How fashion dolls are made

A doll's hair is sewn into its vinyl scalp on a special sewing machine run by hand.

stations: 7
things upstream: 71
raw sources: 21
steps from the ground: 10

The short version

A fashion doll is molded plastic. Torso and limbs are formed from PVC and the head from a harder vinyl. The face takes the longest, up to 15 painting steps. Nylon hair is then rooted through the scalp by a sewing machine and styled, the parts are joined, tiny clothes go on, and the doll is posed and boxed by hand.

Mold the body parts

Plastic is shaped in molds to form torso, arms and legs. Barbie's body is PVC, and a special doll such as a mermaid gets its own molds for the torso and tail.

Goes in
PVC
Mold the head

The head is a separate part in a harder vinyl. A new face often reuses an old head mold, as the 1967 Francie did.

Goes in
PVC
Paint the face

Eyes go in or are painted on, lips and brows are shaped, and makeup is airbrushed on. This can run to 15 steps, and no other part takes as long.

up to 15 steps

Goes in
Paint
Root the hair

A hand-operated sewing machine punches nylon fibers through the scalp. More hair makes a fuller style, but denser rooting costs more. The hair is then brushed, trimmed and styled.

Goes in
Nylon
Join head, limbs and torso

The finished head and the limbs are fixed to the torso.
Sew and fit the clothes

Outfits are sewn and put on the doll, loose threads are cut, and plastic accessories are painted by hand.

Goes in
Sewing thread
Pose and box

Because of the poses and the plastic pieces that hold the doll in place, this step is done entirely by hand.

End of the lineFashion doll

Worth repeating

Barbie was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, which creator Ruth Handler bought while in Europe.
Barbie sold about 350,000 units in her first year, and demand beat Mattel's ability to produce her for the first three years.
From first draft to final product, a new Barbie can take three to eighteen months.