Decoder Ring: The Paper Doll Club

Paper dolls were a ubiquitous part of children’s lives for decades, and then mostly disappeared. David Wolfe was a boy growing up in the 1950’s, with paper dolls as his primary means of accessing a world of glamour and beauty that he didn’t see at home in Ohio. He’d go on to a career in fashion, guided by his paper dolls, just as paper dolls were falling out of fashion themselves, replaced by Barbies and other plastic dolls. This episode is about paper dolls, and their surprising connections to fashion, nostalgia, queerness, and David’s extraordinary career. Producer Benjamin Frisch co-hosts the show to explore the story. This episode is brought to you by the following advertisers: Slack, a workplace communication hub. Find out more at slack.com. Care/Of, a monthly subscription vitamin service that delivers completely personalized vitamin and supplement packs right to your door. For 25% off your first month, go to takecareof.com and use the promo code decoder.