Historians note that wicker and bamboo as materials for making all kinds of household goods gained popularity in the mid-1800s. Furniture makers could easily manipulate either material into the elaborate forms and ornate designs so favored by Victorians. In addition to making furniture for porches and patios, manufacturers produced lightweight wicker and bamboo perambulators and baby carriage for the family's daily constitutional. Toy makers, too, offered doll carriages for young girls to walk their dollies to the park (well supervised, of course) or around the neighborhood.