National costume dolls are also known as foreign dolls, regional dolls, international dolls and so on. If you like to call them souvenir or tourist dolls, well, I won’t object. Because in most cases they actually are. A national costume doll is a doll dressed in the traditional clothing of a certain place somewhere in the world, like a local town or cultural region. It can also represent a specific ethnic group. Sounds a bit vague but when you start exploring my collection, you’ll see what I mean.

These dolls often depict daily life. I have dolls preparing food, dolls with farming tools expressing rural activity, bride and grooms, mothers carrying babies, folk dancers and musicians, the variety is endless. Ritual dolls, theater and festival dolls, characters from folk tales and legends, dolls wearing uniforms and faith-related dolls are all part of my collection. I adore how they are made and dressed. From primitive to very detailed and authentic, so many differences. They radiate color, craftsmanship and life itself.

The doll collecting world is an odd world. One moment a doll can be most sought-after, another moment the same doll can be unpopular. Sometimes people even say that national costume dolls are worth next to nothing. Not in terms of big money maybe, but they do have real importance. I strongly believe that each doll has a story, thus keeping culture and tradition alive. I want to tell and share that story.

By all the overwhelming beauty presented here, you must also have caught the NCDC bug. I know you want to put these dolls in your own display cabinet, to treasure them forever. You can beg on your bare knees, cry many tears, offer me diamonds but no, sorry, my dolls are going nowhere. I’m quite possessive. I can point you in the one and only right direction though. Which is my online shop poppentopper.com. You never know, you may well be shopping the antiques of tomorrow. So go and get some lovely dolls now!

Finding a postcard or book almost makes me as happy as finding a doll. My bookshelves are overcrowded just like my doll cabinets. I can spend hours looking at pictures of people wearing the real costume. Time well spent. Keeps me off the streets.

In case you need some guidance in finding old-school paper information there’s an overview of my doll books in the Doll Reference Books section. A list of my other books is too much to ask!