Traditionally home-made from (and stuffed with) spare scraps of material, they are one of the oldest children's toys in existence. The British Museum has a Roman rag doll, found in a child's grave dating from the 1st to 5th century AD.[1] Historically, rag dolls have been used as comfort objects, and to teach young children nurturing skills. They were often used to teach children how to sew, as the children could practice sewing clothes for the doll and make some simple dolls themselves.[2] In America, from the colonial era up to the early 20th century, children of various statuses would play with dolls made from rags or cornhusks.[3] Mass production of rag dolls began around 1830, when fabric color printing was first developed.[4]