I found this baby at Salvation Army the other day.
I thought at first she must be a rerooted Bitty Baby.
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| Lots of curly hair. |
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| Real Bitty Baby. |
But she says Gotz on the back of her neck.
And there is no paint or molded hair on her head under that hair.
She has a white cotton body.
And long, flat neck strings.
So is this a pre-Bitty Baby Gotz doll with the same head mold? What's the connection? Can anybody help me with identifying this doll? I'd appreciate any information.
Our New Baby, Bitty Baby's first incarnation, came out well before Pleasant Rowland sold Pleasant Company, so there's no reason not to think she might have worked with Götz to create Our New Baby, and Bitty Baby as well. The Just Magic website (a fantastic resource for non-fashion dolls) says that Bitty Baby was originally manufactured by Götz, although they don't give documentation with that. Considering how much that doll looks like my daughter's Bitty Baby, I'd say the odds are very high that Götz did collaborate with Pleasant Company.
ReplyDeleteWhat I find interesting is whether the doll got that hair post-production. Based on the name Susan F. that I see on the doll's torso, plus the the initials written in marker at the base of her hairline, I suspect possibly an independent doll artist gave her that hair. Painted on hair would be easy enough to remove.
You know Barb, I considered that about the hair too. For one thing, it seems a cheaper quality than you would get on a Gotz doll. It's course and the rooting seems too far spaced. It seems like cheap hair. But what threw me was that I would have thought the head would already have been painted, and no one would bother to remove the painted hair to root over it. Manufacturers usually (But not always.),paint the head the colour of the hair the doll is rooted with so the spaces between the hair don't stand out. I considered the artist idea when i thought it was a rooted Bitty Baby. When I saw that it was a Gotz doll I figured the name was just to identify the owner, but you may be right. But Bitty Baby has some molded hair and I can't find any on this kid. Maybe the molded hair didn't happen until the doll became the later Bitty Baby. I have now found a few Bitty Baby dolls listed as Gotz Bitty Baby.
DeleteI bought this doll in 1996, it was never played with, but was sold in a shop which sold old things, toys which nobody had wanted, candles, vases, all this. A normal shop and not cheap, and they bought stuff which was for a long time in shops, payed for a few bucks, and sold it for more. Perhaps you know this kind of shops, too.
ReplyDeleteThe doll wore her original clothings, tagged with the word GÖTZ in plastic on the tummy, and the clothes looked like the things we wore when I was young, let's say around 1978, so I think it was made in the Seventies.
It has the hair as your doll, and here's the reason why your doll has such thick curls: It is thought to be A BLACK doll.
It was made white (in your case), but never meant as a white one, and I have no idea why they made it with white vinyl and a white body.
I have the case at a Schildkröt (Turtle-)doll, which is white, but is a model which was always black. My doll (the Turtle one) has even a 'flat' nose, and big lips, too, though they used white (or pink) vinyl.
Yours only has the heavy curls in its hair, the face wasn't real modeled as for a black doll.
I wished I could upload a picture of my baby doll, let's hope I get a new camera in January or Februaary and will not forget to show my doll :)
Have a good new year! I like your page very much :)
Thank you. I think what you are taling about would be a 'thrift shop'. here.
DeleteYes. There are alot of dolls made in more than one ethnic type with the same head mold. it doesn't make much sense, but there you go. She could also just be a dark haired caucasian. The weird part is bascially that Bitty Baby dolls never have this much hair. It's either painted on, or cut short.
Oh, thank you! I always thought what a 'thrift shop' could be, I really did never know what kind of shop this is :)
ReplyDeleteThe shop was in Lankwitz, a part in Berlin, were I was a few months after being in hospital for a Reha, and it had wonderful things, as postcards for birthdays from the Thirties, which I bought in big bundles and still use. My doll was the only one, if I remember right, and so I bought her, I never can stand to let a single doll in a shop and think she is left there at night when it is dark :)
Yes, you are right, she could just be acurly caucasian child. Nobody would think she is normal made as a black doll, if I would not have mine :)
I think she is very cute.
Oh, and I have doll by Zapf. She wasn't new, I was so blessed to find a bundle of dolls which somebody had thrown away i an street where a park starts. There was even a Mattel MY CHILD in that bundle! My only one, by the way.
Anyway, that Zapf-doll has exact the head mold, too, but it clear marked with an 'Z' in a flower. The dolls where from the Eighties and Nineties, and this doll has so thick straight hair, you cannot comb it (which I always dislike very much),so I made her braids, but is is so unappetizing, you cannot be sure the hair isn't dirty :(
Well, but the face is similar.
I hope I will be able to make pictures soon, I will show her to you, too :)
Hello! I own this doll now which is a funny coincidence. I must have purchased her from you :)
ReplyDeleteIn doing a little research, this is actually her original hair. Gotz dolls in this mold came in so many variations, and I am now on my 6th. They come in different levels of quality as well. All have rooted hair though. If you'd like to see, I am happy to show you my photos. This mold was sold to Pleasant Rowland in 1989, the mold was not used any further with Gotz, and Our New Baby was released the following year.
Oh, it was you? Yes, she recently went to a new home. It would be great to see your pictures for everybody's information, so they can compare.Thanks.Can I put them on this post?
DeleteHello! I own this doll now which is a funny coincidence. I must have purchased her from you :)
ReplyDeleteIn doing a little research, this is actually her original hair. Gotz dolls in this mold came in so many variations, and I am now on my 6th. They come in different levels of quality as well. All have rooted hair though. If you'd like to see, I am happy to show you my photos. This mold was sold to Pleasant Rowland in 1989, the mold was not used any further with Gotz, and Our New Baby was released the following year.
I found one of these recently at a thrift store. However, my girl has blonde hair with bangs. From what I understand, this mould was used by Gotz, then sold to Pleasant Rowland. I think it's a fascinating part of AG's history that I previously didn't know about, and I'm so happy I got her.
ReplyDeleteDid your doll have any name written on the torso,like this one?
DeleteI just bought one of these from a thrift store with blonde pigtails. Her head arms and legs are the exact same as Bitty baby (including the molded hair (which looks a little odd over the ears.)White body, flat neck strings, I have yet to solve the mystery. I have an old PC catalog, and our new baby had the same shoes.
ReplyDeleteThere were some answers to the riddle in the comments above yours. She's a Gotz doll made from a mold that was later sold to Pleasant Rowland of Pleasant Company, who made Bitty Baby.
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