Paper Doll Heaven

Brief History of Paper Doll Heaven

Paperdollheaven.com, now called Stardoll.com, started as a personal website for a paper doll, Scandinavian-born hobbyist named Liisa. The site featured online "paper dolls" and coordinating clothes, all created by her. Unexpectedly, outsiders starting visiting. As the site grew more and more popular, Liisa realized that a unique business opportunity existed. In 2004, she expanded the website, changed the name, and geared it towards teenagers.

What is Stardoll?

Stardoll takes the traditional concept of paper dolls and combines it with the public's love affair with celebrities. The result? A website filled with two-dimensional likenesses of pop culture icons, all just waiting to be dressed up and made over. The site currently features hundreds of celebrities in the fields of television, movies, music, and sports. Famous faces (and bodies) presented include:

• David Beckham
• Tom Cruise
• Cameron Diaz
• Paris Hilton & Tinkerbell
• Beyonce
• Brad Pitt
• Ashlee Simpson
• Britney Spears
• Holly Vance

Basic Membership is Free

A basic membership to Paper Doll Heaven is free. A free membership enables site visitors to dress-up and makeover a wide variety of celebrities. Basic members are also able to:

• Create and dress a "MeDoll", an online paper doll where you select all the face and body details.
• Share saved dolls with friends.
• Create a personal page and diary.
• View the personal pages and dolls created by others.

However, as you would expect, there are limits to the basic free membership. Upgraded memberships are available and opportunities to spend abound. For example, clothing and accessories for the MeDoll cost money. Although all basic members are given $50 worth of Stardollars to start, an avid paper doll player will quickly run out of funds. Each U.S. dollar is the equivalent of eight Stardollars. Most items cost less than 10 Stardollars, with many accessories priced at 5 Stardollars or less. Members are also encouraged to upgrade to VIP status in the form of a "Superstar" account. For 20 Stardollars per month, Superstars can be featured on the homepage. They also have access to additional features.

Age Appropriateness

The site says that it is appropriate for all ages, but that most visitors fall in the wide range of 7 to 17. Since clothing and accessories must be selected by a mouseclick and then dragged to their proper placement, many preschoolers will not have the dexterity necessary to dress the dolls. In addition, the celebrities presented are all teenagers and adults-- you won't find Dora the Explorer, Spongebob Squarepants, or Diego here! Although there is nothing inherently inappropriate at this site, LoveToKnow recommends the site for kids age nine and up. Plus, if you are concerned with the influence of the pop culture scene on your children, you'll want to avoid this site altogether.

Parental Precautions

As with any other website, parents should take precautions while their children are visiting Paper Doll Heaven. Although there is no chat room at Paper Doll Heaven, visitors can post comments, leave links, and include personal information on diaries and home pages. The site is heavily moderated and offensive words are censored. Still, it is always a good idea to use caution. For example:

• Do not allow children to purchase anything without permission.
• Teach children to avoid clicking on outside links or ads. Consider disabling pop-ups on your computer.
• Teach children that it is never appropriate to give out any personal information online.
• People online are not always who they seem. Teach children to keep their guard up with online "friends".
• If children receive a message or picture that makes them uncomfortable, they should report it to parents or caregivers immediately. They should never respond to the post.
• Children should not use the Internet without active adult supervision.