Have you downloaded the new Hitty Paper Doll yet? If not, I hope you will consider printing it and sharing with any young kids you know. Paper dolls can be hard to find these days. When I visited a Barnes and Noble bookstore, they had a few. But their subjects were mostly commercial tie-ins such as Wednesday, Barbie and K-Pop Demon Hunters. They did have a nice set of Little House on the Prairie paper dolls, illustrated by Renee Graef.
When I was young, I made my own paper dolls. Although my first efforts were very clumsy, after a while I improved. And I think the fact that I am still an artist today can be traced to those long-ago days of creativity. I want today’s kids to have the same experience of creative play, so I made some extra activities to go along with the Hitty Paper Doll. Please share these with any kids you know who might enjoy them. You can download and print as many copies as you like.
The first item is an 8.5” x 11” color portrait of the Flat Hitty paper doll. If you are a teacher, this makes a good display for a classroom bulletin board.
Download the color portrait of Flat Hitty here!
A black and white version of Flat Hitty’s portrait is perfect for kids to color.
Download the black and white portrait of Flat Hitty here!
The final item is a very practical one. Anyone who has cut out paper dolls before knows how hard it is to keep track of all the little pieces. I designed a custom storage case to hold the Hitty Paper Doll. It is simple to make from a folded piece of 8.5” x 11” card stock.
Download the paper doll storage case here!
The case features an image of Hitty on a cameo brooch. The background is a blue version of Hitty’s book cover print. I added bronze-colored triangles to make it look more like a trunk. And of course, there is a place to write you name as well.
To make your case, the first step is folding. The trick to getting a good fold is to lightly score the white horizontal lines. I used a plastic “bone” folder/paper creaser from Amazon.
If you don’t have one of these, you can use the dull side of a kitchen table knife. A ruler held just below the white line while you score helps to make a perfectly straight line.
After scoring both of the lines, fold up the bottom edge of the page.
Next fold down the top edge.
Now reverse the folds, so that the printed page is on the outside of the case. Press down firmly along the edges with the bone folder to get a sharp crease.
Tape both sides using magic tape.
To secure the top fold, add a couple self-stick velcro dots near the center.
Now your doll and all her clothing can be stored inside.
Here’s a tip to make your paper doll even easier to play with. You can cut off the clothing tabs and then laminate the doll and her wardrobe pieces. Make sure to leave an edge around the doll so the lamination will stick.
To dress your doll, roll up pieces of magic tape and stick them on the back of each dress and bonnet.
Remove the pieces of tape before you store the doll in her case. Have fun!
