Originally the Deir el-Ballas doll would have looked like this figurine, which has its braids surviving. The hair was made from tiny mud pellets attached to strings, which were threaded through the head holes. The rustling sound it produced when shaken would have been similar to that of a ceremonial rattle (or sistrum). Sistra were commonly used in the cult of Hathor to presence and satisfy the goddess of music, and probably accompanied actual performances.