10 Miniature Doll Gifts for When You Want to Give Something Traditional, Handmade or Quirky! Also Read What Makes These Dolls Special (2019)

If you’re looking for something unique to gift to a loved one rather than a run-of-the-mill present, then a miniature doll is a creative alternative. After all, the people you love deserve something that was hand crafted with dedication, and effort.

A miniature is a representation of an Individual or an animal on a small or reduced scale. This can include a miniature doll, a miniature home and resident inhabitants (both people and animals), furnishings and more. Miniature doll gifts can include 3D human figurines, miniature animals and birds, models and scale displays, garden miniatures and more.

The concept of gifting miniature dolls is quite a hit these days, and a doll is designed using some very basic sculpting techniques, by use of air dry clay, epoxy putty or polymer clay, crafted in a certain pose or fixed, making them flexible for all kinds of gaming apps, miniatures and doll houses.

Miniature doll gifts are made of either ceramic, fabrics, modeling clay, paper strips, recycled bottles, PVC or wooden pegs. Custom designed and handcrafted to excellence, these miniatures are as close to replicating their sample source as they can be, and not to mention that no two replicas would have the same contours. A thoughtful gift for special occasions such as a wedding anniversary, a graduation ceremony or a birthday.

3D printed figurines, 3D selfies, “mini-me” and 3D portraits all refer to a 3D printed miniature figurine of a person (s), crafted out of photo realistic 3D scans as an alternative to conventional photographs. The 3D scans capture the body or face of the subject in 3D color and then release it into a 3D print. With options of a few centimeters to nearly life size, the 3D figurines vary in prices accordingly.

An incredible gift, these miniature dolls make for a lovely and extraordinary gift for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, housewarming, and all other kinds of special occasions. The 3D printed figurines or ‘mini me dolls’ would cost anything in the range of Rs.4,000-10,000, based on the size of the miniature.

There are different kinds of miniature doll gifts. For instance, a transmogrifier entails converting photographs into realist miniature 3D versions of any person or animal, while a super 3D is crafted inspired by a celebrity or superhero, taking into account every aspect of your profile into that icon figurine and transform your persona to match the effect.

A chain face is a 3D custom made key chain that can capture every shade. The usual doll size varies between 12-35 cm, with the objective of making a near perfect figurine resembling the picture provided and crafted into variants like bottle stoppers, sculpture mugs, life castings, key chains, photo frames or pen drives. Besides, these are not just made of ceramic, these miniature dolls can also be made of stone or clay.

There’s a considerable number of other gift options that come in miniature sizes, including miniature arcade games, zen gardens, filing cabinets, et al. Some incredibly cool versions of miniature gift items, apart from dolls, include portable seltzer maker, hyper-realistic clay & resin sculpted earrings, travel cocktail kits, small embroidery hoop necklace, perfume vials, desktop drum set, tiny zen gardens, petite piano cum jewelry box, miniature house plants, and miniature food sculpts.

A bobblehead, also popularly known as a wobbler or nodder is a kind of collectible miniature doll with an oversized head in comparison to the body and connected with a spring or a hook, that causes the head to bobble with just a light tap or movement. Usually a bobblehead is 7” in height.

The Yo Yo Mani Bobblehead from Chumbak is a fictional naughty imp who’s learning the art of Kathakali Dance, loves eating appam and stew, swings to rock and roll and loves dancing. Measuring at 7cm in diameter and 4.5cm in height, it weighs 175gm and is made of poly resin material. Priced at Rs.995 on chumbak.com, other varieties of bobblehead have an Indian Belle, a handyman, a professional Bharatanatyam dancer & mischief maker, and a yogi baba.

Ideal for home décor, there’s a certain warmth and enchantment in the presence of this miniature couple doll. A perfect gift, this needle felt miniature is handcrafted and comes with a wooden bench & a needle felted bag. Measuring at 10-12cms, the miniature dolls are made of merino wool using the needle felting technique, and hence, it cannot be washed. The make is quite fragile, so, the miniature dolls should be protected from dust and children. Priced at Rs.2,644 on Etsy, the needle felted miniature doll couple can be gifted for a birthday, anniversary or as a housewarming gift.

Made of organic PLA plastic material which makes the miniature dolls waterproof and unbreakable, the 3D replica dolls are usually printed in FDM printers and match nearly 80% to the realistic version of a picture. The entire process involves creating a 3D model in a software with the help of a few high resolution images, printing them and then scrubbing out the excess bit. The raw material is then handpainted with acrylic colors matching the reference image.

The entire process takes about 20 days or so, and the end result is a 7” doll with a customized base. These 3D printed replica dolls can be made as a single doll, a couple or family miniature dolls with prices varying with the quantity of dolls required. The price range is between Rs. 3,500-9,500 and are available at Kalaa Kart.

Tiny figurines that are handcrafted and hand painted with an attention to detail, Wooden Gulbodian Miniatures are created out of an art form, which is distinct from the caricature form of miniatures. With its individualistic style of drawing, painting, and detailing features, the wooden gulbodian doll is made to match the reference images and comes packaged in a beautiful designer box. From customizing a single person to customizing a pair, the cost of creating a Miniature Wooden Gulbonda varies between Rs. 1,499-2,899 and involves painting each layer on the doll carefully, with a drying period of 3-4 days. The order delivery takes about 15-19 days and you can place your orders on gulbonda.com

The cute and unique miniature snowmen dolls are handcrafted and makes for an adorable Christmas gift, a colorful decor item or a stocking stuffer with plush snowmen that have been hand-knitted with premium quality acrylic yarn and filled with a non-allergenic synthetic stuffing. Each doll is nearly 6cm tall with a removable scarf that varies in colors of blue, red, green, orange, indigo, violet, or multi-colors and for all the seven that you buy, you get the 8th one free! These mini acrylic yarn snowmen dolls are priced at Rs.2,853 each, while a set of 7 would cost you Rs.9,463 on Etsy

Cute, adorable, and a gorgeous piece of work, the Monk Miniature from HLPKC is made of colored sand clay and is ideal for gifting. The Mandala Tea Ceramic Miniature Set of Monks measurea at 8.6cm in height and 6.5cm in width, is color-fast, made with realistic detailing, a smooth texture, designed with an elegance and beauty, and sculpted to near perfection. Each figurine is made at more than a thousand high temperature baking process, followed by modeling and coloring. The Mandala Tea Ceramic Miniature Monk is priced at Rs.734 each on aliexpress.com and is usually delivered in 18-28 days.

Paper Quilling is an interesting craft that has piqued adult and kids’ attention alike. Besides creating magical marvels in the realm of home décor, jewelry, miniature items, flowers, and more, 3D quilling dolls with a variety of appealing designs are quite a trend as well. Here’s a handmade miniature of Lord Ganesha created out of paper quilling strips, and is ideal for gifting, to place on an altar or as a décor item. The miniature Quilled Ganesha is coated for dust resistantance, measures at 9” in width, 8” in height and is priced at Rs. 1,740 on etsy.com. This lovely and colorful miniature doll comes embellished with beads and studs and has multicolored quilling strips glued to perfection.

From the magical world of Harry Potter comes this miniature version of the young wizard that’s 12cm tall and completely poseable. The miniature doll includes 3 molds of different facial expressions, three sets of hands, a textbook, a wand, and portions of his robe when he’s flying on his Nimbus 2000 broomstick (also included in the package), in addition to his owl Hedwig with interchangeable wings. Made of plastic/PVC and measuring at 4.72”, the Miniature Doll is inspired from Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone, and can be gifted as part of a series of gifts, a miniature doll for home décor or as a playing toy to a child. It is priced at Rs. 1,168 for just Harry Potter's miniature, and if you’d like to buy Harry's miniature with Hermione's miniature in the same material, the price is Rs.2,184 on aliexpress.com.

For many years, African Miniature Dolls used to be made of ceramics, but now they can also be made in glass bottles and cold porcelain. Making these African miniatures isn’t difficult at all and can be made with some easy-to-follow steps.

Featuring an international set of wooden peg dolls, the Girls of the world Miniature Dolls Set from etsy.com includes 6 miniatures, each measuring at 3 9/16”. Hand-painted with non-toxic acrylic paints and non-toxic varnish, Girls of the World wooden peg dolls set has individual dolls painted in traditional attire from different countries like India, Ecuador, Sweden, New Zealand, Nigeria, and Iran. Ideal for gifting, the set is priced at Rs. 4,732 on Etsy and can double up as play figurines for the little ones, as well.

Dolls are not only fun to play with, but, have now become beautiful décor pieces of art and collectibles to flaunt in your space. As diverse as the realm of handmade crafts is, and the varieties of options available to create miniature doll gifts, you can now choose to carve one yourself in Clay by following a some easy steps.