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Teens · Ages 11–16

The Doll That Turned Its Face Away

Three cultures, oceans apart, all chose the same haunting design: no face at all.

Page 1

Across cultures — Slavic motanka charms, Amish rag dolls, Iroquois corn-husk dolls — you find dolls made deliberately without a face. Some believed a face might invite a spirit to move in; others taught that beauty shouldn’t live on the surface.

Page 2

The same haunting choice, made for different reasons, on opposite sides of the earth. Why do you think so many people feared, or respected, a doll’s gaze?