In 1931, The Spool Cotton Company put out six clever little animals in the Spool Zoo for kids to make animals using the old wooden spools. 

Jim Fox Spool Zoo	Teddy Bear Spool Zoo	Zebra Spool Zoo	Lion Spool Zoo	Elephant Spool Zoo
Old Hippo Spool Zoo

I remember there was a time when I was very young that I enjoyed playing with paper dolls alongside my sisters. We played with them constantly, and they were all the rage back then, if not as popular as when my mom was a young girl. With lots of accessories to pick from, there was no end of enjoyment for my sisters and I as we traded dolls, clothes and accessories to see what the changes looked like. Sadly, I believe the art of paper dolls has faded away, as I don't see them around as much as when I was younger, but as I come across them, I will definitely share them as my mother had done for me.

I know by instinct that any little girl will absolutely find complete enjoyment when she starts to play with paper dolls, at least as much as, if not more, than I had. There isn't a single toy nowadays that doesn't require batteries (not included of course), but back when I was young toys were simple. We need more of that today. I am drawn to the toys that gave me joy and pleasure during the long days of my childhood, perhaps, or maybe because the cost of batteries that need replacing is just getting to me. It might be difficult for to keep a paper doll collection neat and intact, but there is something to be said about learning to be responsible from a very early age.

Vacation Paper Dolls to Color and Cut Out	Playtime Paper Dolls to Color and Cut Out	Pete the Pelican Paper Doll	Linda Goes West Paper Dolls	Linda Goes West Ranch Party Paper Dolls
Paper Dolls to Color and Cut Out	Fluff and Puff's Tree House Paper Dolls	Toys Paper Dolls	Back to School Paper Dolls	Going to a Holiday Party Paper Dolls
Circus Sam Paper Doll	Hobby Doll Paper Dolls	Mother & Father, Hobby Dolls Paper Dolls	Mary Lee Paper Dolls	Reluctant Cousins Paper Dolls
Sharon Paper Dolls	Growing Up Dolls Paper Dolls	Indians of Peru Paper Dolls	Penny and Frisky Paper Dolls	Jeanie in Florida Paper Dolls
Bride and Groom Paper Dolls	Mariana and Kim Paper Dolls	Movie Star Paper Doll	Old Fashioned Paper Doll	Peppermint Village Family Paper Dolls
Mrs Mouse & Children Paper Dolls	Rocky Paper Doll	The Howells Paper Dolls	Christopher Paper Doll	Bonnie and Debby Paper Dolls
Kathy, a Hobby Doll Paper Doll	Sidney Paper Doll	Padma's Family Paper Dolls	Lollipop Paper Doll	Mary Louise Paper Doll
American Folks Paper Dolls	Tulip Time Paper Dolls	Halloween Paper Dolls	Linda & Paul at Halloween Paper Dolls	Walking Doll Paper Doll

Paper dolls are quiet, and at times my mom needed the house to be just that. I know that children can't be quiet all the time, but parents do need their down time to recharge their personal batteries. My paper dolls helped me to also recharge my personal batteries and to give myself the same peace and calm that my mother had. This could be the reason she went out and bought me so many of them. It might have been one of those wise parent's trick that we just didn't know about back then.

An alternative to trying to find a paper doll set for your children could be to just make your own. If you are the one making those paper dolls for them, be certain you glue your paper with a cardboard backing to make them strong. You don't need to do that with the clothing and accessories, but be prepared to replace them, as paper is easily torn. It is best to just have a ready-made supply of clothes and accessories handy for when they are needed.