Why you shouldn't send your Pleasant Company doll to the American Girl Doll Hospital

The American Girl Doll Hospital (Care Center) is designed to give doll owner's a factory reset of their dolls. What does that mean exactly? It means that as a played with doll loses it's paint, shine, hair falls out, etc. you can send it into the Doll hospital and they will replace the parts with new ones making your doll look like it did on day 1. Well - almost, because if your doll is a Pleasant Company doll, you are in for a surprise. The American Girl Care Center can only replace parts for the current manufactured version of characters. That's right, the squishy vinyl arms and legs, the early light brown tone of Samantha's hair, the chubby body, and the rounder face mold exclusive to the 1986 versions of the classic Pleasant Company dolls are not available. So your 1986-1990's Kirsten, Samantha, Felicity, Molly, or Addy comes back looking like a 2000's era Mattel version. And this is truly frightening for original collectors who are trying to restore their beloved childhood dolls or retain their value.

But there is good news. Bbeauty Dolls makes the only authentically looking Pleasant Company replacement wigs for doll collectors to make them look as good as new, without changing your head. Mattel will replace the entire head of your doll when the hair is bad, giving you the slender more modern head with the American Girl stamp at the back of the neck and missing the original Pleasant Company look by a mile. Using our doll hospital combined with our replacement wigs restore your doll to excellent condition without removing her look and her history.

How using the American Girl Care Center removes value from your Pleasant Company doll

• The face shape mold currently offered by Mattel is a slender more modern face shape. The vinyl is harder and the hair color is much darker than earlier Pleasant Company versions.

• The eyes and eyelashes change - a darker less detailed eye and harder lashes instead of the soft Pleasant Company lashes

• Vinyl was often described as "squishy" on limbs, because you could squeeze it with your hands without heating. Feet were wider often referred to as a "Pleasant Company foot". Hands had a different spread for the fingers and were slightly larger. If you have the hospital replace a limb it will be with the current Mattel limbs. These are harder vinyl, have a different hand spread, and narrower feet and hands. Also legs have currently been updated to contain a star logo imprinted into the vinyl which signifies a modern doll.

• The doll's cloth body in "white body" or tan body is fatter on a Pleasant Company doll. American Girl/Mattel made thinner waists and a less chunky body in newer versions. If your body or torso is replaced it will be with a thinner body and rare white body dolls are replaced with modern tan bodies.

Collectors looking to purchase earlier versions will instantly know that the parts on your doll do not match the era. They are looking for the face shape, the eyes, the lashes, the fatter body, and the squishy vinyl to authenticate it and will not pay a premium for it. Essentially all the restoration makes for a new doll, but you've lost all the value.

At Bbeauty Dolls you do not need to worry about any of that. We studied the original wigs, colors, textures, how the wigs were put together, and even the weight of each one to make a comparable replacement wig. Lost a limb? We know the difference between the vinyls and will source body parts that preserve the value on your doll. If authentic era replacement parts aren't available we will advise you, not surprise you. Each year we tackle difficult wig styles to recreate so that our inventory is ever evolving with what you need to keep the nostalgia in your doll and keep the value.

Authentic looking replacement wigs:

• Samantha Parkington: Features the light brown shade introduced in 1986, soft waves, pie bangs

• Kirsten Larson: Features the correct honey-blonde hair density and texture required for her signature braided loops.

• Molly McIntire: Replicates the distinct, slightly matte warm brown fibers tailored perfectly for tidy, historical pigtail braids.

• Addy Walker: Specially texturized kinky-straight rich dark fibers matching her thick, beautiful historical braid.

• Felicity Merriman & Elizabeth Cole: Period-correct rich auburn waves for Felicity and a beautiful, soft golden blonde for Elizabeth.

• Kanani Akina: Perfectly scales the long, cascading sun-kissed Hawaiian waves without excessive weight or bulk.

  
  

How close are our replacement wigs? Our wigs are still factory made and by modern factories, but many of the techniques used could successfully be replicated from the 1986 original line up. We were as detailed as we could be to be faithful to the originals. For each of the dolls we did a side by side test against an original early era doll to match the color shades, determine the blends, and the techniques used to sew them. When historical 100% match was not available we got as close as we could with factory materials. We measured lengths, tone, weight, tested samples and did an in-depth study of each one. We were incredibly critical of the details to get as close as possible in every way. Our customer feedback? That they can't tell the difference, and that is what we wanted. Even though we can't claim 100% matches, 98% in color, cut, and texture is what wins when every other wig is not close enough.

We are the only ones to do it. Sure - other companies have basic brown wigs you can buy and put on your Samantha - the shade of the brown is not the same, the cut is not the same, and there are no pie bangs. Kirsten's braided wig has carefully clipped hair in the back to not show wefts for her pigtail braids, and the original tinsel color - no one has it. Molly's matching brown hair with braids is the same way. We wanted to be authentic, as authentic as we could and we feel a great sense of pride on bringing these replacement wigs to collectors.

Ready to send your Pleasant Company doll to us for restoration? Click here to learn about our doll hospital. See the full price comparison: Why should I use an independent doll hospital for American Girl dolls?

**Bbeauty Dolls is not affiliated with American Girl / Pleasant Company / or Mattel and offers replacement solutions for collectors who otherwise have no option in authentically restoring their dolls. Brands referred to in this article are a reference to original brand and features for specific eras and not an implication of endorsement.