Many girls and boys begin collecting dolls when they are barely old enough to hold them.  Of course these are the gifts given to them by relatives as “welcome to the world” gifts.  The term collectible doll can be quite relative.  Some people only want classics, while some people want to collect every popular figure that comes along.  Children often grow to collect popular dolls that may either help define their generation (Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake) or they may go with the collectible dolls that transcend generations (Barbie and GI Joe come to mind).

There are some dolls that become popular for a brief period of time when a particular person is experiencing a surge of fame.  In their time New Kids on the Block had their own action figures.  Even the Bionic woman was cast in plastic for the masses.  A very popular doll that is now experiencing a massive resurgence is the Michael Jackson doll.  Obviously, this is due to his untimely death which has sparked a collecting frenzy on the auction site eBay.

Whether going for current favorites, or classics, collecting dolls and action figures is huge in our culture and each doll can be studied as a tiny mirror of our culture during the time it was sold to the masses.