AG Magazine Back Issues

One of the most detailed contemporary Paper Doll Series available was the bi-monthly American Girl Magazine Paper Dolls. Each Issue featured a real live girl who has researched her family tree and sent in photos of herself and various female ancestors. The clothes are in vibrant colors and excellent historical and ethnic costumes. The sense of accomplishment for any of these girls is evident, and the artists that take the photos and recreate these real life American Girls as paper dolls are to be commended for their beautiful work.

Doll #1 Nov-Dec 1992 Courtney Price Traces back to 1792 Ghana	Doll #2 Jan-Feb 1993 Shira Kalman-Hicks Traces back to 1871	Doll #3 Mar-Apr 1993 Alexandra Forsythe Traces back to 1864 Colorado

The best part is a lot of these dolls are still obtainable through the back-issues found on ebay. 

If you're interested in other back issues you can call AG Magazine customer service to obtain back issues of AG Magazine for only $5.95 each. Currently they are offering 2009 - present.
Courtesy: minxworks

History of 18" Battat Dolls

Battat has been in business since 1897. Battat is a family-owned business that is 114 years old and has been in North America for over 40 years. Maison Joseph Battat headquarters are in Montreal, QC, Canada. It has been a family-run business that values family above all else. Their motto has always been to supply toys at affordable prices, keeping in mind that every toy made has to have some redeeming value for children using it. Battat toys have always had an educational value, whether it is didactic or nurturing, or collecting and creating worlds for children playing with them.

"Our Generation isn't just about a doll or a book or even a fantastic miniature tea set. It's about girls growing up together and creating the narrative of an extraordinary generation. And parents who understand the pressures of being a girl more than any generation of parents before them.

Our Generation is about girls helping girls who are less fortunate because they want to and because they know they can. It’s about quality dolls at prices aimed to not exclude anyone." (Battat)

Our Generation dolls are widely available at Target and are affordable priced $22 - $35.  They are great for a little girl's first 18" doll. The vinyl is very soft and they have cloth bodies stuffed with foam rubber. Some of the earlier dolls had a plastic skeleton interior so they could bend their arms and legs in order to ride horses.

Just Magic

In 1998 Battat released a collection of five dolls under the name Collector's Lane Kids. These friends were Elizabeth, Vanessa, Sheri, and Rachel. They were dressed in denim outfits and shoes made of rubbery plastic (or fabric for slippers). The dolls are smaller than American Girl. 

etsy

 

 

Kay and Lyn

 What I find so great is that in 1998 there was a boy doll named Jack. He was included in the five Collector's Lane Kids.

 

Courtesy: Just Magic