18-Inch Dolls by Alexander Dolls

Name: 18-inch Dolls by Alexander Dolls

Made by and When: 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015, and 2019

Material: Vinyl heads, upper torsos, arms, and legs. The rest of the body is cloth.

Marks on Each:

Mia Bella—(Head) Alexander Doll Company/©2004; Alexander Doll Company (on body tag) [a copyright year of 2007 was on the doll’s box]

Alexander Girlz—(Head) ©ALEXANDER DOLL CO 2007; (front of body tag) MADAME/ALEXANDER/ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY, INC/www.madamealexander.com; (back of body tag) ©2008 ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY, INC/NEW YORK, NY 10027/REG. NO. PA-13466 (HK)/MADE IN CHINA [the materials used and care instructions are below this].

Friends 4 Life—(Head) ©ALEXANDER DOLL CO 2009; (front of 1st body tag) MADAME/ALEXANDER/ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY, INC/www.madamealexander.com; (back of body tag) ©2009 ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY, INC./NEW YORK, NY 10027/REG. NO. PA-13466 (HK)/MADE IN CHINA [the materials used and care instructions are below this]; (front of 2nd body tag) STYLE #50767; (back of 2nd body tag) 09146

Friends Boutique—(Head) ©ALEXANDER DOLL CO 2009; (front of 1st body tag) describes hair care; (front of 2nd body tag) MADAME/ALEXANDER/ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY, INC/www.madamealexander.com; (back of 2nd body tag) ©2011 ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY, INC./NEW YORK, NY 10027/REG. NO. PA-13466 (HK)/MADE IN CHINA [the materials used and care instructions are below this]; (front of 3rd body tag) STYLE #60835; (back of 3rd body tag) WM 370460-835-031Y’

Play Wonder—(Head) ©2011 MADAME ALEXANDER DOLL CO; (front of 1st body tag) Play Wonder™; (back of 1st body tag) describes the materials and care instructions/MADAME ALEXANDER 615 West 131st Street,/New York, NY 10027/Made in China; (front of 2nd body tag) TARGET/086-120862/F16815487 (next line)04/11L110430; (3rd body tag) more care instructions; (dress tag—possibly not original to this doll) ALEXANDER GIRLZ/ALL RIGHTS RESERVED/MADAME/ALEXANDER/©2010 MADAME ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY, INC./NEW YORK, NY 10027/MADE IN CHINA

Dollie & Me Glitter Glam—(Head) ALEXANDER DOLL CO/©2009; (front of 1st body tag) ALEXANDER TOY WORKS ™; (back of 1st body tag) ©2014 ALEXANDER TOYWORKS/NEW YORK, NY 10120/ REG. NO. PA-16341 (CN)/MADE IN CHINA; (2nd body tag) contains care instructions on the front with DM 14 370/6923621614 on the back; (dress tag) #69236 Sequins (AA)/ALEXANDER/Toyworks™/©2014 ALEXANDER TOYWORKS/NEW YORK, NY 10120/MADE IN CHINA

Mia (I’m a Pretty Little Black Girl)—(Head) ©2015 MADAME/ALEXANDER DOLL CO. LLC.

Dollie & Me African American Denim—(Head) ALEXANDER DOLL CO/©2009; (front of 1st body tag) ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY, INC. [and stuffing, materials description]; (2nd body tag) [care instructions]; (3rd body tag) KL2557634700711; (4th body tag) MADE IN CHINA; (1st denim jacket tag) Madame Alexander®/#63470 Dollie & Me™/ NEW YORK, NY 10027/©2011 MADAME ALEXANDER DOLL COMPANY (2nd denim tag) MADE IN CHINA

Height: 18 inches

Hair, Eyes, Mouth: Black or brunette rooted hair styled in a variety of ways, brown sleep eyes with attached upper eyelashes and painted upper eyelashes (some have only two or three painted lashes at the corners of the eyes), closed mouths

Clothes: With the exception of the doll tagged Play Wonder, all dolls are dressed in their original clothes. Play Wonder wears a Madame-Alexander-tagged dress made for Alexander Girlz and handmade jewelry added by the owner.

Other: Because of the popularity of the 18-inch American Girl dolls, several other companies created less-expensive 18-inch dolls as competitors. The Alexander Doll Company is one such company. Beginning in approximately 2007, the company released a variety of 18-inch dolls with several different head sculpts added throughout the years. The dolls in this installation are examples of some of the head sculpts used for the African American/Black dolls. Note that Friends for Life and Friends Boutique use the same head sculpt. All others are different.

The dolls were sold on the Alexander website, through Avon, in big-box and membership-only stores, and by other doll retailers. Some of the dolls were store exclusives. The head sculpt used for Mia Bella is the first sculpt used for the AA Madame Alexander 18-inch dolls. Mia Bella was a Toys R Us exclusive. The Alexander Girlz doll was sold through Costco (and possibly other stores). Play Wonder was a Target exclusive. Friends for Life and Friends Boutique were purchased from Walmart. Dollie & Me Glitter and Glam was sold through Zulily as a possible overstocked item from the Alexander website.

The author of I’m a Pretty Little Black Girl!, Betty K. Bynum, partnered with the Madame Alexander doll company to bring the book’s main character, Mia, to life in 2015.  Mia, designed to promote self-esteem, has a dedicated head sculpt that has not been used for other Alexander dolls, which makes her extra special! 

Dollie & Me African American Denim was a Kohl’s exclusive. An Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Best Toy Award cardboard label is attached to the front of the doll’s box. Toys given this award represent the most innovative, engaging new products of the year. The copyright year on the back of the box reads “2119,” an obvious error that should read “2019.”

Gallery

A December 2007 Toys R Us ad features an assortment of their store-exclusive Mia Bella Dolls. (The doll in the red and white dress is illustrated below.)

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Published by DeeBeeGee

Doll collector, historian, co-founder of the first e-zine devoted to collecting black dolls; author of black-doll reference books, doll blogs, and doll magazine articles.

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