Doll

Some historians suggest that baby dolls became popular with little girls at a time with the birth rate for American mothers dropped considerably. Baby dolls became popular in the 1920s, when American girls were less likely to have baby siblings. "When mother bore fewer children, they also tended to assume more of the nurturing responsibilities," notes historian Gary Cross. Girls, no longer tending to an infant sister, practiced mothering on baby-like playthings instead.