnant with her first child but not showing much.
I believe any fan of the monarchy, Kate, Meghan, or paper dolls would appreciate this book. It is well-drawn and informative book, as Ms. Miller provides designer and historical information for each outfit. It would make an excellent addition to any serious paper doll enthusiast’s collection or serve as a great tool to introduce a little girl to the joys of paper dolls.
Checking out ‘Kate & Meghan’ led me down the rabbit-hole of the web to see what else I could find. A Google search of ‘paper dolls’ led to 17,400,000 results, including the Original Paper Doll Artists Guild, The 2019 National Paper Doll Convention in Kansas City (with the theme being ‘Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem’) and popular paper doll blog PaperDollywood and Paper Doll School.
Spending time exploring these sites has a) made me want to try my hand at designing my own series of paper dolls, and b) instilled the desire to introduce the younger generation to the hobby. How about you? Did you ever play with paper dolls when you were young? What doll was your favorite? better yet, do you collect paper dolls now? Did you even know paper dolls were still a thing? Drop me a line…Id love to know.
The Grey Goddess 