My sisters and I spent hours making paper dolls when we were young. Drawing the doll was the most difficult part and so my mother usually took care of that part; she’s a very accomplished artist. But once we had our dolls printed out and pasted onto sturdy cardstock, the fun commenced! And we had all types of paper dolls – cute little girls, fashionable young ladies, eligible bachelors (of course) and even animals like rabbits and bears. I’ve saved most of the paper dolls from my girlhood. These are some of my favorites!
Fortunately, if you’re not much of an artist, the internet now makes it very easy to print out paper dolls and get started right away. Some websites even have the costumes already completed, so it’s just a matter of printing and cutting. Here are some of the best ones we’ve found:
Melanie: A cute little girl with short black bob hairstyle, Melanie prints out in black and white so you get to have fun coloring the doll and the 5 free outfits that come with her. Click here to download and print.
Vintage Dolls: At the SugarSticks website there are some beautiful, full-color vintage dolls – both boys and girls. These you simply print out and cut. Click here to get started.
The Nurse: This lovely blond from the 1940’s makes the perfect model for grown-up fashions. She comes with one outfit – her nurse uniform – so you’ll have to get busy making her a full wardrobe. The way that this doll is drawn makes it pretty easy to trace around her for just about any type of outfit. Click here to print out the paper doll.
The Bachelor: Yes, it’s Thor, the handsome and legendary Nordic hero. Don’t you think the blonde nurse would go for him in a big way? You’ll probably want to design some more suitable “street clothes” before this guy goes walking out with the nurse. The unique set includes not only his imposing Asgardian armor, but a pancake breakfast as well (heroes get hungry)! Click to print artist Kyle Hinton’s full color Thor doll.
Disney Dolls: Cory Jensen has a great collection of dolls patterned after the famous Disney princesses. They are full color and include beautiful dresses and accessories. Find your favorite here!
Brown-Eyed Girl: This full color doll is a great way to get started with tracing and designing outfits. She’s the perfect size for little hands and is just waiting for her new wardrobe. Click to print.
Fairy Dolls: And now for something a little different. At this website, you’ll find two pretty dolls with fairy wings. They make the perfect backdrop for fantasy designs. Click here to view and print the two different fairy dolls.
As soon as I printed out the nurse doll, 8-year-old Catherine made a cute little dress for her. Didn’t she do a great job? She also took the photo!
Wish people still realized the value of simple pleasures like this. Love your paper doll designs!
These are so cute! My daughter is just getting into this, so I appreciate the links to more dolls!