Doll Terminology

Acronyms
Most of the terms below are used in auctions such as eBay. Some sellers' (and buyers') idea of what is a 'mint' doll can vary widely however. It always pays to ask specific questions about the doll's condition and what is included.
SLNW	Straight Leg Non-Walker 8" dolls from 1953 to 1954, 1973 to present
SLW	Straight Leg Walker 8" dolls from 1954 to 1956 note: all walkers' heads move from side to side when the legs move
BKW	Bent Knee Walker 8" dolls from 1956 to 1965, 1967 to 1971
BK	Bent Knee, non-walkers 8" dolls from 1965 to 1966; 1972 to 1973; and beginning 1999, select dolls
MIB	Mint In Box Doll may have been removed; HOWEVER doll, hair, and clothes are PERFECT; with box and accessories
MIBWT	Mint In Box, with Tag Same as MIB, but additional note that the wrist tag is still attached
NRFB	Never Removed From Box Doll has NEVER been removed from box; any papers and accessories should all be present
NB/NT or NWT	No Box, No Wrist Tag
A/O	All Original None of the doll's clothing/accessories have been replaced
HTF	Hard To Find One of the most abused phrases on eBay
Faces

Wendy from the 1960s; darker skinned dolls tend to have orangy lips.	Another look at a 1960s Wendy.
Pre-1973 Wendy; starred lashes only on the bottom lid and the mis-aligned brows are common. The mouth looks lusher than the 60's dolls.	Post-1973, eyes were rounder, with the whites peeking at the bottom. Wendys were called 'rosies' for the apples adorning their cheeks.
In 1977, Wendy's mold changed to a rounder face, with small, pursed lips. The severe indents above the mouth caused shadows in most lighting, leading collectors to bestow the nickname 'mustache face' on this series. For 1985-86, the face paint became dead white. Feh.	A new face for Wendy was unveiled in 1988 which harked back to the late 60s mold. The skin tone was peachier.
'More was more' for 1999. The thicker lashes and brows were used even on blonde dolls. Ick! The 2001 dolls reverted to the 1988 paint job.	In 2003, to celebrate Madame Alexander's 80-year anniversary (dating from her first rag dolls), the company released Wendys using molds from their introduction in the early 1950s. I suppose they were also going for the 'chalky' look those dolls have; however most of these 2003-1953 faces lack the charm of the originals.
The 'round' oriental face was introduced in the 70s, then reemerged in the late 80s and is still in use today.
This 1999 doll has the classic 'Maggie Mix-up' features. Red hair, three freckles on each cheek, three corner lashes, and of course that smile.	The usual Maggie face used for internationals, with just the 'smile'.

References

Linda Crowsey
'Madame Alexander Collector's Dolls Price Guide #28'

Jan Foulke
'The Treasury of Madame Alexander Dolls'*

Cynthia Gaskill
'A Certain Style'
'The Legendary Dolls of Madame Alexander'

A. Glenn Mandeville
'Alexander Dolls Collector's Price Guide'

Barbara Jo McKeon
'Rare and Hard to Find Madame Alexander Collector's Dolls'*

Patricia Smith
'The Collector's Encyclopedia of Madame Alexander Dolls, 1965-1990'*
'Madame Alexander Collector's Dolls, Vol 1'*
'Madame Alexander Collector's Dolls, Vol 2'*
'The World of Alexander-kins'*

Marjorie Uhl
'Madame Alexander Dolls Are Made With Love'*
'Madame Alexander Dolls on Review'*
'Madame Alexander's Ladies of Fashion'*

* - Book is out of print; May be available at doll shows and eBay

Legal Issues: I am in no way affiliated with the Alexander Doll Company.
All photographs were created by and Copyright © Joanna F Randall.
The sorry web graphics were also created by me.
Please do not take or use my photographs/graphics without my permission. Thank you.

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