The Historical Doll

The early pre-Mattel Felicity dolls are very different from the current Mattel Felicitys. The picture to the right, compliments of Hostboard (I believe from AGTeacher), shows the most obvious changes. The pre-Mattel German-made Lissie is on the left; Mattel China Lissie is on the right. As you can see, the eyes and hair is very different, and the face mold and eyebrows are also subtly changed.

Josefina was introduced in 1997, right before Mattel took over the company. There are a limited number of dolls whose clothes are tagged 1997 "Made in Germany." Whether they were actually made in Germany or not is open for debate, since it seems from other dolls that the dolls were made in China after 1993. It is unclear whether these German-tagged dolls were made early on but never released until 1997 or if they were actually made in China. That said, there are some differences I've noticed between the 1997 pre-Mattel Josefina doll and the Mattel Josefina. These differences are based on both my own dolls (I had a 2004 Josefina before my current '97 Josie) and others. Additionally, some batches over the years have had problems with grey-looking vinyl or lumpy wigs, so this is something to be careful about on ebay.

On the left is Mattel Josefina, on the right 1997 PM Josefina. Note that Mattel Josefina has a different face shape and higher eyebrows, as well as different eyelashes.

Picture compliments of AG4Alison

Kirsten has changed quite a bit over the years. She was one of the first three dolls that Pleasant Company released in their original catalog, which featured only the three dolls, their school and Christmas sets, and their beds, trunks, and nightgowns.

You can see the differences quite well. On the left is a 1986 white-bodied Kirsten, made in Germany. On the right is a pre-Mattel, mid-1990s Kirsten, tan-bodied and made in China. Their face shape is slightly different (not as different as the Mattel Kirsten), and WB Kirsten has pale blonde eyebrows, whereas tan-bodied Kirsten has dark blonde eyebrows. WB Kirsten has long, soft blonde eyelashes. TB Kirsten's eyelashes are not so long, but are also soft blonde.

Below: The first picture is WB Kirsten, the second is tan-bodied Kirsten. Note the differences in face shape, eye color, and hair texture and color. Kirsten's eyes seem to get lighter over the years- Mattel Kirsten's eyes look quite a bit lighter than my WB Kirsten, and there is even a difference between WB and tan-bodied.

Note that the WB doll has very light blonde hair and lots of clipped hairs in the back between the braids. Even when she was new, when you let her hair down, it was obvious that WB Kirsten's hair was meant to be in braids, because the back was quite thin of long hairs. The tan-bodied doll has darker blonde hair and more of it. It is also wilder than the Mattel dolls, which tend to have thinner, silkier wigs.

Kirstens from the side view. The tan-bodied Kirsten was also taller than my WB.

The meet dresses. PM China dress on the left; WB German dress on the right. Note that the German dress is a richer blue color and the pattern is not so uniform (see close-up of fabric).

The China made dress is on the left. It is not as rich a color and the flowers are in rows, compared to the more random design of the German dress.

Kirsten's German-made WB socks are on her leg, the other sock is a China-made tan-bodied sock. Note that the original socks were lighter in color and looked hand-knitted. They are also rougher in texture. Here is also a good shot of the original German shoe; there is no cardboard sole insert.

Addy was first introduced in 1993 and was the second doll in the collection after the first three (Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly).  The earliest Addy dolls were manufactured in Germany and their clothes are tagged 1986 W. Germany.  There was a very limited amount of these dolls, and the rest, even very early Addys are tagged 1993 China.  There are differences between the China and German Addy dolls, as the pictures below show.  It is worth noting that Addy's vinyl coloring can change quite a bit, depending on the batch, and Addy dolls can range in color from light brown to a very dark brown.

China-made Addy, dress tagged 1993, on left in both pictures.  German-made Addy, dress tagged 1986, on right in both pictures.  Neither had body tags; tags were only in the dress and drawers.

Samantha was one of the first dolls introduced by Pleasant Company in 1986.  She has changed substantially over the years, and the German Samantha dolls are quite different than all the others.  See the pictures below for comparisons between the German and pre-Mattel Samantha dolls.  The German dolls tend to be highly sought after and command much higher prices.  My own opinion, having bought and sold many Samantha dolls in the last couple years, is that the German dolls are distinctively high quality and one of the most beautiful dolls Pleasant Company ever produced, though Samantha (in all her incarnations) has been considered one of the prettiest dolls throughout the years and has consistently been the most popular.

China-made pre-Mattel Samantha on the left, dating to 1993-1996.  WB Sam on the right.

Again, China-made pre-Mattel on the left; WB on the right.

Mattel Samantha on the left; WB Sam on the right.  Pictures of the Mattel to WB comparisons compliments of Stephanie S from Hostboard- thank you!

Note that the Mattel dolls (left) tend to be taller than the WB dolls (right).  Look at those super long eyelashes on WB Samantha!

I have received requests to includes some pictures of Molly (though I only own a re-wigged WB one) and a comparison chart like the other dolls who were around in the Pleasant Co. days.  The comparison photos are compliments of Jean C.  I have only ever had pre-Mattel and WB Molly dolls.  I have not seen a Mattel Molly in person except at AGPLA, so the chart is entirely what Jean C observed plus my own observations of the pictures.  If you have comparison photos and facts concerning Mattel Molly compared to either German-made WB or PM Molly, please email me!

WB Molly is on the left; tan-bodied PM Molly is on the right.

Obviously, WB on left; PM on right.

WB on left; PM on right.  Note the longer eyelashes and darker hair of the German-made Molly.  Her face also seems a little fuller.