Rebecca found a Kirsten doll at the Goodwill today and sent me a text with a picture of her. I could hardly wait for her to get home this evening to see her. I had done a little research on the different versions of Kirsten…the Pleasant Company ones, the transition ones, and the Mattel ones… Her braids were taken out and she looked pretty much like the one I have now.
So here’s the thing… can you tell the difference between the two dolls? Or maybe I should ask, what do you see differently on the two dolls? Let me show you some pictures.. I guess we’ll call them lefty and righty… looking at them…
It really doesn’t matter too much which one is older or anything like that… do you have a favorite of the two dolls?
If you click on any of the pictures they will enlarge.
Here is a little more information about the dolls…
This is the neck stamp on the left doll…
This is the neck stamp on the right doll…there are numbers stamped below the logo that read 34 H9
There is no artist mark behind the right ear on either doll…
Both dolls have the same 2008 body tag on their side.
I just wanted your opinion on which doll you think is the prettiest and why…and what differences you noticed…
That’s all… just curious…
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Lefty. I like her eyes better (from the photo).
Thanks Christal!
That’s 1 for lefty…
Blessings, Jeanne
I, too, prefer the one on my left (as I look at the picture).
It seems the eyes on “righty” are larger (or the openings are bigger) and set more “forward”, so as to look more protruberant than those on “lefty”. (Just looked at the one where their eyes are closed, and, yes, “righty’s” eye openings are cut slightly larger than “lefty’s”.)
It also appears that “righty’s” head is set a little differently–a bit higher and maybe more forward on the shoulders. That’s not a bad thing, just something I noticed.
“Righty’s” hair is a bit paler in color–one of those things that is subjective when it comes to preference. However, “lefty’s” hair seems more “natural” looking to me–not quite so “glossy” as the other one.
The other thing I noticed is the way their arms are set–“lefty’s” arms appear to be set out further away from the body, thus making her shoulders appear wider than “righty’s”.
I don’t know anything about the markings, but surely at least one or two of your readers is more knowledgeable about that, and can fill us in!!
Interesting and fun to do the comparisons!
Hi Charlotte,
Okay…so now we have 2 for lefty.
Thanks too, for pointing out the differences you see in the two dolls.
I appreciate you taking time to talk about what you see…
Blessings, Jeanne
My Kirsten doll is like the one on the left. She has Pleasant Company and 70 C3 stamped on the back of her neck with nothing stamped behind her ears. She definitely is like the one on the left with the shorter neck, smaller eyes, mouth and teeth and the cheeks puff out closer to the mouth 👄 . The one on the right seems to have a deer-in-the-headlights look to her eyes and a wider face. Also the one on the right seems to be stuffed differently, slightly fuller in the torso. I never appreciated why people looked at many different dolls before buying one, but now I can see why. As you mentioned, there is no right or wrong, just personal preference. They are all beautiful dolls. I’ll send along a picture of mine that I won on eBay for a great price and in mint condition.
I learn something new with every post. Congratulations on a wonderful find, Rebecca, I hope you keep the doll and Mom makes a few ensembles for her to keep for a granddaughter some day.
Hi Susette,
My sister, Cindy, texted me this morning with her opinion of the dolls and I was telling her how there can be slight differences in the dolls but they are enough for ladies to go through lots of AG boxes to find their perfect girl…one without wonky eyes, too much face paint, crooked eyebrows, etc…
You really didn’t say which doll you preferred but since you picked one like lefty, I’m putting you own for lefty as your favorite… that makes 3 for lefty.
Thanks Susette,
Blessings, Jeanne
I didn’t know enough about the dolls to look for a different face on one. I had heard you and some of the other ladies mention looking for a certain look of the face, especially Marilyn who notices and calls these personality differences! I was just happy to get a doll with the complete outfit, apron with the little doll and book included.
HI Susette,
I saw your pictures and you definitely hit the jackpot… I think your Kirsten is VERY pretty and to have all those things is a real plus! This is fun!
Thanks so much,
Blessings, Jeanne
I prefer righty for pretty much all the reasons Charlotte did not prefere her. LOL 😆 I’m curious about Goodwill’s price. What a GREAT find!
Hi Jillaurellia,
Okay, so now we have 1 for righty…I’ll keep the price a secret for now but will tell you later…
Thanks for your thoughts Julia,
Blessings, Jeanne
Yes, it is great fun….I too prefer the doll with the bigger eyes (one on the right) and pretty much stopped there in comparison. I will be curious to learn which one Rebecca found.
Does anyone know where to get replacement wigs for Kirsten? I redid a Kirsten for a daughter-in-law and the hair was so brittle and so much of it shattered. Though I looked, I was unable to locate a replacement.
Blessings…and have fun with the dolls!
Hi Becky,
Now we have 2 for righty and 3 for lefty… Righty does have bigger eyes.
As far as a new Kirsten wig goes, I’d just keep an eye out for one on Ebay…I know there are other places that sell doll wigs, but if you just did a search for Kirsten on Ebay, you might find a doll that is in not so great shape but has a nice wig you could remove and use…or maybe just find a wig by itself..
Thanks Becky,
Blessings,Jeanne
I tend to pick Lefty. Her facial features seem more dainty. The one on the right looks to have bigger facial features. Lefty looks like her bangs were trimmed.
Both look well cared after from the pictures.
What an interesting comparisons. I’ll be interested in hearing what doll is who- yours or the Goodwill doll.
I’m to the point where I don’t care if the AMG doll is old or newer- as long as her hair and face is appealing to me.
Hi Paula
Now we’re up to 4 for lefty and 2 for righty.
I’m right there with you on just wanting the cutest, prettiest, sweetest looking doll no matter if she’s an older doll or a newer one.
Both of the dolls are clean and without odors.
Thanks Paula,
Blessings, Jeanne
Very interesting. I know very little about AG dolls other than buying some that I liked. The one on the right seems to have the deer in the headlights look and larger teeth. Both facial shapes appear slightly different too. The one on the right appears to be an older model, but I can be totally wrong on that. It would be very interesting to know what the stamped numbers on the neck indicate. Perhaps a close up of the body tags would help too. I did read that some of the newer dolls have an interior shoulder tag with the date, so head removal on Rebecca’s find might tell the age. I really can’t wait to find out information on both dolls as then I can check my Kirsten and see what I have. Fun.
Hoping one of your knowledgeable AG collectors can give an opinion too.
Hi Joy,
I’ve done some research on the various ways to date your doll…the stamp on the back of the neck is probably the most unreliable way to find out about your doll..then the eyelashes are lighter and softer on the older dolls, the neck strings have different widths on the different dolls, the wigs on the older dolls have little cut hairs at the back of the head, there are lots of ways to look at the different dolls.
I will be tightening both dolls legs so I will look for that inside shoulder tag.
Thanks Joy,
Blessings, Jeanne
I didn’t pick my favorite, so it’s the righty. 🙂
Thanks Joy!!
So now its 4 lefty and 3 righty!!
Some of the difference is that the dolls’ heads are at different angles and that the one on the left is farther back. Her eyes look smaller partly as a result of those 2 things, though I think they are slightly smaller. The mouth of the one on the right is more generous — Susette pointed that out, though in different words — and it’s more even. The two halves of the upper lip are more symmetrical. The hair of the doll on the right looks a little more natural and a little less newly trimmed.
The one on the right seems a little more ready for adventure, but I think that’s because she’s standing straighter, so her chin is up and her eyes look wide open. Notice that the shadow on the nose of the one on the left comes down farther, so we know her head is slightly tilted down.
Their body shapes are slightly different and the arms of the one on the left seem to be farther from the body. The only way to test which would make the better model is to make a Kirsten dress and see how it looks on both dolls. You could look through your files to see what pattern would make the fairest test and let us have another judging session in a basic dress, then add the apron and headdress later.
Hi Marilyn,
Lefty does look downward just a bit and righty looks upward a bit.
I chuckled when you mentioned that righty looks adventurous… :o)
You really scrutinized the two dolls and brought up lots of interesting points.
I’ll follow up with what you all have shared and let you know who is the “Goodwill” doll…
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow, I had to go upstairs and get my girls out of their beds and have a look.
I have 4 original AGs.
These two are very different.
The hair, the doll on the right (my right) has drier hair, but also the bangs are feathered or layered
The girl on the right has a rounder head and cheeks are even down the the jaw.
The teeth on the right girl are flatter? or they look that way.
Okay, let me run up and get my girls and do a better look
hang on…..
Okee dokee, I have Samantha next to me now She looks sweet in her hand made corduroy cover-all pants, and her hand made blouse. I used to sew doll clothes obsessively back in the days. The Doll on the right has larger rounder eye holes and her face is fluffy.
The sewing on her body is a bit messy and she is just a bit fluffier in the mid body
I believe the dear Kirsten on the left is the original doll. The doll on the right side is not terrible at all. (all dolls are beautiful and they need us) She has a rounder face. She is lovely. Which doll’s face do I find more pleasing? That is hard for me. The sweet girl on the right, looks like she is ready for some fun (mischief) and adventures of any kind. The doll on the left, looks sweet, obedient and would love a pretty dress please.
Hi Rosemary,
Thanks for all your comments about the dolls. I had no idea you all would have so much to say.
I think it’s interesting that you and Marilyn said “righty” Kirsten looked like she was ready for an adventure.
I also loved how you said lefty looked sweet, obedient and ready for a pretty dress..awwww
Thsnks so much for taking time to write all you did…
Blessings, Jeanne
I also choose Lefty. Her face is more delicate and more defined, and she doesn’t look like a deer in headlights. 🙂 I deal with this all the time positioning eyes in resin dolls, lol. Righty is lovely, but seeing them together, I’d have to go with Lefty.
Hi Melody,
Well, I “think” we are at 5 lefty’s and 3 righty’s, but I’m not positive.
Several people mentioned the deer in the headlights look…I see you noticed it too…
Miss Goodwill Kirsten got her hair washed today and it looks very pretty now.
Thanks Melody,
Blessings, Jeanne
I preferred “righty” the minute I saw her. She seemed more alert than “lefty”. “Lefty” seems a bit sleepy-eyed to me. It was interesting reading the very observant comments from the others. I never got passed the eyes.
Hi Barbara,
Now we are back to 5 lefty’s and 4 righty’s. This is going back and forth with everyone having their own thoughts on which do they like best.
Thanks for chiming in Barbara,
Blessings,Jeanne
I definitely like lefty better. It’s mostly because her eyes don’t have that deer in the headlights look as much as the right one. It could be because her head is tilted down, but regardless, she has the sweetest look to me. My guess of which is yours is that your Kirstin is righty. She actually looks more ‘played with’ or more handled than lefty, and yours always looked ‘big eyed’ to me, too. : ) I would have liked to have seen her legs, too, and how she stands is important, as well. I loved reading about what the other girls have seen, too!!
Love and hugs,
Ali
HI Ali,
So your vote for Lefty makes her have 7 votes and 4 votes for Righty Kirsten. Righty does have bigger eyes… I think everyone can see that… deer in the headlights as some call her eyes.
I’ve added a second post tomorrow, so you can see more of the Kirsten girls… Hope you enjoy it.
Blessings, Jeanne
What fun! In every picture except one I liked the left one better…her nose is more defined…like she was one of the first one out of the mold ☺️The vinyl finish looks better on the left. Her smile is sweeter and I like her hair better.
I’m so interested to know what the numbers on the different markings mean.
HI Kathie,
Thanks for taking time to look over the girls and pick your favorite. I’m assuming it was for Lefty…even though one picture didn’t grab you?
Stay tuned tomorrow for more… :o)
Thanks Kathie,
Blessings, Jeanne
I prefer Lefty Kirsten without question. She has a much sweeter face IMO. I was going to suggest looking for the inside shoulder tag as well. It will show month made.
The artist mark is just on some of the PC dolls, not all. so that doesn’t count for much of anything. My 1991 Felicity and 1991 Samantha both have artist marks as well as my Caroline ( probably due to the use of one of the PC molds because she is a “classic” face.)
With 2008 body tags, I’m guessing they are both possibly transitional ,given the PC neckstamp. My first edition Nellie (2004) has a PC neckstamp and letters/numbers below, while Caroline and MG are stamped “American Girl”, of course.
Not really relevant to these two, but of interest in trying to date PC girls, is if you look at the neckstrings on your Felicity you will see that they are long and flat as the PC ones are while Mattel ones are shorter and rounder, The body cloth on the older dolls has stitching that shows up compared to newer dolls and the PC versions of Kirsten, Samantha, and Molly have “pie bangs”” not straight across. The oldest dolls have the “ribbon wig” My Felicity has that, but Samantha’s ribbon isn’t quite the same. Felicity was Made in West Germany while Samantha had a Made in Germany hangtag. The boxes were different as well. In the absence of not buying NIB, dating is a bit more difficult because you’re lacking the hangtag, box, and original “meet” outfit. All of my dolls were purchased NIB so I know where and when they were made. There are slight nuances among all dolls. I looked for a Caroline with a fuller PC looking face, while I opted for a MG with a narrower face. It’s funny, I definitely prefer the PC version of those dolls who have one, but for the newer dolls it a matter of finding the “sweetest” expression.
Either way, it looks like we will have another Kirsten dress to enjoy soon.
HI Laura,
Another vote for Lefty Kirsten… Your vote makes 9 for her, I think! I’ve done some research and now I don’t have to tell it to anyone because you just did a fabulous job of it. It’s very interesting to find out all these details about the dolls, but in the end, I really go with the one I like the best… You’ll find out soon…
Yes, I think a Kirsten dress is on the horizon… :o)
Thanks Laura,
Blessings, Jeanne
Wow, that’s interesting to see them side by side. I prefer the one my left as her features look softer to me. The one on the right looks like she is no and also her teeth look a little big. One thing I don’t prefer about the left one is the way her arms are set into the body. Either one is a nice doll though.
Thank you Carolyn,
Well, if you are the last one to comment, Lefty got 10 votes and Righty got 4… One thing about Kirsten, she didn’t wear sleeveless things so how her arms are set in aren’t a big factor.
Thanks for your opinions, Carolyn,
Blessings, Jeanne
Bonjour !
I prefer th one on the left, her eyes are not so wide opened, and it seems to me that her teeth are less visible .
That’s my opinion.