Paper dolls have always been popular, but in Japan, instead of cutting them
out of paper, they fold the paper to make the dolls like an elaborate form of
origami. In this case we also see a battledore, a wooden paddle decorated
with a doll's face. In traditional times Japanese girls would use these paddles
to bat a shuttlecock back and forth, especially on New Year's Day.
© 2003 Steve and Katie Kohl