Comparison Pictures- German and PM China Addy

ponydreamer · January 26th, 2005, 05:22 AM

Horsemom...I'm really confused. I didn't know there was a 86 Addy? I got mine right after she came out...in 93.

**horsemom** · January 26th, 2005, 05:51 AM

I think like Felicity, they made a small amount prior to the debut year, but these were not released to the public until the debut year. So some of the first Addys are actually tagged 1986 on their dresses and drawers and are slightly different (apparently) from some of the others released during the same year.

My Felicity was bought from PC on her debut year in 1991 but her shift and gown is tagged 1986.

Hope that helps!

monimarine · January 26th, 2005, 11:45 AM

I like the German one with the thinner hair- easier to manage maybe!?

So it is true then? I posted the other day about a seller on ebay saying that she had a 1986 Felicity that was part of some trial run?

ponydreamer · January 26th, 2005, 01:09 PM

Horsemom...does anyone know that for sure? Is it possible that production moved from Germany to China the year Addy was introduced? Or production changed somehow, and some of the Addy's ended up being different? We see that a lot, now, with Mattel switching production.

Just wondering.... [img]graemlins/wonder.gif[/img]

daisybcc3 · January 26th, 2005, 01:11 PM

Pleasant Company tagged all of their dolls with the 1986 date even if they did not come out until later. The tagges were never changed to reflect a "real date" since they were not intended to be collector dolls.

**horsemom** · January 26th, 2005, 04:02 PM

So, while I had both at the same time I thought I'd take some comparison pictures of 1986 German and 1993 China Addy. There are some differences that I noted. The pictures are in my Addy album in my signature starting #8.

If it was your choice, which Addy would you choose? I have both their meet outfits in mint condition and they are identical, so that's not a factor. I'm having a hard time deciding... I like China Addy's wig better, but German Addy's coloring more.

**jaydon724** · January 26th, 2005, 04:12 PM

Despite the thinner hair, I prefer the older dolls. I like the older Addy mold. The China made Addy looks more like the newer Addy.

**horsemom** · January 26th, 2005, 05:03 PM

As I understand it after a long discussion with one customer service person, who seemed knowledgable, but could have been wrong... Before 1993 American Girl didn't have their own factories. They used the German Gotz factories for the early dolls, and included some runs of Felicity and Addy prior to their release dates. The Felicity and Addy dolls tagged 1986 were not necessarily produced in 1986, but were produced in Germany before PC moved to China. They typically have the '86 tag on their dress and sometimes drawers, but not on their body (at least none of my early dolls ever had body tags, including the ones directly from PC- some people have said they have German ones with body tags, so ???)

In 1993, Pleasant Company bought their own factories in China and moved production there. The face molds, wigs, etc. on the dolls changed slightly, but not much. She didn't know why. The China made PM dolls thus generally mostly resemble the German ones, but are not exact matches, as I've personally seen with Samantha and Addy dolls. They have little differences.

So the first year of Addys included dolls made in both Germany and China, and probably dolls that had parts made in Germany and other parts made in China, if that makes sense. That would make sense, since production had just moved to China and obviously some store of Addys would have had to be laid up prior to their release date in 1993. The first couple years of Felicity had all the dolls made in Germany since PC hadn't moved to China yet.

As for the tags not matching the dolls, I can only speak from experience. I think some of the newer dolls have body tags dating 1986, but the original German dolls (all of mine anyway, and those of my childhood friends) had only the 86 German made tag on their dresses and sometimes underwear. The tags don't always match actual production dates and places, but I think in general they do. Generally, if the doll was original in 1986, it is tagged as such on the dress. I do think some mid-late 90s PM dolls sometimes have bits of their clothing tagged 1986 even if they weren't made then. But both the PM but non-German Samanthas and Addys I've seen here (I can tell comparing them to my very early ones) are tagged 1993 China. Then of course, shortly after Mattel took over in 1998, the tags switched to "Made in China for American Girl" rather than "Made in China for Pleasant Company."

Just my observations of the dolls I've seen and the discussion with CS. Hope it helps!

ponydreamer · January 26th, 2005, 05:19 PM

Thank you for that information! It does all make sense, but also confuses me a bit! LOL!!!

My Addy does not have a body tag. I'll have to go looking for her meet dress. I think I packed it away with DD's things. Her Sam does not have a body tag, either, and her dress is tagged made in west Germany for Pleasant company, 1986. Her Felicity's dress is tagged the same, and she has no body tag.

I remember distinctly talking to a CS when we first bought Samantha. I was a little bit put out that the "American Girl" doll we had just purchased wasn't made in America. That was in March of 1993, and she told me that the dolls were being made in Germany, but would be moving to China.

Hu...kind of a mystery!