The Doll Museum

Onil in Alicante has been the centre of the doll-making industry in Spain since the late nineteenth century. It still has many traditional manufacturers and produces goods for the Playmobil brand. The museum is in one of the fine houses of Onil. It displays the history of doll manufacturing around the world as well as in the region. Visitors see first how early dolls were made with papier-mâché and then watch modern presses for moulding plastic and machines for stitching nylon hair. They can follow the transformation from a first drawing to a final doll. Upstairs is a large collection of dolls and Playmobil figures. An exhibition presents the products of all the companies now active in the town, including Antonio Juan, Mariquita Pérez, Así, Berjuan, Famosa, Falca, Rauber and Nines d'Onil. The museum arranges visits to some of the local doll factories.