German surrealist artist Hans Bellmer has been described as “the father figure of the modern sex doll” for his sex puppets in the 1930s whose more realistic models moved sexy dolls further into the future. Although intended to simulate Alma and receive his affection, the 'Alma doll' did not satisfy Kokoschka and he destroyed it during a party. In 1918, Austrian artist Oskar Kokoschka commissioned a life-sized doll of Alma Mahler (whom Kokoschka was in love with) to German puppet maker Hermine Moos, while he was in Dresden.
Later, the Dutch sold some of these dolls to Japanese people during the Rangaku period, and the term ' Dutch wives' is still sometimes used in Japan to refer to sex dolls. These masturbatory dolls were often made of sewn cloth or old clothes and were a direct predecessor to today's adult sex dolls. Some of the first sex dolls were created by French (dame de voyage) and Spanish (dama de Viaje) sailors in the sixteenth century who would be isolated during long voyages.
