Initial Summary:

Several years after the Cabbage Patch Doll first appeared (produced by Coleco at the time), Mattel came out with their brand of competition... the My Child Doll. These dolls were similar in size to the CPK, but had softer "skin," could stand on their own and were able to hold poses. They also had "real" hair instead of yarn hair. Their copyright tags say 1985 and they might have started manufacturing sometime that year, but they were first seen on shelves in 1986. They were mostly sold in the US but also overseas. The earlier dolls were made in Taiwan, but their production was then moved to China.  All of these dolls had a small green heart sticker on their bottom they says "My Child." The dolls came with a "Brag Book," a brush and comb" and a mail off coupon for a golden locket that would a preprinted picture of "your child." They came in boy and girl dolls, and the China dolls could be White, Hispanic or African American.

The dolls ended up being a bigger hit in Australia in Europe than in the US, so in 1987 they revised the dolls for the Euro/Aussie markets by giving them "peachier" skin and different hairstyles. They also removed the "My Child" heart from their bottom for these markets, probably due to language differences. In France they were called "Mon Infant" and in Italy "My Love" for example. Most of these dolls had the locket included with the doll. The US dolls were still being sold as they were. In 1988 both lines changed. The US dolls got an all new, smaller box and were "cheaped out" for some reason. They lost their bum stickers and bum dimples, and came without shoes and socks. The Euro/Aussie dolls were actually made better that year. The "Ribbons and Bows" line came out with new outfits, barrettes, and more new hairstyles (crimp and 2 ringlet styles). The red hair was replaced with strawberry blonde and they had curly bangs. I also want to mention that during this whole time period, 1986-1988, Canada also got their own doll but they were a random mix of US and Euro dolls. Some were pale, some were peach, some had US hairstyles, some had Euro hairstyles. None had the heart on their bum and the boxes and tags were in French and English. But all good things must come to an end and this would come to be the last year for the "My Child" doll. Mattel bought the rights to CPK from Coleco and dropped the "My Child" even though sales were supposedly good. Luckily many collectors (former little girls!) are devoted to keeping the brand alive and restoring these girls to their original beauty.

US Doll Specifics:

US dolls came in 4 different hair colors, many hairstyles and variations, 4 different eye colors, and several different makeup combinations, so each doll on the shelf could be very different from another. Hair colors were light (honey) blonde, darker (ash) blonde, brunette and redhead. (Hispanic and AA dolls got the brunette hair.) Eye colors were Blue, Aqua, Green and Brown. Lips could come in a shade of pink or peach, and eye makeup was either peachy brown or grey/black. (They grey/black eyeshadow only came with pink lips.) The girl hairstyles were all a variation of side ponytails except one, the top knot.  The pony tails could be straight or curly, long or short, and high or low on the head. Boys came with straight or curly hair.  AA girls only came with brown eyes and curly pigtails. The Hispanic girls had a totally different hairstyle and different eyes, with the hair being long and down and having 2 small groups of hair in ribbons at the top. The eyes were brown but with red "rays" at the top instead of black. Here are some examples of the different variations. The early Taiwan dolls had chubbier bodies and rounder faces. The biggest difference is that now, given the years, they suffer from major facial "sagging" problems and faded makeup. Much worse than their China counterparts. Their eyes also protrude slightly.

                                              
Honey Blonde Pigtails, Brown eyes                Honey Blonde Top Knot, Brown Eyes           Ash Blonde Curly Boy, Aqua Eyes
Peachy Eyeshadow, Pink Lips                       Peachy Eyeshadow, Peachy Lips                    Peachy Eyes, Pink lips

                                      
Taiwan Honey Blonde Curly Piggies              Red Hair Sidepart Boy, Blue Eyes                  Honey Blonde Ponytails, Blue Eyes
Green Eyes, Peachy Shadow, Pink Lips        Peachy Eyeshadow, Pink Lips                        Charcoal Eyeshadow, Pink Lips

                                      
Ash Blonde Curly Piggies, Blue Eyes                            Hispanic Girl                                                 AA Girl & Boy
Peachy Eyeshadow, Peachy Lips

To be continued.....................