The German Kirstens look quite different from the Mattel China Kirstens. Take a look at my Kirsten album in my signature and click on the pictures to see them close-up (original size) and compare her to your Kirsten. Mine was bought from Pleasant Co. in 1986, so she's for sure German and if your Kirsten's face mold looks the same, yours is German too. If you compare my Kirsten to one in the catalog, you'll see the faces look very different. The hair on Mattel Kirstens are also more honey blond and silky; the German Kirstens had more ash blond hair and it was coarser. I had a Mattel Kirsten briefly for resale before Christmas and was surprised at how much she was different from German Kirsten. Hope that helps!