My Child

The first dolls were made in Taiwan. Their features differ slightly from those made later in China. A rounder face, smaller belly button and longer toes are just some of the differences. Taiwanese dolls are also known for eyes which protrude from their face and, as they age, are more prone to facial "sagging" and make-up fading (but are less prone to felt pilling) than those made in China.

Between 1987 and 1988, Mattel brought out a vinyl-faced doll called a "Loving Baby". These dolls had bodies made with the same soft fabric as a My Child, with similar skin-tones, posable legs and solid arm-joints and pink or blue torsos. A button on their back allowed them to hug. Their skin-tone was either pale or peachy, and they had red, brunette, ash-blond or blond hair. They came with one outfit, a two-piece short-and-top set in either blue or pink.

Dolls came as boys or girls, with four different skin tones: American pale (with a green heart on the bottom), Australian/European peach, African-American, and Hispanic. Canada also produced its own dolls (identified by having two tags, instead of the normal one).

Eye color varies too. All African-American and Hispanic dolls had brown eyes (Hispanic dolls eyes have orange rays above their pupils). The other dolls had blue, aqua, green, or brown eyes. Occasionally a doll can be found with a factory 'flaw' and their eye color can vary from the standard, for example hazel, lilac, blue-gray, blue-green, and green. However, some people attribute this to aging rather than to a factory flaw.

There is also a variety of hair colors. The African-American dolls have black hair; Hispanics have dark brown hair, and the others had platinum blonde, ash-blonde (two tone), brunette, red, and (in the last year of production) strawberry-blonde. Strawberry-blonde therefore being the rarest and most valuable, followed by red heads and brunettes. Upon production, red heads and brunettes were batched at a lower ratio to the ash-blondes and platinum blondes (making them the most common).

Hair styles varied as well. African-American girls all came with 'curly pigtails' (two pigtails with a short fringe right around the head). The other girls had 'top-knots' (short hair with one small bunch on the side), 'double top-knots' (short hair with a small bunch on either side), 'curly pigtails' (similar to the African-American dolls). Only American dolls had these hair styles. Hispanic girls came with a v-part style (hair worn down, with little bunches on either side of the head, but with a difference being that they did not have a full fringe typical of other My Childs). Australian and European dolls (identifiable by the 'HR' visible at the end of the ID code on the tag, and peachy skin) were manufactured with other variations of pigtails (known as 'double ribbons' and 'ringlet ponies'). As well as the v-part and crimp (similar to the Hispanic girls, only with a full fringe) and the 'ultra-long' (nearly to dolls' ankles) worn in bunches on either side. In 1988, as part of the 'Ribbons & Bows' collection introduced solely to the Australian market, the 'side-part', and 'mid-part' were made. These dolls had long tightly curled hair (similar to antique dolls) worn down. Boys' hairstyles were either curly with no part or straight with a short part.

Other facial features differ between dolls. Eyelashes range in color from peachy-orange through to dark brown (found on peach eyeshadow only). Or dark grey to near black (found on 'grape' or 'charcoal' eyeshadow). Cheek color is either pink or peachy-orange. Lip color varies between pale to dark cool pink and pale peach to dark peachy-orange. Grape and charcoal eyeshadow are the most sought after, and come only with pink cheeks and lips. Peach eyeshadow however can be found with either the peach cheeks/lips or the pink cheek/lips. African American and Hispanic dolls have charcoal eyeshadow, with warm red cheeks and lips and are the only ones to have this combination.