The German American Girl or the German Bendleg Barbie (German Bendable Legs Barbie/German Barbie with bendable legs) - as she is officially called - is a very good example of a Barbie doll that is not sold in her country of origin, the USA. She exists - only in 1967 - mainly in Germany, but also in the Netherlands and probably also in France, possibly in Great Britain and perhaps also in Italy. Since collectors initially assumed that this doll only existed in Germany, they gave her the name "German American Girl".
Due to her characteristics attributable to the old and new production line, she is one of the many "transitional dolls" that Mattel has released over the years.
The body is - except for the new pink skin tone that allows you to distinguish the bodies - the same as the American Girl, with the same markings:
©1958
Mattel, Inc.
U.S. Patented
U.S. Pat.Pend
Made In
Japan
I'm assuming that the pink body used for the German American Girl Barbie was originally intended as a body for the head of the new "facelift" Barbie. Apparently it is replaced by the newly developed Twist'n Turn body, which, in contrast to the American Girl body, has a rotating waist, and production of the old body will be discontinued.
That's why these bodies are extremely rare. You can sometimes also find them on the following absolutely rare dolls:
The head is like the head of a standard Barbie, which already features the new, modern head shape that it shares with the TNT and the Standard Barbie.
It is generally assumed that the heads are actually the same heads that Mattel uses for the Standard Barbies – on the market in Germany in 1969 (in the USA starting1967). According to this assumption, they appear wider, as the wider neck button of the American Girl body pushes the shape outwards.
However, I think that the heads are actually slightly different. It could actually be that the new head shape, which is advertised as a "facelift" in Germany, was originally actually produced for the American Girl bodies, which were then supposed to be pink, and are accordingly "wider".
There are dolls with less wide and very wide heads - this is probably due to the production, where the press mold shows signs of wear and tear in use and therefore causes heads with different widths.
After the development of the TNT body is complete, and the American Girl body is replaced by it, the
After the development of the TNT body is completed and the American Girl body is replaced, production is equalized and the “facelift” heads become slightly narrower. The heads and pink AG bodies created so far will not be destroyed - as is usual with Mattel - but will be brought onto the market and sold outside of the United States of America.
There is a lot that speaks for this theory. It can also be assumed that a head that is not made for a wider neck button would probably quickly develop a crack - the "neck split" known and feared by collectors - because the material is under too much tension. However, you won't find more neck split dolls among German American Girls than other Barbies.
No matter what actually happened in production: These dolls are rare, the pink bodies are extremely rare, and that's why every collector is happy if they can find such a doll in good condition.
However, this is rarely the case; these Barbies are usually very flawed. The make-up is often badly rubbed off, the legs have punctures, cracks or green spots, and some hair is missing or severely trimmed. Keeping that in mind, one leg that is a bit “swingy” on one hip is more of a minor flaw on an otherwise very well-preserved doll.
Sold in the same box as the American Girl but with a sticker indicating the stock number 1163, the German American Girl wears the same swimsuit as the regular American Girl Barbie.
However, GAGs are also sold that are dressed in a modification of this swimsuit: the top here corresponds to the fabric used in Allan's original top. There are also swimsuits with the regular top, but the bottom part is made of a darker blue. These rare swimsuits can reach prices of several hundred euros. (see chapter “American Girl Barbies”)
The German Bendleg Barbie's hair bow is blue, not pink, like the ones of the regular American Girl and corresponds to the bow of the standard Barbie from the "Twinkle Town" gift set from 1969. You can see the "Twinkle Town" gift set here:
GAAG is sold with a cellophane protector over her hair and a tag around one wrist.
There are German American Girl Barbies with many hair colors that largely correspond to those of the TNT or standard Barbies: different shades of blonde, brown hair, almost black hair and also - very rarely - reddish hair (sometimes called Black Cherry or Eggplant) or red hair.
According to widespread belief, red or reddish hair colors are said to have arisen - as with the TNT and Standard Barbies - only through chemically induced changes and were never originally red when sold. In contrast to this, there are statements from collectors who clearly confirm that they have owned a red-haired TNT or Standard Barbie, which was already red-haired when purchased in the 1960s.
Therefore it's impossible to confirm that German American Girl Barbies from 1967 were already offered with red hair. Fact is, however, that dolls are sold in AG boxes marked “Titian” (Titian red). However, these dolls have hair that is not bright red, but rather appears medium brown and only has a reddish tint in some light.
However, it can be clearly stated that dolls with a dark brown painted scalp or dolls whose scalp appears unpainted did not originally have red hair. The scalp is always matched to the hair color, so that dark-haired dolls have a dark brown scalp and blonde dolls have a light one.
In the photo below you can see a dark brunette doll on the far left. Next to her is a doll that has the very rare and highly sought after hair color “black cherry” or “eggplant”. Both have a dark scalp. The second doll from the right has a scalp that is a medium reddish brown. In some light the hair appears medium brown, in some you can see a reddish shimmer. This doll is sold in a box marked "Titian". The blonde doll on the far right has an unpainted scalp or one painted to match her skin tone.
As you can see, German American Girls' hair length varies. They are also layered differently.
The eyebrows also have different shades of color, from light brown to dark brown. These are not always matched to the hair color, so you can also find almost black-haired dolls with medium brown eyebrows, and blonde dolls with dark eyebrows. (Take a close look at the photos on this page!). This means that each doll appears different and very individual.
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