What is the traditional name for the quinceañera’s ceremonial doll symbolizing childhood?

The traditional name for the quinceañera’s ceremonial doll symbolizing childhood is La última muñeca.

La última muñeca translates as “the last doll.” In the associated ritual, the celebrant receives or passes on a doll as a symbol of leaving childhood behind. The custom presents the fifteenth birthday as a transition, linking a familiar childhood object with a new stage of life.

The doll ceremony is not practiced at every quinceañera. Families may include it alongside other traditions, omit it, or replace it with a different symbolic presentation. Quinceañeras have never followed one worldwide script, and regional customs can differ substantially.

The ritual is sometimes confused with the changing-of-shoes ceremony, in which flat shoes are replaced with formal heels. Both customs can express transition, but they are separate traditions. La última muñeca specifically refers to the doll, not to the shoes, jewelry, or court of attendants.