Waldorf Dolls

What is a Waldorf Doll?

I thought I might add this for anyone who is new to the name and who might be thinking, "what is a Waldorf doll?"

A Waldorf doll is a type of doll created within the Waldorf School movement or Steiner Schools. An educational philosophy based on the teachings of Rudolf Steiner at the early part of last century in Germany. He believed that for children to develop strong imaginations their toys and play things should be as simple as possible and made from natural materials. Emphasis was placed on providing open ended play experiences and dolls were central to this philosophy in child development.

In Steiner school kindergarten's dolls are always treated with love and respect and viewed as an extension of the child. Dolls are made by parents and teachers within the school community and are identifiable by their cotton and woollen construction and their gentle and soulful expressions. The process of creating dolls is believed to be sacred and is often the one craft that is not done in front of  young children. The aim of dolls is for children to develop a deep connection to them and that is seen as harder to be nurtured if young children have seen the dolls as cotton and wool and thread. Furthermore the creative process is believed to become part of the doll or toy and therefore it is seen as vital for the doll to be made with loving hands and heart. A Waldorf doll is not simply an inanimate object, but a thoughtful, gentle work of art to be passed to children to nurture loving, caring natures.

A Waldorf doll is formed through various stages. Firstly creating an inner head by rolling wool, slipping over a stockinette tube and tying the proportions of the head. The tricot covering is then placed over this and the embroidered features are added. The features are kept very simple, this is for pedagogical reasons, to encourage children to form their own interpretation of the doll's emotions and expression. The younger the child is the simpler the doll and the less details it will have. Young toddlers are given simple bunting dolls, without legs and hair and with simple outfits stitched straight to the doll. As children grow older the more details and elements their dolls will have.

At around about the same time that Waldorf schools were establishing themselves within Germany, Kathe Kruse was building a doll business crafting dolls. She produced a similar style of cloth doll with an  emphasis being placed on a soft doll, that had a lovable, warm, cuddly quality.

The original Kathe Kruse soft cloth doll became known world wide and still to this day are available.

Quite separate to the Rudolf Steiner movement the Waldorf Inspired doll is now becoming its own iconic identity. And while the history of the Waldorf doll is as a child's play toy, these dolls have now become valued by collectors who treasure the skill and artistry of doll making.

Now more than ever there is a huge amount of mass-produced, cheap dolls flooding the market place, or as I like to call them, "fast toys", in contrast there is also a genuine yearning and need for special dolls that can be loved and become long time companions and perhaps even a family heirlooms.

Today Waldorf dolls are made for the young and the young at heart, who understand the true nature of developing an emotional connection with a special doll. Waldorf dolls take many hours and days to make and simply can not be reproduced via an automated process. During their creation they take on the feelings and developed skills of the doll maker and when passed to their owner they are then imprinted with the memories of many years of play and love. A Waldorf doll is in every sense of the term, a love doll.... xxx