Different Gotz Doll Body Types

Over its decades of doll production, Götz has made dolls with a variety of "different*" doll body types*. The purpose of this article is to both help identify and describe in detail each of these different doll body types as best as possible, to my knowledge.

Tip: You may also find it helpful to read this article in conjunction with the article on ***articulation,*** which you can do by clicking here.

*This article is currently an **article stub**; more information on this subject will continue to be added to this article in the near future.*

## **GELENKBABY; VINYLBABY; VINYLGELENKBABY**

* **English Translations: *VINYL BABY* and *ARTICULATED VINYL BABY***

GELENKBABY, VINYLBABY, and VINYLGELENKBABY are three names for the same type of doll. This doll is a hard-bodied, all-vinyl, multi-articulated baby doll with an articulated neck, both shoulders, and both hips. This doll cannot stand without help (just as a baby in real life cannot stand) but can sit unaided.

* **Doll Body Type: HARD-BODIED**
* **Articulation Type: MULTI-ARTICULATED (4-5 joints articulate)**
* **Articulation Locations: NECK/HEAD, BOTH SHOULDERS, BOTH HIPS**
* **Articulation Mechanism: TENSION-CORD CUP STRUNG or completely STRUNG**
* Examples: *Sylvia Natterer's FANOUCHE AND HER FRIENDS*

## **GELENKPUPPE, GELENKSTEHPUPPE, HARTGELENKSTEHPUPPE**

* **English Translations: *ARTICULATED VINYL STANDING DOLL; HARD BODY, ARTICULATED STANDING DOLL***

* GELENKPUPPE, GELENKSTEHPUPPE, and HARTGELENKSTEHPUPPE (three names for this one *type* of doll) are hard-bodied, all-vinyl, multi-articulated dolls that can both stand and sit without help. Their necks/head, both shoulders, and both hips have articulation mechanisms that allow their limbs to have a full range of movement. These dolls also have flat feet for standing.

* **Doll Body Type: HARD-BODIED**
* **Articulation Type: MULTI-ARTICULATED (4-5 joints articulate)**
* **Articulation Locations: NECK/HEAD, BOTH SHOULDERS, BOTH HIPS**
* **Articulation Mechanisms: TENSION-CORD CUP STRUNG or COMPLETELY STRUNG**
* Examples: *Sylvia Natterer's* "*FANOUCHE AND HER FRIENDS*," ROMINA/ROMINO.

"FANOUCHE" GELENKSTEHPUPPE doll body type.
## **VINYLKÖRPER**

* **English Translation: *VINYL BODY***

VINYLKÖRPER dolls have rigid, all-vinyl doll bodies; their heads and both shoulders are connected together by tension cords & cups; their hips are attached to their doll torso with a flange & socket type connector. This allows the doll's head and shoulders to move in unlimited direction while their hips can only move/pose in a 360 degree rotation (and not, for example, outwards, away from their doll body). These dolls can sit and stand unaided.

* **Doll Body Type: HARD-BODIED**
* **Articulation Type: MULTI-ARTICULATED (4-5 joints articulate)**
* **Articulation Locations: HEAD; BOTH SHOULDERS; BOTH HIPS**
* **Articulation Mechanisms: HEAD, BOTH SHOULDERS: *TENSION CORD & CUP*; HIPS: *FLANGE & SOCKET***
* **Examples**: Hildegard Gunzel's "HANNAH" dolls.

## **WEICHBABYs**

There are a variety of different "WEICHBABY" or "SOFT BODY BABY" doll body types, as described below.

### **1. WEICHBABY (non-jointed)**

* **English Translation: *SOFT BODY BABY***

This photo (left) shows one type of WEICHBABY doll body type. This WEICHBABY has non-articulated shoulders, hips, and neck; the head manually rotates within the soft, padded cloth torso only. This doll (left) has a "weighted" doll torso with gusseted hips, which means it can maintain a sitting position; however, it cannot stand without help.

* **Doll Body Type: SOFT-BODIED**
* **Articulation Type: NON-ARTICULATED (0 joints articulate)**
* **Articulation Locations: NONE**; if the doll has a weighted torso, doll will hold a sitting position *but it cannot stand without help.* Neck is non-jointed and manually rotates within the cloth doll torso.
* **Articulation Mechanism: NONE**
* Examples: *Carin Lossnitzer's* "DRIBBLE BABIES," Sylvia Natterer's "FANOUCHE AND HER FRIENDS" babies.

Sylvia Natterer non-articulated WEICHBABY doll body type.Hildegard Gunzel's WEICHBABY baby dolls.

### **2. WEICHBABY (partially posable)**

* **English Translation: *SOFT BODY BABY***

This photo (right) shows one type of WEICHBABY doll body type. This WEICHBABY has two shoulders with internal skeletal armature that allows positioning; the one-piece head and neck are *fixed in position* and can only somewhat manually rotate within the padded cloth doll torso. This doll has a "weighted" doll body just like a real baby. The bottom is stitched so the doll can maintain an unaided sitting position; this doll cannot stand without help.

* **Doll Body Type: SOFT-BODIED**
* **Articulation Type: PARTIALLY ARTICULATED (1-3 joints articulate)**
* **Articulation Locations: BOTH SHOULDERS**
* Articulation Mechanism: **INTERNAL SKELETAL ARMATURE**
* Examples: Joke Grobben's "Doll Expressions"

## **WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE**

There are a variety of different "WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE" doll body types, as described below.

### **1. WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE (partially posable)**

* **English Translation: *SOFT BODY DOLL***

This photo (right) shows a WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE doll body type. It has a vinyl breastplate with vinyl articulated shoulders and neck. The soft, padded cloth doll torso on this doll does not contain an articulation mechanism, which means this doll cannot stand without the help of a doll stand or without proper positioning.

* **Doll Body Type: SOFT-BODIED**

* **Articulation Type: PARTIALLY ARTICULATED (both shoulders and neck are jointed and articulate)**
* **Articulation Locations:** **NECK; BOTH SHOULDERS**
* **Articulation Mechanism: NECK: STRUNG; SHOULDERS: TENSION-CORD CUPS**
* Examples:

### **2. WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE (also referred to as a "sitting doll")**

* **English Translation:** ***SOFT BODY DOLL, HEAD AND ARMS WITH JOINTS***

This photo (left) shows another type of WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE; this specific doll is commonly referred to as a *"sitting doll" as it is designed specifically "to sit" (i.e. the knees are sculpted bent).* This soft-bodied doll has a torso made of both cloth and vinyl. The head and both upper arms move/pose; this specific doll has gusseted hips that allow it to maintain a sitting position, but this doll cannot stand.

* **Doll Body Type: SOFT-BODIED**
* **Articulation Type: PARTIALLY ARTICULATED (1-3 joints articulate)**

* **Articulation Locations:** **HEAD; BOTH UPPER ARMS**
* Articulation Mechanism: **NECK: STRUNG; ARMS: INTERNAL SKELETAL ARMATURE**
* Examples: *Sylvia Natterer's FANOUCHE AND HER FRIENDS (1996 and later); Sabine Esche's DOLL ART.*

Example of a SABINE ESCHE WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE doll body type.

### **3. WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE VOLL BEWEGLICH (fully posable arms and legs)**

* **English Translation: *SOFT-BODIED DOLL, FULLY POSABLE***

This WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE is a soft-bodied doll (with or without a breastplate/shoulder plate) with internal skeletal armature that allows multiple articulation locations to articulate in any direction. If the doll has flat feet, it can stand unaided. The hips may/may not be gusseted; regardless, this doll can sit unaided.

* **Doll Body Type: SOFT-BODIED**

* **Articulation Type: FULLY ARTICULATED (6+ joints articulate)**

* **Articulation Locations: NECK/HEAD, VARIOUS LOCATIONS ON THE BODY**

* **Articulation Mechanism: LIMBS: INTERNAL SKELETAL ARMATURE; NECK: STRUNG**
* Examples: *Inge Enderle's* "MY DOLL CHILDREN;" *Susi Eimer's* "Meeting Place - Troll Forest;" Joke Grobben's "Doll Expressions;" Philip Heath's "A WORLD OF CHILDREN;" Hildegard Günzel's artist doll line.

**Examples of FULLY POSABLE DOLLS**

Inge Enderle's "My Doll Children"Susi Eimer's "Meeting Place, Troll Forest"Joke Grobben's "Doll Expressions"Philip Heath's "A World of Children."Hildegard Gunzel's WEICHKÖRPERPUPPE VOLL BEWEGLICH