User Contribution Requirements

Most Gotz doll information is not centralized in one location and can in fact, be very difficult to find! **Therefore, our goal is *to identify and catalog each Gotz Doll ever produced***. In order to accomplish this *massive* goal, we must ask questions *and* provide answers. Our mission then, is to provide you with accurate, factual, background information about each doll's:

* **Year of Identification** (what year was this doll produced; in production *from* and *to*? What other dolls were produced during that year/decade?)
* **Catalog Number** (can we find a specific catalog reference number?)
* **Name** (what is this doll's specific name? [which can appear on a box, a price tag, or in a catalog])
* **Tag Information** (what did the original Doll ID tag look like? or say?)
* **Physical Description** (details about its hair color; hair length; hair type; eye color; eye type, size, etc)
* **Body Type** (details about body: is it soft, hard or a mixture of components; what material is it made from?)
* **Articulation Type** (are its joints articulated [moveable] or non-articulated [immovable] and if so, what moves/doesn't move?)
* **German Classification** (what type of doll is this; what other dolls are similar to it?)
* **Neckstamp Information** (are there neckstamp writings and/or numbers that help to identify it? What dolls share similar facial molds?)
* **Facial Mold Used:** (what is the name or nickname of this doll's facial mold; is this the first doll with this specific facial mold?)
* **Original Outfit/Accessories** (what does its original outfit look like? What originally came with it?)
* **Original Box Description** (what did its original box look like?)

As stated, this is a massive undertaking and by no means, a small feat. It will take a long time, and a lot of help, from dedicated Gotz Doll Lovers like you to help us reach this goal!

## **HOW TO SEARCH WITHIN THE WIKI**

People generally come to Gotz Doll Wiki to both search for information on a specific doll or to identify a doll that has certain identifiable characteristics.

**IMPORTANT: There are several different ways to search for dolls. Currently, the most ACCURATE way to search for a doll is visually using the MAIN DOLL INDEX as Fandom has a bug in its software that is not allowing all of our articles to show up in search results.**

## **1. MOST ACCURATE METHOD: Search ALL DOLLS INDEXED Using the MAIN DOLL INDEX Search Method:**

Click on this drop-down menu, located on the top navigation bar, to see the MAIN DOLL INDEX; this contains an index of every doll entered on this wiki. Each doll entered is indexed first by CATALOG YEAR then by DOLL NAME/CATALOG CODE (if doll does not have a name).

**IMPORTANT: Please note...the ability to search within each category *can be changed* to what works best for you. Explore changing how categories and dolls can be viewed by clicking these buttons, which can be found at the top right of each category page.**

## **2. SEARCH for an "UNKNOWN DOLL" by Different Methods:**

We've designed Gotz Doll Wiki in a way that allows one to search for both **specific** *and* **general** characteristics. In order to do this, we've placed each doll that shares similar *topical characteristics* into multiple *general sub-categories*, in which you will find each Gotz Doll **individually indexed**.

Click on the "FIND A DOLL - CLICK TO SEARCH ALL CATEGORIES" menu option. This pulls up various sub-categories to search within. Dolls with those characteristics will be individually indexed.

You can also quickly navigate to various main and sub-categories by clicking the keywords in purple at the bottom of each article.

## **3. VERY INACCURATE METHOD: Use the FANDOM SEARCH BAR to Enter Basic Keywords:**

Search with basic keywords in the black FANDOM search bar only. This will pull up results. Please note: this is currently a very inaccurate method of searching as FANDOM currently has a bug in its software that is not allowing some articles to appear. We recommend on using this method once you know your way around the wiki.

## **CONTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS:**

The goal of this GOTZ Doll ID & Catalog Wiki is to provide as much factual, detailed information possible so we can provide the best online resource possible. ***In order to meet that goal, we ask those who wish to contribute to an article follow the below guidelines (along with FANDOMS user guidelines) prior to making contributions***:

## Sign In & Summarize Edits:

Please be aware that this wiki will require you to have an account and sign in each time you would like to contribute. Additionally, prior to saving an edit, a dialog box will pop up and ask you to provide a description or "SUMMARY" of the changes you have made: ***please briefly describe each change you have made to the article (Ex. I edited \_\_\_ section; I added a photograph of \_\_\_\_, etc; I described \_\_\_\_'s outfit) each time an edit is made. Please note also where this information came from: personal ownership or found via internet***.

## **ADDING "EDITS":**

Information on Gotz dolls can be especially hard to find and verify. **For this reason, we ask that only factual, accurate, verifiable information be entered, like hair and eye color, etc. If you are unsure of the accuracy of the information you are about to provide (we ourselves at times find it hard to see all details in photos)...please either do not include it without independently verifying it first or please place a "(?)" after the information and we will do our best to verify it**. This also lets people know this information may not be 100% certain.

* **Please make sure to be as detailed as possible when describing a doll's original outfit. Also, please only include descriptions of original accessories and boxes if you know for a fact that those items/box are indeed original**.
* **Descriptions should be in complete written sentences, in paragraph form** (unless a list is needed). We understand everyone does *not* have a professional writing background...for clarification purposes or to ease the ability to read, we may take the information you have provided and help re-format or reword it, but only if deemed necessary. If you would like to add information but are uncomfortable with editing the article itself, please feel free to describe what information you would like to add at the bottom of each article in the "COMMENT" section (along with how you know this) and we will add it for you.
* **Please do not reword/change/edit/delete any information that is already entered**. Administrators receive a notification of each user edit. If it is entered it is deemed reliable. If you question the existing information for any reason, please contact an administrator GotzDollJunkie or KatyDidIt4U and we will be happy to address your concerns.
* **Please do not attempt to edit any information in the INFO BOX (yellow and blue box on each article) or edit/reword/change/delete any information in SOURCE MODE, *ESPECIALLY if you are unfamiliar with source coding***. If you are adding information to an article, please do so only in VISUAL MODE. For Artist Dolls (yet unentered), an administrator will take care of updating the information inside the INFO BOX. Articles found to have improper source code changes will have to be rolled back to a previously saved version.
* Please only use the comment section of an article for **positive** comments or to add information to a subject.

## 1. **ALL PHOTOS:**

All photographs should be in high quality; they should show fully visible items; be cropped to just the image; and have an appropriate background. Please make sure the doll is centered *vertically* and *horizontally* within the frame.

### REQUIRED FOR EACH PHOTO UPLOAD: Please make sure to:

1. ***Cite the name of the original owner of the photo*** (ex. "Photo provided by \_\_\_\_").

2. ***State where the photo came from*** (ex. the website name you retrieved it from) within the caption of the article

3.  ***Cite the correct photo "copyright permission" at time of uploading*** (ex. is it used with permission; considered "fair use"; available in the public domain, etc).

Doing this allows people to be properly credited for their photos (please see the last section about the application of "fair use" photos).

Note: *If you find a photo on the wiki that personally belongs to you that you did not get credited for* (note: all photos unless otherwise mentioned are from Worthpoint, which does not provide the Seller's name), *please let us know! We have no problem adding this information to these photos!*

## 2. **Adding a CATALOG PHOTO:**

*Original catalog photographs are preferred whenever possible* for obvious reasons; this allows us to factually show the original hair style, outfit, and accessories.

## 3. **Adding a MAIN PHOTO: When a Catalog Photo is Available/Unavailable**

* If original photos are *not* available, please only upload photos of dolls:

* **In their ORIGINAL OUTFIT (preferably with their Doll ID Tag still attached if possible).**
* **If possible, with their ORIGINAL HAIR STYLE.**
* **Shown with their ORIGINAL ACCESSORIES**.
	+ - Since its very difficult to verify the accuracy of information on a non-catalogued doll (is that really its original hair color, outfit, eye color? etc), especially vintage dolls, we ask only original owners, or those who have purchased a documented doll in its original state/outfit, to upload main images of dolls. We also understand that "a" photo is better than "no" photo...please make sure to include the original owner of the photo in the caption and state the type of photo "copyright permission" you are uploading.

## 4. **Adding a DOLL ID TAG Photo:**

Dolls made after 1994 all have a Doll ID Tag. This tag contains valuable cataloging information. If possible, please include a photo of the back of each doll's Doll ID tag.

This side of the tag will state:

* Its original catalog number.
* Its doll name (for dolls with names).
* Its doll's size in cm/inches.
* Its German and English classification (German doll name with its translation in English).

Even if you don't feel comfortable updating the actual article information, these photos are excellent in helping us to fill in the UNKNOWN parts of each article. See below for an example of a Doll ID tag:

## 5. **Adding ARTICULATION Photos:**

**To help properly identify and catalog each doll, if possible, please include *a full image of the doll undressed from head to toe***. This helps us to ensure the doll displayed is the same doll listed, as some dolls have the same facial mold but have different body types and articulation joints.

* **Please Note: if a photo shows only part of an upper/lower torso *and no face*, an admin has uploaded it - please do not remove it**.

Please see the below example for the type of photo we are looking for:

## 6. **Adding "Certification of Authenticity (COA)" Photos:**

Please help us by uploading a photograph or your doll's original Certificate of Authenticity (COA). Please see below for an example of a COA:

### **Please keep in mind the following:**

1. As this wiki is dedicated to research and reference only, please note that any actual photographs that appear on a public domain can be uploaded without source citation and/or source permission under the "fair use" licensing law. Whenever possible, we will do our best to obtain permission and/or provide source citation for each photo. Most of our non-catalog photos have come from Worthpoint.com (unless specified), which does not provide source or "Seller Name Identification." \*\***If you find a photo on this wiki of a doll you sold and have not received photo credit for, please let us know - we have no problem adding this to the photo(s)!**\*\*

2. Gotz Doll Wiki *is not officially affiliated with, sponsored or endorsed by GOTZ*. Gotz Doll Wiki has obtained copyright (and watermark) permission directly from Gotz to use all Original Gotz Doll Catalog photos that appear on this wiki. As all catalog photos belong solely to Gotz, please make sure to obtain written permission directly from them if you would like to reuse them.

3. Finally, we are only human and still learning ourselves: information and articles may change and/or be corrected regularly. We do not claim to be experts...if you find an error on the wiki, please leave us a message on our user wall.

4**. All articles; templates, and writings belong to Fandom and to the creators of Gotz Doll Wiki. If you would like to use the information in your article, on a website, or within a selling listing, please contact Fandom or Gotz Doll Wiki Admins and ask for written permission beforehand.**

Thank you for helping us to create the best possible Gotz Doll online identification and catalog resource possible! We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!